About Us

Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: our response and what it means for you

Last updated: 5 Nov 2025

Shaping what comes next

You’ll have seen that the Curriculum Assessment Review final report was published earlier today. The big questions are what it will mean for you and your learners, and what happens next.

Today’s publication kicks off the process of refreshing the qualifications you teach to make them even better for students and teachers. The report recommends improvements in a range of curriculum subjects, some minor, some more significant, which will be mapped out in more detail by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual.

While first teaching is not until 2029, we are working on this now to make sure new qualifications are right for you and your students.

The curriculum and assessment review

We contributed to the review, drawing on our own observations and insights from many of you who attended our focus groups. It’s reassuring to see that a lot of what we’ve been discussing is in the final report.

We’re particularly pleased to see an emphasis on:

• an ‘evolutionary not revolutionary’ approach, considering the impact change has on teacher workload and student wellbeing
• trimming overall curriculum content and assessment volume, while maintaining the principle of fairness
• financial education - we’ve been advocating for an improved focus on this area, and our numeracy test allows students to show their real-life numeracy skills alongside GCSE Maths
• the importance of a curriculum that is diverse and inclusive, preparing students for life in modern Britain
• the importance for all students to have the ability to study triple science, given it provides a vital foundation for many STEM-based careers.

What's next

• The next phase will look at how the recommendations in the Curriculum and Assessment review are implemented. The government’s formal response to the review will kick start this work.
• They will develop the new curriculum with teachers, curriculum experts, learners and parents, to make the changes outlined to the programmes of study and subject content.
• Draft content will then be tested with stakeholders through the statutory consultation process in 2026 to make sure it balances delivery of the review’s recommendations with offering the right level of depth and breadth.
• The final curriculum will be published in spring 2027, and schools will start teaching it from September 2028.
• The DfE proposes reforming GCSEs and A-levels in two phases each:
  • first teaching of the first phase of GCSEs will be in 2029, and the second phase in 2030
  • first teaching of the first phase of A-levels will be in 2031, and the second phase in 2032.
    We’ve already started work on planning for these updates to the qualifications. We expect the first accredited qualifications to be ready in 2028, ready for first teaching in September 2029.

There’s nothing you need to do right now – we’ll keep you updated by email and will share our progress, so you’ll know as soon as there is any news that could affect your classroom or school.

Working with you

Every AQA product is created through collaboration with teachers and we’re already working with many of you to inform the new qualifications. We’ll make it easy for you to feed into the updated qualifications and to share your thoughts with us. We’ll be in touch shortly about how you can get involved. We’ll also provide you with everything you need to make these changes a success for you, your school and most importantly, your students.

Great assessment goes beyond recognition – it equips learners with the independence, adaptability and critical thinking to thrive, and we’re looking forward to seeing the positive improvements these changes will bring.