Rejected petition Modernise the GCSE System - Reduce Exam Load on Young People

We urge the government to review the entire GCSE programme to move to alternative methods of assessment. The outcome should be to reduce the number and intensity of exams to ensure our education system supports both academic success and student wellbeing.

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Students in the UK are subject to one of the most exam-heavy systems in the developed world. The current GCSE system over-burdens 15/16-year old students with an excessive number of formal examinations which are concentrated within a short time period and duplicated across multiple papers of the same subject. This approach is highly stressful and doesn't demonstrate the student's true potential or assimilation of the subject.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

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You may wish to sign this petition:

Review GCSE balance of coursework and exams: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/723732

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 15 June 2025
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