Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure universities and employers are aware of the differences between awarded GCSEs and iGCSEs.

GCSEs are long-standing, credible and well-respected by students, teachers, parents, further and higher education providers, and employers. International GCSEs, which include iGCSEs, are different qualifications. International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications and are also offered by some independent schools. Unlike GCSEs, international GCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have also not counted in school performance tables since GCSEs were last reformed.

In 2019, the department published an analysis of GCSE and international GCSE progress and attainment data, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comparing-international-gcses-and-gcses-in-england-2018. The publication noted it is difficult to make precise judgements about how standards in these qualifications compare given the clear differences between them.