by Dale Bassett, Chief Assessment Reform Officer, AQA 

Assessment reform is a judgement about what we value most – and what we are prepared to let go.

An area of broad consensus – in the run up to, during and since the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) – is a desire to see some reduction in content from GCSEs and A levels.  Even among strong supporters of the previous Government’s ‘knowledge-rich’ approach in the last round of reform, many teachers said there was simply too much to cover in two years.

What goes up must come down
Where there is relative agreement is what needs to be added to the subject content.  AQA welcomed the CAR’s calls for more emphasis on financial literacy, and for more learners to see themselves reflected in the curriculum.  But from climate action to media literacy, there are many other topics that advocates are asking to have added or emphasised in the next round of general qualifications.

There is little consensus, however, on what ought to be removed.  This is a serious pedagogical and policy trade off.  The sector is being asked to remove around 10% of content across the board in GCSEs, which is to be welcomed.  But while there are many arguments for what should be added to bring the curriculum up to date, there are far fewer about what should make way.

As an example, exam boards receive representations each year to increase the diversity of texts studied by English literature students, but few such advocates would suggest we correspondingly reduce Shakespeare content.

Engagement with teachers
We work with more schools and colleges than any other board, so we’ve got important insight into how qualifications work for teachers and students.  We’re reflecting that in discussions with the DfE and Ofqual to make sure you have a strong voice in shaping these qualifications.

AQA is also engaging with teachers throughout the qualification reform process.  We’ve held Teacher Panels across a range of subjects, and we’re gaining clearer insights into the areas in each qualification where content could be not just added but, perhaps, removed.  These are not AQA’s settled positions, but rather a flavour of some of the suggestions from teachers so far.

Popular areas for adding or increasing include:

• more practical work in drama (in our submission to the Review, AQA said we’d welcome an increase in non-exam assessment only in subjects for which this was appropriate, including drama)
• the importance of diet in PE
• a return of some ICT skills in computing

Areas our Teacher Panels so far have told us they might like to see reduced or removed include:

• 19th century novels in English literature
• architecture in computer science 
• somatotypes in physical education

I should reiterate: these panels are still ongoing, and initial proposals for the renewed National Curriculum are still being drawn up, but AQA has advocated for teachers and school and college throughout the process.  And we will, of course, continue to do so once the draft National Curriculum is put out for consultation.

These are the trade-offs involved, so it’s important for the profession to come together in making these decisions.

Teacher Panels
I strongly encourage ASCL colleagues and their staff to sign up to AQA’s Teacher Panels and let us know what you think, about subject content and assessment reform more broadly.  By coming together as a sector, we can collectively influence the next stages of curriculum and assessment and develop a shared professional view about what will best serve young people in the years ahead.

AQA was event sponsor for the ASCL Summer Summit: The roadmap to 2030 on 6 May 2026.