Our response to the recently released Qualifications Wales decision report on new GCSEs... 

The Association appreciates the many opportunities we have had, together with the other Science Education Policy Alliance organisations (Institute of Physics, Royal Society, Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry) to engage in constructive and evidence-informed dialogue over many months with both the Welsh Government and Qualifications Wales on curriculum and assessment reform.

Informed by our work on timetabling of science GCSEs, the Association strongly advocates for a single route through the sciences at GCSE level rather than the current multiple routes which create inequality of access and opportunity for young people depending on their setting.

We understood that GCSE reform would be underpinned by the principle of a single route through the sciences and so were happy to support the decision of Qualifications Wales to create a double award GCSE ‘The Sciences’ with separate grading for biology, chemistry and physics, assessment of practical skills and an emphasis on interdisciplinary links which enables progression to A Levels and other post-16 education and training.

However, we are disappointed by the late introduction of a single award GCSE ‘The Sciences’ to sit alongside the double award GCSE ‘The Sciences’. We are concerned that this development recreates the potential for inequality of access and opportunity for young people depending on their setting, and as such we are unable to support this development.

We call on Qualifications Wales to provide a rationale for this late-stage addition of a single award GCSE, an explanation of the consequences of its introduction, both intended and unintended, and the opportunity to gather wider views and evidence through a public consultation before final decisions are made.