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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

Applies to England

Documents

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guide is for students taking any of the following qualifications:

GCSEs

AS or A levels

other general qualifications, including International Baccalaureate, core mathematics and Pre-U

Technical Qualification (part of a T Level)

BTEC, Cambridge Technicals and other vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside GCSEs and A levels

In this guide, we refer to schools and colleges as a collective term for all schools, colleges and other exam centres.

Some students won't be studying at a school or college and will be private candidates. They are often home educated or are re-taking a qualification after leaving school or college. They may be studying with a distance learning provider, tutor, parent, or without any support. Private candidates will need to register at a school, college or other exam centre to sit their exams. More information on how to do this can be found in this guide. We make clear in this guide where information only applies to a certain type of qualification. If you are not sure exactly which qualifications you are taking, check with your school or college.

This guide talks about awarding organisations and exam boards. All organisations that offer qualifications regulated by Ofqual are called awarding organisations. The 4 awarding organisations that offer GCSEs, AS and A levels in England are also called exam boards.

This guide refers to exams officers. An exams officer is the person in a school or college that organises exams. An exams officer's duties will vary by school or college. Check with your school or college who your exams officer is and how to contact them.

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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

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Published: 21 March 2023
This guide for students provides information about this year’s arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

Applies to England

Documents

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guide is for students taking any of the following qualifications:

GCSEs

AS or A levels

other general qualifications, including International Baccalaureate, core mathematics and Pre-U

Technical Qualification (part of a T Level)

BTEC, Cambridge Technicals and other vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside GCSEs and A levels

In this guide, we refer to schools and colleges as a collective term for all schools, colleges and other exam centres.

Some students won't be studying at a school or college and will be private candidates. They are often home educated or are re-taking a qualification after leaving school or college. They may be studying with a distance learning provider, tutor, parent, or without any support. Private candidates will need to register at a school, college or other exam centre to sit their exams. More information on how to do this can be found in this guide. We make clear in this guide where information only applies to a certain type of qualification. If you are not sure exactly which qualifications you are taking, check with your school or college.

This guide talks about awarding organisations and exam boards. All organisations that offer qualifications regulated by Ofqual are called awarding organisations. The 4 awarding organisations that offer GCSEs, AS and A levels in England are also called exam boards.

This guide refers to exams officers. An exams officer is the person in a school or college that organises exams. An exams officer's duties will vary by school or college. Check with your school or college who your exams officer is and how to contact them.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

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DfE: Programme to improve language lessons in schools to be led by University College London from September 2023.

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DfE: Programme to improve language lessons in schools to be led by University College London from September 2023.

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Published: 3rd March 2023

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German given boost as part of new schools language programme

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New flagship language programme launched, designed to boost the quality of language lessons in primary and secondary schools

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DfE: GCSE French, German and Spanish subject content

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DfE: GCSE French, German and Spanish subject content

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Updated: 20 February 2023

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Subject content, aims and learning objectives for French, German and Spanish GCSEs from 2024.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This document sets out the learning outcomes and content coverage required for GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish for first teaching in September 2024 and for the first examination in summer 2026.

In November 2019, the Department for Education announced that it would be convening an independent expert panel to test and develop potential changes to the subject content for French, German and Spanish GCSEs.

The panel's recommendations were subject to a 10-week public consultation between March 2021 and May 2021 and the government has now published its response to the consultation.

Ofqual has also published its response to their consultation on proposed assessment arrangements.

Subject content for all GCSEs in modern foreign languages other than French, German and Spanish for teaching from September 2024 and examination from summer 2026 is also available.

Thank you for your feedback

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GCSE French, German and Spanish subject content

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Ofqual: Revised to detail the NEA weighting in new Condition GCSE(French, German and Spanish)4.2 and make consequential changes to the numbering of Condition GCSE(French, German and Spanish)4.

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Ofqual: Revised to detail the NEA weighting in new Condition GCSE(French, German and Spanish)4.2 and make consequential changes to the numbering of Condition GCSE(French, German and Spanish)4.

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Updated: 16th February 2023

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GCSE subject-level conditions and requirements for French, German and Spanish

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This document sets out the GCSE subject level conditions for French, German and Spanish.

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National Statistics: 2022 Alevel and other 16 to 18 results Breakdown

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National Statistics: 2022 Alevel and other 16 to 18 results Breakdown

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Updated: 2nd February 2023

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Last updated

Release type

National statistics ?

This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades. As part of the transition back to the summer exam series adaptations were made to the exams (including advance information) and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The 16 to 18 performance measures reported in this revised release for the 2021/22 academic year, and to be included on the Find School and College Performance Data website, have been affected by our commitment not to include results from qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 (see section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22').

Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat. Given the unprecedented change in how A level and vocational and VTQ grades were awarded in 2020 and 2021, as well as changes to the grade boundaries and methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in student performance alone.

Related information

Releases in this series

View releases (23)

Methodologies

Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

A level retention

95.1%

An increase of 3.8 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for A level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their A level programme).

Applied general retention

91.7%

An increase of 5.1 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for applied general programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their applied general programme).

Tech level retention

91.1%

An increase of 3.2 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for tech level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their tech level programme).

Average Point Score (APS) per entry for all level 3 cohorts is lower compared to 2020/21: A level, -2.8 pts; applied general, -0.7 pts; tech level, - 1.1 pts. However, attainment remains higher compared to 2018/19: A level, +4.9pts; applied general, +3.1 pts; tech level +1.9 pts. [An increase of 10 points is equivalent to an increase in one full grade]. This follows Ofqual's announcement in September 2021 that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 (TAG grades) and 2019 (the last year all students sat exams).

The trend for falling average attainment across level 3 cohorts in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21 was observed across institution types generally (when grouped into state-funded schools, independent schools, sixth form colleges, and 'Other FE sector colleges') with the exception of applied general attainment in sixth form colleges and independent schools which increased in 2021/22 (+ 0.2 pts and + 0.8 pts respectively).

The disadvantage gap (between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students) is at its widest level for all Level 3 cohorts (A level, tech level, and applied general) since disadvantage measures began in 2016/17.

Gender gaps in favour of female students in average attainment at A level, applied general, and tech level have narrowed in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21; average attainment had increased more for female students than males with the alternative Centre Assessment Grade (CAG) and Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) awarding processes in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared with 2018/19.

The percentage of students who completed their main or 'core' aim from their study programme, known as the Retention rate, increased across all programmes in 2021/22.

Non-disadvantaged students are more likely to be retained than disadvantaged students, across all cohorts.

Students with higher prior attainment are more likely to be retained than students with lower prior attainment, across all level 3 cohorts.

Given the unprecedented change in the way results were awarded in the summers of 2020 and 2021, as well as the changes to methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in pupil performance alone.

The changes seen in the headline statistics likely reflect the changes in methodology for awarding grades and in calculating the measures, rather than demonstrating a difference in standards.

Explore data and files used in this release

View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:

Provisional results (November 2022) for A level and other 16 to 18 results 2021-22

Transition matrices data used for visualising the progress of pupils aged 16 to 18 from key stage 4 (KS4) to key stage 5 (KS5).

Instructions to accompany the transition matrices data

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes set up to award grades. Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat.

A/AS and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)

In summer 2021 students were awarded A/AS grades based on an assessment by their teachers using a range of available evidence. Students were only assessed on the content they had been taught. In 2021 some VTQ grades were decided using teacher-assessed grades, others using normal assessment routes, and some through adapted assessment such as remote invigilation.

Exceptionally in autumn 2020 and 2021 an autumn series was put in place to allow students the opportunity to try to improve their A level or AS grade from the summer, if they wished to do so. Further information on the autumn 2021 series is available at this link:
https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2021/12/16/as-and-a-level-results-in-the-autumn-2021-series/
A/AS exams returned in 2022 and adaptations were made to exams (including advance information), and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The diversity of vocational qualifications meant that Ofqual did not prescribe a single approach to adaptations, so Awarding Organisations (AOs) had flexibility to choose how to adapt their assessments. However, Ofqual's regulatory framework requires AOs as far as possible to ensure VTQ learners were not disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their A level peers when setting standards.

For further information on the process to award grades in 2021 and 2022 see the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-centres-awarding-vtqs-in-2021-and-2022
Reporting of 2022 results by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Ofqual

As happens every year on A level results day (18 August for summer 2022 results) JCQ published data on A level entries for qualifications awarded in summer 2022, and for each subject the distribution of grades awarded (with data for the previous summer for reference): https://www.jcq.org.uk/examination-results/

The data published by JCQ can be expected to show the same broad patterns as the underlying data published in this statistical release 'Entries and results - A level and AS by subject and student characteristics (single academic year). However, the coverage of the data is different: JCQ data covers all A level entries in the UK by people of all ages. Data in this statistical release covers exam entries by 16 to 18 year olds in schools and colleges in England, and includes breakdowns by a wide range of student characteristics.

In addition, Ofqual also routinely publish data on results day: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guide-to-as-and-a-level-results-in-england-summer-2022

Data excluded from 2021/22 measures due to alternative assessment arrangements in 2020 and 2021

We have committed not to include results of qualifications achieved between January 2020 and August 2021 in school and college performance measures on Find Schools and College Performance Data website, given the alternative assessment arrangements used to award those grades.

For consistency, when calculating 16 to 18 performance measures for 2021/22 in this statistical release, data will only include entries and grades from qualifications awarded in the 2021/22 academic year, with the exception of AS and A level qualifications taken as part of the extraordinary autumn 2021 examination series which are also excluded.

However, results from qualifications routinely offered in the autumn of 2021 that would usually be approved for reporting, such as vocational and technical qualifications taken in autumn 2021, will be included even if some of the VTQ constituent unit-level grades were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 via Centre Assessment Grade, Teacher Assessed Grade, or another process.

The table below shows the impact at national level of excluding these data, by comparing the number of students and headline attainment measures for each cohort.

The impact on A level student numbers is modest. It is greater for students entering vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs), who are more likely to enter qualifications over multiple years. It should be noted that students may have results from multiple years including 2021/22. In this case the student is included in this data but some of their results are excluded.

The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting in the same year as they complete the qualification.

Smaller cohorts in 2021/22, do not necessarily translate into impacts on attainment. Nationally, the impact on A level Average Point Score (APS) is minimal (1/200th of a grade) with slightly larger changes for the level 3 vocational and technical qualifications.

Impact of the change

Number of students
-2% -10% -15% -84%

APS
+0.06 +0.60 +0.72 +0.12

Other changes for the 2021/22 release

English and maths progress measures will not be published in this statistical release until these measures return to Find school and college performance data website (likely 2024/25, as set out in 16 to 18 accountability headline measures: technical guide, due to the impact of excluding CAG/TAG grades on this performance measure).

Similarly, 16 to 18 value-added measures, which would rely on KS4 prior attainment including some data from summer 2020, continue not to be published in 2021/22. Value-added measures will return as soon as possible, which will be for the 2023/24 academic year at the earliest; further details are included in the technical guide.

Breakdowns of performance measures by prior attainment, usually published in spring with the Retention update have been brought forward to the provisional release along with other breakdowns by student characteristics. Note, we distinguish between the use of prior attainment data nationally to breakdown measures by student characteristics in this statistical release and their use to calculate performance measures that will be published for individual schools and colleges on Find School and College Performance Data.

SEN Provision contains additional breakdowns by SEN types for the first time in national level data at 16 to 18.

Additional 'bivariate' data giving a breakdown of headline attainment and disadvantage status in combination with other characteristics are available for the first time.

Changes continuing from the 2020/21 release

Characteristic breakdowns usually published in the revised update have been brought forward to the provisional release. This is a permanent change.

The rules for determining when students reach the end of their 16-18 study changed in 2020/21 and students can no longer be triggered solely due to spending two years in the same school or college. The impact of this change on 2020/21 data was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. In 2021/22, student numbers returned to pre-rule change levels, as expected.

Full details of the trigger change are set out in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release' in the Quality and Methodology documentation.

Checking exercise and other amendments

This updated release is based on revised data. Since the release of provisional data in November, amendments to the data have been made. These include the addition of 'late' results from some Awarding Organisations, and changes made by schools and colleges through a 'checking exercise'.

The checking exercise takes place in the autumn term and gives schools and colleges the opportunity to amend their data. Some students are removed from a school or colleges results, for example because the student wasn't on roll or has not yet completed 16-18 study. Some students are added where they are flagged by a school or college as having completed 16-18 study despite not being triggered. Changes need to be approved to be included in revised data.

The 2021/22 academic year saw the return of the school and college checking exercise, after it was suspended in the two previous years. In this release data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 is labelled as 'final' data. This is provisional data adjusted for results from the autumn series for AS and A levels. (The autumn series gave students an opportunity to sit an exam if they were unhappy with the grade awarded to them through the alternative process). Data from 2019/20 and 2020/21 did not go through a checking exercise; schools and colleges did not have an opportunity to amend their data as described above.

The table shows the size of the change between provisional and revised/final data. Generally, the change in the numbers of students included in the data in 2021/22 is relatively small in terms of the overall cohort size, the exception being technical certificates where there are 655 more students in the revised release than the provisional (an increase of 87%). This increase is predominantly due to results being reported late by Awarding Organisations.

The size of the change between provisional and revised data is generally smaller in 2021/22 than in 2017/18 and 2018/19. Changes to the trigger rule were introduced to reduce the burden on schools and colleges. This gives an indication that the change is working as intended.

Change in the numbers of students between the provisional and revised/final data:

Cohort

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

The table below shows the size of the change in the average point score between the provisional and the revised release. The changes are minimal. A change of 0.1 pts at A level / applied general / tech level is equivalent to 1/100th of a grade.

Change in Average Point Score (APS) per entry between the provisional and revised/final data.

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Unless stated otherwise statistics reported here refer to 16 to 18 year olds in England:

who reached the end of their 16 to 18 study in 2021/22. Students typically spend either two or three years in the 16 to 18 phase. (Usually, attainment includes results from qualifications entered during all those years. However, this year, attainment excludes results from qualifications that were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021).

who entered qualifications approved for reporting in 2022 school and college performance tables, set out in the 16 to 18 qualifications, discount codes and point scores guidance.

Qualifications are grouped into A level (subset of Academic), Applied General, and Tech Level exam cohorts at level 3, and Technical Certificates at level 2. Students can be reported in more than one exam cohort.

Student numbers by cohort

Students are included in this statistical release when they reach the end of their 16 to 18 study in schools and colleges in England. As set out in the Methodology guidance, the rules for determining when that happens changed in 2020/21, and students are no longer automatically triggered for reporting after spending two years in the same school or college.

The impact of the trigger change in 2020/21 was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. As expected, student numbers have generally returned to their pre-rule change level in 2021/22, with student numbers in all level 3 cohorts being higher than in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Results for qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from the data. The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting until they turn 18, often a year or two after they complete the qualification. More detail is provided in the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22', where in particular excluding CAG and TAG grades reduced reported technical certificate student numbers by 84%.

The growth in the number of students entered for applied general and tech level qualifications in 2021/22 approved for reporting in performance measures reflects the removal of funding approval from 1 August 2020 for pre-existing qualifications which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications. Prior to that numbers had been increasing more slowly following big falls in 2017/18 when qualifications were reformed. The number of students in the A level cohort, which includes students who only enter AS levels, has increased after several years of decline. (The previous decline reflected fewer AS level entries following the now completed A level reform to decouple A and AS levels.)

The overall growth in student numbers may also be partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students reported here completed their pre-16 study in 2019/20 where higher grades were awarded via Centre Assessment Grades. These higher grades resulted in greater numbers of students applying for post-16 places and may have shifted some students away from level two technical certificates and into level 3 qualifications. There were also fewer alternative options available for these students in terms of apprenticeships and other employment opportunities ( Key stage 4 destination measures showed that a smaller proportion of students who completed key stage 4 in 2019/20 progressed to sustained apprenticeship or employment outcomes in 2020/21).

Disadvantage

Disadvantaged students are all students who were in receipt of pupil premium when they were in their last year of KS4.

Disadvantage measures do not include students who were not reported at the end of KS4 - for example, because they came from overseas. Students who were known to be at independent schools in their last year of KS4 are treated as non-disadvantaged.

Disadvantage measures cover students in state-funded schools or colleges.

23.6% of state-funded students, at the end of 16 to 18 study, were recorded as having disadvantaged status in 2021/22. The percentage of students examined in level 3 vocational and technical qualifications was generally in line with this. (Applied general 23.0% and tech level 23.0%). Disadvantages students were overrepresented at technical certificate with 32.4% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status. Disadvantaged students were underrepresented at A level with 14.3% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status.

Prior attainment

Prior attainment is a measure of the average points attained per qualification at Key Stage 4. Simple discounting rules apply, with the best result in any subject used when calculating the average point score at KS4. Any GCSE resits or additional qualifications gained during 16 to 18 are ignored. For the vast majority, prior attainment is between 0-9 reflecting the range of possible grades at GCSE (where 9 is the highest grade).

[Note, whilst results from January 2020 to August 2021 are removed from calculation of performance measures, for the purposes of this statistical release they will be retained when calculating a student's prior attainment to explain outcomes in performance measures, in the same way that outcomes nationally are broken down by gender, disadvantage, etc].

In 2021/22, 18.4% of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study had the highest prior attainment (grade 7+). The large majority of students with the highest prior attainment choose to study at least one A/AS level (94.8%). High attainers now make up 36.2% of the A level cohort compared to 4.7% of the applied general and 3.7% of the tech level cohort. The proportion of students with the highest prior attainment has increased year on year for each cohort since 2019/20 (from when KS4 prior attainment has been calculated in this release).

27.5% of students at the end of 16 to 18 study in 2021/22 had the lowest prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4). The proportion of students with the lowest prior attainment has decreased year on year for each exam cohort since 2019/20.

This change in the distribution of prior attainment for exam cohorts, will in part reflect year on year grade increases at KS4 and in part reflect that the majority of students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and whose GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

Summary

These figures give the average points and average result that students achieved throughout their 16 to 18 study. Results awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from this data. (See the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22). While the majority of results come from the student's final year of study (in particular for A levels), a small number of results awarded prior to January 2020 are included.

Points are given to all qualifications so we can compare qualifications of different size and grading structures. A maximum of 60 points are available for A level, 50 points for applied general and tech level and 8 points for technical certificates. More information on points, APS bands and grade boundaries can be found in the technical guide for 16 to 18 accountability measures (from page 27).

In September 2021 Ofqual announced that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019. Consequently, the average results are lower in 2021/22 across all level 3 cohorts than in 2020/21.

A level programmes have seen the largest decrease (2.8 pts, compared to 0.7 pts for applied general and 1.1 pts for tech level). This is as expected due to the larger increases seen in A level grades between 2018/19 and 2020/21 relative to the vocational and technical qualifications. Technical certificates have seen a small increase (0.2 pts) in the average points score. However, interpretation of this increase is undermined by a 58% drop in cohort numbers. Given that 84% of technical certificate students have been excluded form the data (see 'Changes to the data in 2021/22'), technical certificate results will not be discussed in the breakdowns, however the data is available in the table builder tool.

For all Level 3 cohorts, the average result remains the same as in 2020/21.

At A level, the South East, London and East of England tend to do better, being on or near the top in the last 3 years. These same regions have ranked in the bottom 4 for applied general in the same time period.

The North West is in the top half of the table for both A level and applied general, although the region dipped in both exam cohorts in 2020/21 when teacher assessed grades were used.

The East Midlands is in the bottom half of the table for both A level and applied general. The region attained the lowest A level results this year.

Regional rankings are more variable for tech levels (which may be attributable to the smaller total number of tech level entries).

Average results by disadvantage status

The 2021/22 disadvantage gap has increased in comparison to last year for the A level cohort and has remained stable for applied general and tech level cohorts. For the level 3 exam cohorts, the average point score has decreased for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students, however for A level students, the decrease was larger for disadvantaged students.

The disadvantage gap for Level 3 cohorts is at its widest point since the measure was introduced in 2016/17. (NB, this statistical release contains data for the last 5 years back to 2017/18, but disadvantage data was first published based on 2016/17 revised data).

To get a fuller picture on the impact of disadvantage status, this data should be looked at in conjunction with data on retention rates (the percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider). In 2020/21, 94.3% of non-disadvantaged A level students were retained and assessed compared to 88.5% of disadvantaged students. Students are only included in the average point score measure if they are entered for examination i.e. if they are retained and assessed. More information on 2020/21 retention can be found in the 2020/21 version of this statistical release. An update to this statistical release with 2021/22 retention figures will be released on 30th March 2023.

Average results by gender

For the level 3 exam cohorts, both female and male students saw a drop in average attainment in 2021/22 when compared to 2020/21. The decrease was larger for female students than male students, which has resulted in a narrowing of the gender gap compared to last year.

When compared to 2018/19, the gender gap is slightly wider for A level students, but slightly narrower for applied general students in 2021/22. For tech level students the gender gap has reversed such that in 2018/19 it was in favour of male students, but since 2020/21 it has been in favour of female students.

The gender gap for the percentage of students achieving at least 2 A levels has been continuously decreasing for the past 5 years, falling from 5.2 ppts in 2017/18 to 0.9 ppts in 2021/22 in favour of female students.

Average results by ethnicity

Of the major ethnicity groups, Black or Black British students attained the lowest average result across all level 3 cohorts in 2021/22. At A level, Black or Black British students' attainment was almost a full grade lower than that of Chinese students. The rank order of attainment by ethnicity has remained almost unchanged at A level through the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to the grading processes.

Prior attainment

Typically, the higher the average KS4 prior attainment, the higher the average outcome at the end of 16 to 18 study, regardless of the programme of study.

The attainment gap between students with the highest and lowest prior attainment has remained stable throughout different grading processes since 2019/20 (when this prior attainment data is available). The attainment gap at A level is around 25 pts (or 2.5 grades) and at applied general and tech level is around 19 pts (or just under 2 grades).

Average results for other student characteristics

Breakdowns of other student characteristics, including SEN provision, first language and more, are available in the featured tables and create your own tables sections of this statistical release.

This year we have introduced a new data file to this statistical release called 'Attainment and other performance measures - student characteristics and disadvantage status'. This data file gives more detail about disadvantaged students by breaking down the disadvantaged status of students by other student characteristics. In breaking down the data in this way we hope to be able to better identify how student characteristics interact. The following sections show some illustrative analyses.

Disadvantage and prior attainment

The distribution of disadvantaged students is uneven across the prior attainment bands. At A level, 9.3% of students in state-funded institutions with the highest prior attainment (grade 7+) have disadvantaged status, while 27.8% with prior attainment from grade 0 up to grade 4 have disadvantaged status.

At A level the disadvantage gap for students with the lowest prior attainment was 1.3 pts in 2021/22 or just over 1/10th of a grade. The gap increased to 2.8 pts for A level students with prior attainment from grade 4 up to grade 7 and 3.5 pts (or just over 1/3 of a grade) for students with the highest prior attainment.

The increase in the overall A level disadvantage gap was driven by the increase in the disadvantage gap for students with the highest prior attainment. (Up 0.9 pts from 2.7 pts in 2020/21). There was a small increase for those with prior attainment of grade 4 up to grade 7 (up 0.2 pts from 2.6 pts) and the gap stayed steady for those with prior attainment of grade 0 up to grade 4.

Disadvantage and other student characteristics

Across level 3 exam cohorts, non-disadvantaged students with English as their first language obtained higher average results than students with a first language other than English. However, the reverse is true for disadvantaged students. Here students with a first language other than English achieved higher average results.

Disadvantaged Black or Black British students attained the lowest average results in 2021/22 of any ethnicity across level 3 cohorts. Non-disadvantaged Black or Black British students also attained lower average results than their non-disadvantaged peers. White students had the biggest disadvantage gaps (of students with known ethnicity) across level 3 cohorts.

The disadvantage gap remains greater for female students in all level 3 cohorts, as it has since 2019/20.

Summary

Data in this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16-18 at the start of the respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16-18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

The chart below shows the distribution of A level grades for students aged 16 to 18 for each academic year. Overall, the proportion of entries achieving top grades (between A* and B) has decreased in comparison to 2020/21 but remains higher than 2018/19.

In 2021/22, 14.8% of awarded grades were at A*. This is an increase of 6.9ppts from 2018/19, but a decrease of 4.3ppts from 2020/21. The percentage of entries achieving A*-A grades is now 36.4%, which similarly corresponds to an increase of 10.6ppts compared to 2018/19 but a decrease of 7.9ppts from 2020/21. As previously noted however, year on year comparisons cannot be interpreted as students achieving at a higher standard. Where achievement gaps alter in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared to previous years, it might reflect the different process by which grades were awarded across these years.

A level results by gender

Overall, in 2021/22 both male and female students were more likely to be awarded the higher A level grades (A*/A/B) than in 2018/19 but less likely than in 2020/21.

Across the top A* and A*-A grades the gender gap has decreased in comparison to 2020/21. Female students continue to be more likely to achieve these grades, which has been the trend for the last three years (since 2019/20) when a reversal of the gender gap was observed.

At A*-B the gap between female and male student achievement had been continuously increasing since 2017/18, however this year the gender gap has reduced from 6.9ppts in 2020/21 to 4.7ppts.

Data is this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16 to 18 at the start of respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16 to 18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

STEM subjects here are defined as: biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, and computing.

A level grades in STEM subjects

For 2021/22, the proportion of students achieving top grades (A*, A*-A, A*-B) in STEM subjects compared to 2020/21 has fallen. At A*, the largest decrease was in further maths (8.4ppts) and the smallest decrease was in physics (4.7ppts).

The STEM subjects have generally seen large increases in the proportion of students achieving top grades when compared to 2018/19. The largest increase at A* was further maths rising by 15.7ppts, and the smallest increase was in biology at 6.3ppts. The A*-A grade boundary also observed large increases in the proportion of entries achieving these grades, ranging from computer science (17.1ppts increase) to maths (6.6ppts increase).

This section replaces one that usually describes outcomes in the English and maths progress accountability measures. These are not being created in 2021/22 in Find School and College Performance Data due to the impact of excluding CAG and TAG grades on this measure (set out in more detail in the 16 to 18 accountability measures: technical guide).

These alternative data have been published as part of this statistical release since 2015/16. Coverage is all entries and outcomes in below level 3 English and maths qualifications for students aged 16 to 18 at the start of the respective year. Unlike data based on students at the end of 16-18 study, it means these data are not impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21, and not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

It also means a student here can be reported in successive years, for example at age 16 in 2019/20, at age 17 in 2020/21, and at age 18 in 2021/22 if they entered exams in each year.

The tables below focus on GCSEs, and Functional Skills qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level which make up the large majority of English and maths qualifications entered below level 3 (though outcomes for Other level 2, level 1, and Entry Level qualifications are available via the 'Explore data and files' section).

Fewer students are entering below level 3 maths and English qualifications

Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9-4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under Condition of Funding rules (CoF).

The overall fall observed in the number of below level 3 entries across both English and maths in GCSEs and Functional Skills is consistent with data published in Key Stage 4 performance showing an increasing proportion of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSE during key stage 4 ( increasing from 59.8% in 2018/19 to 67.1% in 2020/21 in provisional data) - and so not being required to study below level 3 English or maths during the 16-18 phase.

An additional factor explaining the big fall in entries at GCSE from 2019/20 to 2021/22 (-27% English, -12% maths) is the higher proportion of GCSE entries in 2019/20 and 2020/21 during the 16-18 phase that resulted in a grade 9-4 pass, when grades were awarded through the CAG and TAG processes, because once a student achieves a 9-4 GCSE pass during 16-18 they no longer have to continue studying English and/or maths the following year.

Achievement of Level 2 English and maths through GCSE and Functional Skills qualifications

Many more age 16-18 students enter GCSEs (a level 1/level 2 qualification) than are entered for Functional skills (distinct qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level).

Overall pass rates are broadly comparable at GCSE and L1 and L2 Functional skills. Given that the prior attainment distributions are similar at GCSE and level 2 functional skills (see table below), we might have expected to see a higher level 2 pass rate (grades 9-4) at GCSE. Although it is difficult to make direct comparisons due to range of grades available within the GCSE qualification.

Qualification KS4 Prior Attainment English entries in 2021/22 Proportion of English entries at prior attainment band maths entries in 2021/22 Proportion of maths entries at prior attainment band

All level 1 and level 2 qualifications have had decreases in their pass rates in 2021/22. Mathematics qualifications have seen much larger decreases than English across all qualifications.

Maths L2 functional skills decreased by 20.8 ppts to 63.6% (12.0 ppts fall in English to 81.0%). Maths L1 functional skills decreased by 10.2 ppts to 85.4% (English fall, 3.3ppts to 94.0%). For maths GCSE the overall pass rate (grade 9-1) decreased by 5.8ppts to 84.9% (English decreased by 3.7 ppts to 85.8%) and the level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) also decreased 16.7ppts to 15.3% for Maths and 13.9ppts to 25.7% for English

In contrast, at KS4 the English language GCSE level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) fell by more than maths. English language fell by 4.0 ppts and maths by 3.1ppts between 2020/21 and 2021/22 (provisional data).

Pass rates in English and maths at level 2 by institution type

GCSE entries by students at independent schools are most likely to pass at level 2, but it should be noted that Condition of Funding rules are not relevant for these schools, and these students may be resitting GCSEs to improve their KS4 grade, which could have already been at grade 4 or above. Amongst state-funded institutions, students in schools are consistently most likely to pass GCSE at level 2, then sixth form colleges and other FE sector colleges in both English and maths in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Level 2 Functional Skills entries: within state-funded institutions sixth form colleges and 'Other FE sector' colleges are consistently more likely to pass than schools. Most entries in L2 Functional Skills are in 'Other FE sector' colleges.

Applied general, tech level, and technical certificate qualifications approved for reporting in this statistical release (and institution level performance data) are updated annually and published on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/performance-tables-technical-and-vocational-qualifications
The concept of qualifications approved for reporting has been applied since 2015/16 following Professor Alison Wolf's Review of Vocational Education. From 2017/18 at level 3 and from 2018/19 for technical certificates, the quality threshold for vocational and technical qualifications to be included in performance measures further increased. The later reforms include criteria relating to the size, content, and assessment, including a requirement that a proportion of a qualification's content is subject to external assessment. From 1 August 2020 the ESFA removed funding approval for pre-existing applied general and tech level qualifications (which had been approved in 2015/16 and 2016/17) which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications.

The measures presented in this section show the students entering these approved qualifications as a proportion of students entering a wider set of vocational qualifications that had been approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for funding during 16 to 18 study.

Proportions entering approved tech level and applied general qualifications continue to increase following a large fall in 2017/18 (when both lists of approved qualifications changed substantially), with a jump in students entering reformed versions of qualifications in 21/22 (in part attributable to the defunding of unreformed pre-existing qualifications).

The coverage of the measure for technical certificates is strongly impacted by the removal of CAG and TAG data from 2021/22 accountability data (as coverage is students at the end of 16-18 study, and level 2 vocational qualifications are more often entered during a student's first year of 16-18 study and so are excluded from the calculation).

The following table shows that there is variation in whether different institution types enter students for qualifications approved for reporting in performance tables versus the wider set of qualifications that were approved for funding.

Overall students in state-funded schools continue to be most likely to enter reformed versions of vocational and technical qualifications at level 3 (reformed in 2017/18), but 2021/22 saw a marked increase in the proportion of students entering approved/reformed applied general and tech levels across all broad institution types.

Introduction to retention measures

The Retention measure shows the percentage of students who are retained to the end of the 'core aim' (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college.

Students are counted as retained if they are recorded as having "completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim" by their institution. This information is collected in the school census or for students that attended sixth form or FE colleges, the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Retention measures are not calculated for independent schools or special schools (both independent and maintained) as learning aims data is not available for these schools.

The Retention measure is calculated by dividing the total number of students retained by the total number of students with a core aim, in each of the five programmes approved for reporting in performance tables: academic, A level, applied general, tech level, and at level 2, technical certificate programmes.

Since academic programmes comprise largely of A levels, only data for A level core aims are described here; overall data for academic programmes can be found in the 'create your own tables' section and in the underlying data available to download.

Alongside the headline Retention measure there are two supporting retention measures:

Retained and Assessed: The percentage of students who are retained to the end of their course and are assessed.

Returned and Retained for a second year: The percentage of level 3 students who return to the same provider and complete their programme of study in their second year. (The main difference when compared to Retention is for students who complete their core aim in one year.)

A fuller description of the methodology underlying retention measures can be found in the 16-18 technical guide (from page 41).

Retention measures and the impact of the trigger change in 2020/21

The impact of the trigger rule change, meaning that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study, was to reduce the reported number of students in scope for retention measures across all exam cohorts in 2020/21, with the biggest impact on vocational and technical cohorts (VTQs).

For retention measures, this meant that Retention rates were slightly increased in 2020/21 for level 3 cohorts (A level, applied general, tech level) than would have been seen otherwise. However, the impact on the level 2 technical certificate cohort was a large decrease in Retention rates (and in cohort size).

Fuller analysis on the impact on 2020/21 retention data can be found in the methodology document, in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release', under the heading 'Impact of the trigger change on headline retention rates'.

Students whose reporting was delayed for one year due to the 2020/21 trigger change are reported in 2021/22. In other words, the impact of the trigger change was one-off discontinuity in retention data for 2020/21. For this reason, when looking at trends, data for 2021/22 is better compared to data for 2019/20 and earlier years.

All level 3 study programmes show increases in Retention rates in 2021/22 (A level +0.1 pts to 95.1%; applied general +1.8 pts to 91.7%; tech level +0.5 ppts to 91.1%). This continues a trend of increasing Retention rates since 2018/19. A level programmes continue to have the highest Retention rate as has been the case since the measure was introduced in 2015/16, but for the first time applied general programmes have a higher Retention rate than tech levels programmes.

Technical certificates have had lower Retention rates than Level 3 cohorts since being added to performance measures in 2016/17. However, they have seen an increase in Retention rate this year (+4.5 ppts to 86.6%), recovering from the impact of the trigger change that was seen last year and returning to previously-seen levels.

For the A level and applied general cohorts, rates for the Retained and Assessed measure have increasingly followed the same general trend as the Retention rate in recent years. Similarly, the Returned and Retained measure now also follows the same trend. This is most notable for the A level cohort where the phased decoupling of AS and A levels predominantly between 2017 and 2019 has resulted in a much smaller proportion of the A level cohort taking AS levels only and not then returning for a second year of study.

The tech level cohort shows a slightly different pattern this year whereby the Retained and Assessed rate has dropped slightly despite increases in both the Retained rate (retention to the end of the course) and the Returned and Retained rate (retention specifically over two years of a course). This means that within this cohort there was an increase in the proportion of students not being assessed at the end of their course .

The much smaller technical certificate cohort (Level 2) was heavily impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21 and shows less stable trends. In addition, the low cohort numbers mean that breakdowns of the technical certificate data, by student characteristics become increasingly unreliable, and therefore this cohort isn't discussed further.

Due to the similarity in the trends shown by the three retention measures, in particular for the two largest cohorts (A level and applied general), our further narrative will focus on the Retained and Assessed measure. Further breakdowns of the Retention measure and the Returned and Retained measure across all qualification cohorts are available in underlying data and through the table builder.

The Retained and Assessed rate is higher for non-disadvantaged students across all level 3 cohorts. Disadvantaged tech level students are least likely to be Retained and Assessed at 79.1%, which is 7.1 ppts lower than their non-disadvantaged peers. The Retained and Assessed disadvantage gap is smaller for A level and applied general (5.6 ppts and 5.3 ppts respectively).

The disadvantage gap has been narrowing for the A level cohort since 2018/19 (from 8.4 ppts to 5.6 ppts). Similarly, the applied general cohort has, overall, seen a substantial decrease in the gap in that time (from 7.9 ppts to 5.6 ppts). In contrast, the tech level cohort did not consolidate an initial decrease in the gap in 2019/20 and is now only slightly smaller than in 2018/19 (from 7.6 ppts to 7.1 ppts).

Changes to the distribution of prior attainment at A level between 2017/18 and 2021/22

The coverage of the retention measures is different to the attainment measures, and is described above in 'Retention: introduction and changes to the data in 2021/22'. The largest difference is that independent schools are excluded from the data, and this impacts the distribution of the prior attainment groups as students from independent schools have higher prior attainment on average.

The distribution of prior attainment has changed over time for all cohorts. The proportion of A level students with low prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4) has decreased from 8.1% of the cohort in 2017/18 to 1.9% in 2021/22. High prior attaining students (average grade 7 or more) have increased their proportion of the cohort from 16.1% in 2017/18 to 35.3% in 2021/22.

This increase in the proportion of KS4 students achieving grades averaging 7 or more, in part reflects year on year grade increases at KS4, and in part reflects that most A level students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and so their GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

However, in the vocational and technical cohorts, a larger proportion of students are being reported after three years in 16-18, hence prior attainment for these cohorts is less affected by CAGs. This is following delay in their reporting last year due to the change in the rule in 2020/21 triggering students for reporting.

Overall, students with the highest average prior attainment (grade 7+) are most likely to be Retained and Assessed in their main programme of study and students with the lowest prior attainment (grade 0 up to grade 4) the least likely to be Retained and Assessed. The highest Retained and Assessed rate is for high prior attaining A level students at 98.7%. The lowest Retained and Assessed rate is also for A level students. Low prior attaining A level students have a Retained and Assessed rate of 66.0%.

The Retained and Assessed rate for low prior attaining A level students has fallen and is now close to the 2018/19 rate, whereas the rate remains higher for other level 3 cohorts.

A full breakdown of all three retention measures by a range of other student characteristics is available through the table builder. Here, we draw attention to small number of breakdowns that may be of interest.

English Language

Across all level 3 cohorts, students with English as their first language have lower Retained and Assessed rates than students who do not. The difference is driven by poor rates for disadvantaged students with English as their first language.

The applied general cohort similarly has an increase in the Retained and Assessed rate since last year for all major (known) ethnicity groups and shows many of the same trends between groups. The Chinese ethnic group has the highest Retained and Assessed rates since 2018/19 (now at 95.8%) and the Black or Black British ethnic group and the Mixed Dual background ethnic group have made the biggest improvements in Retained and Assessed rates over recent years (+9.9 ppts to 89.1%, +9.9 ppts to 87.0% respectively). Again, the White ethnic group shows the largest disadvantage gap and White disadvantaged students have the lowest rates for Retained and Assessed.

The tech level cohort and the technical certificate cohort have very low numbers in some ethnic groups, and show less distinct patterns over recent years.

For the A level cohort, state-funded mainstream schools and Sixth form colleges have seen an increase in rates for Retained and Assessed this year (+1.5 ppts to 95.4% and +0.5 ppts to 92.3% respectively). In contrast, 'Other FE sector colleges' have seen a decrease (-2.3 ppts to 88.2%). However, the decrease for 'Other FE sector colleges' follows very large increases last year; the relative rates of the three major institution types have returned to levels seen before the change to the trigger rule.

There have also been decreases in the Retained and Assessed rate for 'Other FE sector colleges' in the applied general and tech level cohorts, following larger increases in the previous two years. All state-funded mainstream schools continue to have the lowest Retained and Assessed rates for applied general and tech level qualifications. This has been the case since 2018/19.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - APS per entry by institution type'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: APS per entry and average result' brings up the dashboard with attainment data in terms of APS per entry.

Data including the applied general and tech level cohorts starts in 2015/16 (when these cohorts were first defined in this statistical release, and school and college data). Data for the A level cohort starts in 2012/13.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - A level subject entries and grade by gender'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: A level entries and grade distribution' brings up the dashboard with A level entries data by subject, and A level grades by subject.

These data cover A level entries by students aged 16 to 18 within each academic year from 1995/96.

We have moved our Transition Matrices tool into a web based app for easier use. It is available at the following link:
16-18 Transition Matrices
Transition matrices (TM) are a useful tool to help visualise the progression from different groups of attainment at key stage 4 (KS4) to outcomes achieved during 16 to 18 for a range of different subjects.

Note that the 16 to 18 outcomes here will also be impacted by the different process to award grades in 2022, which is likely to impact the relationship between outcomes and KS4 prior attainment in 2021/22 for subjects.

Help and support

Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

National statistics

These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority's Code of Practice for Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:

managed impartially and objectively in the public interest

meet identified user needs

produced according to sound methods

well explained and readily accessible

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

If you have a specific enquiry about A level and other 16 to 18 results statistics and data:

Attainment statistics team

Email: Attainment.STATISTICS@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Michael Greer

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A level and other 16 to 18 results, Academic year 2021/22

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This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades.

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Published: 19th January 2023
"We expect that overall results in summer 2023 will be much closer to the pre-pandemic years than results since 2020. In other words, we expect that overall, nationally, results in 2023 will be lower than they were in 2022."

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Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be with you this afternoon as Chair of Ofqual. Unfortunately, the Chief Regulator is unable to be with us today, which I know she very much regrets. She spoke to your winter conference last year in remote format, but it's obviously much better to be here face to face and talk in person.

And what a difference a year makes. Last year saw the very welcome return of a normal series of examinations and formal assessments, or nearly normal. Thank you for everything you did to enable those to run smoothly in your colleges. I know it wasn't always easy but we had a really good outcome for young people, nonetheless.

I will be saying something later on exams this summer, but I wanted to start with what is happening on the review of level 3 qualifications, including, for example, courses like BTECs at level 3, but also the whole range of alternative academic and technical qualifications at level 3.

I know that there are questions and potentially some concerns about what is happening, including the approval process for continued funding, and why all this is happening, so I thought it might be helpful for me to offer a brief overview.

Aside from a small number of exceptions, all level 3 alternative academic and technical qualifications (qualifications at level 3 which are not T Levels or A levels, like for example level 3 BTECS, alongside many others) are being required to re-apply for funding as part of a government-led streamlining programme for these qualifications.

The government's aim for this exercise is in essence threefold:

firstly, to simplify the landscape, including addressing what is seen as in some cases unnecessary duplication where that exists

to drive up the quality of qualifications and the assessment that underpins them

and to ensure that appropriate priority is given to T Levels and their place in the landscape

These alternative and technical qualifications constitute a large and complex area in comparison, say, with A levels and T Levels. For example, there are more than 60 awarding organisations offering the qualifications that are in scope, and several thousand different level 3 qualifications in the alternative academic and technical space.

Some of these are large entry and well known to you in your colleges, and some, of course, are very small in terms of entry, and not likely to be on your radar as college leaders.

Last week the government published details of their new qualifications funding approval process for qualifications at level 3. Talking to your colleagues, I know that that is under scrutiny by your representatives and I am sure debate will continue. What the document sets out to do is bring clarity on what type of L3 qualifications are likely to be publicly funded alongside A levels and T Levels, and bring clarity on the timescales.

I recommend that you take a look at this for more detailed information. I believe the Department for Education will be running some webinars to look at some of this in more detail, which may be useful for colleagues here as well.

As part of the process that awarding organisations are going through, re-applying for funding, we, Ofqual, are contributing by providing qualitative feedback to the DfE on each qualification where funding is being reapplied for, as well as on the awarding organisation itself.

This means that these qualifications are coming under much greater individual regulatory scrutiny than has been the case up to now. Ofqual has put in place a range of higher expectations relating to quality that we expect awarding organisations to meet in their reapplications. It is against those expectations that we provide our qualitative feedback to the DfE and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

As the process plays out, the DfE is taking decisions on funding for the reapplications it receives taking into consideration the quality-based advice Ofqual provides, as well as the contribution of IfATE, that represents the employer voice.

It is probably important to flag that the government absolutely recognises that, alongside the aim of simplifying the landscape, there will, in the future, still need to be a range of qualifications at L3 available alongside A levels and T Levels.

For many students these qualifications are important, not only as vehicles for their continued education and engagement in education, but also because they provide important routes for further study or employment. So there will likely be many decisions to approve applications for funding, alongside decisions not to continue to fund.

You might be wondering what this means for you as a college leader.

In short, unless you are a college which offers only A levels and GCSEs, or T Levels, it is almost certain you will be offering some of these qualifications, maybe for example level 3 BTECs or equivalent.

It is also at least possible that the government will determine that some of those qualifications do not meet the criteria for continued funding, which may mean you will need to take decisions about changing the portfolio of courses you provide in the interests of your students to reflect what is available and funded in the future. So following this process, including through your representatives in this association, to make sure that you are up to speed with decisions being taken is critically important. I am sure you will also continue to make your views heard.

Grading in 2023

Moving on now, I will now say something about arrangements for grading GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2023. We published our plans back in September so that higher education institutions could factor in decisions that were being made about grading before they embarked on their offer-making, and of course because some of you will have been arriving at UCAS predictions for students. We felt it was important you had as much information as possible before you started that process. Our plans for 2023 take us a step further on the road to normality, building on what happened in 2022, while also recognising the impact of the pandemic.

You will recall that in summer 2022, we aimed for a staging post on the way back to more normal grading. In 2023, we will return to pre-pandemic grading, but with some protection in place for your students, a soft landing, if you like.

Students in the 2023 cohort have not, during their exam courses, experienced the level of national school or college closures experienced by students in the 2 years before them. But I know, from listening to teachers, college leaders and students themselves, that many have certainly experienced some level of disruption.

So, to achieve that extra bit of protection, Ofqual will put in place the same sort of safeguards used for the first students taking reformed GCSEs and A levels from 2017 onwards.

Back in the reform context, that meant not disadvantaging students in the first cohorts if overall they performed less well because they were the first to sit the new exams.

So how will it work this summer? In practice, as in any year, grade boundaries for every specification will be set by senior examiners after they have reviewed the work produced by students in their exams.

But those senior examiners will be guided in their decisions about where to set grade boundaries by information about the grades achieved in pre-pandemic years, along with prior attainment data for the cohort.

So that means students in 2023 will be protected in grading terms if their examination performance in 2023 is a little lower than it might have been had the pandemic not taken place. That is what I mean by a soft landing.

What that means is, a typical student who would have achieved an A grade in their A level geography before the pandemic will be just as likely to get an A in summer 2023, even if their performance in the assessments is a little weaker in 2023 than it might have been before the pandemic.

We expect that overall results in summer 2023 will be much closer to the pre-pandemic years than results since 2020. In other words, we expect that overall, nationally, results in 2023 will be lower than they were in 2022.

Individual providers, including colleges and schools, should be prepared for this. I know, as a school leader myself, it's worrying if you look at figures that are lower than the previous year.

It's important that we don't compare the results in 2022 with any other year. Lower results in 2023 compared with 2022 will not mean, by itself, that your college's performance has fallen. It will be much more likely to reflect the return nationally to normal grading standards.

It is important to note that, while we aim to return pretty much to normal grading in 2023, this does not mean there is any nationally pre-determined 'quota' of grades. Every set of grade boundaries, qualification by qualification, is determined by human, senior examiners, taking account of all the information they have available, including actual student performance.

I did want to sound one note of caution: if you are using summer or autumn 2022 papers as mock or trial exams, the grade boundaries set for those papers are likely to be more generous, reflecting the approach we took in 2022, both summer and autumn. Do bear that in mind if you are using the results from mocks to give indicative grades for students being examined this year.

For vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside or instead of GCSEs and A levels, awarding organisations are expected to take account of the grading approach being used in GCSEs and A levels. So for VTQ qualifications certificating in 2023, this also means a return to normal grading arrangements.

And a word about universities and higher education: decisions about grading by themselves have no effect on the number of higher education places available. That is determined by other factors and has got nothing to do with grading decisions.

Universities themselves will take account of how exams will be graded when they make their offers, including any differences between the 4 nations of the UK (which already exist). Universities are well-experienced in factoring those in to their offering arrangements.

UCAS wrote out to all schools just after Ofqual announced our grading decision, to explain how offers will be made this year, and to confirm that universities would take our grading decision into account. The Chief Regulator also wrote to admissions officers just before Christmas.

Formulae/equation sheets, MFL and resilience

Further points on 2023: there are one or two changes to support students taking GCSEs. Students will be given formulae sheets for GCSE maths and revised equation sheets for GCSE physics and combined science, which we did in 2022 for those GCSEs. This will give some additional reassurance to GCSE students in the exam itself.

And for modern foreign languages GCSEs, Ofqual's changed requirements mean that exams do not have to test unfamiliar vocabulary. That's to make it feel a bit more accessible for students this year.

Delivering exams

Turning now to resilience, the arrangements in place should the unthinkable happen in summer 2023. Clearly the closer we get to the summer, the less likely that becomes, but we've all learned to be cautious in how we predict the future. In November, Ofqual and the DfE jointly published guidance on resilience, in the very unlikely event that exams are not able to go ahead as planned. Some colleges may be running mock exams now and I know this is a big operation, particularly in colleges such as yours with large cohorts of students. You are also, simultaneously, preparing students to take their end of year exams. Ofqual was conscious of this when we published the guidance.

The thrust of that guidance, designed to minimise the burden on you and your students, is that any assessment opportunities you plan should be in line with your normal approaches, as far as possible.

As well as all the work you do to prepare your students to take their assessments through your teaching and learning, we know that the administration and delivery of exams is something you take seriously. We take our hats off to people in colleges leading the examinations operation.

It is enormously complex, but there is training and support available, and I encourage you to make sure those who are charged with doing this work get access to the range of training available for them so they can benefit from it and deliver as well as possible on behalf of students.

If you've looked at the GCSE and A level exam timetables for next year, you'll see there are some changes from 2022.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) listened to feedback about the spacing between exams in the same subject in summer 2022. They have taken this on board for 2023.

They will largely be preserving those gaps, to reduce the risk of students missing all exams in a subject, but the spacing between some papers is slightly less next summer.

I did just want to draw your attention to the contingency days that they have built in. Both the 8 and 15 June will be 'contingency afternoons' and the 28 June will be a contingency day in case there is national or local disruption that would mean exams had to be re-scheduled.

Do please let your students know about this and remind them that they might have to be available on those dates. It's particularly important for them to be aware if they are planning holidays.

There are more details on the JCQ website, and a quick plug for Ofqual's resources as well: every year we provide a guide for students and a guide for schools and colleges. These will be published in the spring, and always live somewhere central on our website. I hope you'll be able to point your students to them.

Vocational and technical qualification results in 2023

And finally, just as Ofqual regulates in the interests of students of all ages and apprentices, we are also convinced of the need for parity of treatment for students across the different sorts of qualifications your colleges provide, whether vocational or academic.

So I wanted to reassure you that we have in train a series of actions to prevent a repeat of the delayed results in vocational and technical qualifications that we saw last August. I know this affected some of you and your students.

We were shocked by what became apparent in August. Not only that around 20,000 students from 1,550 centres had delayed results, but that for some time, there hadn't been a single date by which VTQ students could expect results - even when they were used for progression. That is not acceptable and Ofqual will work with the sector to fix this, not just for this summer, but for the long term and in the interests of being fair to students taking these qualifications.

Our investigation of the awarding organisations involved continues, as does our review of the extent of the problem. We will consider whether enforcement action is appropriate after that concludes.

In December, we published the 5 key actions that Ofqual, working with you and others in the sector, will deliver.

These actions cover a range of areas, and there isn't time to cover them in detail here. They include putting in place clear deadlines, improving data sharing, introducing check-ins for colleges and awarding organisations, improving information accessibility about these qualifications, improving communications from awarding organisations to centres, improving training for staff running exams, and monitoring the implementation of all this via a joint taskforce from around the sector chaired by the Chief Regulator.

We are certain that taken together these actions will to a very significant extent address the issues we saw playing out this summer (and which to a greater or lesser extent have been endemic in the system).

Thank you very much for your attention - I think we still have a few moments for any questions.

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Sir Ian Bauckham CBE at the Sixth Form Colleges Association winter conference

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Ofqual's Chair looks ahead to assessment and examination results in 2023.

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Inspiration Teaching School Hub: Spring Newsletter

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Inspiration Teaching School Hub: Spring Newsletter

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For schools in Mid, South and East Norfolk

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The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 2023

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The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 2023

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Online
09:00-16:30
1st February 2023

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Overview

Language learning in schools across England is in slow recovery following Covid-19, with schools unlikely to meet the Government's EBacc Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) target by the end of 2022, according to the British Council data in July 2022. Moreover, the same British Council report found that primary schools are still devoting inconsistent timings and expertise into delivering MFL teaching.

The Department for Education's recent reforms to MFL GCSEs are a step towards improving the uptake of Languages at KS4 and into KS5 and establishing new pedagogical guidelines for schools. However, to increase the uptake of MFL in secondary schools and ensure pupils are engaged from primary school, innovative teaching methods and curriculum design changes must be considered, and best practice shared across the education sector.

A recent 2022 study found that investing in languages education in the UK will deliver a benefit-to-cost return of 2:1

93% of primary schools plan for progress in one language across KS2, up from 78% in 2019

Only 3% of state secondary schools enable all pupils to continue with the language they learnt in KS2

Thirty-five percent of state schools report that some pupils are prevented from language learning at Key Stage 3

(Language Trends 2022: Language teaching in primary and secondary schools in England, British Council)
Join us at the The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 2023 to hear the latest strategies and measures for delivering best practice MFL teaching provision from education experts across the sector. You will hear exemplary case studies showcasing a range of key topics, including ensuring a successful transition from KS2 into KS3, teaching MFL to pupils with SEND and improving pupil engagement with languages across primary and secondary schools. You will also have the opportunity to network with senior colleagues from across the education sector to share common challenges in building confidence in teaching MFL.
Why Attend:
✓ High-level keynotes from leading experts on the latest updates and reforms to teaching MFL in schools
✓ Best practice case studies addressing a range of challenges, including designing a successful MFL curriculum
✓ Engage with key insights into fostering regional and international partnerships
✓Choose from a primary or secondary focused stream in the afternoon to tailor your learning to your educational setting
✓ Network with speakers and senior colleagues from across the education sector
✓ CPD (gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota)

Access a full live event with 8 hours of CPD points from home This is a live event taking place online:
✓
✓Network and connect with colleagues in breakout networking sessions and the meeting hub
✓Interact with speakers through live Q&A and networking
✓Review event materials and presentations post-event
✓ Receive additional resources to boost your learning and support you in your role

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

Agenda

09.40

Chair's Opening Remarks

Bernadette Holmes MBE, Campaign Director, Speak to the Future, Vice President, Chartered Institute of Linguists (CONFIRMED)

09.50

Keynote: Reversing the Decline in Language Learning Across Schools

Strategies for reversing the decline in MFL uptake and provision across primary and secondary schools

Tips for encouraging uptake and pupil engagement

Recommendations for fostering international engagement in schools

Vicky Gough, Schools Adviser, British Council (CONFIRMED)

11.25

Case Study: Improving the Provision and Uptake of Languages Across Languages Across a MAT

Effective strategies for improving MFL provision in very different contexts

Different approaches to increase uptake at KS4 and KS5

MFL within the school: how to raise our status and secure SLT support

Mariu Hurriaga, MFL Lead Adviser, United Learning (CONFIRMED)

13.35

Keynote: Curriculum Design for MFL: Policy, Pedagogy and Practice from KS2 to the New GCSE

Reviewing your current curriculum and identifying areas for improvement

Ensuring systematic, sequenced coverage of language content across key stages 2 - 4

Teaching culture as an integral part of a language-driven curriculum

Preparing the way for unplanned speaking from the start

Rachel Hawkes, Co-Director, National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (CONFIRMED)

13.55
Key Supporter Session

14.35

Breakout Networking: Overcoming Challenges in Building Teacher Confidence in the Classroom
This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the main challenges you face in developing your t alents in the classroom and working with others to improve your pedagogical skills, allowing you to share your experiences and collaborate with colleagues across the sector.

15.10
Comfort Break

15.45

Case Study: Primary: Using Innovative Resources and Technology to Improve MFL Teaching Aimed at Younger Pupils

Sharing specific resources for improving languages pedagogy: identifying best practice books and dictionaries to use

Digital tools: incorporating digital platforms into learning to build staff confidence and improve teaching

Mentoring teachers to incorporate resources and proven teaching strategies into the classroom

Approaches and interventions to help pupils struggling to engage with language learning

Marina Saez, Spanish Leader, Central South Consortium (invited)

15.25

Case Study: Secondary: Forming Links with Local Universities to Provide Exemplary Languages Teaching and Opportunities

Outreach events: engaging with local higher education institutions to ensure pupils have the resources to further develop their language skills

Working with sixth form students to share insights into the employment opportunities a languages degree can open up

Enabling expert lecturers to deliver exemplary seminars and lectures to inspire students

Providing taster language sessions to engage students with languages less frequently taught in schools

Dr Jane Lavery, Modern Languages and Linguistics Outreach Co-Coordinator and Strategy Lead, University of Southampton (CONFIRMED)

16.25

Chair's Summary & Close

*Programme subject to change without notice

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend?

Delegates who will have an interest in this event will be people who work in the Education sector.

*This Conference is open to Public, Private and Third Sectors

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

Sponsorship

We are now taking bookings for our wide range of sponsorship and exhibition packages; we also offer bespoke packages tailored for your organisation.

Why Sponsor and Exhibit at this event:

✓ Network with key decision makers across the Education Sector
✓ Meet your target audience in the Sector
✓ Listen and Learn from leading industry experts across the Sector
✓ Opportunity to demonstrate your products or services
✓ Speak alongside industry leading experts
✓ Work with your dedicated account manager to generate the maximum amount of leads

Exhibition and Sponsorship Packages:

Strategic Headline Sponsor:

20-minute speaking slot followed by Q&A

3x2m Exhibition Space (In the Refreshments and Catering room)

Pre show marketing email to all registered delegates

Post show inclusion on presentation email

Branding on Website and Event Guide (Logo and 100 Word Profile)

A4 Insert or A4 Chair Drop

5 Delegate Conference Passes

1 Speaker Pass

Key Supporter Package:

20-minute speaking slot followed by Q&A

Branding on Website and Event Guide (Logo and 100 Word Profile)

A4 Insert or Chair Drop

1 Speaker Pass

2 Delegate Conference Passes

Exhibition Stand:

3x2m Exhibition Space (In the Refreshments and Catering room)

Power, Wifi, Table and 2 Chairs (If required)

Branding on Website and Event Guide (Logo and 100 Word Profile)

2 Delegate Conference Passes

1 Stand Manager Pass

Insert or Chair Drop:

1 Delegate Conference Pass

A4 insert into delegate pack or A4 Chair Drop

For more information or to discuss the available option please call 0203 961 5002or email Sponsorship@GovernmentEvents.co.uk

Pricing

Private Sector Rate: £599.00+VAT

Public Sector Rate: £399.00+VAT

Voluntary Sector Rate: £329.00+VAT

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The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 2023 - Government Events

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Overview Language learning in schools across England is in slow recovery following Covid-19, with schools unlikely to meet the Government's EBacc Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) target by the end of 2022, according to the British Council data in July 2022.

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN LEADING TEACHING

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN LEADING TEACHING

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February 2023 Start

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN SENIOR LEADERSHIP

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN SENIOR LEADERSHIP

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February 2023 Start

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Ofqual: Letter to Heads and Principals - arrangements for exams and assessments in 2023

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Ofqual: Letter to Heads and Principals - arrangements for exams and assessments in 2023

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Published: 9th December 2022

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Thank you to you and your colleagues for the vital part you played in the successful return to exams and formal assessments earlier this year. Over one million students received more than 5 million qualifications despite the disruption caused by the pandemic. From talking to teachers and students wh…

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This course consists of Four online sessions
Commencing: January 2023

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A new four-part CPD series commencing January 2023, designed to help you prepare for the requirements of the new GCSEs in French, German and Spanish

Towards the New GCSE

We are delighted to announce a new four-part CPD series for Spring Term 2023, designed to help you prepare for the requirements of the new French, German and Spanish GCSEs.

Four x 90 minute remote twilight sessions will run across January and February.

You will also have the opportunity to attend a regional end of course in-person Teach-Meet to network and facilitate collegial planning as you prepare to enact any curricular and pedagogical developments in light of the CPD course content.

Overview: Session 1 crucially sets the scene for this four-part series and sessions 2, 3 and 4 prioritise practical teaching activities and ideas in terms of phonics, vocabulary and grammar that can be built in now with Y7 and Y8, laying the foundations for the new GCSE knowledge.

Session 1: Principles of languages curriculum design for KS3 & KS4

The new GCSE subject content for French, German and Spanish proposes that students learn and can readily use key vocabulary, grammar and phonics to understand and produce meaning, communicating independently in writing and speech, using 'clear and comprehensible language' in unprepared interactions, whilst also stepping 'beyond familiar cultural boundaries' and developing 'new ways of seeing the world'.

In light of these requirements, this session sets out the main principles for designing a successful curriculum for Modern Languages at Key Stage 3 and 4.

Session 2: How does explicit phonics teaching make a difference?

Knowing the sound-writing relationship of a new language unlocks it. In this session, we focus on research-informed practice for explicitly and progressively teaching, consolidating and applying the sound-writing relationship from beginner to GCSE, showing how easily culture and phonics combine.

Session 3: Teaching vocabulary - What's new?

What does it mean to have a defined wordlist for GCSE? In this session, we consider the research-informed practical implications of and for revisiting; frequency; depth of individual word knowledge; practice; themes and topics; culture and personalisation. We look at what we can do now for Y8 to set them on the path for success at GCSE.

Session 4: Grammar - Contrasting pairs, making the most of input, speaking in unprepared interactions

Drawing on decades of research, this session proposes that explicit grammar levels the playing field for learners, that using contrasting pairs in listening and reading helps learners process and retain new knowledge, and that information gap speaking activities pave the way towards the unprepared interactions in the new GCSE.

CPD Series Timetable

Registrants will be asked to sign up to one cohort of the CPD series and attend all sessions to complete the course. There is flexibility to swap to a different session where available, or to complete a screencast of the session. The timetable is listed below, in day/ time order.

Regional school-based Teach-Meet - a 'next steps' collaborative planning session

At the end of the CPD series we are offering a variety of regional Teach-Meet sessions as part of this programme in February/March 2023. These 'next-steps' sessions are hosted by our Course Leaders and provide the opportunity for teachers to come together and work collaboratively to share ideas on next steps to prepare for the new GCSE as well as develop practice further. The venues and session timetable is listed below in date/time order. (Please note that more dates / venues may be added).

Eligibility

We welcome registrations if:

You are involved in Modern Foreign Language education (and can cascade course content to MFL colleagues, including to in-service and/or pre-service teachers or trainees).

You are:

EITHER working in an eligible school in England (that teaches KS3/4 French and/or German and/or Spanish) - all schools that receive public funding from the government are eligible.

OR a state-funded university-based or SCITT-based teacher trainer providing courses to secondary pre-service teachers or trainees in French and/or German and/or Spanish teaching.

This includes:

Practising teachers in state schools (any number of teachers can apply from a single school - but numbers may be restricted if demand is very high)

Unqualified practising teachers

Secondary school advisors/consultants (employed by a school, an academy trust or a local authority to support state schools)

Teacher trainers

Registration for the CPD series

Registrations will only be accepted via our online registration form, available below. The recommended deadline for registrations is Monday 9th January 2023 but registration will remain open to allow for late registrants. Please contact us at enquiries@ncelp.org if you have difficulties completing the form.

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NCELP 4-part CPD Series: Towards the new GCSE

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A new four-part CPD series commencing January 2023, designed to help you prepare for the requirements of the new GCSEs in French, German and Spanish We are delighted to announce a new four-part CPD series for Spring Term 2023, designed to help you prepare for the requirements of the new French, German and Spanish GCSEs.

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NCELP: CURRICULUM DESIGN AND THE NEW GCSE

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NCELP: CURRICULUM DESIGN AND THE NEW GCSE

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The course consists of five self-study modules plus four 60-minute remote follow up Teach-Meet sessions.
Commencing: 9th January 2023

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NCELP CPD Course: Curriculum Design and the new GCSE – NCELP

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Information about the new self-study course supported by four x 60 minute remote Teach-Meets and final in-person, regional Teach-Meet running January & February 2023

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NCELP: The new MFL GCSE draft specifications and overlap

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NCELP: The new MFL GCSE draft specifications and overlap

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Published: 5th December 2022

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In November the awarding organisations released their new GCSE MFL sample assessment material and specifications, including draft word lists. Preliminary analyses gives an early indication that there is a large difference between current lists and those proposed for the new exam.

The good news is that there is a high degree of overlap between the NCELP/Eduqas list and AQA. This further identifies that NCELP's language and culture-rich resources will be highly relevant for the language needed for both courses.

For more information visit our portal or download this presentation.

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In November the awarding organisations released their new GCSE MFL sample assessment material and specifications, including draft word lists. Preliminary analyses gives an early indication that there is a large difference between current lists and those proposed for the new exam. The good news is that there is a high degree of overlap between the NCELP/Eduqas list and AQA.

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Ofqual: Proposed changes to the assessment of Modern Foreign Language GCSEs from 2023 Consultation Outcome

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Ofqual: Proposed changes to the assessment of Modern Foreign Language GCSEs from 2023 Consultation Outcome

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Published: 30 November 2022

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Detail of outcome

Ofqual has decided to implement the proposals set out in the consultation document. No issues were raised by those responding to the consultation that have made it necessary to revise the proposals, and making these changes will mean that Ofqual's rules align with the revised subject content requirements set by DfE.

Ofqual will, therefore, remove the specific requirement in place before the pandemic for the assessments to use vocabulary that is not on the vocabulary lists. The exam boards can now give the meaning of (gloss) unfamiliar vocabulary, if they consider this necessary.

Detail of feedback received

The consultation on the proposal to carry forward to future assessments the changes made to last year's qualifications on the use of vocabulary was published on Ofqual's website and available for responses, using the online form, between 29 September and 20 October 2022.

The consultation included closed questions where respondents could indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the proposals. These questions used a 5-point scale (Strongly agree, Agree, Neither agree nor disagree, Disagree and Strongly disagree) and open questions, inviting comments.

Respondents could use the open questions to identify any impacts of the proposals on equalities or regulatory considerations.

Respondents could choose to respond to questions in the consultation. They did not have to respond to them all. This analysis provides the number of responses received for each question. It also provides tables of the responses to the closed questions and presented them as charts. There are some instances where percentages total more than 100. This is due to the rounding of the individual percentages.

All responses to the open questions have been read in full, with the key themes that emerged presented in the discussion.

Respondents were asked to identify which group they belonged to, for example: teacher or student. The total numbers for each respondent group are set out in the table below, based on these descriptions. The tables use these unverified self-descriptions.

Some respondents chose to express their views in response to an open question without specifically answering the question. The analysis considered these responses but does not include them in the data.

Original consultation

Summary

We invite views on a proposed adaptation to GCSE modern foreign language (MFL) qualifications assessment for students in England taking exams from summer 2023.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

Ofqual invites your views on a proposed adaptation to the assessment of GCSE modern foreign languages (MFL) qualifications for students in England taking exams from summer 2023.

We propose carrying forward to future assessments the changes we made to last year's qualifications in respect of the use of vocabulary. In summer 2022, these changes allowed the exam boards greater flexibility by:

removing the specific requirement that existed in previous years for the assessments to use vocabulary that is not on the vocabulary lists

permitting exam boards to give the meaning of (gloss) unfamiliar vocabulary if they consider this necessary

Our proposals are in response to a separate consultation launched by the Department for Education (DfE). DfE is consulting on a minor amendment to their published subject content to make this change on an ongoing basis for all GCSE modern foreign languages.

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Proposed changes to the assessment of Modern Foreign Language GCSEs from 2023

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National Statistics: 2021/22 16 to 18 Results and Performance Measures 

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National Statistics: 2021/22 16 to 18 Results and Performance Measures 

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Published: 10th November

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Last updated

Release type

National statistics ?

This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades. As part of the transition back to the summer exam series adaptations were made to the exams (including advance information) and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The 16 to 18 performance measures reported in this revised release for the 2021/22 academic year, and to be included on the Find School and College Performance Data website, have been affected by our commitment not to include results from qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 (see section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22').

Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat. Given the unprecedented change in how A level and vocational and VTQ grades were awarded in 2020 and 2021, as well as changes to the grade boundaries and methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in student performance alone.

Related information

Releases in this series

View releases (23)

Methodologies

Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

A level retention

95.1%

An increase of 3.8 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for A level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their A level programme).

Applied general retention

91.7%

An increase of 5.1 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for applied general programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their applied general programme).

Tech level retention

91.1%

An increase of 3.2 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for tech level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their tech level programme).

Average Point Score (APS) per entry for all level 3 cohorts is lower compared to 2020/21: A level, -2.8 pts; applied general, -0.7 pts; tech level, - 1.1 pts. However, attainment remains higher compared to 2018/19: A level, +4.9pts; applied general, +3.1 pts; tech level +1.9 pts. [An increase of 10 points is equivalent to an increase in one full grade]. This follows Ofqual's announcement in September 2021 that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 (TAG grades) and 2019 (the last year all students sat exams).

The trend for falling average attainment across level 3 cohorts in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21 was observed across institution types generally (when grouped into state-funded schools, independent schools, sixth form colleges, and 'Other FE sector colleges') with the exception of applied general attainment in sixth form colleges and independent schools which increased in 2021/22 (+ 0.2 pts and + 0.8 pts respectively).

The disadvantage gap (between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students) is at its widest level for all Level 3 cohorts (A level, tech level, and applied general) since disadvantage measures began in 2016/17.

Gender gaps in favour of female students in average attainment at A level, applied general, and tech level have narrowed in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21; average attainment had increased more for female students than males with the alternative Centre Assessment Grade (CAG) and Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) awarding processes in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared with 2018/19.

The percentage of students who completed their main or 'core' aim from their study programme, known as the Retention rate, increased across all programmes in 2021/22.

Non-disadvantaged students are more likely to be retained than disadvantaged students, across all cohorts.

Students with higher prior attainment are more likely to be retained than students with lower prior attainment, across all level 3 cohorts.

Given the unprecedented change in the way results were awarded in the summers of 2020 and 2021, as well as the changes to methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in pupil performance alone.

The changes seen in the headline statistics likely reflect the changes in methodology for awarding grades and in calculating the measures, rather than demonstrating a difference in standards.

Explore data and files used in this release

View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:

Provisional results (November 2022) for A level and other 16 to 18 results 2021-22

Transition matrices data used for visualising the progress of pupils aged 16 to 18 from key stage 4 (KS4) to key stage 5 (KS5).

Instructions to accompany the transition matrices data

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes set up to award grades. Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat.

A/AS and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)

In summer 2021 students were awarded A/AS grades based on an assessment by their teachers using a range of available evidence. Students were only assessed on the content they had been taught. In 2021 some VTQ grades were decided using teacher-assessed grades, others using normal assessment routes, and some through adapted assessment such as remote invigilation.

Exceptionally in autumn 2020 and 2021 an autumn series was put in place to allow students the opportunity to try to improve their A level or AS grade from the summer, if they wished to do so. Further information on the autumn 2021 series is available at this link:
https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2021/12/16/as-and-a-level-results-in-the-autumn-2021-series/
A/AS exams returned in 2022 and adaptations were made to exams (including advance information), and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The diversity of vocational qualifications meant that Ofqual did not prescribe a single approach to adaptations, so Awarding Organisations (AOs) had flexibility to choose how to adapt their assessments. However, Ofqual's regulatory framework requires AOs as far as possible to ensure VTQ learners were not disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their A level peers when setting standards.

For further information on the process to award grades in 2021 and 2022 see the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-centres-awarding-vtqs-in-2021-and-2022
Reporting of 2022 results by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Ofqual

As happens every year on A level results day (18 August for summer 2022 results) JCQ published data on A level entries for qualifications awarded in summer 2022, and for each subject the distribution of grades awarded (with data for the previous summer for reference): https://www.jcq.org.uk/examination-results/

The data published by JCQ can be expected to show the same broad patterns as the underlying data published in this statistical release 'Entries and results - A level and AS by subject and student characteristics (single academic year). However, the coverage of the data is different: JCQ data covers all A level entries in the UK by people of all ages. Data in this statistical release covers exam entries by 16 to 18 year olds in schools and colleges in England, and includes breakdowns by a wide range of student characteristics.

In addition, Ofqual also routinely publish data on results day: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guide-to-as-and-a-level-results-in-england-summer-2022

Data excluded from 2021/22 measures due to alternative assessment arrangements in 2020 and 2021

We have committed not to include results of qualifications achieved between January 2020 and August 2021 in school and college performance measures on Find Schools and College Performance Data website, given the alternative assessment arrangements used to award those grades.

For consistency, when calculating 16 to 18 performance measures for 2021/22 in this statistical release, data will only include entries and grades from qualifications awarded in the 2021/22 academic year, with the exception of AS and A level qualifications taken as part of the extraordinary autumn 2021 examination series which are also excluded.

However, results from qualifications routinely offered in the autumn of 2021 that would usually be approved for reporting, such as vocational and technical qualifications taken in autumn 2021, will be included even if some of the VTQ constituent unit-level grades were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 via Centre Assessment Grade, Teacher Assessed Grade, or another process.

The table below shows the impact at national level of excluding these data, by comparing the number of students and headline attainment measures for each cohort.

The impact on A level student numbers is modest. It is greater for students entering vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs), who are more likely to enter qualifications over multiple years. It should be noted that students may have results from multiple years including 2021/22. In this case the student is included in this data but some of their results are excluded.

The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting in the same year as they complete the qualification.

Smaller cohorts in 2021/22, do not necessarily translate into impacts on attainment. Nationally, the impact on A level Average Point Score (APS) is minimal (1/200th of a grade) with slightly larger changes for the level 3 vocational and technical qualifications.

Impact of the change

Number of students
-2% -10% -15% -84%

APS
+0.06 +0.60 +0.72 +0.12

Other changes for the 2021/22 release

English and maths progress measures will not be published in this statistical release until these measures return to Find school and college performance data website (likely 2024/25, as set out in 16 to 18 accountability headline measures: technical guide, due to the impact of excluding CAG/TAG grades on this performance measure).

Similarly, 16 to 18 value-added measures, which would rely on KS4 prior attainment including some data from summer 2020, continue not to be published in 2021/22. Value-added measures will return as soon as possible, which will be for the 2023/24 academic year at the earliest; further details are included in the technical guide.

Breakdowns of performance measures by prior attainment, usually published in spring with the Retention update have been brought forward to the provisional release along with other breakdowns by student characteristics. Note, we distinguish between the use of prior attainment data nationally to breakdown measures by student characteristics in this statistical release and their use to calculate performance measures that will be published for individual schools and colleges on Find School and College Performance Data.

SEN Provision contains additional breakdowns by SEN types for the first time in national level data at 16 to 18.

Additional 'bivariate' data giving a breakdown of headline attainment and disadvantage status in combination with other characteristics are available for the first time.

Changes continuing from the 2020/21 release

Characteristic breakdowns usually published in the revised update have been brought forward to the provisional release. This is a permanent change.

The rules for determining when students reach the end of their 16-18 study changed in 2020/21 and students can no longer be triggered solely due to spending two years in the same school or college. The impact of this change on 2020/21 data was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. In 2021/22, student numbers returned to pre-rule change levels, as expected.

Full details of the trigger change are set out in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release' in the Quality and Methodology documentation.

Checking exercise and other amendments

This updated release is based on revised data. Since the release of provisional data in November, amendments to the data have been made. These include the addition of 'late' results from some Awarding Organisations, and changes made by schools and colleges through a 'checking exercise'.

The checking exercise takes place in the autumn term and gives schools and colleges the opportunity to amend their data. Some students are removed from a school or colleges results, for example because the student wasn't on roll or has not yet completed 16-18 study. Some students are added where they are flagged by a school or college as having completed 16-18 study despite not being triggered. Changes need to be approved to be included in revised data.

The 2021/22 academic year saw the return of the school and college checking exercise, after it was suspended in the two previous years. In this release data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 is labelled as 'final' data. This is provisional data adjusted for results from the autumn series for AS and A levels. (The autumn series gave students an opportunity to sit an exam if they were unhappy with the grade awarded to them through the alternative process). Data from 2019/20 and 2020/21 did not go through a checking exercise; schools and colleges did not have an opportunity to amend their data as described above.

The table shows the size of the change between provisional and revised/final data. Generally, the change in the numbers of students included in the data in 2021/22 is relatively small in terms of the overall cohort size, the exception being technical certificates where there are 655 more students in the revised release than the provisional (an increase of 87%). This increase is predominantly due to results being reported late by Awarding Organisations.

The size of the change between provisional and revised data is generally smaller in 2021/22 than in 2017/18 and 2018/19. Changes to the trigger rule were introduced to reduce the burden on schools and colleges. This gives an indication that the change is working as intended.

Change in the numbers of students between the provisional and revised/final data:

Cohort

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

The table below shows the size of the change in the average point score between the provisional and the revised release. The changes are minimal. A change of 0.1 pts at A level / applied general / tech level is equivalent to 1/100th of a grade.

Change in Average Point Score (APS) per entry between the provisional and revised/final data.

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Unless stated otherwise statistics reported here refer to 16 to 18 year olds in England:

who reached the end of their 16 to 18 study in 2021/22. Students typically spend either two or three years in the 16 to 18 phase. (Usually, attainment includes results from qualifications entered during all those years. However, this year, attainment excludes results from qualifications that were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021).

who entered qualifications approved for reporting in 2022 school and college performance tables, set out in the 16 to 18 qualifications, discount codes and point scores guidance.

Qualifications are grouped into A level (subset of Academic), Applied General, and Tech Level exam cohorts at level 3, and Technical Certificates at level 2. Students can be reported in more than one exam cohort.

Student numbers by cohort

Students are included in this statistical release when they reach the end of their 16 to 18 study in schools and colleges in England. As set out in the Methodology guidance, the rules for determining when that happens changed in 2020/21, and students are no longer automatically triggered for reporting after spending two years in the same school or college.

The impact of the trigger change in 2020/21 was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. As expected, student numbers have generally returned to their pre-rule change level in 2021/22, with student numbers in all level 3 cohorts being higher than in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Results for qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from the data. The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting until they turn 18, often a year or two after they complete the qualification. More detail is provided in the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22', where in particular excluding CAG and TAG grades reduced reported technical certificate student numbers by 84%.

The growth in the number of students entered for applied general and tech level qualifications in 2021/22 approved for reporting in performance measures reflects the removal of funding approval from 1 August 2020 for pre-existing qualifications which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications. Prior to that numbers had been increasing more slowly following big falls in 2017/18 when qualifications were reformed. The number of students in the A level cohort, which includes students who only enter AS levels, has increased after several years of decline. (The previous decline reflected fewer AS level entries following the now completed A level reform to decouple A and AS levels.)

The overall growth in student numbers may also be partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students reported here completed their pre-16 study in 2019/20 where higher grades were awarded via Centre Assessment Grades. These higher grades resulted in greater numbers of students applying for post-16 places and may have shifted some students away from level two technical certificates and into level 3 qualifications. There were also fewer alternative options available for these students in terms of apprenticeships and other employment opportunities ( Key stage 4 destination measures showed that a smaller proportion of students who completed key stage 4 in 2019/20 progressed to sustained apprenticeship or employment outcomes in 2020/21).

Disadvantage

Disadvantaged students are all students who were in receipt of pupil premium when they were in their last year of KS4.

Disadvantage measures do not include students who were not reported at the end of KS4 - for example, because they came from overseas. Students who were known to be at independent schools in their last year of KS4 are treated as non-disadvantaged.

Disadvantage measures cover students in state-funded schools or colleges.

23.6% of state-funded students, at the end of 16 to 18 study, were recorded as having disadvantaged status in 2021/22. The percentage of students examined in level 3 vocational and technical qualifications was generally in line with this. (Applied general 23.0% and tech level 23.0%). Disadvantages students were overrepresented at technical certificate with 32.4% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status. Disadvantaged students were underrepresented at A level with 14.3% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status.

Prior attainment

Prior attainment is a measure of the average points attained per qualification at Key Stage 4. Simple discounting rules apply, with the best result in any subject used when calculating the average point score at KS4. Any GCSE resits or additional qualifications gained during 16 to 18 are ignored. For the vast majority, prior attainment is between 0-9 reflecting the range of possible grades at GCSE (where 9 is the highest grade).

[Note, whilst results from January 2020 to August 2021 are removed from calculation of performance measures, for the purposes of this statistical release they will be retained when calculating a student's prior attainment to explain outcomes in performance measures, in the same way that outcomes nationally are broken down by gender, disadvantage, etc].

In 2021/22, 18.4% of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study had the highest prior attainment (grade 7+). The large majority of students with the highest prior attainment choose to study at least one A/AS level (94.8%). High attainers now make up 36.2% of the A level cohort compared to 4.7% of the applied general and 3.7% of the tech level cohort. The proportion of students with the highest prior attainment has increased year on year for each cohort since 2019/20 (from when KS4 prior attainment has been calculated in this release).

27.5% of students at the end of 16 to 18 study in 2021/22 had the lowest prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4). The proportion of students with the lowest prior attainment has decreased year on year for each exam cohort since 2019/20.

This change in the distribution of prior attainment for exam cohorts, will in part reflect year on year grade increases at KS4 and in part reflect that the majority of students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and whose GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

Summary

These figures give the average points and average result that students achieved throughout their 16 to 18 study. Results awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from this data. (See the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22). While the majority of results come from the student's final year of study (in particular for A levels), a small number of results awarded prior to January 2020 are included.

Points are given to all qualifications so we can compare qualifications of different size and grading structures. A maximum of 60 points are available for A level, 50 points for applied general and tech level and 8 points for technical certificates. More information on points, APS bands and grade boundaries can be found in the technical guide for 16 to 18 accountability measures (from page 27).

In September 2021 Ofqual announced that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019. Consequently, the average results are lower in 2021/22 across all level 3 cohorts than in 2020/21.

A level programmes have seen the largest decrease (2.8 pts, compared to 0.7 pts for applied general and 1.1 pts for tech level). This is as expected due to the larger increases seen in A level grades between 2018/19 and 2020/21 relative to the vocational and technical qualifications. Technical certificates have seen a small increase (0.2 pts) in the average points score. However, interpretation of this increase is undermined by a 58% drop in cohort numbers. Given that 84% of technical certificate students have been excluded form the data (see 'Changes to the data in 2021/22'), technical certificate results will not be discussed in the breakdowns, however the data is available in the table builder tool.

For all Level 3 cohorts, the average result remains the same as in 2020/21.

At A level, the South East, London and East of England tend to do better, being on or near the top in the last 3 years. These same regions have ranked in the bottom 4 for applied general in the same time period.

The North West is in the top half of the table for both A level and applied general, although the region dipped in both exam cohorts in 2020/21 when teacher assessed grades were used.

The East Midlands is in the bottom half of the table for both A level and applied general. The region attained the lowest A level results this year.

Regional rankings are more variable for tech levels (which may be attributable to the smaller total number of tech level entries).

Average results by disadvantage status

The 2021/22 disadvantage gap has increased in comparison to last year for the A level cohort and has remained stable for applied general and tech level cohorts. For the level 3 exam cohorts, the average point score has decreased for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students, however for A level students, the decrease was larger for disadvantaged students.

The disadvantage gap for Level 3 cohorts is at its widest point since the measure was introduced in 2016/17. (NB, this statistical release contains data for the last 5 years back to 2017/18, but disadvantage data was first published based on 2016/17 revised data).

To get a fuller picture on the impact of disadvantage status, this data should be looked at in conjunction with data on retention rates (the percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider). In 2020/21, 94.3% of non-disadvantaged A level students were retained and assessed compared to 88.5% of disadvantaged students. Students are only included in the average point score measure if they are entered for examination i.e. if they are retained and assessed. More information on 2020/21 retention can be found in the 2020/21 version of this statistical release. An update to this statistical release with 2021/22 retention figures will be released on 30th March 2023.

Average results by gender

For the level 3 exam cohorts, both female and male students saw a drop in average attainment in 2021/22 when compared to 2020/21. The decrease was larger for female students than male students, which has resulted in a narrowing of the gender gap compared to last year.

When compared to 2018/19, the gender gap is slightly wider for A level students, but slightly narrower for applied general students in 2021/22. For tech level students the gender gap has reversed such that in 2018/19 it was in favour of male students, but since 2020/21 it has been in favour of female students.

The gender gap for the percentage of students achieving at least 2 A levels has been continuously decreasing for the past 5 years, falling from 5.2 ppts in 2017/18 to 0.9 ppts in 2021/22 in favour of female students.

Average results by ethnicity

Of the major ethnicity groups, Black or Black British students attained the lowest average result across all level 3 cohorts in 2021/22. At A level, Black or Black British students' attainment was almost a full grade lower than that of Chinese students. The rank order of attainment by ethnicity has remained almost unchanged at A level through the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to the grading processes.

Prior attainment

Typically, the higher the average KS4 prior attainment, the higher the average outcome at the end of 16 to 18 study, regardless of the programme of study.

The attainment gap between students with the highest and lowest prior attainment has remained stable throughout different grading processes since 2019/20 (when this prior attainment data is available). The attainment gap at A level is around 25 pts (or 2.5 grades) and at applied general and tech level is around 19 pts (or just under 2 grades).

Average results for other student characteristics

Breakdowns of other student characteristics, including SEN provision, first language and more, are available in the featured tables and create your own tables sections of this statistical release.

This year we have introduced a new data file to this statistical release called 'Attainment and other performance measures - student characteristics and disadvantage status'. This data file gives more detail about disadvantaged students by breaking down the disadvantaged status of students by other student characteristics. In breaking down the data in this way we hope to be able to better identify how student characteristics interact. The following sections show some illustrative analyses.

Disadvantage and prior attainment

The distribution of disadvantaged students is uneven across the prior attainment bands. At A level, 9.3% of students in state-funded institutions with the highest prior attainment (grade 7+) have disadvantaged status, while 27.8% with prior attainment from grade 0 up to grade 4 have disadvantaged status.

At A level the disadvantage gap for students with the lowest prior attainment was 1.3 pts in 2021/22 or just over 1/10th of a grade. The gap increased to 2.8 pts for A level students with prior attainment from grade 4 up to grade 7 and 3.5 pts (or just over 1/3 of a grade) for students with the highest prior attainment.

The increase in the overall A level disadvantage gap was driven by the increase in the disadvantage gap for students with the highest prior attainment. (Up 0.9 pts from 2.7 pts in 2020/21). There was a small increase for those with prior attainment of grade 4 up to grade 7 (up 0.2 pts from 2.6 pts) and the gap stayed steady for those with prior attainment of grade 0 up to grade 4.

Disadvantage and other student characteristics

Across level 3 exam cohorts, non-disadvantaged students with English as their first language obtained higher average results than students with a first language other than English. However, the reverse is true for disadvantaged students. Here students with a first language other than English achieved higher average results.

Disadvantaged Black or Black British students attained the lowest average results in 2021/22 of any ethnicity across level 3 cohorts. Non-disadvantaged Black or Black British students also attained lower average results than their non-disadvantaged peers. White students had the biggest disadvantage gaps (of students with known ethnicity) across level 3 cohorts.

The disadvantage gap remains greater for female students in all level 3 cohorts, as it has since 2019/20.

Summary

Data in this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16-18 at the start of the respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16-18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

The chart below shows the distribution of A level grades for students aged 16 to 18 for each academic year. Overall, the proportion of entries achieving top grades (between A* and B) has decreased in comparison to 2020/21 but remains higher than 2018/19.

In 2021/22, 14.8% of awarded grades were at A*. This is an increase of 6.9ppts from 2018/19, but a decrease of 4.3ppts from 2020/21. The percentage of entries achieving A*-A grades is now 36.4%, which similarly corresponds to an increase of 10.6ppts compared to 2018/19 but a decrease of 7.9ppts from 2020/21. As previously noted however, year on year comparisons cannot be interpreted as students achieving at a higher standard. Where achievement gaps alter in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared to previous years, it might reflect the different process by which grades were awarded across these years.

A level results by gender

Overall, in 2021/22 both male and female students were more likely to be awarded the higher A level grades (A*/A/B) than in 2018/19 but less likely than in 2020/21.

Across the top A* and A*-A grades the gender gap has decreased in comparison to 2020/21. Female students continue to be more likely to achieve these grades, which has been the trend for the last three years (since 2019/20) when a reversal of the gender gap was observed.

At A*-B the gap between female and male student achievement had been continuously increasing since 2017/18, however this year the gender gap has reduced from 6.9ppts in 2020/21 to 4.7ppts.

Data is this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16 to 18 at the start of respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16 to 18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

STEM subjects here are defined as: biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, and computing.

A level grades in STEM subjects

For 2021/22, the proportion of students achieving top grades (A*, A*-A, A*-B) in STEM subjects compared to 2020/21 has fallen. At A*, the largest decrease was in further maths (8.4ppts) and the smallest decrease was in physics (4.7ppts).

The STEM subjects have generally seen large increases in the proportion of students achieving top grades when compared to 2018/19. The largest increase at A* was further maths rising by 15.7ppts, and the smallest increase was in biology at 6.3ppts. The A*-A grade boundary also observed large increases in the proportion of entries achieving these grades, ranging from computer science (17.1ppts increase) to maths (6.6ppts increase).

This section replaces one that usually describes outcomes in the English and maths progress accountability measures. These are not being created in 2021/22 in Find School and College Performance Data due to the impact of excluding CAG and TAG grades on this measure (set out in more detail in the 16 to 18 accountability measures: technical guide).

These alternative data have been published as part of this statistical release since 2015/16. Coverage is all entries and outcomes in below level 3 English and maths qualifications for students aged 16 to 18 at the start of the respective year. Unlike data based on students at the end of 16-18 study, it means these data are not impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21, and not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

It also means a student here can be reported in successive years, for example at age 16 in 2019/20, at age 17 in 2020/21, and at age 18 in 2021/22 if they entered exams in each year.

The tables below focus on GCSEs, and Functional Skills qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level which make up the large majority of English and maths qualifications entered below level 3 (though outcomes for Other level 2, level 1, and Entry Level qualifications are available via the 'Explore data and files' section).

Fewer students are entering below level 3 maths and English qualifications

Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9-4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under Condition of Funding rules (CoF).

The overall fall observed in the number of below level 3 entries across both English and maths in GCSEs and Functional Skills is consistent with data published in Key Stage 4 performance showing an increasing proportion of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSE during key stage 4 ( increasing from 59.8% in 2018/19 to 67.1% in 2020/21 in provisional data) - and so not being required to study below level 3 English or maths during the 16-18 phase.

An additional factor explaining the big fall in entries at GCSE from 2019/20 to 2021/22 (-27% English, -12% maths) is the higher proportion of GCSE entries in 2019/20 and 2020/21 during the 16-18 phase that resulted in a grade 9-4 pass, when grades were awarded through the CAG and TAG processes, because once a student achieves a 9-4 GCSE pass during 16-18 they no longer have to continue studying English and/or maths the following year.

Achievement of Level 2 English and maths through GCSE and Functional Skills qualifications

Many more age 16-18 students enter GCSEs (a level 1/level 2 qualification) than are entered for Functional skills (distinct qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level).

Overall pass rates are broadly comparable at GCSE and L1 and L2 Functional skills. Given that the prior attainment distributions are similar at GCSE and level 2 functional skills (see table below), we might have expected to see a higher level 2 pass rate (grades 9-4) at GCSE. Although it is difficult to make direct comparisons due to range of grades available within the GCSE qualification.

Qualification KS4 Prior Attainment English entries in 2021/22 Proportion of English entries at prior attainment band maths entries in 2021/22 Proportion of maths entries at prior attainment band

All level 1 and level 2 qualifications have had decreases in their pass rates in 2021/22. Mathematics qualifications have seen much larger decreases than English across all qualifications.

Maths L2 functional skills decreased by 20.8 ppts to 63.6% (12.0 ppts fall in English to 81.0%). Maths L1 functional skills decreased by 10.2 ppts to 85.4% (English fall, 3.3ppts to 94.0%). For maths GCSE the overall pass rate (grade 9-1) decreased by 5.8ppts to 84.9% (English decreased by 3.7 ppts to 85.8%) and the level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) also decreased 16.7ppts to 15.3% for Maths and 13.9ppts to 25.7% for English

In contrast, at KS4 the English language GCSE level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) fell by more than maths. English language fell by 4.0 ppts and maths by 3.1ppts between 2020/21 and 2021/22 (provisional data).

Pass rates in English and maths at level 2 by institution type

GCSE entries by students at independent schools are most likely to pass at level 2, but it should be noted that Condition of Funding rules are not relevant for these schools, and these students may be resitting GCSEs to improve their KS4 grade, which could have already been at grade 4 or above. Amongst state-funded institutions, students in schools are consistently most likely to pass GCSE at level 2, then sixth form colleges and other FE sector colleges in both English and maths in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Level 2 Functional Skills entries: within state-funded institutions sixth form colleges and 'Other FE sector' colleges are consistently more likely to pass than schools. Most entries in L2 Functional Skills are in 'Other FE sector' colleges.

Applied general, tech level, and technical certificate qualifications approved for reporting in this statistical release (and institution level performance data) are updated annually and published on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/performance-tables-technical-and-vocational-qualifications
The concept of qualifications approved for reporting has been applied since 2015/16 following Professor Alison Wolf's Review of Vocational Education. From 2017/18 at level 3 and from 2018/19 for technical certificates, the quality threshold for vocational and technical qualifications to be included in performance measures further increased. The later reforms include criteria relating to the size, content, and assessment, including a requirement that a proportion of a qualification's content is subject to external assessment. From 1 August 2020 the ESFA removed funding approval for pre-existing applied general and tech level qualifications (which had been approved in 2015/16 and 2016/17) which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications.

The measures presented in this section show the students entering these approved qualifications as a proportion of students entering a wider set of vocational qualifications that had been approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for funding during 16 to 18 study.

Proportions entering approved tech level and applied general qualifications continue to increase following a large fall in 2017/18 (when both lists of approved qualifications changed substantially), with a jump in students entering reformed versions of qualifications in 21/22 (in part attributable to the defunding of unreformed pre-existing qualifications).

The coverage of the measure for technical certificates is strongly impacted by the removal of CAG and TAG data from 2021/22 accountability data (as coverage is students at the end of 16-18 study, and level 2 vocational qualifications are more often entered during a student's first year of 16-18 study and so are excluded from the calculation).

The following table shows that there is variation in whether different institution types enter students for qualifications approved for reporting in performance tables versus the wider set of qualifications that were approved for funding.

Overall students in state-funded schools continue to be most likely to enter reformed versions of vocational and technical qualifications at level 3 (reformed in 2017/18), but 2021/22 saw a marked increase in the proportion of students entering approved/reformed applied general and tech levels across all broad institution types.

Introduction to retention measures

The Retention measure shows the percentage of students who are retained to the end of the 'core aim' (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college.

Students are counted as retained if they are recorded as having "completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim" by their institution. This information is collected in the school census or for students that attended sixth form or FE colleges, the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Retention measures are not calculated for independent schools or special schools (both independent and maintained) as learning aims data is not available for these schools.

The Retention measure is calculated by dividing the total number of students retained by the total number of students with a core aim, in each of the five programmes approved for reporting in performance tables: academic, A level, applied general, tech level, and at level 2, technical certificate programmes.

Since academic programmes comprise largely of A levels, only data for A level core aims are described here; overall data for academic programmes can be found in the 'create your own tables' section and in the underlying data available to download.

Alongside the headline Retention measure there are two supporting retention measures:

Retained and Assessed: The percentage of students who are retained to the end of their course and are assessed.

Returned and Retained for a second year: The percentage of level 3 students who return to the same provider and complete their programme of study in their second year. (The main difference when compared to Retention is for students who complete their core aim in one year.)

A fuller description of the methodology underlying retention measures can be found in the 16-18 technical guide (from page 41).

Retention measures and the impact of the trigger change in 2020/21

The impact of the trigger rule change, meaning that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study, was to reduce the reported number of students in scope for retention measures across all exam cohorts in 2020/21, with the biggest impact on vocational and technical cohorts (VTQs).

For retention measures, this meant that Retention rates were slightly increased in 2020/21 for level 3 cohorts (A level, applied general, tech level) than would have been seen otherwise. However, the impact on the level 2 technical certificate cohort was a large decrease in Retention rates (and in cohort size).

Fuller analysis on the impact on 2020/21 retention data can be found in the methodology document, in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release', under the heading 'Impact of the trigger change on headline retention rates'.

Students whose reporting was delayed for one year due to the 2020/21 trigger change are reported in 2021/22. In other words, the impact of the trigger change was one-off discontinuity in retention data for 2020/21. For this reason, when looking at trends, data for 2021/22 is better compared to data for 2019/20 and earlier years.

All level 3 study programmes show increases in Retention rates in 2021/22 (A level +0.1 pts to 95.1%; applied general +1.8 pts to 91.7%; tech level +0.5 ppts to 91.1%). This continues a trend of increasing Retention rates since 2018/19. A level programmes continue to have the highest Retention rate as has been the case since the measure was introduced in 2015/16, but for the first time applied general programmes have a higher Retention rate than tech levels programmes.

Technical certificates have had lower Retention rates than Level 3 cohorts since being added to performance measures in 2016/17. However, they have seen an increase in Retention rate this year (+4.5 ppts to 86.6%), recovering from the impact of the trigger change that was seen last year and returning to previously-seen levels.

For the A level and applied general cohorts, rates for the Retained and Assessed measure have increasingly followed the same general trend as the Retention rate in recent years. Similarly, the Returned and Retained measure now also follows the same trend. This is most notable for the A level cohort where the phased decoupling of AS and A levels predominantly between 2017 and 2019 has resulted in a much smaller proportion of the A level cohort taking AS levels only and not then returning for a second year of study.

The tech level cohort shows a slightly different pattern this year whereby the Retained and Assessed rate has dropped slightly despite increases in both the Retained rate (retention to the end of the course) and the Returned and Retained rate (retention specifically over two years of a course). This means that within this cohort there was an increase in the proportion of students not being assessed at the end of their course .

The much smaller technical certificate cohort (Level 2) was heavily impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21 and shows less stable trends. In addition, the low cohort numbers mean that breakdowns of the technical certificate data, by student characteristics become increasingly unreliable, and therefore this cohort isn't discussed further.

Due to the similarity in the trends shown by the three retention measures, in particular for the two largest cohorts (A level and applied general), our further narrative will focus on the Retained and Assessed measure. Further breakdowns of the Retention measure and the Returned and Retained measure across all qualification cohorts are available in underlying data and through the table builder.

The Retained and Assessed rate is higher for non-disadvantaged students across all level 3 cohorts. Disadvantaged tech level students are least likely to be Retained and Assessed at 79.1%, which is 7.1 ppts lower than their non-disadvantaged peers. The Retained and Assessed disadvantage gap is smaller for A level and applied general (5.6 ppts and 5.3 ppts respectively).

The disadvantage gap has been narrowing for the A level cohort since 2018/19 (from 8.4 ppts to 5.6 ppts). Similarly, the applied general cohort has, overall, seen a substantial decrease in the gap in that time (from 7.9 ppts to 5.6 ppts). In contrast, the tech level cohort did not consolidate an initial decrease in the gap in 2019/20 and is now only slightly smaller than in 2018/19 (from 7.6 ppts to 7.1 ppts).

Changes to the distribution of prior attainment at A level between 2017/18 and 2021/22

The coverage of the retention measures is different to the attainment measures, and is described above in 'Retention: introduction and changes to the data in 2021/22'. The largest difference is that independent schools are excluded from the data, and this impacts the distribution of the prior attainment groups as students from independent schools have higher prior attainment on average.

The distribution of prior attainment has changed over time for all cohorts. The proportion of A level students with low prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4) has decreased from 8.1% of the cohort in 2017/18 to 1.9% in 2021/22. High prior attaining students (average grade 7 or more) have increased their proportion of the cohort from 16.1% in 2017/18 to 35.3% in 2021/22.

This increase in the proportion of KS4 students achieving grades averaging 7 or more, in part reflects year on year grade increases at KS4, and in part reflects that most A level students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and so their GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

However, in the vocational and technical cohorts, a larger proportion of students are being reported after three years in 16-18, hence prior attainment for these cohorts is less affected by CAGs. This is following delay in their reporting last year due to the change in the rule in 2020/21 triggering students for reporting.

Overall, students with the highest average prior attainment (grade 7+) are most likely to be Retained and Assessed in their main programme of study and students with the lowest prior attainment (grade 0 up to grade 4) the least likely to be Retained and Assessed. The highest Retained and Assessed rate is for high prior attaining A level students at 98.7%. The lowest Retained and Assessed rate is also for A level students. Low prior attaining A level students have a Retained and Assessed rate of 66.0%.

The Retained and Assessed rate for low prior attaining A level students has fallen and is now close to the 2018/19 rate, whereas the rate remains higher for other level 3 cohorts.

A full breakdown of all three retention measures by a range of other student characteristics is available through the table builder. Here, we draw attention to small number of breakdowns that may be of interest.

English Language

Across all level 3 cohorts, students with English as their first language have lower Retained and Assessed rates than students who do not. The difference is driven by poor rates for disadvantaged students with English as their first language.

The applied general cohort similarly has an increase in the Retained and Assessed rate since last year for all major (known) ethnicity groups and shows many of the same trends between groups. The Chinese ethnic group has the highest Retained and Assessed rates since 2018/19 (now at 95.8%) and the Black or Black British ethnic group and the Mixed Dual background ethnic group have made the biggest improvements in Retained and Assessed rates over recent years (+9.9 ppts to 89.1%, +9.9 ppts to 87.0% respectively). Again, the White ethnic group shows the largest disadvantage gap and White disadvantaged students have the lowest rates for Retained and Assessed.

The tech level cohort and the technical certificate cohort have very low numbers in some ethnic groups, and show less distinct patterns over recent years.

For the A level cohort, state-funded mainstream schools and Sixth form colleges have seen an increase in rates for Retained and Assessed this year (+1.5 ppts to 95.4% and +0.5 ppts to 92.3% respectively). In contrast, 'Other FE sector colleges' have seen a decrease (-2.3 ppts to 88.2%). However, the decrease for 'Other FE sector colleges' follows very large increases last year; the relative rates of the three major institution types have returned to levels seen before the change to the trigger rule.

There have also been decreases in the Retained and Assessed rate for 'Other FE sector colleges' in the applied general and tech level cohorts, following larger increases in the previous two years. All state-funded mainstream schools continue to have the lowest Retained and Assessed rates for applied general and tech level qualifications. This has been the case since 2018/19.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - APS per entry by institution type'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: APS per entry and average result' brings up the dashboard with attainment data in terms of APS per entry.

Data including the applied general and tech level cohorts starts in 2015/16 (when these cohorts were first defined in this statistical release, and school and college data). Data for the A level cohort starts in 2012/13.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - A level subject entries and grade by gender'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: A level entries and grade distribution' brings up the dashboard with A level entries data by subject, and A level grades by subject.

These data cover A level entries by students aged 16 to 18 within each academic year from 1995/96.

We have moved our Transition Matrices tool into a web based app for easier use. It is available at the following link:
16-18 Transition Matrices
Transition matrices (TM) are a useful tool to help visualise the progression from different groups of attainment at key stage 4 (KS4) to outcomes achieved during 16 to 18 for a range of different subjects.

Note that the 16 to 18 outcomes here will also be impacted by the different process to award grades in 2022, which is likely to impact the relationship between outcomes and KS4 prior attainment in 2021/22 for subjects.

Help and support

Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

National statistics

These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority's Code of Practice for Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:

managed impartially and objectively in the public interest

meet identified user needs

produced according to sound methods

well explained and readily accessible

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

If you have a specific enquiry about A level and other 16 to 18 results statistics and data:

Attainment statistics team

Email: Attainment.STATISTICS@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Michael Greer

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Telephone: 037 0000 2288

Opening times:
Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)

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A level and other 16 to 18 results, Academic year 2021/22

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This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades.

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The EAL/EDC Advisory Service would like to invite your school to take part in the Young Interpreters Scheme which we are setting up in Norfolk, in collaboration with Hampshire EMTAS who designed the initial scheme.

What is the Young Interpreters scheme?

The scheme is aimed at Primary and Secondary school children, and involves a group of pupils who have an empathetic outlook in welcoming new arrivals to the school and supporting them during their induction period, as well as with ongoing social situations around school.

Most of the participants have another language and can act as an "interpreter", showing the child around, explaining cultural differences, how school procedures work, etc. They are a friendly face to help out during those first few weeks.

Some Young Interpreters may be monolingual, but have an understanding and compassionate manner and the scheme allows them to be acknowledged for their willingness to help. The Young Interpreters involved also feel as though their language skills and abilities are being utilised and valued.

The school, through the Young Interpreter Scheme, undertakes to train the young people using the resources provided, ensuring safeguarding protocols are met, for example using Language Line or other INTRAN services to interpret personal data, difficult situations etc, not the young people.

Often the Young Interpreters meet together to prepare resources that can help a new arrival such as maps of the school site, useful visual, translated lists for science or maths, etc, list of clubs, and other useful resources.

Cost

The scheme is fully funded for the 2023/2024 academic year.

Information session

We are planning further sessions for you to find out more about the scheme and hear from Norfolk schools who have already set this up. Please keep an eye on this section for future information session dates.

Contact

For further details contact inclusionandsend@norfolk.gov.uk

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Inspiration Trust: MFL A Level Workshop - A Level Writing Exams

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Inspiration Trust: MFL A Level Workshop - A Level Writing Exams

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Inspiration Teaching School Hub, Norwich
12:00-15:30
9th February 2023

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level writing exams

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level writing exams tickets

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level writing exams norwich

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level writing exams norwich tickets

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Modern Foreign Languages A Level Workshop - A Level Writing Exams

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Eventbrite - Inspiration Teaching School Hub presents Modern Foreign Languages A Level Workshop - A Level Writing Exams - Thursday, 9 February 2023 at Inspiration Teaching School Hub, Norwich, England. Find event and ticket information.

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JCQ: Key dates in the examination cycle document - June 2023

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JCQ: Key dates in the examination cycle document - June 2023

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Published: 8th November 2022
Contingency days update: Timetabled for the afternoons of the 8 and 15 June and all day of 28 June 2023. To be used in the event of national or significant local disruption to examinations

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UK-German Connection: Funding and Bursaries

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UK-German Connection: Funding and Bursaries

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Deadlines: 31st January or Rolling (at least six weeks in advance of visit)

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Grants for joint activities between schools and youth groups - applications now open!

We are delighted to announce the re-launch of our funding programmes!
The following grants are available to primary and secondary schools (including SEN schools), FE colleges and youth groups for UK-German activities:

Partnership Visit Fund - staff planning visits (for teachers, headteachers and youth group leaders)

Instant Impact - first-time taster trips for groups of pupils / young people or reviving a dormant partnership

Flexible Funding Scheme - joint thematic projects and activities, including virtual partnership activities and/or reciprocal visits

We also offer school partnership bursaries to help schools maintain existing links with Germany, as well as youth partnership bursaries for youth groups.

Please see the individual programme pages below for full details of our grants. Information in German is available under the 'Fördermittel' section of our website.

We are running a series of Q&A webinars for anyone interested in finding out more about UK-German Connection funding programmes (see the right-hand side for the next dates). To sign up, please use our short registration form.

If you're planning an exchange but aren't sure which grant to go for, fill in our quick 'project outline form' with some key information and we'll be happy to help you further.

If you have plans for upcoming activities and would like to discuss your ideas, please contact us via funding@ukgermanconnection.org

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We are delighted to announce the re-launch of our funding programmes!

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The Great Languages Challenge can be completed during a planned lesson or also set as a language-themed homework task. We even have a blank version available that students can use to design their own challenges for their classmates or peers in their partner school overseas.

Did you know that completing two or more international activities from these resources (or designing your own) will qualify your school for a foundation level International School Award?

All you have to do is choose and complete two or more classroom-based activities linked to your curriculum. Apply and get your international work recognised.
Sign up to the British Council Schools e-newsletter and be the first to hear about new resources, funding, training and global webinars!

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Help your pupils learn a language with our most popular classroom resource.

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The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 202

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The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 202

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Online
09:00-16:30
1st February 2023

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Overview

Language learning in schools across England is in slow recovery following Covid-19, with schools unlikely to meet the Government's EBacc Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) target by the end of 2022, according to the British Council data in July 2022. Moreover, the same British Council report found that primary schools are still devoting inconsistent timings and expertise into delivering MFL teaching.

The Department for Education's recent reforms to MFL GCSEs are a step towards improving the uptake of Languages at KS4 and into KS5 and establishing new pedagogical guidelines for schools. However, to increase the uptake of MFL in secondary schools and ensure pupils are engaged from primary school, innovative teaching methods and curriculum design changes must be considered, and best practice shared across the education sector.

A recent 2022 study found that investing in languages education in the UK will deliver a benefit-to-cost return of 2:1

93% of primary schools plan for progress in one language across KS2, up from 78% in 2019

Only 3% of state secondary schools enable all pupils to continue with the language they learnt in KS2

Thirty-five percent of state schools report that some pupils are prevented from language learning at Key Stage 3

(Language Trends 2022: Language teaching in primary and secondary schools in England, British Council)
Join us at the The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 2023 to hear the latest strategies and measures for delivering best practice MFL teaching provision from education experts across the sector. You will hear exemplary case studies showcasing a range of key topics, including ensuring a successful transition from KS2 into KS3, teaching MFL to pupils with SEND and improving pupil engagement with languages across primary and secondary schools. You will also have the opportunity to network with senior colleagues from across the education sector to share common challenges in building confidence in teaching MFL.
Why Attend:
✓ High-level keynotes from leading experts on the latest updates and reforms to teaching MFL in schools
✓ Best practice case studies addressing a range of challenges, including designing a successful MFL curriculum
✓ Engage with key insights into fostering regional and international partnerships
✓Choose from a primary or secondary focused stream in the afternoon to tailor your learning to your educational setting
✓ Network with speakers and senior colleagues from across the education sector
✓ CPD (gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota)

Access a full live event with 8 hours of CPD points from home This is a live event taking place online:
✓
✓Network and connect with colleagues in breakout networking sessions and the meeting hub
✓Interact with speakers through live Q&A and networking
✓Review event materials and presentations post-event
✓ Receive additional resources to boost your learning and support you in your role

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

Agenda

09.40

Chair's Opening Remarks

Bernadette Holmes MBE, Campaign Director, Speak to the Future, Vice President, Chartered Institute of Linguists (CONFIRMED)

09.50

Keynote: Reversing the Decline in Language Learning Across Schools

Strategies for reversing the decline in MFL uptake and provision across primary and secondary schools

Tips for encouraging uptake and pupil engagement

Recommendations for fostering international engagement in schools

Vicky Gough, Schools Adviser, British Council (CONFIRMED)

11.25

Case Study: Improving the Provision and Uptake of Languages Across Languages Across a MAT

Effective strategies for improving MFL provision in very different contexts

Different approaches to increase uptake at KS4 and KS5

MFL within the school: how to raise our status and secure SLT support

Mariu Hurriaga, MFL Lead Adviser, United Learning (CONFIRMED)

13.35

Keynote: Curriculum Design for MFL: Policy, Pedagogy and Practice from KS2 to the New GCSE

Reviewing your current curriculum and identifying areas for improvement

Ensuring systematic, sequenced coverage of language content across key stages 2 - 4

Teaching culture as an integral part of a language-driven curriculum

Preparing the way for unplanned speaking from the start

Rachel Hawkes, Co-Director, National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (CONFIRMED)

13.55
Key Supporter Session

14.35

Breakout Networking: Overcoming Challenges in Building Teacher Confidence in the Classroom
This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the main challenges you face in developing your t alents in the classroom and working with others to improve your pedagogical skills, allowing you to share your experiences and collaborate with colleagues across the sector.

15.10
Comfort Break

15.45

Case Study: Primary: Using Innovative Resources and Technology to Improve MFL Teaching Aimed at Younger Pupils

Sharing specific resources for improving languages pedagogy: identifying best practice books and dictionaries to use

Digital tools: incorporating digital platforms into learning to build staff confidence and improve teaching

Mentoring teachers to incorporate resources and proven teaching strategies into the classroom

Approaches and interventions to help pupils struggling to engage with language learning

Marina Saez, Spanish Leader, Central South Consortium (invited)

15.25

Case Study: Secondary: Forming Links with Local Universities to Provide Exemplary Languages Teaching and Opportunities

Outreach events: engaging with local higher education institutions to ensure pupils have the resources to further develop their language skills

Working with sixth form students to share insights into the employment opportunities a languages degree can open up

Enabling expert lecturers to deliver exemplary seminars and lectures to inspire students

Providing taster language sessions to engage students with languages less frequently taught in schools

Dr Jane Lavery, Modern Languages and Linguistics Outreach Co-Coordinator and Strategy Lead, University of Southampton (CONFIRMED)

16.25

Chair's Summary & Close

*Programme subject to change without notice

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend?

Delegates who will have an interest in this event will be people who work in the Education sector.

*This Conference is open to Public, Private and Third Sectors

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

Sponsorship

We are now taking bookings for our wide range of sponsorship and exhibition packages; we also offer bespoke packages tailored for your organisation.

Why Sponsor and Exhibit at this event:

✓ Network with key decision makers across the Education Sector
✓ Meet your target audience in the Sector
✓ Listen and Learn from leading industry experts across the Sector
✓ Opportunity to demonstrate your products or services
✓ Speak alongside industry leading experts
✓ Work with your dedicated account manager to generate the maximum amount of leads

Exhibition and Sponsorship Packages:

Strategic Headline Sponsor:

20-minute speaking slot followed by Q&A

3x2m Exhibition Space (In the Refreshments and Catering room)

Pre show marketing email to all registered delegates

Post show inclusion on presentation email

Branding on Website and Event Guide (Logo and 100 Word Profile)

A4 Insert or A4 Chair Drop

5 Delegate Conference Passes

1 Speaker Pass

Key Supporter Package:

20-minute speaking slot followed by Q&A

Branding on Website and Event Guide (Logo and 100 Word Profile)

A4 Insert or Chair Drop

1 Speaker Pass

2 Delegate Conference Passes

Exhibition Stand:

3x2m Exhibition Space (In the Refreshments and Catering room)

Power, Wifi, Table and 2 Chairs (If required)

Branding on Website and Event Guide (Logo and 100 Word Profile)

2 Delegate Conference Passes

1 Stand Manager Pass

Insert or Chair Drop:

1 Delegate Conference Pass

A4 insert into delegate pack or A4 Chair Drop

For more information or to discuss the available option please call 0203 961 5002or email Sponsorship@GovernmentEvents.co.uk

Pricing

Private Sector Rate: £599.00+VAT

Public Sector Rate: £399.00+VAT

Voluntary Sector Rate: £329.00+VAT

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The Delivering Excellence in Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in Schools Conference 2023 - Government Events

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Overview Language learning in schools across England is in slow recovery following Covid-19, with schools unlikely to meet the Government's EBacc Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) target by the end of 2022, according to the British Council data in July 2022.

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NCELP: New GCSE Subject Content Briefing, French, German & Spanish - Presentation

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NCELP: New GCSE Subject Content Briefing, French, German & Spanish - Presentation

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Published: 5th October 2022

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Modern Foreign Languages GCSE Subject Content Overview; what it is and who it is for, the process from subject content to classroom teaching. Covering the rationale for the GCSE review, issues with the current GCSE, comparing 2015 and 2022: similarities and differences as well as the implications for teaching and assessment(s).

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New GCSE Subject Content Briefing, French, German & Spanish

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Modern Foreign Languages GCSE Subject Content Overview; what it is and who it is for, the process from subject content to classroom teaching. Covering the rationale for the GCSE review, issues with the current GCSE, comparing 2015 and 2022: similarities and differences as well as the implications for teaching and assessment(s).

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DfE: Consultation on Changes to the subject content for modern foreign language GCSEs

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DfE: Consultation on Changes to the subject content for modern foreign language GCSEs

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Published: 29th September 2022
Deadline: 20th October 2022

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Applies to England

We are analysing your feedback

Visit this page again soon to download the outcome to this public feedback.

Summary

We're seeking views on our proposed changes to the current subject content for modern foreign language GCSEs.

This consultation was held on another website.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

We introduced a temporary change to modern foreign language GCSE exams in summer 2022. This change removed the regulatory requirement that exam boards must include unfamiliar vocabulary within their assessments.

This consultation sets out our proposal to permanently remove the expectation that students engage with unfamiliar vocabulary.

These changes will:

offer exam boards greater flexibility when it comes to assessment design

make the subject content more consistent between languages

make assessments fairer and more accessible

Ofqual has also launched its own consultation on amending their subject level conditions, guidance and assessment requirements for all GCSE language qualifications.

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Changes to the subject content for modern foreign language GCSEs

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Skip to main content We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Inspiration Trust: MFL A Level Workshop - A Level Speaking Exams

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Inspiration Trust: MFL A Level Workshop - A Level Speaking Exams

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Inspiration Teaching School Hub, Norwich
12:00-15:30
24th November 2022

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level speaking exams

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level speaking exams tickets

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level speaking exams norwich

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modern foreign languages a level workshop - a level speaking exams norwich tickets

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Modern Foreign Languages A Level Workshop - A Level Speaking Exams

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Eventbrite - Inspiration Teaching School Hub presents Modern Foreign Languages A Level Workshop - A Level Speaking Exams - Thursday, 24 November 2022 at Inspiration Teaching School Hub, Norwich, England. Find event and ticket information.

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Ofqual: Consultation on proposed changes to the assessment of Modern Foreign Language GCSEs from 2023

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Ofqual: Consultation on proposed changes to the assessment of Modern Foreign Language GCSEs from 2023

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Published: 29th September 2022
Deadline: 20th October 2022

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Proposed changes to the assessment of Modern Foreign Language GCSEs from 2023

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We invite views on a proposed adaptation to GCSE modern foreign language (MFL) qualifications assessment for students in England taking exams from summer 2023.

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Ofqual & DfE: Consultation on Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system in 2023: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Ofqual & DfE: Consultation on Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system in 2023: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Published: 29th September 2022
Deadline: 20th October 2022

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Detail of outcome

As outlined in our consultation document, both the DfE and Ofqual have responsibilities in this area, and so we consulted jointly.

The DfE is responsible for its policy for qualifications (including whether the government considers that exams can go ahead safely and fairly as planned) and the subject content that is taught and assessed. Ofqual is responsible for assessment arrangements and is therefore responsible for setting rules to implement alternative arrangements, if required.

As outlined in the consultation, the DfE considers that, if it becomes necessary to cancel exams this should apply to all students and a TAG approach should be implemented nationally. This would only happen due to an event like the pandemic which has such severe and catastrophic consequences for a significant number of students. The DfE has also confirmed that TAGs would not be used to award a grade when exams take place.

In line with our respective responsibilities, Ofqual and the DfE have decided to implement the proposals set out in the consultation about the provision of guidance for teachers on how they should collect evidence of student performance. The DfE has decided that the provision of guidance for schools and colleges is appropriate, given its responsibilities in this area. Ofqual has decided that the proposed guidance would support schools and colleges in gathering evidence of student performance that could be used to determine a TAG should exams not be able to go ahead as planned. Ofqual has revised the guidance consulted on, in response to feedback, with a view to minimise further the burden on students, schools and colleges. Ofqual has taken a decision to publish the final guidance, in line with its responsibilities for qualifications and assessments, including in the unlikely case that exams cannot go ahead.

The government is firmly committed to exams taking place. Schools and colleges are, therefore, not asked to determine TAGs and should not seek to do so. Guidance on how to determine a TAG, and on any quality assurance and appeal processes, will be provided only in the unlikely event that exams are not able to go ahead safely or fairly. These arrangements would depend on the nature and timing of any decision that exams cannot take place.

In this decisions document and the accompanying analysis, we have not sought to discuss every point made by those who responded to our consultation. In taking our respective decisions and finalising the guidance we have, however, considered all the points made in response to the consultation.

Detail of feedback received

The Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual welcomed the return of exams and other formal assessments in summer 2022, for the first time since 2019. Exams and other formal assessments are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do. That's why it was so important that students were able to take exams in 2022 and can continue to take them in 2023 and in the future.

The national cancellation of exams - and the need for alternative assessment arrangements - is now very unlikely. The government does not expect to ever be in the situation again where exams do not go ahead, but good public policy means having contingency, even for extremely unlikely scenarios.

A consultation, prepared jointly by the DfE and Ofqual, invited views on guidance to schools and colleges about gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the exams system in the unlikely event it is necessary to use that evidence to inform Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). The proposed guidance was designed to allow schools and colleges to decide how to gather evidence of student performance in assessments in ways that align with their normal arrangements for preparing students for exams. The consultation asked for the views of relevant people and institutions, such as students, teachers, exam boards, schools and colleges and their representatives on the proposed guidance. In particular, it sought their views on whether it supported the gathering of evidence to build resilience in the system whilst minimising any additional burden on teachers and students.

Responses to the consultation have informed the arrangements for gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the exams system in 2023 that we have now put in place. The decisions taken on the final form of the guidance are set out in a decisions document, and the final guidance itself can be found here . The consultation was available online for 21 days and received 213 responses.

Original consultation

Summary

Consultation proposals for gathering evidence of student performance in GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications to support qualification system resilience in 2023.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

We welcomed the return of exams and other formal assessments in summer 2022, for the first time since 2019. Exams and other formal assessments are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do. That's why it was so important that we got back to students taking them in 2022, and that this continues next year.

The national closure of schools or cancellation of exams - necessitating the use of alternative assessment arrangements - is now very unlikely. The government does not expect to ever be in the situation again where exams do not go ahead, but good public policy means having contingency, even for extremely unlikely scenarios.

It is important to learn lessons from the past 3 years. We have taken into account feedback received on the arrangements in place in 2022 and we propose to put in place arrangements which will build resilience in the exam system next year. We know that most schools and colleges have robust and effective assessment activities in place to monitor students' progress and prepare them for exams, such as mock exams, and these are well established.

This document, prepared jointly by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual, invites views on guidance to schools and colleges about gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the exams system in the unlikely event it is necessary to use that evidence to inform Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). It is designed to allow schools and colleges to determine arrangements to gather evidence that align with their normal arrangements for preparing students for exams.

The proposals in this consultation apply to GCSEs, AS, A levels, Project Qualifications and the Advanced Extension Award (AEA) in mathematics.

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Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system in 2023: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Consultation proposals for gathering evidence of student performance in GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications to support qualification system resilience in 2023.

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NCELP: SUBJECT LEADER AND TEACHER BRIEFINGS - Understanding the NEW subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish

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NCELP: SUBJECT LEADER AND TEACHER BRIEFINGS - Understanding the NEW subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish

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Online
Monday 15:45-16:45 or Wednesday/Friday 16:00-17:00
Nov/Dec

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Understanding the new subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish

Format: online

Timings: Mondays 3.45-4.45pm, Wednesdays and Fridays 4-5pm.

Dates: September - December

Audience: MFL Heads of Department, Subject Leaders or MFL teachers.

Cost: free

On 14 January, the Department for Education confirmed changes to the French, German and Spanish GCSEs, in line with the 2016 MFL Pedagogy Review recommendations and 2021 Ofsted research review. The revised GCSEs are for first teaching from September 2024, with first exams in summer 2026. Following the success of our briefings on the new GCSE subject content we are planning to extend these courses over coming months. These briefings are FREE online events and will develop your understanding of the GCSE changes and draw out the implications for teaching and assessment, answering key questions and providing a springboard for any curriculum and pedagogy development planning.

Description

Attendees will be provided with a detailed overview of the new subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish.

The foci for the session will be:

the background and rationale for the changes

the main similarities and differences between the current (2015) and the new (2022) GCSE Subject Content documents

the implications for teaching and assessment

answers to key questions to inform curriculum development planning going forward.

The briefings will offer an invaluable opportunity for teachers to engage in relevant discussions and return to school with practical knowledge to guide their next steps.

If you have any questions about these briefings, please contact: enquiries@ncelp.org

Autumn term briefings

Autumn term briefings will commence in September 2022, dates are outlined in the table below:

To register your interest please complete this form.

Keep updated

To be added to our mailing list please click the link below - we will keep you updated with NCELP news and events, including the dates of the forthcoming sessions

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Briefings on the new GCSE subject content

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Format: online Timings: Mondays 3.45-4.45pm, Wednesdays and Fridays 4-5pm. Dates: September - December Audience: MFL Heads of Department, Subject Leaders or MFL teachers. Cost: free On 14 January, the Department for Education confirmed changes to the French, German and Spanish GCSEs, in line with the 2016 MFL Pedagogy Review recommendations and 2021 Ofsted research review.

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Online
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3.45-4.45pm
Oct/Nov/Dec

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NCELP: Fully resourced KS3 Schemes of Work released for French, German and Spanish

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NCELP: Fully resourced KS3 Schemes of Work released for French, German and Spanish

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30th September 2022

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NCELP Schemes of Work (SOW) are proposed as examples of how language knowledge and practice can be sequenced and re-visited systematically to support progression in the early stages of language development within a low exposure foreign language setting.

Teaching materials and schemes of work

Subscribe to our newsletter

Receive a regular bulletin of NCELP news, activities and resource updates.

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NCELP Schemes of Work (SOW) are proposed as examples of how language knowledge and practice can be sequenced and re-visited systematically to support progression in the early stages of language development within a low exposure foreign language setting. Receive a regular bulletin of NCELP news, activities and resource updates.

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TES: Secondary schools face trainee teacher shortfalls in MFL

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TES: Secondary schools face trainee teacher shortfalls in MFL

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Published: 12th September 2022

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Secondary schools face 6,000 trainee teacher shortfall

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Analysis shows the government is thousands off its teacher target this year - with recruitment also getting worse

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Ofqual: Arrangements for 2022 to 2023 NEAs and Exams

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Ofqual: Arrangements for 2022 to 2023 NEAs and Exams

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- Ofqual confirms the usual arrangements for NEA, fieldwork and practical science are in place for 2023.
- Ofqual will ask exam boards to look carefully at the design of the exam timetable for next year, to see if the increased spacing between subjects in the exam timetable should be retained.

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Applies to England

In 2021 and 2022, Ofqual made a range of adjustments to the arrangements for NEA and fieldwork and practical science requirements in some GCSE, AS and A level subjects to respond to public health measures. Given that they are no longer in force, for the 2023 cohort Ofqual confirms that, as planned, the usual arrangements for NEA, fieldwork and practical science are now in place.

For the 2022 cohort, the Department for Education determined that there should be a choice of topics in GCSE English literature, history and ancient history and a choice of content in GCSE geography as part of a range of adaptations to GCSE, AS and A levels for this year. For 2023, the Department for Education confirms the return to full subject content coverage for those GCSE subjects.

For other qualifications, including vocational and technical qualifications taught alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels, a range of adaptations were permitted in academic year 2021 to 2022. Awarding organisations decided which adaptations were appropriate for their qualifications in accordance with Ofqual's Vocational and Technical Qualifications Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF). Some adaptations were in response to public health restrictions. Given that public health restrictions are no longer in place, these adaptations are no longer necessary for the academic year 2022 to 2023 onwards.

This means that schools and colleges have the information they need to plan their teaching of the required content and to provide non-exam assessments. The Department for Education and Ofqual will continue to monitor the path and impact of the pandemic and evaluate the delivery of arrangements this year, including the provision of exam aids, such as formulae sheets, and advance information to support students' revision, before finalising 2023 arrangements. Our intention is to return to the carefully designed and well-established pre-pandemic assessment arrangements as quickly as possible, given they are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do.

For GCSEs, AS and A levels, Ofqual will, as planned, consider the approach to grading for 2023 in light of outcomes in 2022. Ofqual will also ask exam boards to look carefully at the design of the exam timetable for next year in the light of experience this year, to see if the increased spacing between subjects in the exam timetable should be retained.

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Subject content and assessment arrangements in the academic year 2022 to 2023

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Skip to main content We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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NCELP: MFL CURRICULUM, DESIGN AND PEDAGOGY Course

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NCELP: MFL CURRICULUM, DESIGN AND PEDAGOGY Course

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Deadline: 4th September 2022
5 x 2.5 hours Sessions over Autumn Term
Online

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Research-informed French, German and Spanish teaching at KS3 and KS4 for higher uptake and greater success at GCSE

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MFL CPD Course

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQLT 2022/23

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQLT 2022/23

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NCELP: Published SOWs for Y9 French, German and , Spanish, to compliment their existing Y7&8

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NCELP: Published SOWs for Y9 French, German and , Spanish, to compliment their existing Y7&8

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Published: 7th July 2022

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NCELP Schemes of Work are proposed as examples of how language knowledge and practice can be sequenced and re-visited systematically to support progression in the early stages of language development within a low exposure foreign language setting. The principles and processes that informed the SOW are described in this Rationale, Scope, and Key Principles document. Further insights into the SOW are available in this SOW Audio Presentation.

The NCELP SOW are in line with: (a) the Review of MFL Pedagogy, a report published by the Teaching Schools Council, which drew on research into foreign language learning and teaching and on the knowledge and experience of a wide range of experienced practitioners; (b) Ofsted’s current aspirations for curriculum intent, implementation, and impact; and c) preparing a solid foundation for GCSE content and examinations, which builds on the core grammar and vocabulary outlined in the programmes of study for Key Stages 2 and 3.

Why teach the NCELP Key Stage 3 Languages Schemes of Work in your school?

Our full lesson resources can by accessed by clicking the relevant button below and selecting the relevant year group and then the relevant term (from the subcollections at the bottom of the page). An update on progress with Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 SOW and associated resources, is also available below.

French resources

German resources

Spanish resources

Year 7 SOW

Detailed SOW are now available for all of Year 7 and they include url links to all of the lesson resources which have now been trialled in several NCELP schools.

French Y7 SOW

German Y7 SOW

Spanish Y7 SOW

We also provide SOW overviews for the whole of Year 7:

French Y7 SOW Overview

German Y7 SOW Overview

Spanish Y7 SOW Overview

NCELP is fully resourcing its SOW. The easiest way to locate resources is in the SOW collections:

French SOW Y7 resource collection

German SOW Y7 resource collection

Spanish SOW Y7 resource collection

Within each folder, select Download All (bottom left) to save all resources.

We are also providing 50-page language guides to accompany the NCELP Y7 schemes of work. These provide succinct grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, and a phonics guide to support students’ independent learning for the whole of Y7. They also include QR codes on each page to link to each week’s vocabulary learning on Quizlet.

Y7 French Language Guide

Y7 German Language Guide

Y7 Spanish Language Guide

Year 8 SOW

Detailed SOW are now available for all of Year 8 and they include url links to all of the lesson resources which have now been trialled in several NCELP schools.

French Y8 SOW

German Y8 SOW

Spanish Y8 SOW

We also have overviews for the whole of Year 8. These two-page documents summarise the key specifications of the Year 8 scheme of work for each language.

French Y8 SOW Overview

German Y8 SOW Overview

Spanish Y8 SOW Overview

NCELP is fully resourcing its SOW. The easiest way to locate resources is in the SOW collections:

French SOW Y8 resource collection

German SOW Y8 resource collection

Spanish SOW Y8 resource collection

Within each folder, select Download All (bottom left) to save all resources.

Language guides for Year 8 are available:

Y8 French Language Guide

Y8 German Language Guide

Y8 Spanish Language Guide

Year 9 SOW

Detailed SOW are now available for Year 9, Terms 1 & 2 and they include url links to all of the lesson resources which have now been trialled in several NCELP schools. Please note that this is a draft and is subject to change in the process of developing the resources to accompany it.

French Y9 SOW

German Y9 SOW

Spanish Y9 SOW

We also have overviews for Terms 1 & 2 of Year 9. These two-page documents summarise the key specifications of the Year 9 scheme of work for each language.

French Y9 SOW Overview

German Y9 SOW Overview

Spanish Y9 SOW Overview

NCELP is fully resourcing its SOW. The easiest way to locate resources is in the SOW collections:

French SOW Y9 resource collection

German SOW Y9 resource collection

Spanish SOW Y9 resource collection

Within each folder, select Download All (bottom left) to save all resources.

Language guides for Year 9 (Term 1 & 2) are available:

Y9 French Language Guide (Term 1 only)

Y9 German Language Guide

Y9 Spanish Language Guide

Google Slides

All our PowerPoint full lesson resources are being converted to Google Slides. Where they exist already, there is a link to the Google Slide version in the description for that resource.

Recorded lessons

On the Oak National Academy online classroom you can also acess video recordings of an adapted version of our resources. Links to the Oak lessons are included in the resource description for each lesson on the NCELP portal.

Keep up to date with NCELP SOW developments

If you would like to receive a regular bulletin of the latest SOW materials added to the NCELP Resource Portal as well updates on the Centre’s activities, sign up to our mailing list.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – NCELP materials

We know that teachers are all working very hard to manage the impact on pupils and schools in these difficult times. We have made some updates to the Resource Portal to reflect the change in practice arising from school closure, under a new Coronavirus (COVID-19) banner:

NCELP approaches to teaching and learning during COVID-19

NCELP teacher CPD

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Nottingham
21st July 2022

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Details

An annual event designed to bring MFL colleagues together alongside lead practitioners to collaborate on strategies which impact on the quality of teaching and learning in Languages. Delegates will be asked to book onto 2 of the workshops outlined below prior to the event. After the Workshops there will an afternoon MFL TeachMeet where staff get to share ideas, all staff should upload 1 idea/resouce to share.

Instructions

After you have signed up to this event you will be sent an options form to select your workshop choice. Please also remember to upload your resource for the afternoon TeachMeet.

Tickets

| Cost |

Trust Ticket

All members of The Redhill Academy Trust

Alliance Ticket

All members of The Redhill College of Leadership and Development

£50.00

Non-Member Ticket

Schools that are not members of the Redhill College of Leadership & Development

£75.00

Location

Redhill Trust Training Centre
Redhill Leisure Centre
Redhill Road
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 8GX

Please park at Redhill Leisure Centre (the next driveway on the right after The Redhill Academy main entrance). Enter the Leisure Centre through the main entrance, the Training Centre is through the door to the left of reception.

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An annual event designed to bring MFL colleagues together alongside lead practitioners to collaborate on strategies which impact on the quality of teaching and learning in Languages. Delegates will be asked to book onto 2 of the workshops outlined below prior to the event. After the Workshops there…

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Ofqual: Consultation outcome for Subject-level conditions and guidance for new French, German and Spanish GCSEs in 2026

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Ofqual: Consultation outcome for Subject-level conditions and guidance for new French, German and Spanish GCSEs in 2026

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Published: 8th June 2022

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Applies to England

This consultation has concluded

Download the full outcome

Ref: Ofqual/22/6937/2 HTML

Detail of outcome

Most of the changes made to the proposals on which Ofqual consulted represent refinements to clarify the wording of the conditions, requirements and guidance, rather than changes of substance.

In a few instances, we have amended the conditions, requirements and guidance to ensure that the regulatory approach will best support the delivery of the qualifications, or to ensure the requirements accurately reflect the content requirements.

Feedback received

Published: HTML

Detail of feedback received

Technical consultations on proposed regulations usually attract fewer public (non-exam board) respondents than assessment policy consultations and typically include little contextual information. However, given the level of public interest in the revisions to GCSE French, German and Spanish we included a more detailed description of the proposals to explain them to a wider audience.

We received 88 responses, with the majority being from the teaching community.

15 responses represented the views of organisations:

8 responses from a school, college or teacher representative group

3 responses from an awarding body or exam board

2 responses from a subject association or learned society

1 response from a union

1 other response

The other 73 were responses from individuals:

60 responses from teachers responding in a personal capacity

5 responses from individuals from academy chains

3 responses from members of a senior leadership team (SLT)

1 response from a consultant

1 response from a parent or carer

1 response from a private training provider

1 response from a school or college

1 other response

No responses were received from students, which was not unexpected given the detailed regulatory focus of the proposals. Almost all of the respondents were based in England, with the only exceptions being 1 from Scotland and 2 from Wales.

We received responses from the three exam boards that currently offer GCSEs in French, German and Spanish.

We were pleased to receive these responses and thank everyone who took the time to respond. We recognise that respondents to this consultation were self-selecting, so the responses are not necessarily representative of the general public or any specific group.

Original consultation

Summary

Consultation on the proposed regulatory requirements for new GCSE French, German and Spanish qualifications.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

Audience

This consultation is open to anyone who may wish to make representation but may be of most interest to:

awarding organisations which offer GCSEs in French, German or Spanish

teachers of GCSE French, German or Spanish

schools, colleges and other exam centres

students

New subject content

In November 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) announced that it would be convening an independent expert panel to develop potential changes to the subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish. The proposed subject content was subject to a 10-week public consultation between March 2021 and May 2021.

In January 2022, following review of the consultation responses and wider stakeholder feedback, DfE published the new GCSE French, German and Spanish subject content.

DfE also confirmed that the new qualifications will be available for first teaching from September 2024, with first assessments in summer 2026.

Assessment arrangements

Ofqual reviewed the requirements for assessing the proposed new content, which the exam boards offering GCSE qualifications in French, German and Spanish must follow. We published a consultation seeking views on our assessment proposals at the same time as the DfE consulted on its proposed subject content.

Also in January 2022, having considered the responses to our public consultation, we confirmed that we had decided to implement our proposals. This means that the arrangements for assessing the revised GCSEs in French, German and Spanish will be based on:

revised assessment objectives (AOs), which set out the percentage of qualification marks that must be awarded for each aspect of assessment

continued use of tiered assessments, requiring students to be entered to a single tier across all assessments

continued use of non-exam assessment (NEA) to focus on the assessment of speaking skills, which make up 25% of the total marks for the qualification

This consultation

This consultation on the proposed subject level conditions and guidance (SLC&G), covers the regulatory requirements that must be followed in all new GCSE qualifications in French, German and Spanish.

Documents

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/3 HTML

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/3 PDF, 447 KB, 28 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/1 HTML

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/1 PDF, 478 KB, 19 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/2 HTML

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/2 PDF, 353 KB, 11 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Thank you for your feedback

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Subject-level conditions and guidance for new French, German and Spanish GCSEs

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Skip to main content We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Currys & Digital Poverty Alliance: Free technology to children who need it.

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Currys & Digital Poverty Alliance: Free technology to children who need it.

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Priority Area:  Norfolk Coast (Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth local authorities)

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Not as a loan or rental. It’s for your family, for good. Connecting disadvantaged families to devices and connectivity across the UK. Apply now!

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Ofqual: Podcast on Marking and grading in summer 2022

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Ofqual: Podcast on Marking and grading in summer 2022

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Published: 13th May 2022

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Ofqual Podcast: Marking and grading in summer 2022

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Norfolk MFL Network Meetings - Led by Alex Dyer (NDHS)

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Norfolk MFL Network Meetings - Led by Alex Dyer (NDHS)

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Wednesday 29th June 2022
16:00-17:00
Online
Contact: 14-19subjects@norfolk.gov.uk to join meetings and be added to the mailing list

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Westminster Forum: Next steps for modern foreign language provision in England’s schools

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Westminster Forum: Next steps for modern foreign language provision in England’s schools

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Virtual
09:00-13:00
4th July 2022

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This conference focuses on the next steps for the delivery of Modern Foreign Language provision (MFL) in England.

It takes place following the announcement of the revised GCSE qualifications in modern foreign languages, which are set to be rolled out in 2024.

Discussion will look ahead to their implementation in primary and secondary schools, the impact of the reforms, curriculum design, and how best to prepare schools and staff - and how the changes to the current offer and content of the new GCSEs will affect both how and what pupils will learn.

The conference will also be a timely opportunity to discuss priorities for building on the current offer of MFL across England's primary and secondary schools, following the publication of Ofsted's MFL subject review.

Delegates will consider the key findings of the review and the scope for improvement, as well as:

pupil engagement and attainment - how to maintain quality and standards across provision

the scope of language provision - the role of languages such as Mandarin in future pathways to higher education and employment

We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with: Andreas Schleicher, Director, Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD; Rhian Dent, Senior Manager of Standards, Ofqual; Katharine Carruthers, Director, Institute of Education Confucius Institute for Schools, and Pro-Vice-Provost (East Asia), University College London; and Raisa McNab, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Translation Companies.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

the current offer - assessing language studies in schools today - priorities for improving attainment and pupil engagement - curriculum design and delivery - ensuring quality and standards

implementation - initial rollout of the new GCSEs in schools - increasing accessibility - supporting students with take-up - teacher recruitment and priorities for training

progression - the impact of the new pedagogy on core language skills - language provision and future pathways to further and higher education - enhancing employability

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This conference focuses on the next steps for the delivery of Modern Foreign Language provision (MFL) in England. It takes place following the announcement of the revised GCSE qualifications in modern foreign languages, which are set to be rolled out in 2024.

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NCELP: SUBJECT LEADER AND TEACHER BRIEFING

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NCELP: SUBJECT LEADER AND TEACHER BRIEFING

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15:30-16:30 or 16:00-17:00 (Date dependent)
4th May- 13th July 2022

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Understanding the new subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish

Format: online

Timings: 3.30-4.30pm, 4-5pm

Dates: 4 May – 13 July

Audience: MFL Heads of Department, Subject Leaders or MFL teachers.

Cost: free

Outline

On 14 January, the Department for Education confirmed changes to the French, German and Spanish GCSEs, in line with the 2016 MFL Pedagogy Review recommendations and 2021 Ofsted research review. The revised GCSEs are for first teaching from September 2024, with first exams in summer 2026. Following the success of our briefings on the new GCSE subject content we are planning to extend these courses over coming months. These briefings are FREE online events and will develop your understanding of the GCSE changes and draw out the implications for teaching and assessment, answering key questions and providing a springboard for any curriculum and pedagogy development planning.

Description

Attendees will be provided with a detailed overview of the new subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish.

The foci for the session will be:

the background and rationale for the changes

the main similarities and differences between the current (2015) and the new (2022) GCSE Subject Content documents

the implications for teaching and assessment

answers to key questions to inform curriculum development planning going forward.

The briefings will offer an invaluable opportunity for teachers to engage in relevant discussions and return to school with practical knowledge to guide their next steps.

If you have any questions about these briefings, please contact: enquiries@ncelp.org

Briefing timetable

The briefings will be held on the following dates and times:

Briefing dates/times:

Wed 4 May 22, 3.30-4.30pm

Wed 11 May 22, 4-5pm

Wed 18 May 22, 3.30-4.30pm

Wed 25 May 22, 4-5pm

Wed 8 Jun 22, 3.30-4.30pm

Wed 15 Jun 22, 4-5pm

Wed 22 Jun 22, 3.30-4.30pm

Wed 29 Jun 22, 4-5pm

Wed 6 Jul 22, 3.30-4.30pm

Wed 13 Jul 22, 4-5pm

Registration form

To register for a briefing, please fill out the form below.

Keep updated

To be added to our mailing list please click the link below – we will keep you updated with NCELP news and events, including the dates of the forthcoming sessions

Key Links:

Government announcement: new MFL GCSE Subject Content

NCELP resources to support the new GCSE

NCELP MFL CPD Course

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Summer Briefings on the new GCSE subject content – NCELP

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London
09:30-13:00
11th June 2022

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Date and time

Sat, 11 June 2022

09:30 – 13:00 BST

Location

Institut français du Royaume-Uni

17, Queensberry Place

South Kensington

London

SW7 2DT

United Kingdom

View map

Refund policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event

Eventbrite's fee is nonrefundable.

A great programme with superb speakers on topics to interest teachers from all sectors and all languages. Above all, a chance to socialise!

About this event

We are delighted that the Institut français has generously offered to welcome us to its cultural centre in South Kensington for our June Event.  We have put together a great programme with superb speakers on topics which will interest teachers from all sectors and all languages. Please book as soon as possible to help our planning.  There is a maximum of 200 places.  We look forward to seeing you face to face! (The event will not be recorded).

We deliberately keep the costs down in order to encourage as many people as possible to come along and experience the warmth of the ALL family.  SPECIAL OFFER: (a) Students and ECT teachers and (b) Primary Teachers and Supplementary School teachers attending our event for the first time will have their fee refunded in full if they attend.

Here is the provisional outline programme:

Outline Programme [Fuller details on our website]

9.30 Registration & Exhibition. Tea/coffee and biscuits – the committee and exhibitors will be there to welcome you!

10.00- 10.25 Plenary Helen Myers, Chair of ALL London and Romain Devaux (Institut français) Welcome address + presentation of the Institut Français’ offers for teachers of French in the UK

10:25 – 11.25 'Just making memories' Steven Fawkes. Trustee, Fellow, Volunteer in ALLNE at Association for Language Learning and former BBC Education Officer and, since March 2022, Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques! What better way to celebrate our return to an ALL London face-to-face conference than with Steven, a star speaker at our events, always guaranteed to remind us of why we love languages and brimming with ideas about how to pass that love to our learners. We will definitely be ‘remembering more’ after this session …! At least one song guaranteed!

11.25 – 11.55 EXHIBITION Comfort break / top-up of coffee / chance to ‘network’ / view info sent from corporate members, ALL, Language Institutes and our sponsors. (Supporters so far include the Consejeria, Goethe Institut, LanguageNut, Little Linguist, Maison Claire Fontaine, and Sanako.)

12.– 1.00

EITHER

'Recite, bake, create and play!' Jérôme Noguès, Head of MFL and Digital learning in a Prep school in Shropshire. The talented Jérôme’s online webinars have helped so many of us enormously over lockdown and it was great to see his superb session at ALL’s Language World. We asked him to repeat it for us at our event so that more teachers could benefit from his ideas. We are delighted that he accepted.. and he plans to add a bit extra: a game of boules! He will describe extra-curricular activities and whole-school events which have enthused his primary and KS3 learners, enriching their language learning including baking, reciting poetry, creating art-work and playing sport.

OR

“ Presentation and Practice for Performance: That’s where it’s AATT!” Dr Jennifer Eddy, Associate Professor, Queens College, CUNY. We are so privileged to be able to offer a session led by Jennifer, a loyal and valued member of ALL from across the pond who happens to be in London at this period. She has offered to share more about how her attractive idea for authentic, engaging formative assessment of intercultural communicative competence can fit into the UK context. In a collaborative project with UCL professor Dr. Fotini Diamantidaki, PGCE graduates Helena Serena and Sijing Ni will describe their instructional strategies, grammar and vocabulary that made their AATT (Articulated Assessment Transfer Tasks) exemplars successful, along with samples of pupils’ work. They will also share DesignSpace tools for meaningful and relevant tasks in any language and cultural context.

& after?

2 - 3 pm As a special treat, you can join our friend Christian Michel of 'French London Experience' for a guided stroll around South Kensington in French, following the theme of "la présence et l'identité françaises de South Ken". Maximum number: 25. First come, first served! [Find out more about how he can help people learn French in an authentic context here.]

ALSO ...

Why not visit the Institut français Library and its great children's books collection, take a stroll to the Science / Victoria and Albert museums, or engage in some retail therapy in Kensington?!

Then come back to the Institute for a great film in the evening? See website for details nearer the time: www.institut-francais.org.uk/ E

EARLY BIRD BEFORE FRIDAY 10TH JUNE: (Thereafter, £10 extra)

£10 –ALL individual members (incl. retired)

£15 – Students, ECT, first-time Primary + Supplementary school teachers *

£20 – group members.

£35 – non-members.

*Refund for students, ECT and 'first-timer' Primary teachers + Supplementary school teachers if you attend!

MAXIMUM CAPACITY 200.  BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!

Steven Fawkes, Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques

Dr Jennifer Eddy with Helen Myers (A lovely day spent in London together!)

Jérôme Noguès with happy attendee, Clara Hooper, at Language World, March 2022

Romain Devaux et l'équipe de l'Institut français!

Christian Michel, 'French London Experience', seen here during an ALL guided walk around Soho, en français!

Tags

United Kingdom Events

Greater London Events

Things to do in London

London Networking

London Family & Education Networking

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A great programme with superb speakers on topics to interest teachers from all sectors and all languages. Above all, a chance to socialise!

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Sacré Théâtre is the longest-running permanent French language theatre company in the UK. The company's cast is comprised of staff and students, principally from the University of East Anglia's French language courses plus associated members. The opportunity for students to develop their linguistic skills and confidence in a French-Speaking environment in partnership with staff, from the initial read-throughs to public performances, is a tremendously valuable one. We are fortunate to have built up a loyal following of francophiles and francophones in the region.We perform every year at the UEA Drama Studio, usually in late March and can provide discounts for school groups.

We are delighted to be sponsored by local company Integro Languages https://www.integrolanguages.com/ experts in translating your brand

Sacré Théâtre is the name under which the company has been performing since 1999. French productions prior to 1999 included BITM & Riff de Daniel Limon, Fin de Partie de Beckett, Les bonnes de Genet, La Machine infernale de Cocteau, Victor de Vitrac, Kean de Sartre, Huis Clos de Sartre, Jacques ou la soumission d'Ionesco, La Dernière bande de Beckett, Portrait d'une femme de Vinaver, and La C antatrice chauved'Ionesco.

The history of French language productions at UEA dates back to the late 1960s/early 1970s. The tradition of French theatre at UEA was matched by a similarly strong programme of staff-student German theatre, led by Gordon Turner, which started with a production in 1971 and offered a wide repertoire of plays for over 20 years ranging from across the 18th (Lessing), 19th (Büchner and Austrian Volkstheater), and 20th centuries (Dürrenmatt, Brecht, Horváth) as well as revues and Kabarett.

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Sacré Théâtre is the longest-running permanent French language theatre company in the UK. The company's cast is comprised of staff and students, principally from the University of East Anglia's French language courses plus associated members.

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Spring 2022 Network Meeting : Vince Everett - Presentation

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Spring 2022 Network Meeting : Vince Everett - Presentation

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Vincent Everett_Norfolk network march 2022

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DfE: How teachers can apply for modern foreign language (MFL) curriculum design and pedagogy courses.

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DfE: How teachers can apply for modern foreign language (MFL) curriculum design and pedagogy courses.

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Updated: 5th April 022

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Skip to main content

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How teachers can apply for modern foreign language (MFL) curriculum design and pedagogy courses.

What's on offer

The National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy (NCELP) will be running continuing professional development courses throughout 2022. These will focus on modern foreign language (MFL) curriculum design and pedagogy and consist of five 2.5 hour remote learning sessions spread over one term. This is complemented by online peer and instructor support.

Who can join the course

The course is available to either:

qualified teachers involved in MFL education who are working at an eligible school that teaches at least one of the following:

a state-funded university-based or SCITT-based teacher trainer providing courses to secondary pre-service teachers or trainees in French, German or Spanish

You must work in a school that receives public funding to be eligible. Private and independent schools are not eligible.

The course may be of interest to:

heads of modern foreign language departments

department or trust subject leads

others in a leadership or decision-making position who can cascade course content to MFL colleagues

Due to limited capacity, only one applicant per school will be accepted. The application window will stay open until all places are filled.

An online self-study version will be available in 2022 and open to everyone.

When to apply

Applications are now open for autumn term courses beginning September 2022.

What it costs

The course is free of charge.

How to apply

See the NCELP website for information on how to apply.

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Modern foreign languages curriculum design courses: apply now

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Skip to main content We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Ofsted: Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR) - Updated guidance on report

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Ofsted: Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR) - Updated guidance on report

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School inspection data summary report (IDSR) guide

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This guide provides an overview of the inspection data summary report (IDSR) for primary and secondary schools, including schools with a sixth form and gives guidance on interpreting the data.

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JCQ: An introduction to becoming an examiner or marker

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JCQ: An introduction to becoming an examiner or marker

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Exam boards are offering an opportunity to join examiner teams in several subjects for this summer’s exam season. Examining gives you a chance to network with other subject experts, gain insight into the latest approaches to how your subject is assessed and earn extra income for approximately three weeks of work.

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Join all the other teachers who help students receive recognition for their learning, and also enable them to progress to the next stage of their development, by becoming an examiner. You'll gain a better understanding of the subject specification and how the examination system works.

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Published: 9th May 2022

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JCQ: Guidance for centres managing exams - June 2022 Series

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JCQ: Guidance for centres managing exams - June 2022 Series

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Published: 29th April 2022

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Ofsted Subject Deep Dives in Norfolk School

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Ofsted Subject Deep Dives in Norfolk School

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Norfolk Secondary School Ofsted Inspections – Subject Deep Dives 

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JCQ: A guide to the special consideration process

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JCQ: A guide to the special consideration process

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Updated: 8th April 2022
Now includes an appendix ‘Supplementary guidance on the special consideration process for centres in England June 2022 examination series’ which gives examples of possible scenarios of students with Covid-19 or with symptoms of Covid-19 and what schools and colleges need to do.

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DfE: Contingency arrangement for awarding qualifications in summer 2022

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DfE: Contingency arrangement for awarding qualifications in summer 2022

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Updated: 11th November 2021

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Contingency arrangements: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Consultation proposals for contingency arrangements for the award of GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications in 2022.

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Ofqual: Special consideration for illness etc..

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Ofqual: Special consideration for illness etc..

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Published: 22nd April 2022

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Ofqual requires exam boards to:

have clear arrangements for giving special consideration

publish details of those arrangements, including what special consideration is available, and how students qualify for it

We do not specify what special consideration exam boards should give, or how they should determine eligibility for it.

However, all the exam boards offer three different types of support for students who are affected by circumstances outside their control, all of which are types of special consideration:

1. changes to the way assessments are taken for students with temporary injuries or illnesses (sometimes referred to as 'access arrangements').

2. a small number of extra marks for students whose exam performance is affected by temporary illness, injury, indisposition, or an unforeseen incident.

3. awarding the qualification even though the student was absent from an exam or formal assessment (a student must have completed at least one component to be eligible for this type of special consideration).

JCQ provide more information about these different types of support.

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Guide for schools and colleges 2022: GCSEs, AS and A levels

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Ofqual requires exam boards to: have clear arrangements for giving special consideration publish details of those arrangements, including what special consideration is available, and how students qualify for it We do not specify what special consideration exam boards should give, or how they should determine eligibility for it.

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DfE: Everything you need to know about Covid measures during exams this summer

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DfE: Everything you need to know about Covid measures during exams this summer

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Published: 12th April

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*This post was updated on Tuesday 17 May 2022. Students studying for their GCSEs, A levels and vocational qualifications will be preparing to sit their exams this summer. We know that there may be instances where students contract the virus during the exam period, as we continue to live with COVID-19.

Here we look at what students should do if they display the symptoms in UKHSA guidance or receive a positive Covid test result while taking their exams.

Exams have been spaced by a minimum of ten days between the first and last exam in any subject, to reduce the chance of students missing all exams in a subject because of illness.

Parents should, wherever possible, encourage their children to attend their exams. However, there may be exceptional cases though where this will not be possible, e.g., a temporary illness on the day of the examination.

Will I have to provide proof of a positive Covid test if I fail to sit an exam due to Covid?

No - there is no requirement for you to complete a COVID-19 test to provide evidence of your absence from an exam. You should speak to your school, college, or exam centre, who can provide you with a self-certification form for you or your parents/carers to complete and tell you if there is anything else you need to do.

I am taking my A levels and have a high temperature on the day of one of my exams, what should I do?

UKHSA guidance advises you to stay at home and avoid contact with others, until you no longer have a high temperature and are well enough to attend your exams.

As your exams have been spaced by at least ten days you will be able to receive A-level grades based on the other components completed, as you are considered to have an acceptable reason for missing the exam.

You need to ask your school, college, or exam centre to make an application for special consideration and complete any forms they ask you to do. This is important because if your centre doesn't make the special consideration application, you would receive a 0 for the missed exam.

I have taken a COVID-19 test under the direction of my GP and have a positive test result, what should I do?

The UKHSA guidance is that you stay at home and avoid contact with others for 3 days (if 18 and under) or 5 days (if 19 or older) after the day you took the test. You should speak to your school, college, or exam centre, who can provide you with a self-certification form to complete and tell you if there is anything else you need to do. As your exams have been spaced by at least ten days you will be able to receive A-level grades based on the other components completed, as you are considered to have an acceptable reason for missing the exam. If your centre doesn't make the special consideration application, you would receive a 0 for the missed exam, so speak to them as soon as possible.

I am taking my A levels and am feeling unwell and experiencing a high temperature, but I still want to attend my exam. Can I still sit it?

UKHSA guidance is to stay at home and avoid contact with others until you no longer have a high temperature.

JCQ guidance confirms that following UKHSA guidance is an acceptable reason to miss an exam, and you will be eligible to receive special consideration. You should speak to your school, college, or exam centre, who can provide you with a self-certification form to complete and tell you if there is anything else you need to do.

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Everything you need to know about Covid measures during exams this summer

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This post was updated on Tuesday 17 May 2022. Students studying for their GCSEs, A levels and vocational qualifications will be preparing to sit their exams this summer. We know that there may be instances where students contract the virus during the exam period, as we continue to live with COVID-19.

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Guide for foundation subjects including MFL on Ofsted Deep Dive 

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Guide for foundation subjects including MFL on Ofsted Deep Dive 

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Sample of questions from Ofsted Deep Dive into MFL

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Sample of questions from Ofsted Deep Dive into MFL

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Ofqual: Consultation on subject-level conditions and guidance for new French, German and Spanish GCSEs 

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Ofqual: Consultation on subject-level conditions and guidance for new French, German and Spanish GCSEs 

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Published: 22nd March 2022
Deadline: 19th April 2022

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Applies to England

Summary

Consultation on the proposed regulatory requirements for new GCSE French, German and Spanish qualifications.

This consultation closes at

Consultation description

Audience

This consultation is open to anyone who may wish to make representation but may be of most interest to:

awarding organisations which offer GCSEs in French, German or Spanish

teachers of GCSE French, German or Spanish

schools, colleges and other exam centres

students

New subject content

In November 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) announced that it would be convening an independent expert panel to develop potential changes to the subject content for GCSE French, German and Spanish. The proposed subject content was subject to a 10-week public consultation between March 2021 and May 2021.

In January 2022, following review of the consultation responses and wider stakeholder feedback, DfE published the new GCSE French, German and Spanish subject content.

DfE also confirmed that the new qualifications will be available for first teaching from September 2024, with first assessments in summer 2026.

Assessment arrangements

Ofqual reviewed the requirements for assessing the proposed new content, which the exam boards offering GCSE qualifications in French, German and Spanish must follow. We published a consultation seeking views on our assessment proposals at the same time as the DfE consulted on its proposed subject content.

Also in January 2022, having considered the responses to our public consultation, we confirmed that we had decided to implement our proposals. This means that the arrangements for assessing the revised GCSEs in French, German and Spanish will be based on:

revised assessment objectives (AOs), which set out the percentage of qualification marks that must be awarded for each aspect of assessment

continued use of tiered assessments, requiring students to be entered to a single tier across all assessments

continued use of non-exam assessment (NEA) to focus on the assessment of speaking skills, which make up 25% of the total marks for the qualification

This consultation

This consultation on the proposed subject level conditions and guidance (SLC&G), covers the regulatory requirements that must be followed in all new GCSE qualifications in French, German and Spanish.

Documents

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/3 HTML

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/3 PDF, 447 KB, 28 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/1 HTML

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/1 PDF, 478 KB, 19 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/2 HTML

Ref: Ofqual/22/6897/2 PDF, 353 KB, 11 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Subject-level conditions and guidance for new French, German and Spanish GCSEs

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Ofqual: Updated with additional information for teachers on collecting evidence for use in contingency arrangements

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Ofqual: Updated with additional information for teachers on collecting evidence for use in contingency arrangements

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Updated: 25th March 2022

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Recent updates regarding regulated qualifications.

Delivery of vocational and technical qualification results for 2024 and beyond

Ofqual has announced arrangements to ensure the timely delivery of results for students taking vocational and technical qualifications in 2024 and beyond.

Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator, has also written to all schools and colleges in England to explain the arrangements in more detail, and how they differ from those implemented in 2023.

GCSE, Level 1, Level 1/2 and Level 2 vocational and technical qualifications results, summer 2023

Ofqual has published 2 guides to today's (24 August 2023) exam results:

These guides summarise the headline figures across England and reflect Ofqual's decision to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer.

You can explore the results in more depth - including breakdowns by centre type, subject and region - using Ofqual's interactive visualisations.

Ofqual has also summarised the key data in infographics for GCSE and Level 1, Level 1/2 and Level 2 VTQ.

AS, A level and Level 3 vocational and technical qualifications results, summer 2023

Ofqual has published 2 guides to today's (17 August 2023) exam results:

These guides summarise the headline figures across England and reflect Ofqual's decision to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer.

You can explore the results in more depth - including breakdowns by centre type, subject and region - using Ofqual's interactive visualisations.

Ofqual has also summarised the key data in infographics for AS and A level and Level 3 VTQ.

Industrial action

The Department for Education has issued guidance that recommends that schools should prioritise the running of examinations and assessments on any strike days, and should review their contingency plans to enable this to happen.

Schools, colleges and other exam centres should speak to the relevant awarding organisations if they are expecting any disruption that might affect the sitting of exams and assessments.

Replacement certificates

Ofqual does not hold copies of your certificates - we can't tell you your grade or provide replacements. Certificates are held by the exam board you sat your qualification with. If you don't know which exam board you took your qualification with, ask your school. If your school don't know you will need to ask each exam board to do a search for you - they will charge you for this.

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The Great Languages Challenge can be completed during a planned lesson or also set as a language-themed homework task. We even have a blank version available that students can use to design their own challenges for their classmates or peers in their partner school overseas.

Did you know that completing two or more international activities from these resources (or designing your own) will qualify your school for a foundation level International School Award?

All you have to do is choose and complete two or more classroom-based activities linked to your curriculum. Apply and get your international work recognised.
Sign up to the British Council Schools e-newsletter and be the first to hear about new resources, funding, training and global webinars!

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Help your pupils learn a language with our most popular classroom resource.

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Introduction

Languages are an integral part of the curriculum. Learning a language is 'a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures'. It helps to equip pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. It encourages pupils to appreciate and celebrate difference. The languages curriculum should also provide the foundation for learning further languages. It should enable pupils to study and work in other countries. In doing this, the languages curriculum has a potential positive impact on business and the economy.

This review explores the literature relating to the field of foreign languages education. Its purpose is to identify factors that contribute to high-quality school languages curriculums, assessment, pedagogy and systems. We will use this understanding of subject quality to examine how languages are taught in England's schools.

The purpose of this research review is outlined more fully in the 'Principles behind Ofsted's research reviews and subject reports'.

Since there are a variety of ways that schools can construct and teach a high-quality languages curriculum, it is important to recognise that there is no single way of achieving high-quality languages education.

In this review, we have:

The review draws on a range of sources, including our 'Education inspection framework: overview of research' and our 3 phases of curriculum research.

We hope that, through this work, we will contribute to raising the quality of languages education for all young people.

National context

Summary

This section highlights the pressured position that languages are in. It discusses the main challenges that we face, including the decrease in uptake of languages over the years. This includes at A level as well as GCSE. It notes that, although languages as a subject is pressured, it is also pivotal to the success of the national English Baccalaureate (EBacc) ambition. The proportion of boys, disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) engaging in languages after key stage 3 is low. Staff expertise, curriculum planning, time allocation and transition are cited as barriers at key stage 2. Pupils' motivation is discussed as a focus to help languages to flourish. This includes the need for pupils to feel successful in their learning and that they are clear about their next steps.

The overall picture

The requirement for maintained schools and academies to offer a broad and balanced curriculum is set out in the Education Act 2002 (for maintained schools) and the Academies Act 2010. This expectation is reflected in the national curriculum and is at the heart of the education inspection framework (EIF).

It is clear that pupils in England often perceive languages to be difficult. The number of pupils choosing to study languages at GCSE, for example, declined significantly from 2004, when studying a language after the age of 14 was made non-statutory.

What is more, at the heart of an effective key stage 4 curriculum is a strong academic core: the EBacc. The EBacc is a set of subjects at GCSE that is designed to keep pupils' options open for further study and future careers. It is a suite of qualifications made up from English language and literature, mathematics, the sciences, geography or history, and a language (modern or ancient).

The government's response to its EBacc consultation, published in July 2017, confirmed that it expects the large majority of pupils to study the EBacc. It is therefore the government's ambition that 75% of Year 10 pupils in state-funded mainstream schools should be studying EBacc GCSE courses nationally by September 2022 (taking their examinations in 2024), rising to 90% by September 2025 (taking their examinations in 2027).

Many schools have obstacles to overcome before the government's EBacc ambition for languages becomes a reality.

Some of the main challenges are often cited in research and include:

ensuring that more pupils continue to study languages after they become optional

implementing languages in primary schools

ensuring that pupils of all abilities can develop their language knowledge

encouraging the study of other languages in the face of the dominance of English as a second language

Secondary years

Despite the introduction of the EBacc, entries for GCSE languages reduced by 19% between 2014 and 2018. Entries in French and German declined by 30% over this period. Spanish was more stable, with only a 2% decline in entries.[footnote 14], [footnote 15] In 2019, the number of entries in French and Spanish increased by almost 4% and 8%, respectively.[footnote 16] This is potentially due to the national focus on the EBacc, although the size of the cohort increased this year also.

Entries in other languages, which account for around 10% of total language entries, have grown by 6%. This is led by Arabic, Chinese, Modern Hebrew, Portuguese, Italian and Polish.[footnote 17] Many entries in these subjects are from pupils who speak these languages at home. Against this, languages that have declined at GCSE include Bengali, Gujarati, Japanese and Russian.

Ancient languages are included within the EBacc. Entries for Latin have steadily increased, now being the equivalent of 3.5% of entries for all languages. Entries in Classical Greek have remained static at around 0.4% of entries for all languages since 2010.[footnote 18]

'Language trends', the annual survey report by the British Council, highlights some more issues within secondary schools. In 2019, the survey noted that the trend to bring forward GCSE choices to Year 8 in some state schools has meant that 'large numbers of pupils are receiving only 2 years of language teaching in key stage 3 in secondary school'. It also notes that '33% of state secondary schools have groups of Year 9 pupils whose language education has already effectively been terminated'.

Primary years

The statutory requirement to teach a modern or ancient language in primary schools from the age of 7 took effect from September 2014. In September 2018, the first cohort of children who had to study a language throughout key stage 2 made the transition from primary to secondary school.

Although this has had a positive impact on languages being part of the curriculum, the quality of provision is variable. Following a policy summit, the Research in Primary Languages Network published a paper outlining some of the challenges for languages.[footnote 21] It referenced wide variation in the amount of time spent learning languages in primary schools. It found that:

It also found that issues around transition between primary and secondary school have not yet been overcome. These include:

Ambition for all

GCSE entry data highlights that take up at key stage 4 is more skewed towards pupils with higher prior attainment than many other GCSE subjects. Pupils with lower prior attainment are very unlikely to opt to study languages. In addition, in 2019, only 14% of pupils with SEND were entered for the EBacc compared with 45% of all other pupils.[footnote 24] Only 28% of disadvantaged pupils were entered for the EBacc compared with 45% of all other pupils.

In 2019, only 42% of entries for French and 43% of entries for Spanish were from boys. In 2020, the British Council published a report focusing on boys studying languages at GSCE in schools in England. The report focuses on identifying schools that are 'beating the odds' in engaging boys in languages. When considering trends over time, it is clear that fewer boys, whatever their prior level of attainment, opt to study languages at GCSE. The report outlines the trends in EBacc uptake also.[footnote 25]

The sector has also identified that there is currently wide variation in engagement with languages, depending on the status of learners. In 2020, 'Language trends' shone a spotlight on disapplication. Disapplication is when a school removes all or part of the curriculum for a pupil or group of pupils. Only 68% of schools that responded to the 'Language trends' survey had all pupils in Year 7 studying languages. This decreased to 60% of schools for Year 8 pupils.[footnote 26], [footnote 27] The reason often cited was to give additional support to pupils in English and/or mathematics.

GCSE entry patterns are clear. Higher prior attaining pupils and girls often opt for languages. Others, including boys, pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are underrepresented in comparison with other subjects.[footnote 28]

Enabling languages to flourish

The reasons that relatively few pupils opted to continue to study languages after this stopped being compulsory are complex. Much has been written about motivation as a construct and different theories developed to explain it.[footnote 29]

Some pupils see the importance of learning languages because of their usefulness in the future. For example, they value the improved job opportunities or the ability to travel and live in other countries that learning additional languages could bring. Other possible motivational factors include:

being able to communicate with others outside of the UK

pupils' perception of the usefulness of the language and involvement in intercultural activities and exchanges

discovering more about other cultures and peoples, the context in which the language is rooted

However, studies have shown that many pupils struggle to see the relevance of the subject in their lives.[footnote 31]

The following are likely to have a positive impact on pupils' self-efficacy:

The above points suggest that, in order to have a positive impact on their motivation, curriculum design should ensure that pupils:

There are other barriers that potentially stop languages flourishing in England. Pupils who take part in exchange programmes sometimes feel demotivated when they compare their own linguistic ability with that of their peers abroad. Multiple studies show that pupils learning English abroad begin to do so between the ages of 6 and 8. They spend more time on languages and most continue studying languages until the end of compulsory education.[footnote 38] For example, compared with the EU average, the amount of time spent by English pupils learning languages was an hour a week less for the first foreign language and 2 hours a week less for the second foreign language.[footnote 39] Pupils' levels of attainment are clearly based on more than simply their number of hours spent studying languages, however. It is likely to also be influenced by issues of motivation and pupils' perception of the subject,[footnote 40] the quality of transition between primary and secondary,[footnote 41] and poorly designed curriculums that do not allow pupils to make progress and see success.

We have more on other aspects of education that have a negative impact on enabling languages to flourish in the 'Schools' culture and policies' section. This includes issues of teacher supply and continuing professional development (CPD).[footnote 48]

Curriculum progression: what it means to get better at languages

Summary

This section highlights some of the important concepts that help our understanding of curriculum progression, as highlighted in the 'Education inspection framework: overview of research'.

It goes on to introduce the idea that the building blocks of a language system are sounds, words and rules about how these connect to create sentences and meanings (phonics, vocabulary, grammar). These are then discussed in greater depth to help curriculum planners identify key components in language and help pupils develop their linguistic ability step by step.

It concludes by describing the competencies of novice and expert language learners as they bring these building blocks together to produce and understand ever more complex language. This journey leads to pupils becoming confident language learners with the ability to immerse themselves in the culture and traditions of the countries in scope.

Guiding principles

Research on how we learn, and in particular cognitive science, has informed the thinking behind the EIF. In our research reviews, we are not aiming to summarise the totality of research in education. Our work is based on a range of research findings in line with the EIF.[footnote 49] These findings include:

Pillars of progression in the curriculum: phonics, vocabulary, grammar

A language curriculum needs to be planned carefully for pupils' progress by considering the building blocks of the subject (in languages, the sounds, words and rules about how these connect to create sentences and meanings) and the sequence of these blocks.

This is not a reductive approach. The goals of having pupils broaden their horizons, converse fluently with others, fully explore cultures and strengthen their economic prospects can only be reached if we build firm foundations of language learning. Only by mastering the basics can pupils engage fully in the process of language learning, which they can then use to communicate about an increasingly wide range of themes. With increasing linguistic ability, cultural awareness can become ever more refined. To improve learners' understanding and production of language, a steady development in understanding of phonics, vocabulary, grammar and their interplay is needed.

Typically, language assessment systems incorporate these 3 'pillars':

We refer to these 3 pillars as phonics, vocabulary and grammar throughout this review.

Language is more than the simple sum of its parts. Models of language ability[footnote 58] mention other competencies that enable communication with different kinds of people, in different contexts, for different purposes.

These include:

These are in addition to a core of linguistic knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and phonics.[footnote 59]

However, when learning languages, the main tasks for beginners are:

Learners understand language when reading and listening. They produce language when speaking and writing. Speaking, listening, reading and writing are the 4 'modalities' of language.

Through learning and practice, the range, complexity and accuracy of the grammatical features and the breadth and depth of learners' vocabulary knowledge will increase over time. The length of speech or text/discourse being understood or produced will do the same. For example, to be better at reading comprehension,[footnote 60] learners need to become faster and more accurate at:

This enables learners to become successful readers because it frees up their mental capacity to understand implied meanings and to process information across larger chunks of text.[footnote 61]

We will discuss more fully the differences between novice and expert learners in languages later in this review. This novice-expert axis is at the heart of curriculum planning, given expectations at GCSE, A level, and higher levels in the CEFR. Lower-level processes, like recognising sounds or words, take up more of beginning learners' processing capacity.[footnote 62] Over time and with practice, knowledge becomes more accessible. This means that recalling it becomes faster and more automatic, demands less attention and effort and results in fewer errors.[footnote 63] Eventually, learners will have spare cognitive resources to focus on other things, such as more complex words and structures. They will also become more adept at higher-level cognitive processes and competencies.

There are similarities between learning to read and to write in our first language and learning to do so in another language. Some of the concepts that lie behind early reading and early writing (and in particular, systematic synthetic phonics) are also relevant in the languages curriculum. The step-by-step, explicit approach to phonics and spelling can transfer to the languages classroom.

Phonics

Clear and reliable pronunciation and the links between sounds and spelling are integral parts of second language learning.[footnote 64]

A strong awareness of phonology (the sounds that convey meaning, like the difference between 'back' and 'pack') is important. When listening to the language, learners' ability to understand and visualise the language is supported by having a strong phonological awareness. The ability to decode words (turn the written word into sounds) also helps learners when reading texts, enhances autonomy and can improve vocabulary learning.[footnote 65]

Clearly, the number of unfamiliar sound-spelling correspondences varies between languages when compared with English. There are, for example, significantly more unfamiliar sound-spelling correspondences in French than in Spanish or German.

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

Curriculum plans show clear logic behind progression in phonics, including around when to teach differences between English sound-spelling correspondences and those of the target language.

Planned practice and review of phonemes and how these link to graphemes is in place.

Curriculum plans show how small differences in sound can unlock meaning for pupils.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is crucial for learners to become proficient in languages. Studies show that having a wider vocabulary correlates with many other aspects of a learner's language ability, such as reading ability and grammatical awareness.[footnote 68] It therefore needs to be built explicitly into the curriculum. The choice of vocabulary in the curriculum should be carefully considered, especially in view of the learners' age and how often words occur in the language (that is, word frequency).

Less frequent words can also be useful to suit the individual learner and the kinds of situations they are likely to need language for. Many schemes of work and textbooks are based around topic areas like hobbies and holidays. Themes and topics can be practical ways of organising vocabulary. However, learners need to be able to understand and use words across a wide variety of contexts, not just when talking about one particular topic. There are several reasons for this, including that:

As learners expand their vocabulary knowledge, semantic networks (clusters of related words) will emerge. These will be useful across and beyond topics. Learners will be able to use lexical sets in different grammatical constructions, rather than using one set of vocabulary working with one type of grammatical construction.

Exam specifications often separate vocabulary into lists of high-frequency words and themes. Other ways of organising vocabulary lists are also possible, such as by part of speech (noun, verb and so on) or alphabetical order.

When considering word knowledge, curriculum leaders need to look at dimensions other than simply the number of vocabulary items. Milton usefully divides word knowledge into 3 components:[footnote 72]

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

Curriculum plans recognise that vocabulary is an important component of language knowledge.

Curriculum plans recognise the importance of building a strong verb lexicon, especially in the early stages of language learning.

Curriculum planning of vocabulary, grammar and phonic knowledge and progression should go hand in hand, as they are all related and connected.

Curriculum leaders consider both the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge they will teach. They:

make sure that they prioritise high-frequency words

consider carefully which topic-based vocabulary (other than high-frequency words) they teach

ensure that learners can use these words across different contexts

consider how 'deeply' items of vocabulary need to be learned and at what point

consider how and when to introduce more advanced semantic aspects of vocabulary knowledge (such as synonyms, antonyms, shades of meaning and how they change with context).

Teachers aim to increase learners' automatic and fluent recall through:

a schedule of planned revisiting to ensure that words are retained in long-term memory

introducing and using vocabulary in comprehension and production, in both the oral and written modalities and across different topics.

Curriculum leaders also think strategically about:

which words are the most important for the scheme of work so that teachers can focus on these to develop learners' level of mastery

gradation (what pupils learn and when across the years of study)

making links between words within word families and recognising similarities and differences between English and the language being learned

how to link vocabulary to external accreditations or assessments.

Grammar

It is important that there is a logic behind grammatical progression in curriculum plans, from simpler to more complex concepts and structures. For example, leaders need to decide when to introduce:

different tenses

agreements on verbs for person and number

agreement on nouns and adjectives

different parts of a paradigm; at an early point in language learning, the whole paradigm may overwhelm the working memory as learners can only process a limited number of new features at any one time

Sometimes, rather than ensuring that learners understand different structures, especially at the early stages of learning, teachers and textbooks provide them with 'ready-made sentences or short texts that satisfied exam requirements'.[footnote 79] If leaders teach fixed phrases initially, they must ensure that they also teach pupils to manipulate the words and grammar they contain, as soon as sensible. Generally, only a very few highly frequent and useful phrases should be taught without helping learners to manipulate their component parts. An example of this is 's'il vous plaît' in French .

Certain factors influence the difficulty of grammar for the learner.[footnote 80] These factors can help curriculum leaders to consider the sequencing of grammar, for example:

how easy the grammar is for the learner to spot and identify ('salience')

the ease of understanding its function

its frequency (and therefore its usefulness, different forms of verbs 'be' and 'have', for example)

whether the grammar is cross-linguistically complex (works differently from other languages that they already know)

There are different theoretical views about:

We have looked at research on learning in naturalistic contexts (such as living in a foreign country), where learning is incidental and implicit. In this context, research finds that second-language learners' grammatical development is aligned to a similar order as that when learning a mother tongue.[footnote 82] However, this may differ in instructed contexts like lessons. Here, exposure to the target language is limited and learning is largely intentional and explicit. There is now a strong consensus that 'routes' of learning can vary between learners. For example, routes may be affected by the learners' first language or individual differences between them.

More importantly, there is also evidence that drawing learners' attention to aspects of grammar and practising them can benefit learning, improve efficiency and speed up learners' progression. Indeed, explicit grammar instruction can have a positive impact on how efficiently pupils learn grammatical concepts,[footnote 83], [footnote 84] while revisiting grammar systematically ensures that the taught concepts and structures are embedded in pupils' memory.

In addition to grammar sequencing considerations for the explicit teaching of grammar, and systematic practice, curriculum planning for grammar progression should also take into account learners' vocabulary size. Vocabulary knowledge is linked to grammatical knowledge. For example, a good verb lexicon is positively associated with the development of knowledge about verbs (for tense, person, number and so on).[footnote 85]

Over time and with practice, pupils need to start understanding and using grammar creatively in a range of contexts and across modalities (speaking, writing, reading and listening). This will help them establish reliable and fast mastery of grammar knowledge incrementally through a structured approach and scaffolded practice. This ought to be reflected in curriculum plans and lesson resources.

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

When planning the curriculum for grammatical progress, leaders consider the nature and rate of grammatical progression, the complexity of grammatical concepts and structures, and which aspects of a grammatical structure are introduced and when (such as which parts of a verb paradigm).

Leaders make sure that all pupils can understand grammatical concepts and structures rather than being required to work it out for themselves, through:

an explicit but succinct description of the grammatical feature to be taught

practising the grammar point (through listening and reading)

practice in productive use of the features being taught (through speaking and writing).

Teachers consider productive use of grammar in free writing and speech in a range of contexts. Using a language spontaneously is central to pupils' language ability and based on their ability to manipulate language.

The curriculum includes ample opportunity to revisit the same grammar in different contexts, for different tasks, with a range of vocabulary.

Planned and purposeful progression in the curriculum: from novice to expert learner

Initially, learners are slow at recognising sounds/letters or at recognising and producing words and structures. This is because short-term/working memory resources are limited and can only process a limited amount of information at a time, and information is not embedded yet in long-term memory.

Over time and with practice, knowledge becomes:

Once learners have automatised some basic knowledge of the language, they can build on it: they can pay conscious attention to other features and establish new knowledge. They become able to carry out higher-level tasks, such as:

When we look at the languages curriculum, it is important to understand that, in the UK, only the most proficient linguists at GCSE will be working as expert learners. A greater proportion of those in the sixth form may be doing so. Most pupils in UK schools will be learning the sounds, vocabulary and grammar of the language. They will be developing their understanding and production of these when they are combined into utterances or texts (see 'Pillars of progression in the curriculum').[footnote 87]

When planning for pupils to become more proficient in the language, curriculum planning should consider the following aspects of linguistic knowledge and progression.

When listening and reading (comprehending language)

Novice linguists need to 'decode' what they hear or read. They segment strings of sounds or letters (break them into meaningful words) and parse sentences (such as work out 'who is doing what') by drawing on their phonic, vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. These processes are initially slow, effortful and prone to error. Learners are likely to draw on their first language(s) or on their knowledge of the world when working out meaning. Although this can sometimes be effective, it can also be unreliable and inefficient, and lead to guesswork.

With time and practice, knowledge of phonics, grammar and vocabulary becomes automatised. Accessing this knowledge becomes more accurate and effortless. With this, learners can understand longer written texts and spoken discourse. In turn, this means that they can access a wider range of meanings across a range of contexts and purposes of language use. They will also be more likely to efficiently and appropriately draw on contextual information, for example other words in the discourse. They can also bring in their knowledge of the world or background knowledge of a topic. This all allows them to better understand both familiar and less familiar topics and further develop their understanding of the culture of the language in scope.[footnote 88]

Clearly, there are different demands on all learners when listening to language compared with reading it.[footnote 89] Listening comprehension usually requires decoding sounds at the speed at which you hear them. You cannot go back, unless you are allowed to re-listen to the pre-recorded speech or ask someone to repeat what has been said. There may also be more than one speaker, so listeners have to follow multiple voices and points of view.

Teachers need to take similarities and differences between listening and reading comprehension into account when planning a balanced curriculum, deciding on classroom tasks and activities, and assessing progress. Teachers should be aware of the differences in the difficulty or challenge of tasks and allocate sufficient time for practice. For example, it may be easier to understand a written dialogue than a spoken one, given the speed of delivery, difference in accents and possible overlaps in conversation. Teachers can adjust the challenge by varying any of those factors or all of them. They should be aware of the different cognitive challenges that different factors bring to listening comprehension, as well as the cognitive challenges inherent in reading comprehension when selecting or designing tasks for their pupils (in view of their ability).

When speaking and writing (producing language)

Novice learners need to produce sounds or combine letters to make words and grammar into language that is comprehensible. Compared with more expert speakers and writers:

With time and practice, learners become faster at accessing phonic, grammar and vocabulary knowledge. They have faster and more accurate retrieval of sounds and spellings to produce words. They can put those words together by reliably following the patterns of the language to convey meaning accurately and efficiently.

With this automaticity and an increasing grammatical and vocabulary knowledge, learners' capacity to pay attention to other learning is freed up. They can use this to produce longer and more complex words, phrases, sentences/utterances and texts. For example, learners become able to:

There are different demands on learners (both novice and expert) when they are speaking, compared with when writing. When speaking or during other 'live' communication such as texting, they need to be aware of the ongoing shared discourse and to understand new information received. This means learners usually need to develop competency in listening.[footnote 92] There is also often more time pressure in these scenarios. Learners may feel that listeners will not simply wait while they express their thoughts. Writing is usually 'offline' and so gives learners time to think about content and how to express it.

These key differences in demands between speaking, writing and in ability levels should be kept in mind when designing the curriculum, class activities and tests, and when assessing progression.

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

Teachers ensure that learners fully grasp the basics of language knowledge before expecting elements of expertise to come together reliably, remembering that only the most proficient pupils at GCSE will be working as expert learners, although a greater proportion of those in the sixth form may be doing so.

Teachers support pupils' development of reading, listening, writing and speaking abilities over time.

Teachers develop competencies 'above' that of a sentence or simple paragraph/utterance or simple conversation when learners are becoming more expert. These competencies may include discourse awareness (such as text analysis and inference) and sociolinguistic nuance.

Pedagogy

Summary

This section outlines research on learning, and in particular cognitive science, of relevance to language-teaching pedagogy. It explains the differences between intentional and incidental learning, with a focus on the efficiency of intentional learning in a UK context. It also highlights the importance of teachers' planning when using the target language in the classroom. In particular, it looks at the target-language debate and emphasises how learners' use of the target language should be the focus. The section goes on to consider the use of authentic texts in the classroom and issues around error correction. The golden thread through these discussions is that teachers should not leave learning to chance.

Intentional and incidental learning

Second language acquisition is an important area of academic research. Researchers continue to discuss whether non-mother-tongue languages are learned explicitly (with awareness) or implicitly (without awareness). The general consensus is that some of both of these goes on in most situations.

In the classroom, it is useful to think of learning as being 'intentional' or 'incidental'. Intentional learning happens when the learner is aware of the need to learn. They invest effort in it and knowingly gain explicit knowledge. Incidental learning happens when a learner is not aware that they might learn something, but they do. It happens as a by-product of another activity.

Pupils' ability to learn through incidental learning is linked to their individual differences, for example whether they:

When time is short and there is not a lot of exposure to language, this reduces the chance of learners experiencing the same language (phonics, vocabulary, grammar) often enough to help them learn it. In turn, this reduces the chances of learners noticing and remembering things incidentally.

For most learners, most of the time, in most situations, it is likely to be efficient for teachers to promote intentional learning. There is little evidence in research into second-language acquisition to suggest that learners retain words or structures learned incidentally any better than those they learn intentionally. This conclusion is also supported by the research that contributed to the development of the EIF, specifically the expertise reversal effect, as noted above. For example, Kalyuga states that 'explicit teaching works best with novice learners'.[footnote 94] For advanced learners, 'enquiry-based approaches can be successful', although, even then, explicit teaching may be more efficient.

Use of the target language

The role of the target language and its use by both learners and teachers have been the subject of perennial debate.[footnote 95] The discussion about intentional and incidental learning as mentioned above has also had a direct impact on the position of the target language in the classroom.

Of course, we want learners to be exposed to the language they are learning. However, we do not want them to be overwhelmed by it in their early stages of language learning to the point that it could demotivate them. The use of the target language by the teacher should not hinder pupils from being able to develop an understanding of the structure of the language. At the same time, using the target language is an essential part of practice and reinforcement, including building familiarity with rhythms, sounds and intonation.[footnote 96] But this all needs to be carefully planned and systematic. A balance needs to be achieved.

As learners progress from novice to more proficient in the language, teachers can alter their use of the target language accordingly. That is to say, the earlier learners are in language learning, the greater the care teachers need to take to ensure that learners are not confused or overwhelmed by teachers' use of overly complex language. A concrete example is the planned use of target language for classroom routines that are clearly understood by learners, as opposed to an attempt to describe more complex grammatical concepts to learners using the target language.

Authenticity of spoken and written texts

Another perennial debate is around the status of 'authentic'[footnote 101] spoken and written texts in language classrooms. An authentic text is one lifted, largely unamended, from its native-speaker environment. It could be, for example, an article from a French newspaper or website.

It is not well evidenced that the authenticity of a text alone helps learning or motivation. Texts need to be selected to support the school's systematic sequencing of vocabulary and grammar. But they can also provide important opportunities for pupils to pursue their own interests and develop their skills in handling new materials. Texts can also support pupils' developing knowledge of culture within target language communities. All these purposes do not necessarily require a text to be authentic. The important question is whether the texts support the programme of language development. So, adapted authentic texts or entirely bespoke texts created for the classroom are likely to be equally useful for this.

When selecting texts for listening exercises, teachers need to consider the 'real-time nature of speech' (its speed and transitory nature). Initially, it can be useful to use synchronous presentation of texts in audio and written formats if teachers know that pupils are following the text at the same rate as the audio format. This can help segmentation (chopping up the sound stream into words), comprehension and vocabulary learning. They can be useful at all stages of listening as texts get progressively more complex and longer.

Authenticity relates not only to the features of a text being used, but also to the use of the text within the classroom. Teachers should consider situational authenticity (the extent to which the texts resemble those real-life situations) and interactional authenticity (the extent to which the test-takers engage with the task in the same way as they would in real life).

Error correction on written and spoken production

The effectiveness of feedback depends both on teachers and on pupils. Teachers should provide salient, focused and clear feedback. Pupils need to be willing and able to notice and incorporate this feedback.

Discussions and research into error correction continue. There is a concern that error correction in languages could demotivate pupils from attempting more complex writing or speech. This would, therefore, be harmful rather than simply ineffective. There is also debate around whether error correction is a useful editing tool only, or whether pupils use any new knowledge acquired from error correction when producing future language. However, there is broad consensus that error correction, when done in a focused way that is clearly understood by the pupils, can be beneficial for many.

How to correct

There are 3 broad strategies used when correcting both oral and written errors:

Eliciting the correction from the learner prompts them to think about the language they used and to correct the error themselves.[footnote 105] Prompting forces the learner to retrieve the language, actively recalling it. It can be particularly effective where the error caused a communication breakdown. Prompting seems more likely to be effective than recasts for most learners, most of the time, for most types of error. Pronunciation is a possible exception, and might best be corrected by a direct recast.

The main disadvantage of teachers recasting incorrect language is that it relies on pupils being able to work out what the error was. Another problem is that not all pupils choose to repeat the teachers' correction. Even if they do, it is not clear that this uptake actually leads to long-term learning.[footnote 106]

There is also some debate over whether self-correction or teacher correction is the best approach to take. The risk with self-correction is that the learner does not know enough to be able to correct their work.

Timing of error correction

Bauckham notes that error correction in both spoken and written language is most effective when done immediately.[footnote 110]

What to correct

Evidence suggests that focused error correction (when a teacher focuses on one or a few elements of language production for correction) is usually more effective than unfocused error correction (when a teacher corrects every error that a pupil makes).

Attitudes to error correction

Research underlines the need for classrooms to be places where mistakes are understood to be helpful in the learning process, and where making errors and error correction is normalised. It is important that pupils are prepared for the kinds of error correction they might receive either from teachers or from peers.[footnote 111]

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

Learning in a language classroom is largely intentional and not left to chance.

Teachers' use of the target language is carefully planned, is tailored to pupils' language ability levels and builds systematically on pupils' prior knowledge.

Teachers create opportunities for pupils to practise using the target language, including helping them to apply their knowledge in an unscripted way, which may be slower and more error-prone than planned speech.

Any authentic texts are well chosen for their linguistic content and level, and teachers plan their use carefully; they do not expose pupils to large amounts of unfamiliar language.

Error correction is explicit where the focus is on accuracy: pupils are prompted that there has been an error and their own correction is elicited. It may well be focused on a particular aspect of the curriculum at a given time.

Pupils who are more proficient or have a higher capacity to notice or analyse language or have higher motivation may be able to pick up more language incidentally. For example, this may be through recasting errors, teachers' use of target language or engaging in authentic materials.

Assessment

Summary

This section outlines the purpose of different types of assessment. This is then contextualised according to phonics, vocabulary and grammar. The clear line of sight from the principles behind our research reviews and subject reports, through curriculum progression and pedagogy to assessment, can be seen. Crucially, in languages, leaders need to ensure that assessment is fit for purpose. This means that any assessment tests what it is designed to assess.

Types of assessment

Assessment is formative when teachers use it to check on their pupils' progress, to see how far they have mastered what they should have learned, and then use this information to modify their teaching plans. Summative assessment is used at the end of a period of learning (such as a term or year) to measure what has been achieved.[footnote 112] These 2 types of assessment overlap. They can both inform curriculum and pedagogy decisions: 'a systemic and ecological approach seeks complementarity: informal classroom assessment and formal large-scale assessment should both contribute to the 2 key purposes of assessment: to provide evidence of learning and evidence for learning'.[footnote 113]

In England, the Assessment Reform Group's work on formative assessment has been influential. There is a consensus that formative assessment includes:

providing effective feedback to pupils

adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment

recognising the profound influence assessment has on pupils' motivation and self-esteem, both of which are crucial influences on learning

It is vital that both formative and summative assessment accurately measure what they are intended to measure. Therefore, the following is important for curriculum leaders to consider:

Testing phonics knowledge

Knowledge of the sound-spelling relations is one of the building blocks of learning a language. Being able to pronounce words from their written form helps reading comprehension and assimilation of vocabulary. Also, being able to segment words when listening to connected speech relies on knowledge of sound-spelling correspondences.

Therefore, there needs to be formative and summative assessment of phonics knowledge in both reading aloud and dictation. Phonics tests can include asking learners to spell or read out words that they have not yet been taught. This tests whether they can link spoken and written forms.

Testing vocabulary knowledge

When assessing knowledge of vocabulary, assessing the breadth of vocabulary is important. Also, it is critical that the depth of knowledge is tested, for example pupils':

As pupils progress, it is important to test that they know that one word can have different meanings or different roles in a sentence. For example, they may understand 'français' as a noun and adjective.

Pupils will gradually build up 'semantic networks' (clusters of words that are useful to talk about particular things or in specific contexts). These networks will form gradually over time. Highly frequent words will always be useful across different contexts.

It is important to check pupils' receptive and productive ability, through both written and spoken forms of the language.[footnote 122]

It is vital that vocabulary assessments tap into the knowledge they claim to test (that is, that they are valid). In some parts of tests, pupils can infer meaning. For example, they may guess the meaning of cognates, or use common-sense knowledge of the world to derive meaning. Lexical inferencing (working out meaning from surrounding words) and cognate awareness (knowing when the same forms of words mean the same in their first language) are important components of language learning. But it is critical that tests clearly distinguish between whether they actually assess knowledge (that has been taught in lessons) or whether they assess other skills (such as strategy use, if unknown words are included in tests).

Testing grammar knowledge

When assessing grammatical knowledge, it is important to ensure that we test exactly what we are looking for, and that pupils are not drawing only on pre-learned lexical items or chunks of language. For example, 'yesterday' next to a verb tells the reader that the verb is in the past tense without them needing to recognise changes in morphology.

It is important to check pupils' receptive and productive ability through speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Aligning assessment to clearly structured and sequenced grammatical progression is key.

Achievement versus proficiency tests

As pupils move from novice to expert, assessing language proficiency should include checking their:

understanding across sentences, paragraphs and the entire text

production of more complex and longer language, in less scaffolded environments

These skills require more robust, faster and reliable access to the sounds of a language (that is, sounds in a wide range of contexts), mastery of more grammatical concepts, and a deeper and broader vocabulary.

Assessment may also test other competencies, such as:

Assessment of such 'composite' language use by definition draws on a reliable and fast grasp of the components of language and how these fit together.[footnote 123] These are advanced competencies at GCSE level.

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

Meaningful assessment is part of the curriculum in primary languages classrooms.

Assessment in secondary classrooms is not unduly influenced by GCSE or A-level summative assessment.

Assessments are carefully designed so that they are valid (for example, pupils cannot guess the meaning of vocabulary by a process of elimination).

Assessment is aligned to a clearly structured and sequenced curriculum.

For more expert learners, assessment checks learners' understanding of language, and ability to produce long stretches of language and more complex language, in less scaffolded environments.

Schools' culture and policies

Summary

This section outlines the impact that individual school leaders can have on languages. It gives an overview of findings from languages subject inspections in primary schools and outlines some of the choices school leaders face when considering staffing, issues of transition and CPD.

The priority that individual school leaders place on languages is a defining factor in how successfully the curriculum is planned and delivered. As mentioned above, there are many barriers that still need to be overcome for languages to flourish in English schools. Nonetheless, the decisions of school leaders can clearly help or hinder languages in individual contexts.

Between October 2019 and March 2020, Ofsted carried out 24 languages subject inspections in primary schools. We wanted to identify good practice and strong curriculum management in the subject. We selected the schools at random from schools that we graded as outstanding at their last inspection. We then published a blog on findings from these inspections.[footnote 124]

Although we found some strengths, many primary schools were barely out of the starting block with their curriculum. The following aspects were variable in schools, which highlights the potential impact of leaders' priorities and school culture on individual subjects in primary schools:

Sometimes, there was subtle unconscious bias within wider curriculum planning. For example, in CPD programmes, languages was the last subject to be covered. Also in curriculum plans, the last subject on the list was languages. Typically, English, mathematics, science, history and geography had more exposure. In topic-based curriculums, languages was sometimes shoehorned into illogical structures.

Some of these themes are mirrored in other national studies.

Curriculum choices, including transition

Transition between primary schools and secondary schools is reported to be inconsistent. In 2020, the survey report 'Language trends' noted that 46% of respondents from state secondaries said they had no contact with primary schools with regard to languages. In addition, 74% reported that they receive no data on pupils' prior attainment. Almost 70% of respondents state that in key stage 3, some pupils start a different language than what they studied at primary level. Just 4% of secondary teachers say that all pupils in Year 7 continue with the same language learned at primary school. Indeed, the report states that 'more often than not, language learning at key stage 3 starts from scratch'.[footnote 127]

This research is mirrored in Holmes and Myles' study, which notes that:[footnote 128]

The lack of continuity in curriculum planning from key stage 2 to key stage 3 means that secondary teachers take little or no account of prior learning and as a result, pupils are required to start learning the language again from the beginning, which for many pupils involves repeating what they have already learned.

Research by Baumert, Fleckenstein, Leucht, Köller and Möller also showed that poor transition, namely lack of continuity of the curriculum, is likely to be the most significant aspect in pupils not seeing the benefit of learning a language at primary school.[footnote 129]

It is also reported that disapplication from languages is widespread. In 2020, in only 68% of schools that responded to the 'Language trends' survey did all pupils in Year 7 access languages. Small numbers of students did not study the subject at all.[footnote 130] The report states that:

Schools where some groups do not study a language in Year 9 are significantly more likely to have a higher proportion of students eligible for free school meals, a higher allocation of pupil premium funding, lower Attainment 8 results... and have a higher proportion of students identified as having English as an additional language.

Staffing and continuing professional development

Teachers' expertise, CPD and teacher supply are central to meeting the challenges that schools face in relation to languages. Improving staffs' languages proficiency and boosting their expertise and confidence are also understood to be crucial.[footnote 131]

Research in all sectors highlights these challenges. In primary schools, over 70% of teachers have not accessed language-specific CPD in the last year.[footnote 132] This is the case for class teachers, specialist native speakers and specialist languages teachers. Teachers also need to ensure that their level of linguistic proficiency remains strong. However, it was also noted that their CPD abroad and teacher exchange programmes remain underdeveloped. They are also financially out of reach for almost all teachers.

Based on the above, high-quality languages education may have the following features

Conclusion

This review has explored a range of evidence relating to high-quality languages education. It has drawn on research from different countries and organisations. It also builds from the same research base that underpins the EIF.

Languages are in a pressured, yet pivotal, position. The proportion of boys, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND engaging in languages after key stage 3 is low. Staff expertise, curriculum planning, time allocation and transition are barriers at key stage 2. Transition and staffing continue to be a challenge throughout the system. Yet, languages are the key to not only the government's EBacc ambition, but also to unlocking the world and its cultures to young people.

An effective languages curriculum focuses on the building blocks of language: phonics, vocabulary and grammar. It helps learners make connections between sounds, words and sentences as they produce and understand ever more complex sentences and texts. These 'pillars' of phonics, vocabulary and grammar contain much of the knowledge that beginning learners need. As language learners become proficient, so their sociolinguistic, pragmatic and discourse competence has a greater focus within curriculum planning.

Research on how we learn, and in particular cognitive science, has informed the thinking behind this research review. Specifically, the limited capacity in short-term memory to process information, the long-term memory consisting of schemata where knowledge is linked or embedded with what is already known, using spaced or distributed practice, and the expertise reversal effect showing that explicit teaching works best with beginning learners. In short, learners start becoming proficient in languages later on in their studies.

The study of languages opens pupils' minds and opens doors of opportunity. It develops a deep cultural awareness that is difficult to grasp without an understanding of the linguistic heritage of countries. The goals of wanting pupils to broaden their horizons, converse with others, explore cultures and strengthen their economic prospects will only be reached when we build firm foundations of language learning.

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Languages are an integral part of the curriculum. Learning a language is 'a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures'. It helps to equip pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. It encourages pupils to appreciate and celebrate difference.

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KS3, KS4, KS5
Deadline: 15th July 2022

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What's new for 2023?

There are lots of exciting changes for 2023! Here are the key updates:

The Open category goes international! For the first time, we're thrilled to extend the Open category to adults from all over the world.

NEW dedicated strand for schools, for teachers entering with their pupils - featuring a new category for primary pupils, new multimedia alternatives to the written commentary, and a new bank of suggested poems that will ultimately cover dozens of languages.

NEW translation competition for teachers - Teachers at participating schools can now get creative with our free Teacher Laureate Prize!

Celebrating Ukrainian culture with the Ukrainian Spotlight - This year, our annual Spotlight turns to poetry from Ukraine.

Ready to enter? Choose your category!

Judges

Taher Adel (Open category)

Taher Adel is a British-Bahraini poet and spoken word artist. He has an MA in Creative Writing and Poetry from the University of East Anglia. He was poet in residence for Wells-next-the-sea in 2019. His books include I don't know what language I dream in (Burning Eye Books, forthcoming Sept 2023), The Names (translated into Arabic by Rewayat Reads), The Chosen Names and The Divine Names (both Sun Behind The Cloud, 2023). His poetry has also been published in Ambit, SMOKE Magazine, The New European, Gulf Daily News, Glassworks Magazine, Tedx, Poetry London Magazine and Poetry Salzburg Review.

Samantha Schnee (Open category)

Samantha Schnee is the founding editor of Words Without Borders. Her translation of The Goddesses of Water, a collection by Mexican poet Jeannette Clariond, is published by Shearsman Books in the UK and World Poetry Books in the US, where it was selected by the Academy of American Poets as one of their year-end recommendations. She is a 2023 Literature Fellow of the National Endowment of the Arts, completing a translation of Carmen Boullosa's Café Gijón prize-winning novel, El complot de los románticos, which will be published in English as Dante Hits the Road. Her translation of Boullosa's Texas: The Great Theft was shortlisted for the PEN America Translation Prize. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she now lives in Houston, Texas.

Jennifer Wong (Open category)

Jennifer Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong and is now based in the UK. She studied English at Oxford University and holds an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia and a creative writing PhD from Oxford Brookes University. She is the author of three poetry collections, including 回家 Letters Home (Nine Arches Press, 2020), which was the PBS Spring 2020 Wild Card Choice. Her book, Identity, Home and Writing Elsewhere in Contemporary Chinese Diaspora Poetry, was published by Bloomsbury Academic earlier this year. She has taught at Poetry School, City Lit and Oxford Brookes University, and was writer in residence at Wasafiri in 2011 and a visiting fellow at Oxford TORCH in 2022. Her poems, translations and reviews have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She is co-editor of Where Else: An International Hong Kong Poetry Anthology (Verve Poetry Press, 2023).

Twitter: @jennywcreative

Keith Jarrett (Individual Youth Entry and Schools Laureate Prize)

Keith Jarrett is a UK and FLUPP World poetry slam champion, and was selected for the International Literary Showcase as one of ten outstanding LGBT UK-based writers. His commissioned work has included bilingual English/Spanish performances in Bilbao and Madrid, working with young poets. His poetry collection, Selah, debuted in 2017 and his play, Safest Spot in Town was performed at the Old Vic and aired on BBC Four.

Keith has judged the Foyle Young Poets Award, the Polari Prize and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. He currently teaches at New York University in London, is a trustee for the Poetry Society and works as a freelance educator in secondary schools.

Nina Murray (Ukrainian Spotlight)

Nina Murray is a Ukrainian-American poet and translator. She is the author of the poetry collection Glapthorn Circular (LiveCanon Poetry, 2023) and several chapbooks. Her award-winning translations include Oksana Zabuzhko's Museum of Abandoned Secrets, and Oksana Lutsyshyna's Ivan and Phoebe (forthcoming from Deep Vellum). Her translation of Lesia Ukrainka's Cassandra was performed at the Omnibus Theatre in London in 2022.

Resources and inspiration

Are you an educator interested in using poetry translation in the classroom, or an adult entrant looking for some guidance about translating poetry? Read on for resources, as well as tips and inspiration from previous winners and former judges of the Stephen Spender Prize.

Explore our Prize Resources hub and Resources homepage for a wealth of resources - from booklets of suggested poems to video tutorials, poetry workshop ideas, worksheets and more.

Scroll on to download our PDF resource for adult newcomers to poetry translation and last year's prize booklet. Our full archive of prize booklets from previous years can downloaded from the bottom of this page.

Head over to our YouTube channel for a range of practical walkthroughs on translating poetry and to hear from previous Prize winners and commendees.

More ideas for using translation with children and young people can be found on our Translators in Schools sub-site, and on the Modern Poetry in Translation websites.

Poem inspiration

Find poems in dozens of languages with our bank of suggested poems for the Schools Laureate Prize

Explore the selection

Selecting a Poem and the Ethics of Translation

When you enter the Stephen Spender Prize, we want you to translate poems that speak to your heart; poems that inspire you.

Through the act and process of translation, we want to open people's eyes and minds to unfamiliar cultures and languages, and for them to engage with the linguistic traditions that form part of their own lives.

Poetry can be moving, funny, sad, intense and exciting. It can also be challenging. Poems from different times and places sometimes embody attitudes that may offend some readers, and some poets are controversial because of things that they did or said off the page.

In some instances, the sharing of a writer's work is questioned when such controversy arises. We believe that it is important to make such matters part of public debate, rather than removing uncomfortable issues from sight.

The Stephen Spender Prize is a celebration of dialogue between cultures, and good dialogue depends on both freedom and respect.

And so, we ask two things of you when you are selecting a poem for translation.

Firstly, make sure that you are comfortable with the attitude of the poem and the conduct of the poet (if this is known), and think sensitively about how it may be read by others. If you are selecting poems for children to translate, then please take care on their behalf.

Secondly, if you think the poem is challenging for either of the above reasons, but would like to translate it anyway, you may wish to reflect on this in your commentary.

Previous Winners

Jamie Broom, Olivia Tredre and Laurence Drayton (2022 winners, 18-and-under category)

The 2022 winners in the 18-and-under category were Jamie Broom, Olivia Tredre and Laurence Drayton, for their respective translations of Homer's 'To Pan' (from Ancient Greek), 'Old Dust' by Li Bai (from Ancient Chinese) and an extract from Ovid's Metamorphoses translated as 'The Rape of Daphne' (from Latin).

Download prize booklets

Booklets featuring all the prizewinning poems from 2022 back to 2004 can be downloaded below. Booklets are in PDF format.

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About the Prize and how to enter in 2023 The Stephen Spender Prize is the leading annual prize for poetry in translation, with categories for pupils, teachers and individual young people in the UK and Ireland, as well as an...

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BC: Hosting a Modern Language Assistant in 2022-23

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BC: Hosting a Modern Language Assistant in 2022-23

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Deadline: 2nd May 2022

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Prismatic Jane Eyre Schools Project: Creative Translation Competition

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Prismatic Jane Eyre Schools Project: Creative Translation Competition

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KS3, KS4 & KS5
Deadline: 1 March 2022.

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Prismatic Jane Eyre Project

The Prismatic Jane Eyre Schools Project is an AHRC-funded joint project with the University of Oxford and the Stephen Spender Trust (SST), the leading UK charity for creative multilingual activities in schools.

Over 2021, the Project is running workshops in translation and creative writing for young people who are learning modern languages or are speakers of community languages. Using the classic novel Jane Eyre and research about how the text has been translated across the world since its 1847 publication, professional translators will deliver workshops to secondary schools in the UK.

A nation-wide creative translation competition will be launched on 30 September 2021 - International Translation Day! The competition deadline is March 2021. Entrants are asked to produce a poem in another language inspired by a selected passage from Jane Eyre. The competition accepts submissions in any language, and all entries need to be accompanied by a literal translation into English.

Up to 100 entries to the competition will be published in a printed anthology, which will also be available online.

Support materials will be available on our resources page: https://prismaticjaneeyre.org/resources/. Additional activity packs will be provided in the workshop languages (Arabic, French, Polish, and Spanish) by October 2021. These materials give learners and teachers the chance to take part in creative translation activities related to Jane Eyre at home or in the classroom.

The competition guidelines and selected passages will be made available online on 30 September 2021 on this webpage: https://prismaticjaneeyre.org/competition-details/.

If you are a teacher who would like regular updates about the competition or the project more generally, please register your interest using this form. https://forms.office.com/r/JV2k133s3Z.

Queries can be directed to Dr Eleni Philippou at PJEschools@ell.ox.ac.uk.

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The Prismatic Jane Eyre Schools Project is an AHRC-funded joint project with the University of Oxford and the Stephen Spender Trust (SST), the leading UK charity for creative multilingual activities in schools. Over 2021, the Project is running workshops in translation and creative writing for young people who are learning modern languages or are speakers of community languages.

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Y7-13
Deadline: 31st January 2022

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Our Arabic Speaking Competition is now closed to new applications for 2022.

Individual learners of Arabic will perform an oral presentation to a judging panel of fluent Arabic speakers, communicating at a language level appropriate to their learning. The performance will be followed by questions from the judges, depending on the student's level.

Performances may last up to two minutes, and will take place online between 7 and 23 March 2022.

Parent and teacher consent forms can be found and downloaded from this page. The images to accompany the topics at beginner levels will be uploaded here shortly.

The winners will be announced at a National Celebration Event in either May or June 2022.

If you have entered students then please join our teacher briefing on 1 March 2022 at 15.30 on Microsoft Teams. Please email teachingarabic@britishcouncil.org if you need the link.

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Our Arabic Speaking Competition is now closed to new applications for 2022. Individual learners of Arabic will perform an oral presentation to a judging panel of fluent Arabic speakers, communicating at a language level appropriate to their learning. The performance will be followed by questions from the judges, depending on the student's level.

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Updated: February 2022

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16 to 18 accountability headline measures

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Guide for schools, colleges and local authorities on how the 16 to 18 performance measures are calculated.

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Secondary accountability measures Guidance 2022

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Secondary accountability measures Guidance 2022

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Updated: February 2022

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Information for schools about secondary school accountability measures, including Progress 8 and Attainment 8.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This document explains how secondary accountability measures are calculated. It also gives more information about announced policies that apply to accountability measures for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

This information is for:

senior leaders working in secondary schools and trusts, including maintained schools, academies, alternative provision, free schools and special schools

independent schools or colleges with 14 to 16 provision seeking information on secondary accountability measures

governors and trustees

local authorities

It applies to:

local-authority-maintained schools

academies

free schools

further education colleges with 14 to 16 provision

Find school and college performance data.

KS4 qualifications, discount codes and point scores for the school performance measures.

A short video explaining Progress 8 is also available:
Progress 8 video

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Secondary accountability measures (including Progress 8 and Attainment 8)

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Information for schools about secondary school accountability measures, including Progress 8 and Attainment 8.

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ALL: Advice for languages teachers for Public Examinations

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ALL: Advice for languages teachers for Public Examinations

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February 2022

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Ofqual: Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022

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Ofqual: Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022

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Published: 7th February 2022

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Overview of the support being provided for each qualification for students taking GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022.

Applies to England

Additional support this year

A package of support has been put in place for students taking GCSE, AS and A level qualifications in summer 2022. It is intended to make sure that we are being as fair as possible to students given the disruption they have experienced, and many continue to face, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Part of the changes includes more generous grading this year to provide a safety net for students who may have been impacted by the pandemic.

Advance information might look different for different subjects because of how they are structured and assessed, but as far as possible the exam boards have made sure the approaches within a subject are the same.

These changes apply in England and to Ofqual regulated qualifications taken elsewhere.

Exam boards have published specific information about the changes for each qualification they offer, you should check their websites for more information:

GCSEs

Where we list changes for subjects in 2022, we only list what has changed, not what is remaining the same.

Ancient history, GCSE

Art and design, GCSE

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Astronomy, GCSE

Biblical Hebrew, GCSE

Biology, GCSE

Business, GCSE

Chemistry, GCSE

Citizenship studies, GCSE

Classical civilisation, GCSE

Classical Greek, GCSE

Combined science, GCSE

Changes for 2022

1. Information on some of the exam content has been provided to help students focus their revision.

2. A revised equation sheet has been provided for teaching and learning.

3. A clean copy of the equation sheet will be provided for students in the exams.

4. Teachers can deliver practical work by demonstration.

5. Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

Computer science, GCSE

Dance, GCSE

Design and technology, GCSE

Drama, GCSE

Economics, GCSE

Electronics, GCSE

Engineering, GCSE

English language, GCSE

English literature, GCSE

Film studies, GCSE

Food preparation and nutrition, GCSE

Geography, GCSE

Changes for 2022

1. Exams will cover less content than usual.

2. In the exams there will be a choice of content on which students must answer questions.

3. There will be no questions on the student's fieldwork experience.

4. Fieldwork requirements have been relaxed.

5. Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

Geology, GCSE

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

History, GCSE

Latin, GCSE

Maths, GCSE

Modern foreign languages, GCSE

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Music, GCSE

Physical education, GCSE

Physical education (short course), GCSE

Physics, GCSE

Changes for 2022

1. Information on some of the exam content has been provided to help students focus their revision.

2. A revised equation sheet has been provided for teaching and learning.

3. A clean copy of the equation sheet will be provided for students in the exams.

4. Teachers can deliver practical work by demonstration.

5. Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

Psychology, GCSE

Religious studies, GCSE

Religious studies (short course), GCSE

Sociology, GCSE

Statistics, GCSE

AS and A levels

Accounting, AS and A level

Ancient history, AS and A level

Art and design, AS and A level

Biblical Hebrew, A level

Biology, AS

Biology, A level

Business, AS and A level

Chemistry, AS

Chemistry, A level

Classical civilisation, AS and A level

Classical Greek, AS and A level

Computer science, AS and A level

Dance, A level

Design and technology, AS and A level

Drama and theatre, AS and A level

Economics, AS and A level

Electronics, AS and A level

English language, AS and A level

English language and literature, AS and A level

English literature, AS and A level

Environmental science, A level

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Film studies, AS and A level

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Further maths, AS and A level

Geography, AS

Geography, A level

Geology, AS

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Geology, A level

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

History, AS and A level

History of art, AS and A level

Latin, AS and A level

Law, AS and A level

Maths, AS and A level

Modern foreign languages, AS and A level

Changes for 2022

1. Information on some of the exam content has been provided to help students focus their revision.

2. Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

AQA - Bengali (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - French, A level

AQA - French, AS

AQA - German, A level

AQA - German, AS

AQA - Modern Hebrew (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - Panjabi (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - Polish (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - Spanish, A level

AQA - Spanish, AS

Pearson Edexcel - Arabic (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Chinese (2017), A level

Pearson Edexcel - French (2016), A level

Pearson Edexcel - German (2016), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Greek (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Gujarati (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Italian (2017), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Japanese (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Persian (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Portuguese (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Russian (2017), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Spanish (2016), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Turkish (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Urdu (2018), A level

WJEC Eduqas - French, AS and A level

WJEC Eduqas - German, AS and A level

WJEC Eduqas - Spanish, AS and A level

Music, AS and A level

Music technology, AS and A level

Philosophy, AS and A level

Physical education, AS and A level

Physics, AS

Physics, A level

Politics, AS and A level

Psychology, AS and A level

Religious studies, AS and A level

Sociology, AS and A level

Statistics, AS and A level

Background to these changes

Full details of the changes we have made to our rules can be found in the decisions for the consultations ' Proposed changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022' and ' Arrangements for non-exam assessment for qualifications in 2022 '.

Vocational and technical qualifications

Where needed, [awarding organisations are allowed to make adaptations to assessments and qualifications due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Schools and colleges have already been told what these changes will be, and you should speak to your school or college for further details about your specific qualification.

Accessible version of diagram

Generous grading

Exams will be graded more generously this year providing a safety net for students.

Changes to coursework

Non-exam assessment and fieldwork requirements adjusted, with flexibility in some subjects.

Optional content

There will be less content or fewer topics for students to learn in some GCSEs.

Support materials

Students will get formulae and equation sheets in some exams and won't have to memorise as much.

Advance information

Exam boards will give information on the focus of exams for most subjects to help students revise.

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Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022

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Overview of the support being provided for each qualification for students taking GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022.

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JCQ:  Summer 2022 Exams and Advance Information 

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JCQ:  Summer 2022 Exams and Advance Information 

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Updated: 7th February 2022

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Ofqual Dr Jo Saxton: Speech at Sixth Form Colleges Association Conference

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Ofqual Dr Jo Saxton: Speech at Sixth Form Colleges Association Conference

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19th January 2022
Sets out the support for students taking exams and assessments this year, including advance information and a fair approach to grading

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Good morning, everyone. Bill: thank you so much for inviting me. I'm thrilled to be with you, in spirit if not in person.

I first met Bill in something like 2008. I went to see him in his office somewhere high up in Millbank tower. It had the most stunning view across south Westminster. Bill deployed me as a literacy consultant, and not long after, I found myself in a particularly tough new academy in the East Midlands. At that time, challenging educational circumstances on the ground did not include providing and complying with public health measures, and it did not include devising and determining high stakes assessments on top of everything else. Your response to the scale and pace of the change required by the pandemic in the last 2 years is simply breath-taking-more so than any view.

Let me give a sense of scale. Thanks to your commitment and efforts, and those of many thousands of other sector colleagues, despite exams being cancelled, last year 1.2 million students received grades for GCSE, AS and A levels. You, and staff at schools and exam centres, submitted 5.7 million Teacher Assessed Grades for students in England last summer. That includes over 750,000 A level TAGs.

And, in the spring and summer of 2021 alone, thanks again to your efforts, awarding organisations were able to issue over 1 million qualification results to students taking Functional Skills qualifications, Core Maths, International Baccalaureate diplomas, Cambridge Pre-Us, Applied Generals, Tech Levels and others.

2022 is still very young, yet as at today, over 500 regulated assessments and exams have taken place, that's 480,000 entries, or 89% of the January series will have been undertaken, which is extraordinary, given the pressures of the Omicron variant. Once again, in very large part because you have adapted staffing, prioritisation and invigilation, and many of you will have even reorganised your facilities to enable COVID-safe exam sittings to go ahead.

None of us would have chosen this turn of events, and whilst media commentators are right that it has shown the extraordinary purpose, commitment, drive and dedication of those who work in colleges, sixth forms and schools - for which I, and Ofqual of course applaud you - I think there is a bigger point here, and it is about adaptation.

As Darwin and Wallace posited in the 1890s, it is the ability of a species to adapt to its environment that determines its success. The versatility you have all shown over the past 2 years - and the scale of change to qualification and assessment policy and practice that you have realised - must surely exceed that of any generation of educators, certainly in recent history.

And as you know, there are more novel and important adaptations to come, in the form of advance information next month, together with a measured approach to ensure fair grading in the summer. I want to talk to you now about both of these; how they were conceived; why I believe they will help your students, and why they will mark an important staging post in our move back towards normality.

Advance Information

The first point I want to make about advance information is that it's not something we would have contemplated in 'normal times'. In fact, we have gone to great lengths - the whole qualification system has gone to great lengths traditionally - through Ofqual's regulations to reduce the risk of any student or teacher knowing in advance the focus of any exam paper. But we wanted a way to make the exam experience less daunting for students, while also preserving the integrity of the content coverage, as well as preserving the integrity of the assessments themselves.

The whole point is to provide as universal as possible a revision aid for students. And this, combined with the anticipation of a difficult winter, is how policymakers arrived at the 7 February publication date. Any earlier, and content coverage would have been affected; any later and it comes too late in the day for revision to be effective, too late to allow you to recap and review where necessary.

Obviously this is the first time this innovative approach has been taken, and 2022 exam papers were not designed with the publication of advance information in mind. I've no doubt that some people will feel we haven't gone far enough, and others will feel we have gone too far. But the people who matter to me the most are the students - and my sincere hope is that - with guidance from you - they will be able to benefit from the information being shared.

Advance Information is novel for everyone in the exam system. Exam boards have developed it for almost every subject. They've worked at pace to do so in the interests of students. They have done their absolute level best to deliver focused aids, without revealing the questions, and you can imagine that's definitely an art rather than a science. If they'd gone too close to revealing the questions it would have undermined exams and turned them into short-term memory tests rather than true measures of what students have learned, know, understand and can do.

There has been some commentary already about whether advance information will mainly benefit more able students because it might support them to revise for the higher tariff questions.

Of course, much of the advance information gives a steer on how to revise for higher tariff questions, although not all of it.

Bluntly, to focus advance information on low tariff questions would be nonsensical. It would be silly to publish a document that says something like; you will be asked to identify the year in which the Versailles Treaty was signed, or the year in which Magna Carta was signed. Clearly, at that point, the exam would stop being an exam.

But supporting students to revise for higher tariff questions does not mean that advance information will only support the most able students. Higher tariff doesn't necessarily mean harder content. We know that candidates from across all abilities and demographics gain marks across an exam paper and not only in the low tariff questions. And we hope that the benefit of advance information will mean that students who suffered the most disruption, or those who are less able, may gain confidence to tackle elements of a paper that they might previously not have felt confident to try.

And just as much as advance information is a new phenomenon for the boards and for colleges and schools, so is it new for us at Ofqual. It presents us, as the regulator, with a novel and interesting challenge. We have created a regulatory framework for exceptional measures that would, quite simply, have been unthinkable in a normal exam context. The pandemic has required a range of regulatory reprioritisation and adaptation in the same way that you have had to reprioritise and adapt your normal practice. I am clear that our regulations must align to the interests of students - given the impact on their education experience these past 2 years. So, what does this novel situation look like from the regulator's point of view?

First, the tenet must hold true that Ofqual does not see exams before they are sat. That doesn't change this year. Each year the number of people that know the content of live papers before they are sat is very tightly controlled by exam boards, and that's right. That's key to fairness for students, and important to minimise the risk of any leaks. The exam boards are accountable to Ofqual for the quality and security of their papers. And this year they are also accountable to us for the accurate and careful introduction of advance information.

So, our approach has been about putting in place principles to ensure that advance information secures the interests of students and we've set the right regulations to enable that.

In practical terms, that means that we have worked with subject specialists and our assessment design team, and the boards to agree over 300 specifications how the advance information will work. You get a sense of what a dramatic innovation that is for us to have adapted our rules to allow this is, if you recall the outrage some years ago when a broadsheet newspaper sent a journalist to attend an exam board event, at which hints about the focus of certain questions were allegedly provided in this meeting. The scale of that shock really puts this year's innovation into perspective.

I see it as a really exciting adaptation. We will, of course, be monitoring its effect closely. Shortly after publication, we will be reaching out to hear your - and your students' - views on how it delivers the intentions. We will do so again once exams have been sat. There is much to learn from what will happen in the coming months and so we will expand a wide-ranging research programme to evaluate the impact of advance information to inform thinking for future years. But I ask that when you receive the advance information, please do remember the positive intentions behind it - it represents a unique coming together of everybody across the qualification system to act in the interests of students, to provide them with support whilst also enabling the re-instatement of the tried, tested - and trusted - approaches to the awarding of qualifications.

Grading

Our approach to advance information was informed and driven by the views of you and of your students - we heard from teachers who were anxious about their students' ability to cover the full range of subject content. We heard from students about their varied experiences of the pandemic.

This same listening approach was applied to how we've tackled grading too.

It was clear talking to students and their parents, that they wanted to get back to normal, but not to do so in one single leap.

At the end of September, we announced our resulting approach to grading next summer, one intended to be as fair as possible to 2022 students. Fair, because it will provide a safety net to students who have been so affected by the pandemic. Fair, because it will iron out some of the anomalies that have come into play through the non-examined years. Fair because it will secure consistency between subjects and between exam boards. Let's remember too that this year marks the return to exams - the way the qualifications have been designed - with all students assessed in the same way, marked, and graded consistently and externally to the same standard. That, along with advance information which itself provides unprecedented support, represents an unprecedented package of aid.

So, 2022 is a transition year to reflect the realities of the pandemic and that students' education does continue to be disrupted. Remember the package as a whole - it works together as a complete aid and support. You need to not try to pick apart individual elements of it.

The results in 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled, were clearly out of line with the results of previous exam years. As we ourselves learn to adapt to living with COVID-19, it is right that we take steps to resume arrangements that are coherent with those from pre-pandemic years. We must do it gradually; and this underpins our so-called midpoint approach.

Let me be clear, there is no single statistical midpoint. There will be no standardisation model to determine students' grades. Grade boundaries for each specification will be set by senior examiners, critically, only after they have reviewed the work produced by students. As a check and balance, of course exam boards will use other evidence, including statistical evidence of how students were graded when exams were last taken, so that grade boundaries do, indeed, deliver this generous midpoint approach. That means you can assure your students and their families that, as regulator, we are doing everything we can to secure approaches to standards which are fair, whichever exam board a student is working with, whichever subject. As regulator, one of the key things that we do is review the results. I started to experience this process for the autumn series. Results across every subject in every board are reviewed in great detail and Ofqual checks the appropriate processes have been followed; considers anomalies with exam boards, before results are issued.

Because the process of determining grade boundaries must follow the act of script marking, which of course follows candidates sitting papers, what we can't tell you is precisely what these arrangements mean for results. But I can assure you that our grading requirements will provide a safety-net for this cohort and it is likely to mean that results overall are higher than in normal years.

Talking to UCAS, and to employers, they wanted to see grades that were closer to the currency they were used to. They also recognised it was not right to implement this in one go. We've heard concerns that repeating 2021 outcomes would likely lead to universities devising alternative entry arrangements and raising the grades on which offers are based. Contributing to a system where that might happen would not actually increase opportunity for students in practice.

Vocational and Technical Qualifications grading

Coherence, parity if you will, between vocational and technical qualifications and general qualifications is really important - and something that the regulatory framework devised during the pandemic better supports than pre-pandemic arrangements.

Ofqual's specific regulatory framework for awarding vocational qualifications in the pandemic requires awarding organisations to secure, as far as possible, that VTQ students are neither disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their GCSE and A level peers. That principle has not existed in legal regulatory terms before.

Boards will take account, therefore, of the approach for GCSEs and A levels when setting standards in their own vocational and technical qualifications. We, as regulator, will closely monitor the arrangements and look at what awarding organisations are putting in place for their qualifications to ensure they are delivered fairly and are appropriately adapted in the interests of students.

Contingencies

I am really aware that some of you, and your students, would dearly like us to switch off contingencies given the government's confidence and commitment to exams going ahead. But I'm afraid that the need to collect evidence of student performance in case exams don't take place is important. It won't surprise you that I can't agree to turn off those arrangements. Not, of course, that it's entirely in my gift.

As well as showing us your incredible resilience and ability to adapt, the pandemic has also been unpredictable. That's the one predictable thing about the pandemic; it's continually surprised us and caught us off guard. It wouldn't be doing justice to you and your students to stand down contingencies at this time.

I am, nonetheless, hugely sympathetic to how challenging operationally and emotionally for you and your students it is to ride both these horses, but there are no plans to turn off Plan B.

Ofqual: expert and human, regulating in the interests of students

I promised Bill to leave time to take your questions, but before doing that, please allow me to share a little bit about myself, given this is my first chance to speak to you.

I am here today as Chief Regulator, but I am above everything else, like you, an educator.

I thrive in challenging environments - and actually anyone who knows me will tell you that I actively seek them out. Whether that is leading schools in disadvantaged communities, working in central government in the eye of a pandemic, or coming to Ofqual as we move further through the demands and opportunities the pandemic has forced.

For me, there is nothing more important in education than young people getting the qualifications they need to unlock their future. This is something I live and breathe.

I live and breathe it because that was precisely my own experience.

My qualifications opened all sorts of doors for me - including studying and working in six different countries around the world, and I want everyone to have those same opportunities - but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

That's why I am here. Every day I think about those students - those with caring responsibilities at home; those who have a fractured or chaotic home life; those whose families are working second, or even third jobs, to keep their homes warm and food on the table - I want qualifications to work for them in the best way possible, to open doors for them.

These are the students who I've started to talk about as being my compass. Their interests are my true north. And this true north breathes life into Ofqual's statutory objectives.

What flows from that, is an Ofqual which is expert, absolutely, but an Ofqual that must also be human. That means listening - to students of all ages, but also to you, those who teach and lead them. You who make the longlist of qualification choices for them, you who support them as they work towards securing qualifications that have the potential to change their lives.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will be spending time with colleges, sixth forms, schools, different education and training providers in every region of England, so that I can listen to you, to students, to governors and to parents. I want to hear directly about the challenges faced in the qualification system. It's only by hearing and responding to these challenges that I and we at Ofqual can improve how assessment and qualifications work. Some of these things that we'll hear about, Ofqual can do something about. There are others that won't be in our gift, but we can do our best to play our active part in the system which we regulate on behalf of students.

I've so far been lucky enough to visit some colleges in the West Midlands and some schools in the south west. Some of this listening work will happen virtually so that the pandemic doesn't slow us down, nor interrupt your day too much.

What's important is that the insights we gain from you, your students and their families, inform our decisions. To those who think accessible qualifications are dumbing down, I say there is no better illustration of the importance of the power of the functional skills curriculum and those qualifications that enable entry into employment, than what I saw at Hereward College. There I met Sophie and Akram who were developing and practising functional skills in the college's hospitality training centre. Graduates of the college dramatically exceed national averages of employability for those with SEND, and those 2 were well on their way to being able to be employed by a national hotel chain. I am proud that one of the first decisions taken during my tenure as Chief Regulator was to publish a consultation on improving the accessibility of assessments, and another decision on the regulation of reformed digital functional skills. These are live examples of acting in the interest of students.

From visiting Walsall College, I gained real insight into how working with a range of awarding organisations can really meet a college's needs. The Walsall team shared how, while the larger AOs (awarding organisations) have the breadth and can deliver at scale, it is often the smaller ones - many of whom offer the end-point assessments for apprentices - who offer a personal and flexible approach to assessment bookings, which is really useful to help provide confidence and support, and take an element of stress out of the system as apprentices get closer to being ready to take their end point assessment. Accordingly, we will continue to be nuanced in our consideration of applications by organisations seeking entry to this sector and to our recognition. Assessment and organisational capacity must be balanced with a student-centric culture.

Conclusion

Listening to and acting in the interests of students is the true north for everything I will do as Chief Regulator. The context we must navigate together is one of adaptation and innovation, crystalised by the pandemic. But it also a time of reform, already in train pre-pandemic - T Levels, apprenticeship expansion, among others.

I have not even touched on the possibilities afforded by technology and other innovations. I am convinced of the opportunities they present to improve assessments for students and apprentices - to make them more accessible, more valid, more reliable. We will work together on these in the coming years. We need to ensure that both what we assess and how we assess it stays relevant to needs of employers and society at large.

We share, I have no doubt, a commitment to ensuring that qualification evolution is squarely in the interests of students and apprentices. I am hugely grateful to teachers in colleges, schools and training providers across the country, for the vital part they will play as we navigate the way forward together.

Thank you.

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Dr Jo Saxton at Sixth Form Colleges Association conference

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The Chief Regulator sets out the support for students taking exams and assessments this year, including advance information and a fair approach to grading.

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Ofqual: New assessments for GCSE French, German and Spanish from 2024

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Ofqual: New assessments for GCSE French, German and Spanish from 2024

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Changes to how these GCSEs will be assessed in future confirmed by Ofqual.

Changes to how GCSEs in French, German and Spanish will be assessed in future have been confirmed today by Ofqual.

They are needed because the government is changing from 2024 how students will be taught and assessed in these subjects - to help young people develop their language skills for life and work.

The Department for Education's (DfE) revisions to the subjects' content will ensure students understand what vocabulary and grammar skills will be needed in their exams.

We consulted last year on our proposals for the assessment of these revised qualifications, at the same time as the DfE consulted on its draft changes. We are publishing the outcome of our consultation today. The DfE has also today published its final subject content revisions.

The DfE announced today the changes are due to come into effect for first teaching from September 2024, with first assessments in 2026.

We are going ahead with our consultation proposals - which set out revised assessment objectives, and confirm that the current use of tiered assessments and non-exam assessment (NEA) will continue.

Further draft proposals for the more detailed assessment requirements - in the Subject Level Conditions and Guidance - will go to public consultation in due course.

We are also inviting applications for independent subject experts - particularly experienced teachers - to work with us on the accreditation reviews of the revised qualifications. For more information, go to Guidance: Apply to be an external expert with Ofqual

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DfE: Subject content, aims and learning objectives for French, German and Spanish GCSEs from 2024

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DfE: Subject content, aims and learning objectives for French, German and Spanish GCSEs from 2024

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Subject content, aims and learning objectives for French, German and Spanish GCSEs from 2024.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This document sets out the learning outcomes and content coverage required for GCSE specifications in French, German and Spanish for first teaching in September 2024 and for the first examination in summer 2026.

In November 2019, the Department for Education announced that it would be convening an independent expert panel to test and develop potential changes to the subject content for French, German and Spanish GCSEs.

The panel's recommendations were subject to a 10-week public consultation between March 2021 and May 2021 and the government has now published its response to the consultation.

Ofqual has also published its response to their consultation on proposed assessment arrangements.

Subject content for all GCSEs in modern foreign languages other than French, German and Spanish for teaching from September 2024 and examination from summer 2026 is also available.

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GCSE French, German and Spanish subject content

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ALL's corporate members form an important part of ALL's membership. Join us and you'll be in good company.

Our Platinum and Gold Corporate Members represent a broad range of sectors and offer the following types of services: languages experiences or training for language learners and/or language teachers, languages resources (online and hard copy publications), online platforms offering games, exercises and vocabulary building , intercultural resources and much more...

The opportunity for your organisation to reach our members - teachers and language practitioners across all languages, all levels, and all sectors, from primary teachers to teacher trainers, business language tutors to resource writers, and everything in between.

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The Association for Language Learning is actively involved in developments in the world of languages, both nationally and internationally

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I write to update you about the nature of the advance information, on the content of some GCSE, AS and A level exams, which the exam boards will be publishing by 7 February 2022.

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DfE: Guidance for schools/colleges on contingency arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels in summer 2022

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Arrangements for exams and non-exam assessments for students taking qualifications in summer 2022.

Details

The government is clear that students entering GCSEs, AS or A levels in 2022 should expect to take exams in the summer and complete any non-exam assessments in the usual way throughout the year.

In recognition of the fact that students' education has been disrupted by the pandemic, they will be given extra help to prepare for their exams, as detailed in this publication.

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Guidance on contingency arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels in summer 2022

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Arrangements for exams and non-exam assessments for students taking qualifications in summer 2022.

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AQA: GCSE Languages -  Examples from Listening and Reading Teaching Guide

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AQA: GCSE Languages -  Examples from Listening and Reading Teaching Guide

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18th-19th March 2022

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JCQ: Advance Information for Qualifications in 2022

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AQA: GCSE Spanish - Supporting student exam preparation

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Virtual
16:00-17:00
1st or 9th March 2022

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GCSE Spanish: Supporting student exam preparation

Course summary

This free of charge training event will aim to strengthen teacher confidence, in supporting students preparing for exams.

These courses will NOT cover detail of advanced notice to Summer 22 papers.

Course reference

SPAGXW2 - use this in communications with us.

Course description

Reinforcing key messages and skills

Getting the basics right

Approaches to exam technique

Signposting and highlighting key resources.

Please note: any references to student work will exclude responses to the 2020 examination papers.
Suitable for

All teachers of GCSE Spanish.

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This free of charge training event will aim to strengthen teacher confidence, in supporting students preparing for exams. These courses will NOT cover detail of advanced notice to Summer 22 papers. SPAGXW2 - use this in communications with us. Reinforcing key messages and skills Getting the basics right Approaches to exam technique Signposting and highlighting key resources.

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12th-14th November 2021

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Now in its 31st year, Europe's largest language event returns to Olympia in 2019 offering outstanding talks, classes and features.

The latest products and techniques, ways to learn, ways to teach as well as fun and entertainment.

And this year, everything - talks, classes, seminars, admission - is FREE!

talks, performances and demonstrations for people who love languages

42 free CPD talks for language teachers

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free taster classes in 23 languages

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the best ways to learn a language

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music and dance

The Language Show Friday, Saturday, Sunday 15-17 November 2019 Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX.

Staged in association with;

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The Language Show - For language learners, language teachers and everyone who loves languages

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Now in its 31st year, Europe's largest language event returns to Olympia in 2019 offering outstanding talks, classes and features. The latest products and techniques, ways to learn, ways to teach as well as fun and entertainment. And this year, everything - talks, classes, seminars, admission - is FREE!

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AQA Update - Using November Papers as Mocks

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AQA Update - Using November Papers as Mocks

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Teaching from: September 2016

Exams from: June 2018

Specification code: 7652

QAN code: 601/8727/X

We've worked closely with teachers to ensure our French specification inspires, challenges and motivates students, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their language learning.

To cater to you and your students in all educational contexts, we've included a wide variety of set texts and films. They're rich in cultural references and will broaden your students' horizons and knowledge.

A range of support resources will also be provided to guide you through the teaching of the specification.
Specification Specification at a glance
Past papers and mark schemes

Teaching resources

Prepare for your teaching year. Information, support and services to help you deliver the specification.
All planning resources

Teaching resources that you can use to plan your lessons and support your students' learning.
All teaching resources

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skip to content Teaching from: September 2016 Exams from: June 2018 Specification code: 7652 QAN code: 601/8727/X We've worked closely with teachers to ensure our French specification inspires, challenges and motivates students, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their language learning.

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There are no planned changes to A-level German for 2021 following Ofqual's consultation. However, please note that we won't be able to offer visiting examiners for summer 2021 exams. Read more.

Teaching from: September 2016

Exams from: June 2018

Specification code: 7662

QAN code: 601/8729/3

We've worked closely with teachers to ensure our German specification inspires, challenges and motivates students, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their language learning.

To cater to you and your students in all educational contexts, we've included a wide variety of set texts and films. They're rich in cultural references and will broaden your students' horizons and knowledge.

A range of support resources will also be provided to guide you through the teaching of the specification.
Specification Specification at a glance
Past papers and mark schemes

Teaching resources

Prepare for your teaching year. Information, support and services to help you deliver the specification.
All planning resources

Teaching resources that you can use to plan your lessons and support your students' learning.
All teaching resources

Key dates

15 April 2021GCE German A-Level preliminary materials issued to Examination Officers only from 15 April 2021. Available on Secure Key Materials at aqa.org.uk and dispatched as paper copy from actual entries mid-March. Tests must be conducted between 19 April and 21 May. Not available to teachers and AQA staff via Secure Key Materials at aqa.org.uk until 24 May (7662/3T)

10 June 2021 Exam for A-level German Paper 1 (7662/1)
Series: June 2021
Start time: pm
Duration: 2h 30m

17 June 2021 Exam for A-level German Paper 2 (7662/2)
Series: June 2021
Start time: am
Duration: 2h

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skip to main content There are no planned changes to A-level German for 2021 following Ofqual's consultation. However, please note that we won't be able to offer visiting examiners for summer 2021 exams. Read more.

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Because of the ongoing impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there are some changes to how GCSE German will be assessed in 2022.

These changes are for 2022 only.

What you need to know

Optionality for Paper 4 (Writing)

Paper 4 (Writing) exam time extended

No requirement for vocabulary outside specification

Speaking tests to take place as normal, with a contingency in place

Advanced information on exams will be available

Optionality for Paper 4 (Writing)

There will be more optionality in the Writing component for summer 2022.

Writing papers will include an additional optional question for the overlap question at both tiers (Question 4/Question 1) and for Higher tier Question 2.

This is so students can answer on their preferred theme. For each optional question, the theme will be given in the introduction to the question in the question paper.

Foundation tier

There will be an additional option for Question 4 and this will be numbered in the question paper as Question 4.3. Students will need to answer one question from a choice of three.

Higher tier

There will be an additional option for Question 1 and this will be numbered in the question paper as Question 1.3. Students will need to answer one question from a choice of three.

There will be an additional option for Question 2 and this will be numbered in the question paper as Question 2.3. Students will need to answer one question from a choice of three.

View our sample papers for 2022 (please note: these are the same papers provided for Autumn 2021).

Paper 4 (Writing) exam time extended

To give students time to read all of the optional questions carefully before making a choice, we'll be adding an extra five minutes to the scheduled exam time at both tiers for the Writing paper in Summer 2022. Here are the updated exam times.

Foundation tier: 1 hour 5 minutes

Higher tier: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Vocabulary

The regulatory requirement for assessments to use words outside of vocabulary lists has been removed.

We'll review and update all our papers for summer 2022 to reflect this.

We may still include a small number of basic vocabulary items (eg primary colours, cognates/near cognates) not listed in the specification which students may need to understand in order to answer the questions. This will only happen where excluding such items from the assessments is likely to increase the demand of the tasks.

Speaking

Teachers and students should prepare for spoken language in 2022 to be assessed in the normal way, through formal speaking tests.

Ofqual will publish contingency assessment arrangements for spoken language that include assessment criteria, and which reflect the speaking endorsement arrangements set out in the 2021 Subject Level Conditions for GCSE MFL qualifications.

Teachers will be asked by Ofqual to have regard to the assessment criteria throughout the course

If, at any point before the formal speaking tests begin, it becomes clear they cannot or should not be taken, Ofqual will implement the contingency arrangements.

Help and support

If you require further guidance or support, please contact us.

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Because of the ongoing impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there are some changes to how GCSE German will be assessed in 2022. These changes are for 2022 only.

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Edexcel: A-level French Changes for 2022

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Edexcel: A-level French Changes for 2022

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The consultation concluded that all of the proposals set out in the consultation document would be implemented.
Read more about the 2022 adaptations consultation outcomes
For A level Modern Foreign Languages, the following arrangements have been confirmed for summer 2022:
Advance information
To make exams in 2022 less daunting, students will be told in advance some of the topic areas that will be included on the exam papers, helping them to manage their exam preparation. This information will be issued in the Spring term to help students to focus their revision time.

However, the DfE have confirmed that if the impact of the pandemic worsens, this could be issued earlier in the academic year. We will update you on the timing of the advance information release once this has been confirmed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The consultation concluded that all of the proposals set out in the consultation document would be implemented. Read more about the 2022 adaptations consultation outcomes For A level Modern Foreign Languages, the following arrangements have been confirmed for summer 2022: Advance information To make exams in 2022 less daunting, students will be told in advance some of the topic areas that will be included on the exam papers, helping them to manage their exam preparation.

# data[].attributes.headline
Edexcel: A-level Spanish changes for 2022

# data[].attributes.subject
Edexcel: A-level Spanish changes for 2022

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The consultation concluded that all of the proposals set out in the consultation document would be implemented.
Read more about the 2022 adaptations consultation outcomes
For A level Modern Foreign Languages, the following arrangements have been confirmed for summer 2022:
Advance information
To make exams in 2022 less daunting, students will be told in advance some of the topic areas that will be included on the exam papers, helping them to manage their exam preparation. This information will be issued in the Spring term to help students to focus their revision time.

However, the DfE have confirmed that if the impact of the pandemic worsens, this could be issued earlier in the academic year. We will update you on the timing of the advance information release once this has been confirmed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The consultation concluded that all of the proposals set out in the consultation document would be implemented. Read more about the 2022 adaptations consultation outcomes For A level Modern Foreign Languages, the following arrangements have been confirmed for summer 2022: Advance information To make exams in 2022 less daunting, students will be told in advance some of the topic areas that will be included on the exam papers, helping them to manage their exam preparation.

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NATIONAL MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES CONFERENCE 2021

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NATIONAL MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES CONFERENCE 2021

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Virtual
19th & 20th October 2021

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National Modern Foreign Languages Conference

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The National Modern Foreign Languages Conference 2021 will assess the latest best practice methods and strategies to enhance MFL teaching provision and improve attainment for all MFL pupils, and ensuring these efforts are in line with the latest Ofsted inspection framework.

An update will be provided on the Department for Education commissioned MFL subject content review, and plans for the 2022 exams and assessments.

Attendees will also discuss how to overcome the challenges around progress due to the COVID-19 school closures, and explore the future of MFL teaching and learning including through online provisions and the use of technology, and what catch-up provisions look like for language learning skills.

Day 1 of this year's Conference will focus on providing you the latest policy and exam guidance updates, while Day 2 will offer engaging workshop sessions to offer you innovative and creative practical ideas for your online and classroom based pedagogy.

Why Attend?

Attendees will gain best practice insights and participate in workshops delivered by MFL experts. Delegates will learn new and innovative ideas for how to deliver outstanding MFL provision and how to overcome the impact of school closures on progress in MFL.

Explore the next steps towards delivering a nation of confident linguists with the help of the Centre for Excellence for Languages Pedagogy

Access examples of best practice to gain new ideas for lesson plans and classroom exercises

Understand how to improve pupil attainment through effective teaching pedagogy

Evaluate the outcomes of the 2021 assessment season and how to support future GSCE and A level students in light of COVID-19

Discuss practical strategies for supporting grammar and vocabulary development in pupils

Network with leading MFL professionals from across the country to share best practice and guidance

Strategic Partner

The Schools & Academies Show is the UK's leading education policy event which takes place bi-annually in April at the ExCeL, London and in November at the NEC, Birmingham.

Strategically support by the DfE & ESFA, the shows are designed to bring together school leaders, dynamic educators, and association officials to assess the government's latest priorities that will power change across the education community.

With over 120 influential speakers, 50 hours of accredited CPD content, and 200 market-leading suppliers, the shows are aimed to equipped visitors with the resources, tools and guidance needed to address the most pressing challenges impacting education.

Visit The Schools and Academies Show Website here.

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The National Modern Foreign Languages Conference 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The National Modern Foreign Languages Conference 2021 will assess the latest best practice methods and strategies to enhance MFL teaching provision and improve attainment for all MFL pupils, and ensuring these efforts are in line with the latest Ofsted inspection framework.

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On demand

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Teaching secondary modern foreign languages

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teaching secondary modern foreign languages

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching secondary modern foreign languages

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This free course, Teaching secondary modern foreign languages, will identify and explore some of the key issues around teaching modern foreign languages in secondary schools. Through coming to ...

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National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP)

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National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP)

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NCELP - National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy

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Our mission is to improve language curriculum design and pedagogy, leading to a higher uptake and greater success at GCSE

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OASIS: Open Accessible Summaries In Language Studies

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OASIS: Open Accessible Summaries In Language Studies

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Welcome to OASIS

The Open Accessible Summaries In Language Studies (OASIS) initiative aims to make research findings on language learning and teaching available and accessible to a wide audience.

Search OASIS

Want monthly alerts of new summaries?

Sign up for our newsletter!

Recently uploaded

Recently Uploaded

Funded by:

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Welcome to OASIS The Open Accessible Summaries In Language Studies (OASIS) initiative aims to make research findings on language learning and teaching available and accessible to a wide audience. Search OASIS Want monthly alerts of new summaries? Sign up for our newsletter! Recently uploaded Funded by: