A failed GCSE is no use to anyone. So it is encouraging to see that the number of GCSE entries is falling because some schools are now channelling teenagers who are unlikely to pass into more suitable vocational forms of study instead.

Yesterday the think-tank Civitas gave warning that many vocational courses (which can be worth up to four GCSEs) were not of equal value to the real GCSEs and were used as “fillers” for students who could otherwise jeopardise a school’s A* to C results. While the quality of some vocational courses may be poor, this does not apply to all. And the 158,242 fall in GCSE entries this year suggests that some schools, and students, regard them as much more than fillers.

At the other high-achieving end of the academic spectrum, independent schools are opting out of the GCSE in favour of the International GCSE exam (I-GCSE). This qualification is not accredited by the Government, but many independent schools prefer it because they regard it as more stretching than the standard GCSE.

According to Cambridge International Examinations, the number of schools opting for the qualification has risen 40 per cent in the past year and stands at 250.

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, is dismissive of the I-GCSE, because it does not, for example, include compulsory study of Shakespeare or any other classic author in its English paper. This is disingenuous. Shakespeare, Hardy, Austen et al are all there on the syllabus for the 2009 I-GCSE in English literature, although they are not compulsory.

These trends suggest that pupils, schools and parents are making more judicious choices about what teenagers should study and are willing to be flexible. This is more in keeping with the Government’s approach of personalised learning.

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