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The Changing Face of Education: Some Changes that Impact UK

Shweta Khare

This article is contributed by Tim Aldiss who writes on behalf of Enjoy Education.

Education is changing. The proliferation of technology has brought the ability to learn anywhere, at any time to a global network of connected individuals. The impact on the when and how of education is still being digested and understood, and for the existing infrastructure it means some strenuous transitions. Here in the UK we look at the impact of some of the current changes.

There have been a number of changes taking place within the educational system of the United Kingdom. For instance, certain A-level reforms are set to begin during September 2015. The results will first be measured starting in 2017. To appreciate how these reforms will affect one’s overall education in the future, it is a good idea to take a look at some of the most important facts and figures.

Main Features

We should first note that the primary means of assessment will be in the form of an exam. Other methods will be used only when they are required to gauge essential skills. It is also important to mention that there will no longer be any exams in January. Courses are not modularised and initial A-level assessments will take place two years after the changes are put in place (beginning in the summer of 2017). As opposed to in the past, the results from AS courses will no longer be counted towards A levels. However, AS levels are able to be taught in tandem with A levels when they are necessary. Finally, a sizeable portion of A-level content has been updated and in comparison to the past, universities across the United Kingdom enjoyed a greater amount of input.

The Timetable in Reference to Subjects

As mentioned previously, a timetable has been assigned to the changes in A-level courses. These subjects will be modified between the 2015-2017 period. In 2015, some of the subjects will include:

In 2016, a handful of subjects are:

Finally, the 2017 scholastic year will introduce the final batch of topics including:

Please note that these are only a few examples that are modified each year. A full list can be found at this government portal.

A Cull of Certain Subjects

We should also point out that certain A-level qualifications will no longer be accepted by certain organisations such as AQA in the future. These include (amongst others) applied sciences, anthropology, human biology, science and society, modern Hebrew and general studies.

There could be several reasons for this change. A lack of qualified examiners, lower entry levels and more appropriate alternative qualifications are a handful of factors that may have influenced such a decision. On a final note, there may be some subjects slated for entry in 2017 which require more content so that they are available. As this is still some time off, there is no guarantee that all of the fields listed within the aforementioned website will be available in 2017.

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