by Asa Bennett

This morning provided an end to many young teenagers’ fretful waiting for results as they finally got to open their envelopes for GCSEs. However as with A level results, those young people are in for a mixed bag today as while congratulations are due for their doubtless hard work, the ever-soaring pass rate will be a cause for concern as 1 in 5 young people pass with the top A or A* grades.

Leaving aside any debate about the exams’ difficulty and their “dumbing down”, as eye-catching claims dominate the press (like that a monkey could be trained to do the exams) and any conclusion is tainted by subjectivity or cherry-picking of questions for comparison, the problem remains that with such large quantities of top-rate passes, the exam system needs to change. Without any change, educational assessments like GCSEs and A levels will be devalued as the best candidates become increasingly hard to be recognized. The Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary, David Laws succinctly assessed the issue today as he bemoaned:

“the lack of public confidence in exam standards and qualifications. As a consequence, some schools are considering shunning GCSEs, and the Government’s complex Diploma looks like an expensive flop.”

Mr Laws’ talk of GCSEs’ increasing danger of rejection is reasonable as schools increasingly look to alternatives like the International Baccalaureate. Universities are found to be offering alternative examinations as well, like Cambridge’s Pre-U in response to A levels being insufficient for top students to mark themselves out.

In face of such a problem, it is disappointing that Ed Balls defends so rigorously the current system, haughtily dismissing any claims of the exams’ increasing easiness and rejecting out of hand any proposals for change. Seen through this prism, the Conservatives’ proposed reintroduction of O levels bears some promise.

Additionally the examination system needs to be overhauled, the best chance is with ideas like the Conservatives’ plan to post all past exam papers on the internet so everyone can assess how standards have risen and fallen over the years. After that debate is settled, there is vast scope for the implementation of a reputable exam system so that the best students can be deservedly recognized and proud of their results, also, all pupils can then be completely happy with the fruits of their labour.