Call for evidence: Exams for 15-19 year olds in England
22 April 2014
The Education Committee will hold a short inquiry to follow up its previous work on examinations for 15 to 19 year olds in England.
Oral evidence will be taken from Ofqual in June 2014, followed by evidence from the Secretary of State for Education at a later date. Further details will be announced in due course.
The inquiry will cover issues relating to GCSEs and A levels as raised in the Committee’s reports on the administration of examinations for 15 to 19 year olds in England (July 2012), From GCSEs to EBCs: the Government’s proposals for reform (January 2013) and 2012 English GCSE results (June 2013). This includes current plans for the administration and structure of the new GCSEs and A levels.
Brief written comments are invited on these issues in advance of the first session. In view of the short timescale of this inquiry, submissions should be kept brief and should be made by midday on Wednesday 21 May 2014.
Submissions
As part of a scheme to encourage paperless working and maximise efficiency, the Committee is using a new web portal for online submissions of written evidence. Written submissions for this inquiry should therefore be sent via the Exams for 15 to 19 year olds in England inquiry page.
The deadline is Wednesday 21 May. Submissions should be no longer than two sides of A4.
Submissions should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document should, if possible, include an executive summary.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee. Please bear in mind that Committees are not able to investigate individual cases.
Data protection
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or by making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence. Please proof-read your submission before sending it; Committee staff cannot undertake to correct typos or typesetting errors before publication.
For data protection purposes, individuals wishing to submit written evidence are asked for their contact details. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.