The DUP Education Minister, Mr Paul Givan, has announced changes to our examination system at GCSE and A-Level with first teaching in September 2029. The main details are as follows:
GCSE
The two major changes are
- the switch away from modular assessment throughout the two years, with most courses assessed only by exams at the end of the two-year course.
- the removal of controlled assessment (coursework).
GCSE English Language, Mathematics, and Science will remain modular, allowing some assessments during the course and controlled assessment will be retained only where essential for practical skills (e.g., Art, PE, Science experiments).
These changes will add to the pressure at the end of Y12 but the argument from Mr Givan is that our pupils were sitting too many assessments.
NI will retain letter grades (A-G) keeping us distinct from England’s 9-1 grading system.
Questions Arising: Some students, especially but not exclusively females, seem to prefer the more continuous and less stressful modular and coursework approach.
- Will the increased pressure on students in Y12 affect some students negatively?
- For some less motivated students the process of coursework encourages greater engagement in the course. Will the removal of controlled assessment make it more difficult to keep pupils engaged?
A-Level
Despite clear public opposition (via public consultation) the standalone AS-Level qualifications are being removed. The new A-Levels will consist of three units spread over two years, with students having the option to sit one unit (30%) at the end of Y13.
Again, controlled assessment will be cut in most subjects, to combat the impact of AI on take-home tasks.
Questions Arising: AS-Levels were popular for two reasons. For students who were not sure which subjects to take post-GCSE, they could take on 4 and then drop the weakest one after AS, but would still receive a qualification for that year of study.
- Will those students be disadvantaged?
More importantly for anyone applying for university places in the Irish Republic, the number of points required for some competitive courses required three A-Levels and one AS-Level. It has been suggested that students wishing to apply to Irish universities could choose to study four A-Levels.
- With the AS-Levels being abandoned, will students wanting to study in Irish universities now need to undertake four A-Levels.
Mr Givan argued on BBC Radio Ulster (3/3/2026) that his new system worked well with the UK’s application process and the problem lay with the Republic’s system asking too much; he seemed to suggest that the Republic’s Central Application Office should change their requirements.
Two Tier System Worry
Forty years ago, the UK had no unified framework of exams. Grammar school and public-school students sat GCE O-Levels while most working-class children (unless they had ‘passed’ the 11-Plus) were confined to sitting the less demanding CSE qualifications which could have significant coursework.
In 1986, the Thatcher government decided to ensure that all 16-year-olds were assessed on the same framework with a unified grading scale (originally A to G) and set up the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) which all children were expected sit before leaving schools
Now that coursework is being removed from most GCSEs, you might assume that this change will apply equally to all students, but it will not. NI schools are still encouraged to offer ‘Vocational’ subjects as an alternative to GCSE and 60% of the marks for these subjects comes from teacher marked ‘controlled assessments’. It seems likely that the non-grammar sector will be encouraged to focus more on these types of less demanding qualifications.
- Is there a danger that the changes made today by Paul Given will take us back to the grammar/non-grammar divide of 1986? What measures will be taken to prevent this?
Arnold is a retired teacher from Lisburn, now living in Belfast.
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