Following a review of GCSEs, QCA developed draft qualification and subject criteria in spring 2007 in collaboration with stakeholders including teachers, awarding bodies, subject associations, higher education organisations and other interested parties.
Our online consultation on the draft criteria took place between 20 May and 14 September 2007. We received over 1,900 responses. The findings of the consultation can be found in the GCSE qualification and subject criteria consultation summary reports, which can be accessed from the right-hand side of this page. The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and the Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) carried out their own consultations in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Following the online consultation, we held a series of meetings with the original groups of stakeholders who had developed the first drafts of the qualification and subject criteria. These groups looked at the feedback from the online consultation and made any necessary amendments to the criteria. The qualification and subject criteria are now finalised, and awarding bodies have begun their specification development.