The Education Reform Act has established assessment as the measure by which the implementation of the National Curriculum and school success will be judged. Current initiatives assume, for the first time, the possibility of a new partnership beteen curriculum and assessment. This book is designed to provide a practical understanding of recent examination and assessment developments at secondary level, and will be particularly useful to students and practising teachers.

It examines the introduction of the GCSE, the use of profiling, equal opportunities issues, examinations at 16+ and the assessment of school-leavers for training and employment. It also include a brief historical account of the development of secondary education. The fairness and appropriateness of examination results are always a matter of public concern, and the final chapters, particulary, extend these issues by looking at the ways in which variety of experience and learning styles are relevant to assessment practices.