Senior politicians set out their ambitions for the 2015 election manifestos Secretary of State for Education in England, Michael Gove and his Labour party counterpart, Tristram Hunt, addressed a Policy Exchange education conference setting out their ambitions for the 2015 election manifestos. Read more
Why there's more to learning Mandarin - Michael O'Sullivan Michael O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Cambridge International Examinations, former Director for the British Council in China and fluent Mandarin speaker, explains why there's more to learning the language. Read more
Assessment of practical work in A Level and GCSE sciences – time to try harder? Practical work is the essence of science, and surely learning science without doing experiments is like studying literature without reading books. But does practical work become distorted when it contributes towards final grades? Read more
Opening the door to deeper understanding How the removal of levels in Primary education in England will open the door to deeper understanding. Read more
Entitlement to knowledge - a privilege or a right? Over 100 educationalists came to hear Professor Michael Young’s theory of ‘powerful knowledge’ and its relationship with the National Curriculum at a recent event hosted by Cambridge Assessment Network. Read more
Critical Thinking - its role, value and impact upon driving attainment Students who have a deficit of ‘thinking skills’ are not only lacking sufficient grounding to embark upon undergraduate study, but also missing a vital skill essential for the 21st-century workforce. Read more
A Level Playing Field Tim Oates argues that changing A Levels is easy – it’s just the wrong thing to do. Read more
Schools in the Cloud. Learning without teachers. It couldn't happen, could it? Our event brought together a panel of experts including Professor Mitra and Lord David Puttnam CBE FRSA to debate the ways in which technology could – and should – transform the fundamentals of education and assessment. Read more
Reforming vocational education: plugging the skills gap With nearly one million 16-24 year olds unemployed in the UK it is easy to see that there is some way to go to ensure that young people leaving the education system are appropriately prepared for the world of work. Read more
Should coursework be included in exams? As the exams regulator prepared to abandon the assessment of coursework counting towards the grades for science A Levels, Tim Oates considered the impact of current coursework – or controlled assessment – arrangements on science teaching. Read more
Learning without teachers: it couldn’t happen, could it? A recent issue of the New Statesman features an article by Group Chief Executive, Simon Lebus, on the importance of face-to-face interaction in teaching and learning. Read more
Using international comparisons to refine the national curriculum To what extent should international comparisons affect a national curriculum? Should we be listening to international evidence or just ignore it? Read more
Research Matters Research Matters is our free biannual publication which allows us to share our assessment research, in a range of fields, with the wider assessment community.