§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will call for a report from the GCSE boards on their methods of marking GCSE papers in order to establish which boards use criterion referencing as the basis for marking papers.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe GCSE incorporates criterion-referencing to a greater degree than the former o-level and CSE systems. The School Examinations and Assessment Council, which is responsible for advising my right hon. Friend on such matters, is charged with ensuring that GCSE syllabuses approved under section 5 of the Education Reform Act 1988 conform to the objectives of GCSE, and that GCSE assessment arrangements are designed to provide consistent measurement of the standards achieved. We look to the SEAC to take forward work to improve the basis for awarding GCSE grades. My right hon. Friend has also asked for the SEAC's advice in due course on the incorporation of the GCSE within national curriculum assessment arrangements, which require criterion-referenced assessment.