A questioning approach to evaluation and assessment

GCSE and A-levels are easier, Ofqual finds | Education | The Guardian: "GCSE and A-level exams have become easier over the past few years, a review has found, prompting the government to warn of a gradual decline in standards.

The qualifications regulator, Ofqual, compared question papers in biology and chemistry GCSEs, and biology, chemistry and geography A-levels between 2003 and 2008, and 2001 and 2010.

The papers from 2008 and 2010 were far more likely to demand less of teenagers than those from 2001 and 2003, the regulator found, as they had more multiple-choice questions and fewer essay questions. In the case of chemistry A-level many more questions were at GCSE level in 2008 than they were in 2003. The review comes amid growing fears that the exam system is failing to prepare teenagers for degree study.

Glenys Stacey, chief executive of Ofqual, recently said it was impossible to justify year-on-year grade inflation in A-level results. She told the Sunday Telegraph: "If you look at the history, we have seen persistent grade inflation for these key qualifications for at least a decade. [It] is virtually impossible to justify and it has done more than anything to undermine confidence in the value of those qualifications.""

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