Why We’re Asking for a Foundation English Paper to Complement Maths

In GCSE Maths, pupils can be entered for either Foundation or Higher tier.

The Foundation tier is designed for pupils working towards the lower and middle grades. It still leads to a GCSE. It still counts. But it recognises that not every pupil needs to be assessed through the same route.

In GCSE English Language, there is no equivalent Foundation paper.

Every pupil sits the same style of GCSE English Language papers, whether they are aiming for a grade 9 or fighting for the essential grade 4.

Fairer Exams believes this needs to change.

GCSE English and maths are not just school exams.

They are gateways to college courses, apprenticeships, employment and future progression.

For pupils who miss grade 4, the consequences can be serious. Many are required to continue studying English after Year 11, often by resitting the same GCSE format that has already failed to let them show what they can do.

For some young people, resits work.

For most, they do not.

Repeated failure damages confidence, motivation and mental health.

This is why exam accessibility matters.

Some questions do not just test knowledge. They also test working memory, sequencing, language processing and the ability to untangle wording under pressure.

For dyslexic, autistic, ADHD and SEND learners, that can turn an exam paper into an obstacle course.

A young person may be able to read information, write clearly, explain ideas, follow instructions and communicate well in real life.

But they may still struggle with the current GCSE English Language format.

They may find it difficult to manage long unseen texts, abstract inference questions, timed writing, dense wording, planning under pressure, dyslexia, ADHD, autism, anxiety or slow processing speed.

That does not mean they cannot use English.

It may mean the assessment format is not giving them a fair chance to prove it.

England already has another way of assessing English.

Functional Skills English focuses on practical communication. It assesses reading, writing, speaking, listening and communication in real-life and workplace contexts.

These are essential skills.

The problem is that Functional Skills sits outside the GCSE pathway and is often poorly understood by employers, parents and the public.

In the Fairer Exams survey, around 85% of employers said they had either never heard of Functional Skills or did not know what it meant.

That leaves young people with an unfair choice: keep resitting GCSE English in a format that may not work for them, or take a different qualification that many people do not properly recognise.

A GCSE Foundation English route could include Functional Skills-style assessment within GCSE English.

It could test practical English skills such as:

• reading and understanding everyday information
• identifying key points
• writing clearly for a real purpose
• explaining ideas
• communicating information accurately
• applying English in real-life and workplace situations

This would still be English.

It would still be assessed.

It would still lead to a recognised GCSE pathway.

But it would give more young people a fair chance to demonstrate competence before they fail, not after.

Fairer Exams is calling for a GCSE Foundation English paper to complement the existing Foundation route in maths.

For pupils working towards grades 1 to 4, English should include a practical, Functional Skills-style assessment route that tests essential reading, writing and communication skills in real-world contexts.

We are not asking to scrap GCSEs.

We are not asking to lower standards.

We are asking for fairer ways to prove them.

If maths can have a Foundation paper, English can too.

Sign up to our newsletter so you can hear when the Fairer Exams petition goes live and support our call for Functional Skills-style assessment to be built into GCSE Foundation English and maths.

You can also watch the TEDx talk to hear the story behind the campaign.