Exam boards ordered to tighten up four GCSEs

Exam boards have been ordered to tighten up GCSEs in four subjects amid concerns it is becoming easier for pupils to pass. The exams regulator, Ofqual, announced it was making changes to GCSEs in English literature, maths, history and geography to ensure students studied the whole curriculum.

It is understood the move comes after concerns were raised that pupils were only studying topics that were likely to come up in the exams, rather than the entire course. The Ofqual chief executive, Glenys Stacey, said: "We are tightening GCSEs in these key subjects to make sure students cover the whole curriculum. "We want our young people to have the best possible educational experience, with qualifications that prepare them for the future.

"The exam boards have welcomed this steer from the regulator and are to look again at these qualifications and how the rules are interpreted to make sure that young people taking them have to study an appropriate range and depth of the subject."

It is understood that Friday's announcement is part of an attempt to move away from teaching to the test and to encourage breadth of study, with pupils learning everything in the course.