Pupils flock to ‘less demanding’ ICT course

The number of schoolchildren taking a practical computing course branded of “doubtful value” by Government inspectors has soared six-fold, it has emerged.

The qualification – run by the OCR exam board – has become one of the most popular courses in English schools after entries increased to almost 250,000 last year.

It is believed that the course in information and communication technology is now offered in as many as half of secondaries nationwide.

The OCR National Level 2 in ICT was taken by more pupils last year than full GCSEs in history, geography, art and French.

Courses can be worth up to four good GCSE passes, fuelling claims that pupils are being pushed onto them to boost schools’ league table positions.

A report last year by Ofsted, the education watchdog, found that qualifications such as the one run by OCR were “less demanding” than other mainstream exams.

It said pupils were able to pass “whether or not they had understood what they had done”.

But the exam board branded the claims “subjective” and insisted that Ofsted’s findings “simply didn’t chime” with teachers’ own experiences.

“In the past, we have had an unprecedented response from teachers who agree with us that Nationals have revolutionised the teaching of ICT and provide the ideal tool for giving students a stimulating and challenging learning experience,” said a spokesman. “Its practical approach to learning, and its industry relevance, has been welcomed by employers.”

According to new figures, 242,878 pupils registered for the OCR National Level 2 in ICT in 2009 – a 669 per cent rise in two years.

The course covers practical IT skills needed for business. It also has optional modules in areas such as creating web pages, designing spreadsheets, desktop publishing, creating animation for the internet, computer graphics and planning careers in IT.

The course, which does not feature any examinations, is aimed at pupils aged 14 to 16.

Pupils can take a short version, which normally takes less than a year and is worth one GCSE, or a longer course worth up to four A* to C grades. OCR said the “vast majority” did the shorter version.

According to figures, it is the fourth most popular course in England. Only GCSEs offered by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance – another of the country’s three main exam boards – in English and English literature were more popular. More pupils also took a GCSE in maths offered by the Edexcel board.

But the course is now far more popular than other traditional subjects.

Across the UK last year, only 219,809 pupils took GCSE history, 196,018 got a pass in geography, 193,578 took art and 188,688 gained a GCSE in French.

But last year’s Ofsted report was hugely critical of a number of vocational ICT qualifications.

“Over the past decade, schools have moved away from GCSE ICT, which is perceived to be more difficult, to take on vocational courses,” it said. “Increasingly, the schools have turned to qualifications that are seen to be less demanding.”