We revise our qualifications regularly to make sure that they continue to meet the needs of learners, schools and higher education institutions around the world and reflect current thinking. Please see the 2023-2025 syllabus document for full details on the changes.
What are the main changes to the syllabus?
To support teachers and learners, we have:
- updated the subject content, aims and assessment objectives to make them easier to understand. Although the subject content looks different, the teaching content remains largely the same
- increased the number of assessment objectives from four to five.
What are the main changes to the assessment?
- In Paper 1 (now called ‘Reading and Directed Writing’), we have replaced the summary task with a directed writing task and increased the number of reading texts from two to three (one fiction, two non-fiction).
- In Paper 2, we have reduced the number of questions available to learners for clarity and to encourage breadth of study. Students now choose from four questions rather than eight.
- We have updated the format and layout of the mark schemes on both papers. The level descriptors are now clearer and reflect the changes in assessment structure.
When do these changes take place?
The updated syllabus is for examination from June 2023 onwards. Please see the 2023-2025 syllabus for full details.
Support
We are developing a comprehensive range of materials to help you teach the updated syllabus. These resources will be available from April 2021 onwards (before first teaching) through our School Support Hub and include:
Training
Face-to-face and online training will be available. For up-to-date information, visit our Events and training calendar.