Was there even any evidence for the UK's A-level exam reforms?

The results are in, and the UK is seeing the first increase in top A-level grades in six years. At the same time, 13 subjects have seen a drop in the highest grades possible, and more university places are sitting empty than in previous years. It’s a mixed bag for the first cohort of students to experience what UCAS called “an unprecedented level of qualification reform”, after former education secretary Michael Gove’s changes to the A-level system were confirmed. So what has changed? In a nutshell, AS-levels no longer contribute to a final A-level grade (as a result, 13 subjects are graded solely on a final end of year exams with no coursework); no other course has more than 20 per cent coursework; and January exams were scrapped, meaning anyone Epson Support Number that doesn’t attain their desired grade must wait a year to resit. But why were the changes made in the first place, and were those decisions based on methodical, impartial evidence? Many are familiar with Michael Gove’s personal adages that exams have been getting easier, and there was a need to return to the supposed golden age of 1950s learning. The changes, he said, would “address the pernicious damage caused by grade inflation and dumbing down, which have undermined students’ achievements for far too long”. It’s true that there had been a steady increase in the number of people achieving top grades for a period of two decades. This occurred after the UK moved from a quota system, whereby ten per cent were awarded an A grade, for instance, to a criteria referencing system largely driven by examiners’ judgments. At the same time, the number of people taking A-levels has steadily increased, so there is no definitive evidence that exams have been getting “easier”.

A non-ministerial branch of government, The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), was tasked with investigating the need for reform, and in 2012 its consultation found that A-levels were, in fact, “fit for purpose” – the entire point of the consultation – but that a few improvements could be made including a reduction in re-sits and modularisation, and improved problem solving and analysis skills, among other things.Virgin Media Customer Support The government also points to research carried out by Durham University and Cambridge Assessment that suggests "repeated opportunities for students to resit exams have risked a form of grade inflation".