Exam board AQA has called for a new type of online assessment, available on demand for all pupils, to measure important numeracy and literacy skills.
In a new report published today, AQA says there is a persistent issue with low levels of numeracy, literacy and digital fluency in England.
It argues ideas such as expecting all pupils to study maths to 18 or creating a British Baccalaureate - an idea expected to be put forward this week by prime minister Rishi Sunak - will not address these problems.
In a statement, it said: “With political conversations focussing on maths to 18 and the British Baccalaureate, AQA argues that people are looking in the wrong place for the answer.”
Instead, AQA proposes developing an assessment “like a driving test” that would test core skills needed in everyday and working life. The proposed assessment would be taken online, when pupils are ready for it, as many times as needed, and would be intended for all pupils to be able to pass.
Colin Hughes, AQA’s CEO, said: “Numeracy, literacy and digital fluency are critical skills and without them, people are much more likely to struggle to gain employment, work out their weekly budget, or even read their children a bedtime story.
“But there’s a persistent problem - too many young people are leaving education without the skills they, and our economy, need. We’re having the same conversations about it every year, but it remains stubbornly in place.
“So we need a new approach, and we believe the new on-demand assessment we’re developing is the answer.”
New assessment to reflect ‘realistic scenarios’
AQA’s proposed assessment would sit alongside existing qualifications such as GCSEs, A levels and BTECs rather than replacing them. Instead of being sorted by grade, the assessment would instead set a universal standard of proficiency to pass.
The tasks for the assessment should be as “reflective of realistic scenarios” as possible, AQA recommends.
The National Numeracy charity has found that England is one of the least numerate countries in the developed world - more than 8 million adults have lower numeracy than a nine-year-old.
AQA will put together an advisory panel of experts at the beginning of 2024 as it starts developing these new assessments.
It proposes starting with numeracy because it has already developed an online “readiness for GCSE maths” assessment. It would then move on to literacy and digital fluency.
The exam board also flags the ongoing problem with the current resit policy, and how a more flexible assessment aimed at real-life skills could address it. Pre-pandemic, only 29 per cent of students who didn’t pass the GCSE standard in English and maths when they were 16 went on to pass it by the time they were 19.
Qualifications to encourage ‘competency in vital skills’
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “AQA is spot on. The problem with our current set of qualifications is that they are designed to sort children in order of their attainment rather than encourage and reflect competency in the vital skills of literacy, numeracy and digital fluency.
“It is a fallacy that means far too many children - around one third - are consigned at the end of secondary school to falling below the government’s bar of a grade 4 in GCSE English and maths. This damages their education and career options, and ultimately their life chances.”
Ms McCulloch added: “The principle behind these qualifications would be to support children in these vital skills rather than knocking them down. We believe this would be better for young people and improve the country’s skills base, and we are delighted that AQA is proposing to explore how this approach might be made a reality.”
AQA did acknowledge that there would be practical limitations given the current crisis in teacher recruitment and retention, and that qualified teachers would be needed to deliver more qualifications.
