When I applied for my undergraduate degree in English, I wrote on my application that one of my reasons for wanting to study English was to use books to travel the world, explore history and delve into the minds of some of the greatest and most interesting humans. When I became a teacher, I wanted to help my students do that, too. 

World Book Day reminds me how far the current GCSE English syllabus prevents that aim coming to fruition. Only on this annual celebration of literature do we really get to explore a true diversity of books. The focus for exams seems largely to be on books from before 1900 and they are predominantly written by white men.  

I spend the vast majority of key stage 3 promoting reading. In particular, the reading of a wide range of challenging fiction and non-fiction. I talk to students about authors I love and I think they would love; I set them reading challenges and allocate time to share ideas on what they have read and loved, too. Overall, students rise to these challenges: they want to be inspired. They find it interesting to read texts written by men and women, authors who are English and authors who are not, texts written pre- and post-1900. At no point do I suggest that they limit their reading choices. 

Limited perspective

And yet, when they transition into KS4 it’s like a metaphorical shutter closes in around the concept of range. Rather than celebrate diversity and equality through text choices, it seems like the new GCSE syllabus seeks to focus students’ attention on pre-19th-century British writers. Yes, there are more diverse texts dotted around the syllabus, but the main focus is on this incredibly narrow set of books.  

While I applaud the focus on challenge and raising standards, I object to the narrow focus on text options available. It feels like a backwards step. We need more writers from other cultures, more female authors. Why have they been predominantly sliced out of the syllabus? Surely, in a modern, diversely populated country, representation of a variety of different books is even more essential?

The new GCSE is a success in terms of reducing the ability to treat exam entries like a strategic game of chess and in terms of raising the bar on expectations and teaching. But it is a failure to the inspirational writers who are not recognised in the new syllabus and ergo, a failure to our students who are no longer being taught them. 

Katie White is a secondary English teacher based in the South West of England

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