10. Welsh Conservatives Debate: GCSE and A-level Results

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:28 pm on 2 October 2019.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 6:28, 2 October 2019

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Well, Minister, I'll give you a five out of 10 for that response, because—[Interruption.] I'm trying to be charitable. Because there's no doubt that there have been some positive steps in terms of trying to address the accountability issue in Welsh schools and our education system, and that's why we, as a party, welcome some of the work that has been announced in the past.

We particularly welcomed the stopping of unnecessary and inappropriate early entry for examinations. That's absolutely the right thing to do. But of course what we haven't stopped yet is the fact that some pupils are not being entered for examinations at all, and that, of course, is why the A-level results, perhaps, may have improved. Qualifications Wales warned of this last year. They said the number of entrants for A-levels had gone down and it was because weaker students were not being appropriately entered for their exams. I'll happily take an intervention.