London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Pupils in England to get advance notice of topics in GCSEs and A-levels

Pupils in England to get advance notice of topics in GCSEs and A-levels

Plans unveiled by government are intended to mitigate learning lost over last 18 months of disruption

Pupils who are due to sit GCSEs and A-levels next summer will be given advance notice of the focus of some examinations to try to mitigate for learning lost as a result of the pandemic, according to plans unveiled by the government.

Ministers have already stated their intention that exams should go ahead in England next summer, but under proposals published on Monday schools will be given some choice over topics in a number of GCSE subjects, in recognition that many students will not have not had time to complete the whole curriculum because of lockdowns and self-isolation.

Pupils will also be allowed support materials, like a formulae sheet for GCSE mathematics, while those facing GCSE physics and combined science will be provided with an expanded equations sheet. There will also be adjustments to science practicals and art and design assessments.

The proposals are now the subject of a consultation and plans will not be confirmed until the autumn term is already under way. Worried school leaders warned the government was “way behind the curve” and expressed concern that there were still no contingency plans in case exams have to be cancelled for the third year running.

“In reality, all of this should have been put to bed weeks, if not months, ago,” said Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union. “We are only days away from the end of term.

Kevin Courtney of the National Education Union said the consultation is being launched ‘far too late’.


“School leaders wanted decisions for adaptations and contingencies made before the summer break, with details before the start of term in September, not least because August will be a busy month supporting students with their results and working on reviews and appeals.”

Under the new proposals, schools and colleges will be given some choice about the topics on which their students are assessed in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and geography. Exam boards will also be required to provide advance information about the focus of the content of exams at AS and A-level.

Ofqual, the qualifications regulator in England, and the Department for Education are simultaneously consulting on proposed changes to vocational and technical qualifications, which would enable colleges to streamline assessments and provide revision guidance.

Simon Lebus, Ofqual interim chief regulator, said: “With things slowly returning to normal we are launching a consultation so that the flexibility we are building into qualifications will future-proof them against any public health crisis.”

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, warned: “With grim predictability, the government is launching a short consultation in the dead of summer on an absolutely vital issue – this time on exams for next summer … this is already far too late.”

Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “We are very concerned that the consultation does not include proposals for a contingency plan in the event that exams cannot go ahead in 2022.

“The last thing we want to see is exams cancelled again but given what has happened this year and last year it is simply a matter of common sense and prudence to map out a contingency plan at this stage.”

The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, said: “Exams will always be the fairest way to assess students, which is why they will take place next year, but it’s right that next summer’s arrangements take into account the disruption young people have faced over the past 18 months.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×