Novice examiners making GCSE English 'unfair', say teachers

GCSE exam marking is becoming unpredictable and often unfair, English teachers are warning, with some pupils going up as much as two or three grades after a remark.

- Anna Fazackerley

The English and Media Centre charity, which supports English teachers, has received numerous complaints from subject heads who were shocked by their pupils' English language grades this summer and felt the marking was unfair.

In some cases, schools have asked for marking to be reviewed and a grade has gone up from a 5 (the equivalent of a C) to an 8 (a high A grade), or a 6 to a 9 (an exceptional A grade), a leap that the charity says highlights serious problems. The charity said exam boards had too many inexperienced markers, but also criticised a lack of clarity in the English language GCSE itself.

Barbara Bleiman, an education consultant at the charity, said: "Experienced teachers have a reasonably clear idea of what grades students deserve, but they say marks are all over the place."