Wales GCSE English Language and Literature Under Review After Burnout Warnings

The WJEC examination board has initiated a consultation on substantial revisions to Wales' new English Language and Literature GCSE. This move comes less than a year after the qualification's introduction in September 2025, with feedback from schools highlighting significant workload pressures for both teachers and students.

Workload Concerns Prompt Review

The new GCSEs form part of a broader overhaul of the Welsh school curriculum, featuring a greater emphasis on non-examination assessments (NEAs) and a reduced focus on traditional formal examinations. NEAs encompass various activities, including oral assessments, fieldwork, portfolio work, and practical assessments, frequently set and marked by teachers.

The WJEC acknowledged it had "listened carefully to concerns raised by schools leaders, teachers and other stakeholders regarding the workload," concluding that "significant adjustments are needed" for the English Language and Literature course.

Proposed changes include a reduction in oracy assessments and a potential removal of the requirement for planning and research tasks to be completed under high levels of teacher supervision. Should these changes be implemented, they would apply to Year 10 students commencing in September 2026, excluding pupils already a year into the course.

Union and Regulator Support Changes

Headteachers in Cardiff had previously written to the WJEC and Qualifications Wales, warning that the reforms were placing schools "under extreme pressure" and calling for "urgent action… to protect staff wellbeing and pupil learning."

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru, expressed relief, stating, "It has been clear from the outset that the level of additional workload the new GCSEs has placed on schools is totally unmanageable." The UCAC union also welcomed the WJEC's responsiveness to teacher and pupil concerns.

Qualifications Wales, the exams regulator, affirmed its support for the WJEC's efforts to "address concerns raised by teachers" regarding NEAs in a "small number of subjects." The proposed changes will require approval from Qualifications Wales before implementation.

Limited adjustments are also being considered for the Welsh language and literature qualification, with potential introduction from September 2027.