GCSEs and A levels should be replaced by a four-year baccalaureate and “digital Sats” should be introduced for 14-year-olds, an education think tank has recommended.
EDSK has called on the next government to set out and embark on a 10-year plan to reform both primary and secondary curriculum and assessment.
It recommends a new system to remove “the excessive burdens on students and teachers created by high-stakes written exams”.
It also recommends the government set “an immediate goal” of reducing the curriculum content in all key stages by at least 10 per cent in all subjects.
Changes to Sats, GCSEs and A levels
Under EDSK’s recommendations, Sats at the end of primary school would be replaced by regular online testing for pupils between the ages of 5 to 14. This would culminate in low-stakes “digital Sats” at 14 to inform students’ future subject choices.
For ages 14 to 18, researchers recommend replacing GCSEs, A levels and all other routes, such as T levels, with a four-year baccalaureate that brings all academic, applied and technical courses together.
It would include a core maths and core English requirement until the age of 18 - similar to prime minister Rishi Sunak’s proposed Advanced British Standard (ABS).
In addition to those core subjects, students would take six subjects in Year 10, and then drop one a year to result in two or three by Year 13, depending on the courses.
The think tank also recommends changing the number of high-stakes exams so students only take them when they drop a subject or when they reach the end of the baccalaureate at age 18.
The authors said these exams should be shorter digital tests rather than the traditional longer written exams.
Tom Richmond, director of EDSK and co-author of the report, said: “By replacing Sats and GCSEs with regular online tests, slashing the amount of primary and secondary curriculum content and introducing a four-year baccalaureate from ages 14 to 18, schools and colleges will finally be able to focus on giving students more time and space to enjoy their learning and progress as far as possible.
“Relieving some of the exam pressures on teachers could also be a critical component of tackling the recruitment and retention crisis in the coming years.”
The report argues that schools face a “complete content overload” in the national curriculum and GCSEs, adding that an emphasis on high-stakes tests such as Sats and GCSEs has promoted teaching to the test and narrowing the curriculum to focus on exam preparation.
Late last year, peers also called for major reforms to the secondary curriculum, and warned that it is currently “overloaded with content” and “hampers pupils’ understanding of core concepts”.
Current system ‘unable to improve’ skills
The authors of the EDSK report also argue that the current system appears “unable to improve” literacy and numeracy skills for many students, leading to repeated retakes.
The latest round of GCSE results saw an increase in the number of students failing to get a grade 4 or above in English and maths.
The National Numeracy charity has previously found that England is one of the least numerate countries in the developed world - more than eight million adults have lower numeracy than a nine-year-old.
Mr Sunak proposed English and maths be taught to age 18 in the ABS, which would reform the 16-18 system over a decade. However, union leaders have called the approach to reform “fundamentally flawed”.
The report adds: “Some observers may question the need for large-scale reforms when schools and colleges are battling a funding crisis as well as a recruitment and retention crisis.
“Far from being a reason to ignore such reforms, many of this report’s proposals - such as scrapping Sats and GCSEs and slashing the amount of curriculum content in all year groups - are intended to give students more time to enjoy their learning and give teachers more time to enjoy their craft by reducing the pressures that they currently face.”
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
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