Think tanks argue that using a "school degree" such as a GCSE at the age of 16 is redundant in systems that require students to continue their education until the age of 18. EDSK states that it will cost an estimated £ 200 million (equivalent to £ 52,000 per school) to take the latest GCSE exam. With the Comparable Results scoring system, a given percentage of students will always get the lowest grades. .. In addition, the report shows that the introduction of Ebacc and Progress 8 measures has prioritized the GCSE department and increased the average number.

To underpin a single approach to assessment, EDSK recommends splitting England’s secondary education system into two phases – Lower Secondary (ages 11-15) and Upper Secondary (15-18).

The existing national curriculum subject entitlements will be extended to 15 and made mandatory for all schools – including academies.

In all national curriculum subjects, apart from those with a significant practical element such as art, an online assessment will be completed in the summer term.

Students will then be awarded a ‘Lower Secondary Certificate’ which documents results across all subjects and their percentile rank (the percentage of pupils who scored lower).

‘Comparable outcomes’ will be scrapped and after sitting the assessments pupils will then be free to choose which type of course and qualifications they want to pursue as they move on to Upper Secondary.