Industry News
State schools 'could fall behind over IGCSEs'
Posted on 16th October 2007
State schools are unable to offer pupils a "tougher" substitute for GCSEs because the government has not yet decided if it recognises the qualification, it has been reported.
International GCSEs are becoming evermore popular in private schools as concerns increase that the usual exams are not academically challenging, states the Financial Times.
If state schools are unable to offer the same, the gap between performance and education attainment could increase further, the newspaper commented.
The head of Watford Grammar School for Boys Martin Post said his school could be interested in IGCSEs if the government recognised them, but that the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) might have concerns.
He said "issues over how they are viewed with regard to league tables and a very positive feeling coming out of the DCSF that they are not things we should be concerned with" would have to be considered.
The University of Cambridge International Examinations department states the IGCSE is the most popular qualification in the world for 14 to 16-year-olds.
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