§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the basis for the Government's policy on the importance of the GCSE as a certificate for all 16-year-olds. [114418]
§ Mr. MilibandGCSE serves several important functions, it provides
a clear and worthwhile goal for students at the end of Key Stage 4;a progress check in subjects and helps young people choose what they want to study after 16;a record of what has been achieved in subjects that will not be pursued after 16;an important accountability measure for outcomes of 11–16 schools.The Tomlinson 14–19 Working Group is examining how the nature and amount of assessment for 14–19 should develop.