Reformed GCSEs will increase stress and anxiety because pupils will be forced to spend a longer period of time sitting more exams, a union has said.
The Association of School and College Leaders said that a pupil taking a typical set of the new GCSEs will spend over eight extra hours sitting exams compared to the old system.
Pupils in England receive their results in the first three reformed GCSE subjects today - English language, English literature and mathematics - which are graded 9 to 1 instead of A* to G. Another 20 subjects will follow suit in 2018, and more in 2019.
ASCL said it was concerned the new, more challenging GCSEs “are already causing increased stress and anxiety, and that this will intensify next year”.
The reformed qualifications involve less coursework and more exam papers, with the latter concentrated into a six-week period in May and June.
Maths has increased from two papers to three papers, and English language from one to two papers. Additionally, many students previously sat a single qualification in English which has now been abolished. School performance tables mean pupils have to be entered for both English language and English literature.
ASCL compared the exam timetables of two students sitting a similar set of exams under the old and new systems.
Student A, who took old-style GCSEs in the summer of 2016, sat 18 exams - the total length of which was 24 hours and 30 minutes.
Student B, who will take new GCSEs in the same subjects in the summer of 2019, will sit 22 exams - the total length of which will be 33 hours.
Geoff Barton, ASCL’s general secretary, said: “We have already had reports from members of increased stress and anxiety among pupils this year, and this will intensify next year.
“We know from numerous reports that there is a rising tide of mental health issues among young people and we are concerned the new exams will make the situation worse.
“The new GCSEs are more challenging, and there are more papers, and this is putting severe pressure on young people. We support a robust qualification system, but it has to be balanced against the welfare of young people, and we are not sure the balance in the new system is correct.”
Separately, the NAHT heads’ union warned against comparing this year’s results to those last year.
Paul Whiteman, the union’s general secretary, said: “School leaders have worked hard to help students and their families to understand the change from A-G to 9-1 grades.
“But there’s still plenty of uncertainty about what the results really show. Until all of the reformed GCSE’s are fully implemented and we’ve seen a few more years of the 9-1 system, those who seek to hold schools to account should refrain from comparing this year’s results to last.”
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