Head teacher voices support for 'one exam for all'

The GCSE exam in England is to be replaced for core subjects by a qualification called the English Baccalaureate Certificate - which will be awarded for the first time in 2017.

The shake-up of the exam system will mean a single end-of-course test rather than modular assessments, and one exam board responsible for each subject.

Sally Coates, head of Burlington Danes Academy, said that she was in favour of the new system and also welcomed the fact that there would be "one exam for all".

But she also voiced concerns about the time delay before pupils will sit the new papers, saying they should start "the sooner the better".