World Class Qualifications
Our World Class Qualifications programme is bringing experts together to develop qualifications that will support young people around the globe to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
A panel of international teachers, education reformers and assessment experts will be overseeing the reform of Pearson's GCSEs, A levels and BTECs – making sure that all our qualifications are guaranteed passports to progression.
Rod Bristow, president of Pearson UK and core markets, explains:
"Qualifications stay with you for a lifetime - not just the grade that one achieves, but the learning, knowledge and skills that achieving it represents. Parents, teachers and governments all over the world are rightly focused on ensuring that the courses and assessments young people are encouraged to take will support them to develop the capabilities they need to progress and to prosper.
"That is especially true in the UK, where national examinations at age 16 and age 18, and vocational qualifications, are all being reviewed and refreshed. Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company, and as the parent company of one of the UK's largest awarding organisations, we'll be contributing our views on the best way forward to improve learning."
"As a global organisation with significant expertise in curriculum, assessment design, learning technologies and education policy, we hope that contribution will be a valuable one. However, we don’t have all the answers. We want to look forward and outward, and to collaborate and engage to understand better the best practices from the leading nations in education, the changing demands of the global economy and the priorities of higher education and employers. We believe that this is the key to developing GCSEs, A levels and BTECs that support a bright and successful future for those who achieve them.
"That's why we have convened an expert panel, chaired by Sir Michael Barber, to help us to devise World Class Qualifications – and why we’ll be consulting and collaborating much more widely too."
Rod Bristow
President of Pearson UK and core markets
Find out more about our World Class Qualifications programme
Our expert panel
Meet the team of experienced, innovative education and assessment experts who are helping us to develop qualifications that change young people’s lives.
Our subject panels
We work with experts in key subjects and sectors so our qualifications are based on the best academic, educational and assessment knowledge.
Our design principles
Find out about the framework defined with our expert panel for us to develop demanding, rigorous, inclusive and empowering qualifications.
Our research
We've commissioned academic experts to focus on the big issues in education, so that the work we do is based on the latest research.
Government consultations
You can find out more about government consultations on GCSEs, A levels and vocational qualifications on the DfE website.
Our responses to consultations
We respond to all major external education and skills consultations and submit evidence to relevant Select Committee inquiries.