A-Level Reforms: was it all worth it" Elizabeth Ivens takes a closer look and reports back
Five years ago, some of the most controversial education reforms in history started to become a reality for millions of children, as a total overhaul of the examination system in England began.
The then Education Secretary Michael Gove?s vision of more challenging and rigorous qualifications included sweeping changes in the way A-levels were taught and examined.
In what some critics dubbed a return to the dark ages, two years of study with exams at the end replaced the system whereby AS-levels, coursework and re-taken modules could be put towards an A-level pass.
The new linear A-level courses were rolled out from September 2015 and first examined in summer 2017, with more subjects being taught in the new style each year until new curricula for all A-level subjects had been phased in. Most subjects have all now been examined for the first time, with only a few still to be examined this summer.
As schools stop to catch their breath and reflect on the whirlwind of change, what do those working on the ground in the independent sector make of the reforms with the benefit of hindsight"
At Mount Kelly College in Tavistock, Devon, Deputy Head Academic James Dixon said change was definitely needed because ?over time, the variation in the level of difficulty between subjects, and to a lesser extent between exam boards, had become too obvious to ignore?, and that schools turning to IB...