No “doubt” has been cast on the validity of OCR’s new GCSE biology syllabus (“Ban on creation teaching in science”, TES, May 5).
The Gateway science specification has been fully approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and will be ready for first teaching in September 2006.
Our statement on the issue has always been that candidates need to understand the social and historical context to scientific ideas both pre and post-Darwin. Candidates are asked to discuss why the opponents of Darwinism thought the way they did and how scientific controversies can arise from different ways of interpreting empirical evidence.
Creationism and “intelligent design” are not regarded by OCR as scientific theories. They are beliefs that do not lie within scientific understanding.”
Bene’t Steinberg
Group Director Affairs
OCR, 1 Regent Street
Cambridge
