A-level students choosing narrower range of subjects after Gove changes
October 2023
The Guardian view on exam reform: schools have more acute problems than a narrow curriculum
Editorial: An overhaul of qualifications is a good idea. But ambitious schemes to bridge the academic-vocational and Stem-humanities divides will have to wait
February 2022
Students and teachers in England decry ‘virtually useless’ exam previews
Foreign languages are particular source of concern, with teachers expressing ‘huge disappointment’
January 2021
Private entrants to GCSEs and A-levels face second year of delays
GCSE, A-level and Sats exams to be scrapped in England this year
October 2020
Wales qualifications body urges scrapping of next year's exams
Welsh government told there should be no GCSE and AS-level exams, and single paper for A-levels
'You stupid boy': Boris ticks Private Williamson off over exams U-turn
John Crace
The education secretary struggles in vain to avoid looking a hopeless numpty over the grading debacle
'A rollercoaster of emotions': students describe sharp end of exams fiasco
Dylan Irish and Leah Glenday both had their plans for university upended by the grading algorithm
A-level and GCSE results in England to be based on teacher assessments in U-turn
Williamson and Ofqual apologise, scrapping standardisation model after outcry
August 2018
A-level results raise policy questions – but first let's celebrate achievement
Despite the upheaval of the redesigned qualifications, many trends persist
January 2018
Perfectionism is destroying the mental health of my millennial generation
Daisy Buchanan
It all began at school, with A-star expectations and a horror of failure. Now we’re on social media platforms, locked into a losing game, says the freelance writer Daisy Buchanan
October 2017
Head of school that forced students out for missing grades suspended
Headteacher of grammar which excluded students who failed to get three Bs at AS-level is suspended pending inquiry
September 2017
St Olave’s exclusions practice was no secret – we pupils all knew
Jack Cornish
It was always made clear to us that the focus was on the school’s performance, to the neglect of individuals’ welfare
August 2017
Drop in grades for 'reformed' A-levels unlikely to be down to difficulty
Outcome of the exams is more likely to be linked to the GCSE results of the cohort taking them, than to tests being tougher
October 2016
Cutbacks force 90% of colleges to offer pupils only three AS-levels
Students to see larger class sizes and fewer subjects and extracurricular activities on offer due to broad funding cuts says new report
August 2016
What A-level results day tells us about British students
While results nationally have remained broadly the same, they disguise significant changes at a subnational level
May 2016
Exam appeals change could make it tougher to challenge results
GCSE, AS and A-level examiners will only act on clear marking errors after complaints too many students received boosted grades
December 2015
Preschool education boosts children's academic success, research finds
Study of 3,000 children suggests significantly more preschoolers end up taking academic route into university than those without same educational start
November 2015
Number of white working class boys taking AS or A-levels 'shockingly low'
Research by Oxford University reveals only 29% progress to sixth form compared with 46% from more affluent areas, showing ‘double disadvantage’