The Ulster Unionist members of Stormont’s Education Committee have welcomed the re-entry of the English exam bodies into the GCSE exam market in Northern Ireland, but have warned of the potential for confusion over the mixture of numbers and letters in GCSE grades here.

Ulster Unionist education spokesperson Sandra Overend MLA said:

“The Minister has stated that he has reopened the GCSE market to English exam boards using the new numeric grading system.  While this is to be welcomed, the decision to go forward with a hybrid system of GCSE courses graded by both numbers and letters could cause confusion.

“The Ulster Unionist Party warned last November of the inherent dangers of the former Minister's decision to require English awarding bodies to conform to the A*- G grading system. For 4 years we consistently stated how important it was that we retain parity with England in GCSE grading.  The decision to break parity and retain the alphabetical grading system was a mistake and restricted the freedom of choice for pupils to choose the qualifications best suited to their future careers.

“In the new Minister’s compromise arrangements - which will take 2 years to implement- there is a danger of a dog’s dinner being created. While the Minister has aimed to clarify the confusion regarding Grade C comparability to the 4 and 5 in the English system, there remains the confusion for the Grade A equivalent - is it an English Board 7 or 8? When it comes down to choosing one student over another by UCAS and universities across the UK simple comparability is necessary. Ten As in Northern Ireland could be ten 7s or ten 8s in England, or a mixture of both. So while the Minster may have tried to address and improve comparability and portability, confusion still reigns.”

Rosemary Barton, MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said:

“I welcome the reopening of the market choice for teachers and pupils from the other examining boards. I think that this is very welcome here in our schools. However, in relation to comparability and portability, will the addition of a further grade C* not add further confusion to the grades? Would it not have been simpler to have adopted the English numerical system for everybody?

“Traditionally, 40,000 GCSE examination entries in Northern Ireland each year are with English awarding bodies.  When, earlier this year English exam boards were effectively forced to discontinue offering their exams here, choice and quality was compromised by the Department of Education.  So I am glad that now both Northern Ireland and English GCSE examinations will continue to be offered here, although questions remain on comparability, portability and wider curricular issues which will need to be addressed by the Minister over the coming months.”