By Eniola Amadu
Major changes could be on the way for A-levels, AS-levels and GCSEs in Northern Ireland as the Department of Education begins a review of the qualifications system.
The Education Minister, Paul Givan, has said that pupils are being “over-tested” and that reforms are needed to reduce the pressure of frequent exams.
The department is consulting on proposals that may lead to the abolition of AS-levels and a return to a two-year A-level course, with students sitting final exams at the end of their studies to determine their grades.
The move would align Northern Ireland more closely with England, where AS-levels were separated from A-levels in 2017 and no longer count towards final grades.
Givan told BBC News NI that the department had been examining “what we’re teaching in our classrooms, the content that’s being delivered, the way in which it’s being delivered.”
He added that the recent curriculum review had highlighted the need to make qualifications more focused and less driven by testing.
The minister noted that he desires the curriculum to “get into the detail of things, rather than a very wide range of issues that need to be covered in a short space of time.”
He explained that the overemphasis on examinations meant students were spending too much time preparing for assessments rather than engaging in classroom learning.
“So much time is being spent in preparation for exams, time off school when it comes to even your mocks, being coached as to the technique when it comes to answering questions,” Givan said.
“All of that is taking away from the ability to actually sit in the class, engage in the subject matter and to learn about it.”
Although exams will remain a part of the education system, Givan maintained that pupils were being tested too frequently.
“I do believe that our young people are being over-tested,” he said.
The consultation, he noted, will help the department take “an informed decision” on the future of qualifications like AS-levels, and he emphasised that he had “no fixed view” at this stage, inviting feedback from teachers, pupils, and education stakeholders.
Under the Department of Education’s proposals, qualifications overseen by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) would be affected.
A-levels and GCSEs would continue, but AS-levels could be scrapped, transforming A-levels into a continuous two-year course without interim exams.
Currently, AS-level exams in Northern Ireland account for 40 per cent of a student’s final A-level grade, and pupils typically sit high-stakes exams annually from Year 11 to Year 14.
The consultation document described this as a “matter of concern,” arguing that valuable learning time is lost through constant assessments.
The proposed reforms also include reducing the number of topics covered in both GCSE and A-level subjects, removing most controlled or practical assessments, and limiting exams to a maximum of two per subject.
The Department said the goal is to provide a more balanced approach to learning, allowing teachers and students to focus on depth rather than volume.
Another significant change would be the replacement of the current A*–G grading system for GCSEs with the numerical 9–1 scale used in England.
This would bring Northern Ireland’s grading in line with the rest of the UK, where the change was introduced nearly a decade ago.
The Department for Education said the consultation aims to ensure that future qualifications better reflect the needs of pupils and employers while maintaining academic standards.
