COURSEWORK REFORMS

by MONITOR
WE shall have to wait for three years, but it will be worth it. In 2009 coursework completed by pupils at home in Britain will be scrapped for a number of subjects and, if we have all been right in our criticism over recent years, this change will be reflected in the following GCSE examination results. Instead of yet another year of incredible achievement we may actually see the levels going down for a while and in doing so restoring some credibility to examination results that have lost a great deal of their value. Credit is due to Ruth Kelly, the former Education Secretary, who ordered a review of coursework during her short spell in the job, and to her successor Alan Johnson who followed up his earlier announcement that maths coursework would be cut from GCSE in 2007 by authorising the end of coursework by 2009 in English literature, foreign languages, history, geography, classical subjects, religious studies, social sciences, business studies and economics. No decision has yet been made about English language and information technology but, clearly, a bridge has been crossed in restoring the credibility of examination results. There are very few parents who will refuse an appeal from their children for help with routine homework. But when the work is due to become part of a formal assessment of attainment, it is a different matter; cheating with the help of the internet is an even more serious matter. The changes are welcome, if overdue.