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Emergency motion 3 to Congress 2012: GCSEs

Issue date

E3: Emergency motion to Congress 2012

Congress is appalled at the treatment young people who sat GCSE English this summer have received from Ofqual and the government.

Since GCSEs were introduced, teachers and students have worked hard to achieve a steady and increasing success rate.

This summer has seen the first fall in the numbers achieving A*-C grades. This has coincided with Michael Gove, precipitately and without consultation, moving the arbitrarily determined floor targets from 35 per cent to 40 per cent. This is the level below which the Secretary of State will seek to force a school to become an academy.

Congress condemns the consequences of the changes in grade boundaries resulting in thousands of students receiving a D rather than the C they expected. As a result, many have lost college places or apprenticeships and may be left without access to education or training.

Congress echoes the views of many teachers and head teachers who have described this as morally indefensible.

Congress notes the contradiction in the requirement placed on schools to achieve 40 per cent A*-C grades and Ofqual's stated intention of 'stabilising' the number of C grades. Congress condemns the fact that this must mean that schools can only 'improve' their results, if results in other schools fall.

Congress calls on the General Council to:

  • work with parents and students to press for an objective, robust and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding GCSE English examinations this summer, and its impact
  • campaign for students to be graded fairly.

Mover: National Union of Teachers

Seconder: University and College Union

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