Secondary Schools: Examinations (Hansard, 10 April 2003)

§ Lord Davies of Oldham
My Lords, Mike Tomlinson's recommendations to secure the 2003 examinations have been implemented in full by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the awarding bodies. We are making an additional £6 million available to QCA to help ensure that the 2003 examinations are delivered accurately and effectively, with particular attention paid to ensuring that there are sufficient examiners. The Examinations Task Force, chaired by the QCA with representatives from the awarding bodies and the teaching profession, will oversee delivery of the examinations.

§ Baroness Seccombe
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply, but has he read the letter in The Times this Tuesday from a mother, stating that her son will on 23rd May, in the morning, be sitting two English AS-level papers, beginning at 9.15, followed in the afternoon by three geography papers, the last of which begins at 4.45? That is five examinations in one day. Does the Minister think it fair to expect anyone to have to experience such a pressurised timetable and then perform to the best of his or her ability?

§ Lord Davies of Oldham
My Lords, the noble Baroness has identified a case that should cause concern. It is clearly 342 too demanding on a student to face so many examinations in one day. I am sure that arrangements can and will be made to change that position.
Let us recognise the nature of the problem. Increasing numbers of students are putting themselves forward for greater numbers of A-levels. Whereas in the past, taking two or three used to be regarded as the norm, four or even five may now be taken. That gives rise to acute problems in timetabling examinations, but the noble Baroness has a point.

§ Baroness Walmsley
My Lords—

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords—

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I am bound to say that it was a Conservative Question. Perhaps the noble Baroness, Lady Blatch, will take her turn after the Liberal Democrats.

§ Baroness Walmsley
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness. Will the Minister tell the House where the Government's thinking on Curriculum 2000 is going? Are they still wedded to the AS/A2 A-level split, or are they considering development of the English baccalaureate, which is strongly supported by some academics at the Institute of Education in London because of the enormous pressure that A-level examinations place on 16 to 18 year-olds, as described by the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe?

§ Lord Davies of Oldham
My Lords, one of Mike Tomlinson's recommendations was that the whole question of examinations from 14 to 19 should be considered. That review is taking place and is taking into account the point made by the noble Baroness. The international baccalaureate finds favour in some circles. We should not underestimate the number of schools in this country that already pursue courses in the IB—it is a considerable number.
However, to make such a significant change, there would have to be agreement across the whole education profession and in education thinking. In any case, it would take considerable time. But the noble Baroness is right; considerable thought is being given to those issues, not least because it is widely recognised that the examination demands that we make on students from 14 through to 19 are creating significant problems that may not be entirely conducive to the best form of education.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, the Minister is astonishingly sanguine about both the examination arrangements for this year and the pressure on young people. I do not think that the lady to whom reference has been made will be very comforted about the pressures on her son.
Teachers are being asked by the QCA to take time off during the summer term to mark examination papers. Does the Minister agree with John Dunford of the Secondary Heads Association, who said: the … problem is over-examination of school students. Until they"— 343 that is, the Government, do something about it, they will simply, lurch from crisis to crisis"?

§ Lord Davies of Oldham
My Lords, I hope that I was not being over-sanguine. I reflected the review carried out by Mike Tomlinson, with his clear recommendations on how we can secure the position for this year. He is satisfied that we are making progress. We have had something of a trial run—of course, a minor one—with the January examinations. But that was regarded as a successful development in the new examinations structure. We are confident about that. We are not sanguine; we recognise the problems. I appreciate the point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe, about timetables. Of course, what the noble Baroness asks for is desirable. We need to reduce the number of demands on students in examinations. But nobody suggests that that can be done at the flick of a switch.