Welsh minister orders GCSE regrade

Education Secretary Michael Gove told the Commons Education Committee that there are "lessons that need to be learned" from the GCSE grading row, but that the row underlines to him the need for reform.

Education Secretary Michael Gove told the Commons Education select committee that the GCSE grading row shows the need for reform. He said:

2010

• New GCSE English syllabuses introduced with pupils sitting an exam and submitting two pieces of coursework (so-called 'controlled assessment') done under strict classroom supervision

2012

• January: First students take GCSE exams via controlled assesment
• June: Majority of students complete GCSE English exams
• August 23: Proportion of GCSEs awarded grade C or above for the first time in history
• August 24: Teachers union urges Michael Gove to establish independent inquiry

• August 28: ASCL calls for students marked down in June to have grades reissued and based on January grade boundaries.
• August 31: Ofqual publishes report saying January's exams were "graded generously" and that June exams were properly graded.
• September 7: Schools unite to demand an inquiry

Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews has issued a direction to examination board WJEC to re-grade this summer's English GCSE English language results for qualifications delivered in Wales.

ITV Wales has the full story.

The head of exams regulator Ofqual, Glenys Stacey, told MPs told the Commons Education Committee that if January's grade boundaries had been applied to June's students, there would have been grade inflation of 5 or 6%.

Education Secretary Michael Gove briefed ministers on his plans to reform GCSEs at this morning's meeting of Cabinet in 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister's spokesman said an announcement on the plans is expected soon. He said:

"Obviously, we sympathise with students who didn't get the grades they needed. But we have an independent regulator. It is the job of that regulator to make sure standards are maintained over time and it is not the job of ministers to intervene in that."

Ofqual boss Glenys Stacey, told MPs that Ofqual wrote to the Edexcel and WJEC exam boards after their preliminary results were too generous. She said:

The head of exams regulator Ofqual, Glenys Stacey, told the Commons Education Committee that they would be happy to take part in an inquiry, internal or otherwise, into the GCSE English results. She said:

The editor of the Times Education Supplement, Gerard Kelly, told ITV News that the letters leaked to his publication show GCSE students were penalised for Ofqual's earlier mistake in the January exam paper, were a majority of students performed better than expected.