Harrow drops maths GCSE

The credibility of the maths GCSE was dealt another blow today as Harrow School ditched the exam for a version modelled on the old O-level.

Harrow was the latest in a line of private schools to opt for the International GCSE in maths, which does not include compulsory coursework. Headmaster Barnaby Lenon said: "We don't like the coursework. It takes a long time to do and has limited educational value." In a letter to parents, the school's head of maths Philippa Davies said the coursework in the mainstream maths GCSE, which all state schools are required to offer, was "increasingly unsatisfactory". She said: "The projects set by the examination boards are not challenging but are always time-consuming." From next year the

all-boys school will only offer the IGCSE set by exam board Edexcel as it would provide an "improved mathematics course", Dr Davies said.

The IGCSE included more topics and placed a "bigger emphasis" on algebra, which would help pupils cope with the demands of the subject at A-level, she added. It was also "well regarded" by universities and employers.

While they would have to take the exam a few weeks earlier than usual, at the beginning of May, this would spread the exam load out more evenly over the summer term.

Oundle School in Peterborough and Cheltenham College have switched and the North London Collegiate School has also decided to change to the IGCSE.

Exam boards defended the GCSE, saying only the brightest candidates were entered for the hardest paper in which those grade boundaries were set and the pass mark reflected the difficulty of the questions.

The IGCSE was developed for overseas students who wanted something as close as possible to the O-level, which was taken for the last time in 1987.

Many private schools are unhappy with the amount of coursework in GCSEs, believing it adds little to pupils' learning.