Most GCSE coursework, as older parents may remember it, was phased out during the 2015-2017 reforms and replaced with final written exams across most subjects — Maths, Science, English and most humanities are now assessed almost entirely by exam. But Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) hasn't disappeared entirely: it still plays a real role in practical and creative subjects like Art, Drama, Music and Design & Technology.

If you sat your own GCSEs (or O-levels) before the mid-2010s, the assessment landscape your child is navigating now looks noticeably different. Here's what's actually changed, and what's stayed.

What changed in the 2015-2017 reforms

Ahead of these reforms, coursework — work completed over an extended period, often with more flexibility in how and where it was done — made up a meaningful portion of the final grade in many subjects, including ones that are now exam-only, like English and the sciences. Concerns about consistency and how much support students were receiving on coursework, among other factors, led to a broad shift toward final, closed-book exams as the primary (and in many subjects, sole) form of assessment.

The result: for most GCSE subjects today, a student's final grade comes almost entirely from exams sat at the end of the two-year course, rather than from work submitted gradually throughout.

Where practical assessment still exists

Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) is the modern term for the practical or portfolio-based work that still contributes to the final grade in certain subjects — and it's meaningfully different from how pre-reform coursework sometimes worked, because it's completed under more controlled, supervised conditions in school, precisely to ensure it reflects the individual student's own work.

Subjects that commonly still include NEA:

  • Art & Design — a substantial portfolio and final piece, often making up the large majority of the total grade.
  • Design & Technology — a significant design-and-make project alongside the exam.
  • Drama — devised and performed practical work, alongside a written exam.
  • Music — performance and composition components, alongside a listening exam.
  • English Language — includes a spoken language element, though this is usually reported as a separate endorsement rather than contributing to the overall grade.

Exactly how NEA is weighted, and which elements count, varies by exam board and subject specification, so it's worth checking the specific details for your child's courses — the school's subject teachers or the options booklet will have the precise breakdown.

Why science "practicals" don't work the same way

This is a common point of confusion. Science GCSEs still require students to carry out a set number of required practical activities as part of the course — but since the reforms, these are no longer separately marked as coursework. Instead, students are examined on their understanding of practical methods, data analysis, and experimental design through written exam questions that draw on the practicals they've done in class. So the practical work still matters for genuinely understanding the exam content, even though it doesn't carry a separate coursework grade.

What this means for how students prepare

Because the two assessment styles are genuinely different, preparation looks different too:

  • For exam-only subjects (Maths, Science, most humanities, English), the main lever available throughout Year 10 and Year 11 is regular, spaced revision and past-paper practice — building toward a single high-stakes exam performance.
  • For NEA-heavy subjects (Art, Drama, Music, Design & Technology), the work is built progressively over the course, under supervised conditions, and simply can't be crammed at the last minute the way exam content sometimes can be. Consistent engagement across the year — regular studio time, rehearsal, or composition work — is what actually produces a strong NEA outcome.

Knowing which category each of your child's subjects falls into helps set realistic expectations about where a "big push" close to a deadline can genuinely help, and where it's simply too late to matter much — NEA work needs steady effort from early in the course, while exam revision can still meaningfully improve results even when concentrated closer to the exam date (though, as with all GCSE prep, spaced-out revision across Year 10 and Year 11 tends to produce better results than a last-minute cram either way).

FAQ

Does GCSE Maths or Science still have coursework?

No. Since the 2015-2017 GCSE reforms, Maths and the sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Combined Science) are assessed almost entirely by final written exams. Science practical skills are still a required part of the course, but they're assessed indirectly through exam questions about practical work, rather than through separate coursework marks.

Which GCSE subjects still have coursework or Non-Exam Assessment?

Subjects with a significant practical or creative element typically still include Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) — this commonly includes Art & Design, Drama, Music, Design & Technology, and some elements of English Language and English Literature (like spoken language, which is separately reported). Exact requirements vary by exam board, so it's worth checking your child's specific specification.

What's the difference between old-style coursework and today's Non-Exam Assessment?

Historically, coursework could sometimes be completed with less direct supervision, which raised concerns about how much help students were getting. Non-Exam Assessment (and its predecessor, controlled assessment) is completed under more tightly controlled, supervised conditions in school, precisely to ensure the work reliably reflects the individual student's own effort and ability.