English Language: GCSE
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of whether the current English Language GCSE adequately assesses the practical communication, comprehension and critical-thinking skills required by young people in further education, employment and everyday life.
Answered by Department for Education
In 2024, the government established the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review considered the extent to which the national curriculum and the assessment system in England are fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people.
The Review’s final report recommended that the government makes significant changes to the key stage 4 English programme of study and the GCSE English language subject content, introducing greater clarity of purpose to focus English language more clearly on the nature and expression of language, and to support critical analysis of a wider variety of text types and genres. The Government accepted their recommendation that the government introduce an oracy framework to support practice and to complement the existing frameworks for reading and writing. We will be reforming the curriculum and GCSE English language and consulting on the content.
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