The Impact of the Introduction of GCSE English on Pupil Performance

This paper presents data from the local education authority of Brent on the 16 + examination results in English for the years 1986–87 and 1987–88. It raises questions as to the nature of the impact of GCSE English on pupil performance, generally, and specifically on the performance of ethnic minority pupils and how this interrelates with the achievement of girls as against boys. The paper begins by raising some of the issues to be discussed and goes on to survey, briefly, contributions to the evidence on educational attainment by ethnic minority pupils. The Brent study is then introduced and the data presented. The question is asked as to whether improved performance in English in schools with substantial ethnic minority pupils can be linked to features of the GCSE examination. There follows some discussion of the differences between the initial GCSE English examination and English Language O level, including methods of assessment. A number of hypotheses are put as to the effect these differences might have

Academic achievement · Educational attainment · Ethnic group · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Pupil · Raising (metalworking) · Sociology · Special education · Special Educational Needs · Education Systems and Policy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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