What'students are deemed to have achieved when they are sixteen is the measure of how successful or otherwise their progress through the system of compulsory education has been. And yet despite the importance of the process there has been no clear consensus about how best to assess students at sixteen. The various formal examinations which have been tried have now largely been superseded by the GCSE: a common system of examining at sixteen. Originally published in 1988, the book discusses the development of this system, its application to the main subject areas of the curriculum and some of its innovative aspects from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint. In addition, it also looks at the broader aspects of assessment of pupils at the age of sixteen and how we can give a more rounded indication of their achievements and abilities by the use of profiles and records of achievement.