Ofqual

Ofqual publishes annual survey of public attitudes to GCSEs and A levels

Thursday, 31 March 2011 09:42

Perceptions of A levels and GCSEs remain largely positive among teachers, parents, students and the general public, the latest evidence shows.

Ofqual has today (Thursday, March 31) published the findings of its annual survey on public perceptions of the qualifications. The survey also included questions on the Diploma, Ofqual, and which sources of information people trust.

The report is available from the http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/research-and-statistics/183/537

Main findings include:

Perceptions of the A level system are largely positive among teachers, parents, students and the general public.
A high level of confidence in A levels has been maintained in 2010, with teachers and students continuing to believe they are important qualifications to obtain (96 per cent and 78 per cent respectively).
The majority of teachers (80 per cent) believe that most A level students get the grades they deserve.
While teachers confidence in the A level system is unchanged from 2009, parents and the general public are less likely to say they have more confidence in the A level system than they did a few years ago (28 per cent in 2010 compared with 36 per cent in 2009 for parents and 20 per cent in 2010 compared to 24 per cent in 2009 for the general public).
There has been a drop in students’ confidence in the accuracy and quality of A level marking (58 per cent in 2010 compared to 75 per cent in 2009).
Teachers’ confidence in the GCSE system overall remains high (69 per cent) and is unchanged from the previous year.
But students and the general public are less likely to say they have more confidence in the GCSE system than they did a few years ago (25 per cent in 2010 compared with 29 per cent in 2009 for the general public and 38 per cent in 2010 compared with 51 per cent in 2009 for parents).
Prompted awareness of Ofqual has risen significantly among teachers (73 per cent in 2010 compared with 64 per cent in 2009), but remains low among the general public (14 per cent).
However, there has been a considerable increase in teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of Ofqual (53 per cent in 2010 compared with 31 per cent in 2009).

Ends

Last Updated on Thursday, 31 March 2011 09:54 Tags: Ofqual, education, examination regulation, qualifications, assessments