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| Welsh assembly confirms GCSEs and A-levels will not be discarded | Welsh assembly confirms GCSEs and A-levels will not be discarded |
| (2 months later) | |
| Wales is to keep GCSEs and A-levels, the Welsh government has confirmed, though in England GCSEs are being replaced by the English baccalaureate, which will be awarded on the basis of a single end-of-term exam. | Wales is to keep GCSEs and A-levels, the Welsh government has confirmed, though in England GCSEs are being replaced by the English baccalaureate, which will be awarded on the basis of a single end-of-term exam. |
| Ministers announced in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday that the syllabuses would remain as they were in Wales and that the qualifications would run alongside a revised and "more rigorous" Welsh baccalaureate. | Ministers announced in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday that the syllabuses would remain as they were in Wales and that the qualifications would run alongside a revised and "more rigorous" Welsh baccalaureate. |
| They are also adopting recommendations to create GCSEs in English language and Welsh as a first language, along with two new GCSEs covering numeracy and maths. | They are also adopting recommendations to create GCSEs in English language and Welsh as a first language, along with two new GCSEs covering numeracy and maths. |
| The new qualifications will be introduced in Wales in September 2015. | The new qualifications will be introduced in Wales in September 2015. |
| Jeff Cuthbert, the deputy minister for skills, said he was doing what was right for Welsh students and the economy. | Jeff Cuthbert, the deputy minister for skills, said he was doing what was right for Welsh students and the economy. |
| Cuthbert told members of the Welsh assembly in the Senedd chamber: "We will retain GCSEs and A-levels. Where necessary we will strengthen and amend these, but ultimately we have confidence in these well-established qualifications, which are recognised around the world." | Cuthbert told members of the Welsh assembly in the Senedd chamber: "We will retain GCSEs and A-levels. Where necessary we will strengthen and amend these, but ultimately we have confidence in these well-established qualifications, which are recognised around the world." |
| England, Wales and Northern Ireland had shared a common system of A-levels and GCSEs, while Scotland has its own qualifications at this level. | England, Wales and Northern Ireland had shared a common system of A-levels and GCSEs, while Scotland has its own qualifications at this level. |
| However, last year the UK government announced it would be introducing the eBacc for students in England. | However, last year the UK government announced it would be introducing the eBacc for students in England. |
| The move prompted widespread criticism from opposition parties as well as some teaching unions. | The move prompted widespread criticism from opposition parties as well as some teaching unions. |
| Philip Dixon, director of the ATL Cymru teaching union, said the Welsh commitment to GCSEs and A-levels would provide "stability for our young people and enables them to study tried and tested qualifications". | Philip Dixon, director of the ATL Cymru teaching union, said the Welsh commitment to GCSEs and A-levels would provide "stability for our young people and enables them to study tried and tested qualifications". |
| He added: "They are not being used as guinea pigs in some ill-thought-through experiment like their colleagues across the border in England." | He added: "They are not being used as guinea pigs in some ill-thought-through experiment like their colleagues across the border in England." |
| But Plaid Cymru said the Welsh government must make sure that qualifications offered in Wales remained relevant in the rest of the world. | But Plaid Cymru said the Welsh government must make sure that qualifications offered in Wales remained relevant in the rest of the world. |
| The party's education spokesman, Simon Thomas, said: "Learners may not welcome taking two maths exams but it does show the way forward to improving attainment." | The party's education spokesman, Simon Thomas, said: "Learners may not welcome taking two maths exams but it does show the way forward to improving attainment." |
| The Welsh Conservatives' education spokeswoman, Angela Burns, said: "These proposals setting out how Wales-only qualifications could be developed must secure the confidence of employers and universities in Wales and beyond." | The Welsh Conservatives' education spokeswoman, Angela Burns, said: "These proposals setting out how Wales-only qualifications could be developed must secure the confidence of employers and universities in Wales and beyond." |
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