Last updated: 13 Jun 2007

A public consultation on the draft criteria begins today and runs until 14 September 2007.

A report on the introduction of controlled assessments has also been published today on QCA's website. Coursework will be removed in some subjects such as mathematics and in others teacher marked assessments will be replaced by controlled assessments taken under supervised conditions with greater awarding body involvement. 

Dr Ken Boston, Chief Executive of QCA said:

"Since its introduction over twenty years ago the GCSE has been a great success. It is a well-established qualification with young people, parents and employers. The introduction of a new secondary curriculum and the development of new qualifications, including the Diplomas from next year, present an opportunity to update the GCSE.

"The proposed revisions to the GCSE criteria will ensure that enhanced opportunities for learners are established and that learning outcomes can be assessed reliably, consistently and fairly. The ability of the GCSE to stretch and challenge young people has been reinforced by the proposals that examinations must include extended writing and more varied question types.

"Controlled assessments will increase public confidence in the GCSE and allow the integration of new sources of data and information, including the Internet, under supervision.  QCA will ensure that the standards and comparability of the GCSE is maintained as we develop the qualification for the future."

Notes to editors

• The public web-based consultation runs from 13 June to 14 September 2007 and will be available on this site later on today.
• The report on controlled assessment can also be found on this site
• The consultation covers all GCSE subjects with the exception of English, Mathematics and ICT - new criteria for these will be published next year. The science criteria have already been revised and will remain unchanged.
• The new specifications will be taught from September 2009 with the first awards in 2011.