General Certificate of Secondary Education

• This positive encounter has kindled his enthusiasm to delve deeper into the British curriculum, fostering a rich and holistic learning journey.
• The Tutor will expertly guide him in preparing for his GCSEs and A-levels, encompassing maths, double science, English, French, and Spanish.
• The Tutor should be highly organised, deeply understand various exam boards and their prerequisites, and be proficient in French.
• The Tutor will receive a furnished apartment near the family home in Montréal, with rent, utilities, and internet covered by the Client.

• The decline in the number of pupils taking modern foreign languages at GCSE dates back to the government’s decision to make the subject optional from 2004.
• To achieve the EBacc, students have to take a number of required subjects at GCSE, including a modern foreign language.
• Avoiding languages
  Despite the great work of teachers, there are some clear reasons why modern languages are unpopular among students.
• Addressing the low levels of take up of modern foreign languages at GCSE level is not an easy task.

• All the teenagers collecting their GCSE results this year have overcome significant difficulties.
• But in England, these students have been marked to match a cohort of students who faced none of these challenges.
• This approach treats the 2020 and 2021 results as though they are somehow less valid.

Maintaining inequality

• The grade-deflated A-level results already handed out this year show that the achievement gap between the wealthier south of England and the poorer north-east has continued to increase.
• This will continue a pattern that sees GCSEs perpetuate inequality.
• Before GCSEs, there were a range of different qualifications at 16, and an advantage for more affluent students with clear professional and university ambitions.

The failure of GCSEs

• GCSEs were meant to provide a robust and respected qualification for all students, despite their different interests and aspirations.
• They included coursework and exams, and were meant to be inclusive, promote greater social justice and break down years of educational stratification.
• But instead of fulfilling their promise of greater opportunities, GCSEs have become part of an entrenched educational system that rations future success for young people.
• When GCSEs were introduced they were also intended to be marked on a criterion-based system.

• From September 2024, GCSE pupils in Greater Manchester may be able to embark on a educational pathway created specifically for them.
• Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, announced his plans to introduce a Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) in May 2023 and a public consultation on the plans has recently closed.

Another path

• The subjects required for the EBacc are GCSE English literature and language, maths, science, a language and either geography or history.
• The MBacc, by contrast, could require students to study maths, English language and technology alongside optional subjects such as engineering, creative arts, or sciences.
• The government is aiming for 90% of pupils in England to be taking the EBacc combination of subjects at GCSE by 2025.
• The dual offering of the EBacc and MBacc is intended “to give a clear path to all young people in Greater Manchester, whatever their interests, ambitions and passions”.

Academic hierarchy

• However, these new qualifications have yet to successfully bridge the division between academic and vocational study routes.
• Teachers will need to be supported to give advice that does not assign a hierarchy to the two routes.
• If this hierarchy emerges, the division that becomes apparent at 16 could begin even earlier.