A glimmer of hope: GCSE Computer Science grade comparability

As a Computing teacher at a non-selective state school in the North of England it’s been a privilege to attend the BCS School Curriculum and Assessment Committee (SCAC) which brings teachers, professionals, academics and policy leaders together with the following aims:

• To explain more about what Computing is.
• To help teachers to understand what and how they should teach computing.
• To inform inspectorates and DfE, to support them to ask the right questions, and to know what good practice looks like.
• To identify what the ideal set of qualifications is that would offer appropriate pathways for all children, especially at Key Stage 4.
• To understand what qualifications are offered and taken across the 4 nations.
• To contribute to the increase of Black Afro-Caribbean people and women in computing.

A GCSE in Computer Science (CS) is a brilliant qualification for students to study. Itenables a broad range of exciting career pathways and progression routes and  tackles the big questions of today’s society about the role of artificial intelligence and the potential for technology to combat (or exacerbate) climate change. It unlocks students’ creative potential through problem solving with algorithms, code, and data.

GCSE CS, however, is not an easy option. The rigorous and captivating challenge of the subject appeal to many but there has been a growing perception that it is harder than other subjects.

Students chose their GCSE options and rightly expect that if they are equally talented in each subject and work equally hard to prepare for each exam they should achieve similar grades at the end of each course.

The significant growth of CS as a GCSE subject from its initial pilot in 2010 is very welcome but that growth has stalled and evidence suggests that despite the investment from DfE in the National Centre for Computing Education to support high quality teaching and learning, students nationally tend to achieve a grade lower in CS compared to their Maths or Science results.

These concerns have been frequently discussed by teachers in CAS and have been picked up by the SCAC which submitted a report to Ofqual in January 2020 making the case for grading standards to be adjusted to bring results from GCSE CS in line with other qualifications.

Precedent was set when Ofqual adjusted grading standards for French and German and the case for intervention for GCSE CS became even more compelling. You can read the submission to Ofqual and the accompanying letter from Professor Dame Muffy Calder who chairs the SCAC

The COVID pandemic, has inevitably slowed down the diligent process of investigation. However, Ofqual have now replied and you can read their response in full here.

I’m very excited that a small glimmer of hope has emerged: Ofqual have promised to make a thorough analysis of all available evidence and have agreed that further investigation is necessary.

This process will take time and there’s no guarantee of what the outcome of Ofqual’s findings will be. However, I want to thank every member of CAS, BCS and the SCAC who have raised the issue, submitted evidence, and campaigned behind the scenes to ensure GCSE CS is an accessible and attractive option for students to enjoy with outcomes that compare fairly with other subjects.

Meanwhile, students continue to work hard and enjoy success in GCSE CS. My hope is that future Ofqual findings will lead to the breadth of that success appealing to more students from all backgrounds, genders and ethnicities and for the hard work of CS teachers and students to be more fairly recognised.