British pupils urged to study harder

England is failing to give teenagers a rigorous academic education, research suggested yesterday.

GCSEs in maths and science are often of a "much lower quality" than similar exams in other leading nations, according to a report by the think tank Reform.

It warns that England is "unique" among major developed countries in the "narrowness" of its expectations of pupils at the age of 16.

Teenagers are only expected to sit GCSEs in English and maths, whereas in many other countries, pupils are expected to take between four and six core academic qualifications.

The study warns that there is a perception in England that some students are unable to cope with academic study, which does not exist in other nations.

This perception has led to some pupils being pushed towards vocational qualifications.

But there is evidence that while successfully gaining GCSEs can add 15 per cent to a pupil's future average earnings, vocational qualifications do not provide a similar result, the report says.

Only 0.2 per cent of students who take non-academic qualifications go on to university, it claims. The report, entitled Core Business, calls for every 16-year-old to study a core of five academic GCSEs, including English, maths, sciences, foreign languages and history or geography.

It says: "The continuing move away from academic qualifications could lead to a new cultural divide developing, entrenching privilege and further impacting on the UK's poor social mobility. "A number of grammar and the best comprehensive schools are already encouraging their pupils to follow more rigorous routes such as the three separate science GCSEs, while independent schools are increasingly offering well-regarded qualifications like the International Baccalaureate and International GCSE. "Meanwhile, the most disadvantaged children are deprived of opportunities for rigorous academic study, and are instead pushed to follow non-academic qualifications that boost league table results."

The report analysed the standard of English, maths and science GCSEs, compared to similar qualifications in Canada, Germany, France, Japan and the US. It found that while English GCSE was of a similar standard, the science papers showed a "clear aversion to academic rigour" and a "noticeable intellectual deficiency when compared with the other countries". And in maths, candidates are "frequently led through the solutions in very small steps". The report says the government was right to acknowledge that there should be some "core" academic study for all pupils.

This led to the introduction of "functional skills" qualifications in English and maths. But it adds that academic levels of these qualifications is "far below" that of GCSEs.

The report recommends universities and school heads of department take control of exam standards, instead of exams watchdog Ofqual, and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency.