§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when the Schools Examinations and Assessment Council gave permission for examination groups to move from full criterion referencing to norm referencing; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what was the original timetable for GCSE grades to be fully criteria referenced; when it was revised; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthThe national trend in the development of school examinations has been in the opposite direction to that implied by the hon. Member's questions. The introduction of the GCSE in 1988 marked a move to a more criterion-referenced examination system. The alignment of the GCSE with national curriculum requirements progressively from 1994 will mark a further move in that direction, since assessment in each of the foundation subjects will be related to clearly defined statements of attainment. The timetable for this alignment has not been altered: it will begin in summer 1994 with English, mathematics and science.