§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what methods and standards will be used to select pupils for the proposed level 10 examinations in 1994.
§ Mr. ForthFrom 1994, all GCSE examination results will be awarded in terms of levels 10 to 4 instead of the present grades A to G. For each subject, there will be a set of tiered question papers each targeted on a range of levels between 10 to 4. Decisions on the appropriate tier of entry for each candidate will be matters for teachers' professional judgment.
§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of pupils passed(a) 0-levels and (b) CSE for each year from 1980 to 1987; and what percentage passed GCSE in each year since 1988.
§ Mr. ForthThe available information is as follows.
The estimated percentages of school leavers in England who passed 0-level and or CSE from 1980 to 1987 are shown in the table, together with the percentages for GCSE from 1988.
Percentages of leavers who passed O-level and/or CSE1 Percentages of 16 year olds who passed GCSE1 1980 87.7 — 1981 88.5 — 1982 89.3 — 1983 90.1 — 1984 90.2 — 1985 90.3 — 1986 90.0 — 1987 90.2 — 21988 89.9 — 31989 90.9 92.5 1990 91.5 92.7 1991 91.8 93.2 1 The figures from 1980 to 1991 are based on sample surveys. For the years 1980 to 1987 the percentages relate to those school leavers who gained grades A to E in O-level and/or grade 1 to 5 in CSE examinations. 2 The GCSE examination was introduced in 1988 and therefore the percentages from that year onwards include leavers who gained grades A to G in that examination and/or O-level or CSE. 3 From 1989, the school examination survey also collected data for the 16 year old cohort. For these years the percentages of 16-year-olds are also shown.