Our Approach to Reform

As well as asking about the proposed design of the individual qualifications, we want to hear views on the proposals overall.

The survey at the bottom of this section asks whether, overall, this new set of GCSEs and related qualifications will support the Curriculum for Wales and meet the needs of learners.

Our intention is for the proposed design for new GCSEs and related qualifications to offer:

  • new content that reflects the skills, knowledge and experiences that learners will gain from studying the Curriculum for Wales
  • flexible content and assessments to help schools design their own curricula and meet the needs of their learners
  • a different mix of assessment methods, with less emphasis on exams and more opportunities for learners to be assessed during their course of study
  • more effective use of digital technology in assessments

To see how these changes are reflected for each subject, please read the individual design proposals. For a general overview of the proposed changes, please take a look at our youth-friendly version of this consultation.

We have also prepared an integrated impact assessment of how these proposals could affect learners, schools and others, and how we could work in partnership to mitigate any negative effects.

Fit for purpose

The proposals in this consultation have been co-constructed through extensive collaboration with teachers, academics, learners and others.

All of the proposals are aimed at supporting the Curriculum for Wales which aims to help learners to become:

  • ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
  • enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
  • ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
  • healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

We want new GCSEs and related qualifications to help learners realise these purposes.

Working with stakeholders, we have agreed that all new GCSEs should be designed to:

  • support teaching and learning by providing appropriately broad, demanding, relevant and engaging content that is coherent with the Curriculum for Wales and its four purposes
  • allow learners to develop a strong foundation of knowledge, skills and understanding which support progression to post-16 study and prepare them for life, learning and work
  • provide meaningful, fair and accurate information on learner achievement within a subject that highlights what learners know, understand and can do

The design proposal for each qualification builds on these common purposes.

Through co-construction, we have also agreed that new GCSEs should:

  • help learners realise the Curriculum for Wales purposes
  • offer flexibility and choice to support each school’s curriculum and learner preference
  • support learner progression in line with the Curriculum for Wales principles of progression
  • enable learners to progress successfully to post-16 learning and training
  • support positive mental health and well-being
  • promote positive teaching and learning experiences
  • encourage learners to make strong links across their learning
  • include relevant, authentic and engaging assessment
  • reflect the diversity of learners and the world they live in
  • make best use of digital technology

Teaching and learning

We asked stakeholders involved in shaping these proposals to focus on how qualification design could support positive teaching and learning in line with Curriculum for Wales guidance. The proposals therefore include a description of experiences that learners will gain from taking a qualification, as well as the knowledge, understanding and skills they will acquire.

The proposals also identify opportunities for learners to engage with the cross-cutting themes of the Curriculum for Wales, including:

  • human rights
  • diversity
  • careers and work-related experiences
  • local, national and international contexts

Flexibility and choice

Overall, these proposals aim to give more flexibility in terms of what and how learners will study. This will give schools more freedom to tailor courses and teaching approaches to their own curriculum, and to reflect their learners’ needs and preferences.

Mixed assessment

Overall, the proposals reflect a broader and more varied mix of assessment approaches than existing GCSEs. All subjects include a balanced mix of both exam and non-exam assessment – except for GCSE Art and Design (100% non-exam assessment) and GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy (100% exam).

The proposed assessment arrangements for each subject reflect a careful consideration of competing factors. The aim is for assessment to be appropriate to the subject content, relevant and engaging for learners, and manageable for schools, while providing fair, accurate and reliable results. Read more about how we determined the proposed balance of assessment for each subject.

Digital assessment

The proposals for each subject identifies how digital technology could help to make assessment more engaging and relevant for learners, and how it could make assessments more efficient to administer and more resilient to challenges, such as those experienced during the pandemic.

For some subjects we propose introducing an on-screen assessment. For others we suggest how digital technology could be used to create, capture and submit evidence to support non-exam assessment.

Supporting schools

The time and resources required for schools and learners to take different forms of assessment can vary. Non-exam assessments take many different forms, some are completed over several days or weeks, others are one-off events. Some are marked by teachers and moderated by the awarding body, others are marked directly by the awarding body.

The proposals identify opportunities for schools to manage when and how learners will complete their assessments. Coupled with the general shift away from exam-based assessment, this approach will help reduce assessment-related pressure on learners and teachers.

Assessing impacts

We have considered the possible effects – including the cumulative effects – that implementing these proposals could have on learners, schools, awarding bodies, post-16 learning providers and others.

We have also considered how we could work with others to reduce potential risks and negative impacts.

To do this we have drawn on the outcomes of co-construction and our wider engagement with learners and other stakeholders, along with a range of primary and secondary research and evidence.

We have combined our assessment of the regulatory, equalities, and Welsh language impacts into one Integrated Impact Assessment. This includes an assessment of potential impacts associated with socio-economic disadvantage, and a look at how these reforms could improve the wellbeing of future generations and support and promote children’s rights. We also consider the potential impacts of not making the changes proposed in the consultation.

Some of the key impacts we have identified include those related to:

  • overall balance of exam-based and non-exam assessment - including when assessments take place
  • use of digital technology
  • resources within schools and awarding bodies
  • availability of bilingual teaching and learning materials and training
  • school readiness
  • comparability with GCSEs taken in other jurisdictions
  • post-16 progression - including learners resitting GCSEs
  • qualification fees
  • qualification size
  • private candidates

Our assessment of equalities impacts includes a review of how the forms of assessment included in the proposals may affect learners who share protected characteristics and those who experience socio-economic disadvantage.

Please complete the survey below to give us your views on our overall approach to reforming GCSEs as well as the potential impacts of these proposals – including how you think any negative effects could be avoided or reduced.

As well as asking about the proposed design of the individual qualifications, we want to hear views on the proposals overall.

The survey at the bottom of this section asks whether, overall, this new set of GCSEs and related qualifications will support the Curriculum for Wales and meet the needs of learners.

Our intention is for the proposed design for new GCSEs and related qualifications to offer:

  • new content that reflects the skills, knowledge and experiences that learners will gain from studying the Curriculum for Wales
  • flexible content and assessments to help schools design their own curricula and meet the needs of their learners
  • a different mix of assessment methods, with less emphasis on exams and more opportunities for learners to be assessed during their course of study
  • more effective use of digital technology in assessments

To see how these changes are reflected for each subject, please read the individual design proposals. For a general overview of the proposed changes, please take a look at our youth-friendly version of this consultation.

We have also prepared an integrated impact assessment of how these proposals could affect learners, schools and others, and how we could work in partnership to mitigate any negative effects.

Fit for purpose

The proposals in this consultation have been co-constructed through extensive collaboration with teachers, academics, learners and others.

All of the proposals are aimed at supporting the Curriculum for Wales which aims to help learners to become:

  • ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
  • enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
  • ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
  • healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

We want new GCSEs and related qualifications to help learners realise these purposes.

Working with stakeholders, we have agreed that all new GCSEs should be designed to:

  • support teaching and learning by providing appropriately broad, demanding, relevant and engaging content that is coherent with the Curriculum for Wales and its four purposes
  • allow learners to develop a strong foundation of knowledge, skills and understanding which support progression to post-16 study and prepare them for life, learning and work
  • provide meaningful, fair and accurate information on learner achievement within a subject that highlights what learners know, understand and can do

The design proposal for each qualification builds on these common purposes.

Through co-construction, we have also agreed that new GCSEs should:

  • help learners realise the Curriculum for Wales purposes
  • offer flexibility and choice to support each school’s curriculum and learner preference
  • support learner progression in line with the Curriculum for Wales principles of progression
  • enable learners to progress successfully to post-16 learning and training
  • support positive mental health and well-being
  • promote positive teaching and learning experiences
  • encourage learners to make strong links across their learning
  • include relevant, authentic and engaging assessment
  • reflect the diversity of learners and the world they live in
  • make best use of digital technology

Teaching and learning

We asked stakeholders involved in shaping these proposals to focus on how qualification design could support positive teaching and learning in line with Curriculum for Wales guidance. The proposals therefore include a description of experiences that learners will gain from taking a qualification, as well as the knowledge, understanding and skills they will acquire.

The proposals also identify opportunities for learners to engage with the cross-cutting themes of the Curriculum for Wales, including:

  • human rights
  • diversity
  • careers and work-related experiences
  • local, national and international contexts

Flexibility and choice

Overall, these proposals aim to give more flexibility in terms of what and how learners will study. This will give schools more freedom to tailor courses and teaching approaches to their own curriculum, and to reflect their learners’ needs and preferences.

Mixed assessment

Overall, the proposals reflect a broader and more varied mix of assessment approaches than existing GCSEs. All subjects include a balanced mix of both exam and non-exam assessment – except for GCSE Art and Design (100% non-exam assessment) and GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy (100% exam).

The proposed assessment arrangements for each subject reflect a careful consideration of competing factors. The aim is for assessment to be appropriate to the subject content, relevant and engaging for learners, and manageable for schools, while providing fair, accurate and reliable results. Read more about how we determined the proposed balance of assessment for each subject.

Digital assessment

The proposals for each subject identifies how digital technology could help to make assessment more engaging and relevant for learners, and how it could make assessments more efficient to administer and more resilient to challenges, such as those experienced during the pandemic.

For some subjects we propose introducing an on-screen assessment. For others we suggest how digital technology could be used to create, capture and submit evidence to support non-exam assessment.

Supporting schools

The time and resources required for schools and learners to take different forms of assessment can vary. Non-exam assessments take many different forms, some are completed over several days or weeks, others are one-off events. Some are marked by teachers and moderated by the awarding body, others are marked directly by the awarding body.

The proposals identify opportunities for schools to manage when and how learners will complete their assessments. Coupled with the general shift away from exam-based assessment, this approach will help reduce assessment-related pressure on learners and teachers.

Assessing impacts

We have considered the possible effects – including the cumulative effects – that implementing these proposals could have on learners, schools, awarding bodies, post-16 learning providers and others.

We have also considered how we could work with others to reduce potential risks and negative impacts.

To do this we have drawn on the outcomes of co-construction and our wider engagement with learners and other stakeholders, along with a range of primary and secondary research and evidence.

We have combined our assessment of the regulatory, equalities, and Welsh language impacts into one Integrated Impact Assessment. This includes an assessment of potential impacts associated with socio-economic disadvantage, and a look at how these reforms could improve the wellbeing of future generations and support and promote children’s rights. We also consider the potential impacts of not making the changes proposed in the consultation.

Some of the key impacts we have identified include those related to:

  • overall balance of exam-based and non-exam assessment - including when assessments take place
  • use of digital technology
  • resources within schools and awarding bodies
  • availability of bilingual teaching and learning materials and training
  • school readiness
  • comparability with GCSEs taken in other jurisdictions
  • post-16 progression - including learners resitting GCSEs
  • qualification fees
  • qualification size
  • private candidates

Our assessment of equalities impacts includes a review of how the forms of assessment included in the proposals may affect learners who share protected characteristics and those who experience socio-economic disadvantage.

Please complete the survey below to give us your views on our overall approach to reforming GCSEs as well as the potential impacts of these proposals – including how you think any negative effects could be avoided or reduced.

Page last updated: 13 Feb 2023, 04:48 PM