In a move that leaves no room for interpretation, Ofqual have made poetry optional in the GCSE syllabus in a hope of alleviating some of the pressure felt by teachers and pupils as a result of the pandemic.
In an announcement made on Tuesday, the board will now permit exam boards to change their assessment criteria for GCSE English literature next summer. Students will still be assessed on a Shakespeare play, but will be able to select two of the three areas which remain.
Poet laureate Simon Armitage has said that: “This is a time when poetry seems to be really having its moment, because of the comfort, consolation and form of expression that people have found in poetry over these months. Among younger people, it seems a very vibrant, popular art form.”
He continued: “Poetry is language at play, and a lot of the time in a school or classroom environment, students are expected to use language in a very rational, logical and informational way. To be denied the opportunity to think of language as nuanced and playful is a pity.”
Armitage is supported by fellow laureate Michael Rosen, who has said that: “By making it voluntary they are in effect ensuring that a percentage of students at English schools will not do any poetry in years 10 and 11.”
He concluded: “Poetry offers a view on humanity, society and the world that is playful, contemplative, mysterious, questioning, and one that is often interested in giving readers the chance to hold several different ideas in our heads at the same time.”
