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Tories pledge law to protect exams from dumbing down
Joe Murphy, Political Editor18.11.08
LAWS to stop the "dumbing down" of exams were pledged by the Tories today.
In an attack on regulator Ofqual, they accused it of lowering standards to boost the pass rate, resulting in exams being "devalued".
Shadow schools and families secretary Michael Gove said the Conservatives would maintain the value of exams by forcing the body to link standards to internationally-recognised exams like the International Baccalaureate.
It comes after Ofqual told AQA, England's biggest exam board, to lower the mark needed for a C grade on its new GCSE science paper. Mr Gove said: "In other words, Ofqual devalued the exam. It performed a function which was the precise opposite of its founding mission."
Under his plans, it would be given guidelines to ensure that exams were comparable with "the world's best". Speaking at the Haberdashers Foundation tonight, Mr Gove will announce that scientist Sir Richard Sykes is to review the system.
An Ofqual spokeswoman said: "Ofqual is confident that standards across GCSEs and A-levels have been maintained this year."
Reader views (4)
"...the Government is winning the fight against the credit crunch."
And which government might that be, I wonder? Not GB's crew, that's for sure. Not according to everything I've been reading, anyway. All I've heard from them is how they plan to put off until tomorrow what they are incapable of dealing with today.
- Rogan, Irving
Roz it is 21 years sice GCSE replaced O levels, not 11 years. I have taught both. Yes educational standards have slipped, but many families do not prize education any longer, and, as the Kaiser Chiefs remind us (in Never Miss A Beat) - it is now "cool to know nothing"
- Keith Price, Luton, England
There should be a law to prevent opposition parties from dumbing down whenever the Government is winning the fight agiains the credit crunch.
- Keith Price, Luton, England
Too late. It's 11 years since they got rid of the 'O' Levels (under Margaret Thatcher!): questions from my 'O' Level Biology were directly lifted into 'A' Level questions 2 years later - except whereas I sat 9 'O' levels in one sitting, the candidates 2 years later only had the pressure of 3 subjects to study for - hence a lot of Public Schools also used the International Baccalaureate. Every Briton under the age of 37 has been let down by the Conservatives and Labour - their education does not compare well to the rest of Europe and this does not bode well for the future of Britain.
- Roz, Chamonix, France
