“Exams are getting harder”

Students face stiffer competition in getting on to the course and into university. Pupils are also under pressure from schools that want to show up well in the league tables
Professor Alan Smithers, University of Buckingham

It is a perennial complaint that exams are getting easier, with the claim following the publication of GCSE and A-level results as surely as night follows day. A-level pass rates are expected to rise for the 27th consecutive year when released in August, with a similar increase in GCSEs. This will prompt howls of outrage about dumbing down and how ridiculously easy it is, supposedly, to obtain a good grade these days.

More than one-in-five GCSE papers was marked at an A* or A grade last year, and almost one in eight A-level candidates achieved three A grades. A-levels are already modular, meaning they can be taken in chunks and GCSEs will soon follow suit. The older generation may well feel justified in complaining that the qualifications are worth less than in ‘their day’.

But not all experts agree: some argue that higher grades are due to better teaching, increased competition and ease of access to resources such as the internet. Savvy students can exchange tips in chatrooms and download materials at home, rather than being forced to share a dog-eared textbook like the previous generation.

There is also growing pressure on teachers to tailor the curriculum to individual pupils and to make lessons more interesting, rather than expecting children to sit obediently and soak up knowledge.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of the centre for education and employment research at the University of Buckingham, is not convinced that a lowering of standards is solely responsible for rising grades. He said the narrowness of the questions meant it was harder for bright teenagers to shine.

Testing times

“From the point of view of standards, exams have probably become harder,” he says.
“This is because students face stiffer competition in getting on to the course and into the university of their choice.

“Pupils are also under a lot more pressure from schools that want to show up well in the league tables. From that perspective they are harder, and certainly harder than when A-levels first came in, as then it was a matter only of passing or failing.

“However, if you look at the quality of exams, they are probably less demanding than previously, because they are taken in units. The questions that are asked tend to be ‘steps’, with each providing clues about what is required for the next,” Professor Smithers continues.

Fierce competition

“The content of courses has been filleted, for example there is much less mechanics of maths at A-level now. But paradoxically they are tougher because competition is so much greater than before.”

Professor Smithers said the crucial challenge would be to set tougher questions, to differentiate between the number of candidates now scoring top grades. “At the moment we have people of outstanding ability who aren’t necessarily able to show this.

“Next year we’re going to get the A* at A-level but, if there are the same sorts of questions, the exam will still reward very careful people, not those with a lot of talent and interest in a particular field.

“It’s harder for students to distinguish themselves. An E grade is considered a fail. It’s no longer enough, now they need an A or an A*. That’s why it’s tough for them – it has become very important to get top grades because of the intense competition for some courses and universities.”

Teenagers are likely to work harder, because there is greater awareness of the dire prospects for those leaving school without qualifications. The number of unskilled and low-skilled jobs is on a downwards spiral, leaving an unqualified 16-year-old with very few opportunities.

A-levels becoming badges?

Even those who excel academically need to do more and more to prove themselves, such as taking four, five or six A-levels, or showing exceptional talent in music or sport. Professor Smithers adds, “We don’t want A-levels to become like the badges collected by boy scouts.”

While it is right to be critical of the system, and hold it up to scrutiny to see if exams are being dumbed down, it is important to remember that this year’s school leavers didn’t ask for qualifications to become easier to pass.

Exam results have been rising for longer than they’ve been alive, and the most talented do not benefit if they can’t be distinguished from those who are mediocre but hard-working.

After all, if A-level and GCSE pass rates had fallen for the last 27 years, there is little doubt that the worsening results would have been blamed on the stupidity or laziness of ‘the youth of today’, rather than on exams getting harder.

Have your say

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