The future became more uncertain for hundreds of thousands of youngsters this week when Gavin Williamson cancelled their GCSE exams. But pupils at some of Britain’s top public schools were affected less than their contemporaries in state maintained schools.
Why? Because what Williamson did not talk about when he cancelled exams were International GCSEs. Broadly equivalent to domestic exams, and offered by the same exam boards, they are marketed worldwide and, unlike GCSEs, look set to go ahead this summer. Britain’s educational divide has always been fairly stark. And this decision could further widen that gap between rich and poor pupils.
As a teacher, I was pleased to hear Williamson tell Parliament that he trusts us more than algorithms. But without algorithms to standardise the process, the unfortunate truth is that grade inflation seems all but inevitable.
Yet if GCSEs end up devalued, international GCSEs won’t.
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