Department for Education
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Changes to early entry at GCSE

From 29 September 2013, only a student’s first entry to a GCSE examination will count in their school’s performance tables.

The Secretary of State for Education has announced that, with effect from 29 September 2013, only a student’s first entry to a GCSE examination will count in their school’s performance tables.

For those who have already completed a GCSE, the performance tables will still record their best result from either their previous attempt or from the next time they sit that GCSE. Those who have not yet taken a GCSE will have their first GCSE taken after 29 September 2013 count in performance tables.

This change will affect all EBacc subjects and both GCSE and IGCSE examinations. For performance tables published in January 2016 and subsequently, the changes will apply to all non-EBacc subjects as well.

This change is being made to address the significant increase in early entry in recent years. In summer 2013, 23% of maths entries (170,537 entries) and 10% of English entries (70,134) were from students who were not yet at the end of their key stage 4 study. Overall, entries from 15-year-olds increased by 39% from 2012 to 2013.

The Secretary of State has previously described early entry as a “damaging trend that is harming the interests of many pupils”, adding:

The evidence shows that candidates who enter early perform worse overall than those who do not, even after re-sits are taken into account.

It seems likely that candidates are being entered before they are ready, and ‘banking’ a C grade where their performance at key stage 2 would suggest that if they had continued to study the subject and taken the GCSE at the end of year 11 they could have achieved a top grade.

This is of particular concern in maths, where there is high progression from A*/A grade at GCSE to A level, but low progression from grades B and C.

In addition, I believe that this speaks more generally of a narrowed curriculum, focused not on sound subject teaching as a basis for successful progression, but on preparation to pass exams.

Changes from September 2013

From 29 September 2013 a pupil’s first entry for IGCSE, Level 1/Level 2 certificate or GCSE (GCSE family), will count towards the school’s performance tables.

For those who have already completed a GCSE, IGCSE or Level 1/Level 2 certificate (summer 2013 or previously), the performance tables will still record their best result from either their previous attempt or from the next time they sit a qualification from the GCSE family. Those who have not yet taken a qualification from the GCSE family will have their first GCSE, IGCSE or Level 1/Level 2 certificate taken after 29 September 2013 count in performance tables.

Where exams are taken at the same time, in the same series, the best result will continue to count. Schools will want to think carefully about whether this is in the best interests of their pupils. The Department for Education will continue to collect data on entry patterns, and will share that data at a school level with Ofsted.

These changes will apply initially (for performance tables published in January 2015, relating to exams taken in the summer of 2014 or earlier) to English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects only: English (English, English language, English literature), mathematics, science (core and additional science, biology, chemistry, physics, computer science), history, geography and modern foreign languages. For performance tables published in January 2016 and subsequently the changes will apply to all subjects.

Examinations planned for November 2013 and summer 2014

Schools that have already planned for pupils to do early entry either in November or summer 2014 will have to think hard about whether they still think that is right for the pupil.

If schools decide they wish to withdraw students from November examinations, they should contact their exam board.

If schools are confident that pupils will achieve well even when entered early and that early entry is therefore in the interests of the pupil, they should not need to make any changes to entry plans. Any pupil who does enter early from this point on will still be able to re-take if they receive a disappointing result. That result will not count towards the performance tables for their school, even if it is an improvement on their earlier entry, but pupils will still be able to use their best result to support applications to further and higher education, or for employment.

More information about early entry can be found in the Department’s report into early GCSE entry and the Ofsted report on early GCSE entry.

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