Closed petition Scrap national exams for Key Stage 4 permanently

Closed on 12 September 2021

National exams at ages 15/16 are no longer necessary because it’s compulsory to stay in full- or part-time education until 18, or start an apprenticeship/traineeship. This makes GCSEs defunct, and they should be scrapped and replaced with teacher assessment, ending unnecessary pressure on students.

As was demonstrated in 2020 when GCSEs were cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic, educators are able to make their own assessments of appropriate grades for pupils aged 16-18 without the need for a national exam. Scrapping GCSEs should allow pupils in Key Stage 4 to have a more rounded education not defined by final exams, remove pressure on teenagers at a vulnerable stage of development and eliminate the cost and bureaucracy GCSEs unnecessarily burden schools with.