MPs call for national syllabuses for exam boards to prevent 'dumbing down'
Neil Puffett
Monday, July 2, 2012
National syllabuses should be introduced to stop the "dumbing down" of exams and restore public confidence in the system, the education select committee has concluded.
An inquiry into exams for 15-to 19-year-olds in England found that competition between exam boards creates “significant pressure” to drive down standards, with exam boards “fighting” to offer the easiest exam.
To overcome this issue, the committee recommends that a single national syllabus should be implemented for each subject, accredited by regulator Ofqual.
“National syllabuses would remove the incentive for exam boards to compete on content and the associated downward pressure on standards, but would retain the benefits of competition on quality and the incentive for exam boards to innovate,” the committee’s report states.
The group of MPs is also calling for a “stronger” Ofqual and recommending that the regulator scrutinises the "market share" that exam boards have in particular subjects, and whether this has any bearing on standards.
Graham Stuart, chair of the committee, said: “The public have lost confidence in exam standards and this needs to be put right. We’ve got to stop the dumbing down of the courses young people sit, and stop exam boards competing on how ‘accessible’ their syllabuses are.
“We believe the best reform would be the creation of national syllabuses. There could be a competition, such as the Secretary of State has already suggested, to decide which exam board would design the syllabus for a particular subject which would then be accredited by the regulator, Ofqual.
"After that any board could set an exam for that syllabus and compete on innovation, efficiency, service and support. Ofqual would ensure that exam boards didn’t compete by making papers easier and could readily identify problems and make statistical adjustments if necessary.”
The select committee’s report comes after Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that a consultation on the exam system in England will be held, following reports that the government is considering a return to O-level style tests.