Labour

Tory-led Government needs to get a grip on our examination system - Twigg

Stephen Twigg MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the preliminary report from Ofqual on the examination system, said:

“The report from Ofqual is further evidence that the Tory-led Government needs to get a grip on our examination system.

“It shows that one GCSE has been compromised, and there are concerns about another. I welcome the fact that Ofqual has responded to immediate concerns and taken robust action over an ICT GCSE due to be sat in January 2012.

“However, we now need to have confidence that there are not wider problems with the system.

“Employers, universities and parents want the reassurance that one GCSE or A-level has the same rigour as another.

“Parents and pupils want there to be a level playing field so every candidate has a fair chance and no-one is able to game the system.

“That may require structural change to our examination system to ensure the correct balance between competition and standards in order to prevent a race to the bottom.

“The Daily Telegraph has done a public service through their work on this investigation to raise the problem. We now need a clear plan from the Government on how to solve it.”