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'Volume and intensity' of GCSE exams is 'too high', exam board concludes

Examinations & Qualifications GCSEs and A Levels
The “volume and intensity” of examinations at GCSE is “too high”, major exam board OCR has said, while an “overloaded curriculum” is “narrowing students’ education”.
Image: MA Education/Lucie Carlier

These are the conclusions of a review carried out by OCR’s chair – the former education secretary Charles Clarke.

The review set out to address the “curriculum and assessment challenges” at key stages 3 and 4. The final report – entitled Striking the balance – recommends “rebalancing” assessment away from a sole reliance on exams at 16.

It states: “The current volume and intensity of examination at GCSE and for vocational key stage 4 qualifications in England is too high, with students taking an average of 31.5 hours of exams each, and is higher than most comparable jurisdictions.

“This dependence on exams as the only mode of assessment means there is too much focus on a narrow range of learning.”

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