192-805: The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE ) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England , Wales and Northern Ireland , having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. However, private schools in Scotland often choose to follow the English GCSE system. Each GCSE qualification
384-453: A one-nation conservative and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies. Born in London to an upper-middle-class family, Cameron was educated at Eton College and Brasenose College, Oxford . After becoming an MP in 2001, he served in the opposition Shadow Cabinet under Conservative leader Michael Howard , and succeeded Howard in 2005 . Following
576-554: A "Bill of Rights" to replace the Human Rights Act , however, Bogdanor, himself a Liberal Democrat , said: "I think he is very confused. I've read his speech and it's filled with contradictions. There are one or two good things in it but one glimpses them, as it were, through a mist of misunderstanding". While at Oxford, Cameron was a member of the Bullingdon Club , an exclusive all male student dining society with
768-458: A "his and her list" of proposals made by Howard and his wife, Sandra . Lewis said that Sandra Howard's list included reducing the quality of prison food , although she denied this claim. Lewis reported that Cameron was "uncomfortable" about the list. In defending Sandra Howard and insisting that she made no such proposal, the journalist Bruce Anderson wrote that Cameron had proposed a much shorter definition on prison catering which revolved around
960-492: A '1' grade in the scholarship level exam in economics and politics. The following autumn, he passed the entrance exam for the University of Oxford , and was offered an exhibition at Brasenose College . After leaving Eton in 1984 Cameron started a nine-month gap year . For three months, he worked as a researcher for his godfather Tim Rathbone , then Conservative MP for Lewes , during which time he attended debates in
1152-432: A 50/50 chance, but as the campaign wore on and the scale of the impending Conservative defeat grew, Cameron prepared himself for defeat. On election day, Stafford had a swing of 10.7%, almost the same as the national swing, which made it one of the many seats to fall to Labour: Kidney defeated Cameron by 24,606 votes (47.5%) to 20,292 (39.2%), a majority of 4,314 (8.3%). In the round of selection contests taking place in
1344-478: A 78% turnout , to Davis's 64,398. Although Davis had initially been the favourite, it was widely acknowledged that his candidacy was marred by a disappointing conference speech. Cameron's election as the leader of the Conservative Party and leader of the opposition was announced on 6 December 2005. As is customary for an opposition leader not already a member, upon election Cameron became a member of
1536-657: A C* grade to line up with the grade 5 in the English grading. Since 2017 in England (and in Wales and Northern Ireland on qualifications from the English-based awarding bodies) most GCSEs have been assessed on a 9-point scale, using numbers from 9 to 1, and a U (unclassified) grade for achievement below the minimum pass mark. Under this system 9 is the highest grade and is set above the former A* classification, equivalent to
1728-466: A CSE and an O Level certificate. There was still a separate English Literature O Level exam. Over time the range of subjects offered, the format of the examinations, the regulations, the content and the grading of GCSE examinations have altered considerably. Numerous subjects have been added and changed, and various new subjects are offered in modern languages, ancient languages, vocational fields and expressive arts, as well as citizenship courses. In 1994
1920-470: A U (unclassified) below that, which did not qualify the pupil for a certificate. These grades were initially set such that a GCSE grade C was equivalent to an O-Level grade C or a CSE grade 1, though changes in marking criteria and boundaries over the years mean that this comparison is only approximate. Infrequently, X and Q grades are awarded. X indicates that a course was not completed and therefore an appropriate grade cannot be calculated. The Q (query) grade
2112-486: A candidate. Parliamentary colleagues supporting him included Boris Johnson, shadow chancellor George Osborne, shadow defence secretary and deputy leader of the party Michael Ancram , Oliver Letwin and former party leader William Hague . His campaign did not gain wide support until his speech, delivered without notes, at the 2005 Conservative party conference . In the speech, he vowed to make people "feel good about being Conservatives again" and said he wanted "to switch on
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#17327647767852304-518: A ceremonial county, or be a district tier within a shire county , be a royal or metropolitan borough , have borough or city status , or be a unitary authority . At the community level, much of England is divided into civil parishes with their own councils ; in Greater London only one such parish, Queen's Park , exists as of 2014 after they were abolished in 1965 until legislation allowed their recreation in 2007. From 1994 until
2496-485: A constituency revised in boundary changes, which was projected to have a Conservative majority. The incumbent Conservative MP, Bill Cash , ran instead in the neighbouring constituency of Stone , where he was re-elected. At the 1996 Conservative Party Conference, Cameron called for tax cuts in the forthcoming Budget to be targeted at the low-paid and to "small businesses where people took money out of their own pockets to put into companies to keep them going". He also said
2688-614: A descendant of the Yiddish author Elia Levita . Cameron was educated at two private schools . From the age of seven, he was taught at Heatherdown School in Winkfield , Berkshire. Owing to good grades, he entered its top academic class almost two years early. At the age of 13, he went on to Eton College in Berkshire, following his father and elder brother. His early interest was in art. Six weeks before taking his O levels , he
2880-473: A different set of tiers, with three. These were foundation tier at grades G, F, E, and D; intermediate tier at grades E, D, C, and B; and higher tier at grades C, B, A, and A*. This eventually changed to match the tiers in all other GCSE qualifications. The evolution of grades and a rough comparison between them are as follows: When GCSEs were introduced in 1988 they were graded on a letter scale in each subject: A, B, C, D, E, F and G being pass grades, with
3072-512: A geographical frame of reference. Of these, 38 developed gradually since the Middle Ages ; these were reformed to 51 in 1974 and to their current number in 1996. Each has a Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff ; these posts are used to represent the British monarch locally. Some counties, such as Herefordshire , are only divided further into civil parishes. The royal county of Berkshire and
3264-509: A great deal of effort into "nursing" his potential constituency, turning up at social functions and attacking Woodward for changing his mind on fox hunting to support a ban. During the election campaign, Cameron accepted the offer of writing a regular column for The Guardian ' s online section. He won the seat with a 1.9% swing to the Conservatives, taking 22,153 votes (45%) to Labour candidate Michael Bartlet's 14,180 (28.8%),
3456-458: A higher qualification. As the two were independent qualifications with separate syllabi, a separate course of study would have to be taken to convert a CSE to an O-Level in order to progress to A-Level . There was a previous attempt to unite these two disparate qualifications in the 1980s, with a trial ‘16+‘ examination in some subjects, awarding both a CSE and an O-Level certificate, before the GCSE
3648-564: A majority of 7,973 (16.2%). Upon his election to Parliament, Cameron served as a member of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee , a prominent appointment for a newly elected MP. He proposed that the Committee launch an inquiry into the law on drugs, and urged the consideration of "radical options". The report recommended a downgrading of ecstasy from Class A to Class B, as well as moves towards
3840-500: A non-assessed basis, with the completion of certain experiments in science subjects being assumed in examinations and teacher reporting of spoken language participation for English GCSEs as a separate report. Other changes include the move to a numerical grading system to differentiate the new qualifications from the old-style letter-graded GCSEs, publication of core content requirements for all subjects and an increase in longer, essay-style questions to challenge pupils more. Alongside this
4032-656: A pathway that leads to qualification for the English Baccalaureate , requiring GCSEs in English literature, English language, mathematics, science (including computer science), a modern or ancient language and history and geography. The list of currently available GCSE subjects is much shorter than before the reforms, since the new qualifications in England all have core requirements set by the regulator, Ofqual , for each subject. In addition there are several subjects for which only one board offers qualifications, including some that are available only in one country of
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#17327647767854224-567: A policy of ' harm reduction ', which Cameron defended. Cameron endorsed Iain Duncan Smith in the 2001 Conservative Party leadership election and organised an event in Witney for party supporters to hear John Bercow speaking for him. Two days before Duncan Smith won the leadership contest on 13 September 2001, the 9/11 attacks occurred. Cameron described Tony Blair's response to the attacks as "masterful", saying: "He moved fast, and set
4416-605: A profound and permanent effect on the English language. Subsequently, the House of Plantagenet from Anjou inherited the English throne under Henry II , adding England to the budding Angevin Empire of fiefs the family had inherited in France including Aquitaine . They reigned for three centuries, some noted monarchs being Richard I , Edward I , Edward III and Henry V . The period saw changes in trade and legislation, including
4608-553: A question about whether he most regretted claiming to see "the green shoots of recovery" or admitting to "singing in his bath" with happiness at leaving the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Cameron was identified by one journalist as having inspired this gaffe; it was speculated that the heavy Conservative defeat in Newbury may have cost Cameron his chance of becoming chancellor himself, even though as he
4800-676: A referendum on the UK's continuing membership of the European Union in 2016. He supported the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign which lost. Following the success of Vote Leave , Cameron resigned as prime minister and was succeeded by Theresa May , his Home Secretary. Cameron resigned his seat on 12 September 2016, and maintained a low political profile. He served as the president of Alzheimer's Research UK from 2017 to 2023, and
4992-516: A reputation for an outlandish drinking culture associated with boisterous behaviour and damaging property. In his 2019 memoir For the Record , Cameron wrote about being a member of the Bullingdon and its impact on his political career, saying: "When I look now at the much-reproduced photograph taken of our group of appallingly over-self-confident 'sons of privilege', I cringe. If I had known at
5184-468: A roundtable discussion on the future of broadcasting in 1998, he criticised the effect of overlapping different regulators on the industry. Carlton's consortium did win the digital terrestrial franchise, but the resulting company suffered difficulties in attracting subscribers. Cameron resigned as Director of Corporate Affairs in February 2001 to run for Parliament for a second time, although he remained on
5376-484: A safe Conservative seat, but its sitting MP Shaun Woodward (who had worked with Cameron on the 1992 election campaign) had "crossed the floor" to join the Labour Party, and was selected instead for the safe Labour seat of St Helens South . Cameron's biographers Francis Elliott and James Hanning describe the two men as being "on fairly friendly terms". Cameron, advised in his strategy by friend Catherine Fall , put
5568-796: A separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland that created the Kingdom of Great Britain . England is the origin of the English language , the English legal system (which served as the basis for the common law systems of many other countries), association football , and the Anglican branch of Christianity; its parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into
5760-450: A struggle for hegemony between Northumbria and Mercia, which in the 8th century gave way to Mercian preeminence. In the early 9th century Mercia was displaced as the foremost kingdom by Wessex. Later in that century escalating attacks by the Danes culminated in the conquest of the north and east of England, overthrowing the kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. Wessex under Alfred
5952-471: A subset of grades to be reached in a specific tier's paper. Formerly many subjects were tiered, but with the mid-2010s reform the number of tiered subjects reduced dramatically, including the removal of tiering from the GCSE English specifications. Untiered papers allow any grade to be achieved. Coursework and controlled assessment tasks are always untiered. In the past mathematics qualifications offered
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6144-415: A variety of design technology subjects, which are reformed into a single ‘design and technology’ subject with several options, and various catering and nutrition qualifications, which are folded into ‘food technology’. Finally several ‘umbrella’ GCSEs such as ‘humanities’, ‘performing arts’ and ‘expressive arts’ are dissolved, with those wishing to study those subjects needing to take separate qualifications in
6336-479: A variety of low-uptake qualifications and qualifications with significant overlap will cease, with their content being removed from the GCSE options or incorporated into similar qualifications. A range of new GCSE subjects was also introduced for pupils to study from 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. GCSE examinations in English and mathematics were reformed with the 2015 syllabus publications, with these first examinations taking place in 2017. The remainder were reformed with
6528-531: A vote on allowing same-sex and unmarried couples to adopt children jointly, against a whip to oppose; his abstention was noted. The wide scale of abstentions and rebellious votes destabilised the Duncan Smith leadership. In June 2003 Cameron was appointed a shadow minister in the Privy Council Office as a deputy to Eric Forth , then shadow leader of the House . He also became a vice- chairman of
6720-412: A whole new generation." His speech was well-received; The Daily Telegraph said speaking without notes "showed a sureness and a confidence that is greatly to his credit". In the first ballot of Conservative MPs on 18 October 2005, Cameron came second, with 56 votes, slightly more than expected; David Davis had fewer than predicted at 62 votes; Liam Fox came third with 42 votes; and Kenneth Clarke
6912-588: Is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. After his premiership , he served as Foreign Secretary in Rishi Sunak ’s government from 2023 to 2024. Cameron was Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He was Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2010 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Witney from 2001 to 2016. Cameron identifies as
7104-577: Is a non-departmental public body, established in 1995 and sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with responsibilities relating to the protection and enhancement of the environment in England. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the minister responsible for environmental protection, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in England. David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966),
7296-590: Is a temporary grade that requires the school to contact the examining body. These two grades are usually provisional and are replaced with a normal grade once any issues have been resolved. X grades are also sometimes used for other purposes on rare occasions, such as to indicate that an examiner found offensive material or hate speech within a pupil’s answers. In some cases this may lead to the pupil losing all marks for that paper or course. These grades are most common in subjects that cover ethical issues, such as biology, religious studies and citizenship. In 1994 an A* grade
7488-412: Is also applied to England in a more poetic capacity, though its original meaning is the island of Britain as a whole. The earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor , dating to about 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago. Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during
7680-492: Is damp relatively frequently and is changeable. The coldest months are January and February, the latter particularly on the English coast , while July is normally the warmest month. Months with mild to warm weather are May, June, September and October. Rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the year. Important influences on the climate of England are its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean , its northern latitude and
7872-577: Is governed directly by the Parliament of the United Kingdom , although other countries of the United Kingdom have devolved governments. There has been debate about how to counterbalance this in England. Originally it was planned that various regions of England would be devolved, but following the proposal's rejection by the North East in a 2004 referendum , this has not been carried out. In 2024, an England-only intergovernmental body, known as
GCSE - Misplaced Pages Continue
8064-669: Is high moorland in upland areas, indented by fertile valleys of the region's rivers. They contain two national parks , the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District . In the West Country , Dartmoor and Exmoor of the Southwest Peninsula include upland moorland supported by granite. The English Lowlands are in the central and southern regions of the country, consisting of green rolling hills, including
8256-780: Is known as the lost colony after it was found abandoned on the return of the late-arriving supply ship. With the East India Company , England also competed with the Dutch and French in the East. During the Elizabethan period, England was at war with Spain. An armada sailed from Spain in 1588 as part of a wider plan to invade England and re-establish a Catholic monarchy. The plan was thwarted by bad coordination, stormy weather and successful harrying attacks by an English fleet under Lord Howard of Effingham . This failure did not end
8448-623: Is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor , the Lake District , the Pennines , and the Shropshire Hills . The country's capital is London , the metropolitan area of which has a population of 14.2 million as of 2021, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London,
8640-486: Is offered in a specific school subject, such as English literature, English language, mathematics, science, history, geography, art and design, design and technology, business studies, classical civilisation, drama, music and foreign languages. The Department for Education has drawn up a list of core subjects known as the English Baccalaureate for England based on the results in eight GCSEs, which includes both English language and English literature, mathematics, three of
8832-458: Is part of the United Kingdom, a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system . There has not been a government of England since 1707, when the Acts of Union 1707 , putting into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union , joined England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain . Before the union England was ruled by its monarch and the Parliament of England . Today England
9024-472: Is similar to that of other areas in the British Isles with a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate life in a diverse range of habitats. National nature reserves in England are designated by Natural England as key places for wildlife and natural features in England. They were established to protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are managed on behalf of
9216-456: Is the younger son of Ian Donald Cameron, a stockbroker, and his wife Mary Fleur, a retired Justice of the Peace and daughter of Sir William Mount, 2nd Baronet . He is also a descendant of William IV through one of the king's illegitimate children. Cameron's father, Ian, was born at Blairmore House near Huntly , Aberdeenshire, and died near Toulon , France, on 8 September 2010; Blairmore
9408-519: The 1535–1542 acts . There were internal religious conflicts during the reigns of Henry's daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I . The former took the country back to Catholicism while the latter broke from it again, forcefully asserting the supremacy of Anglicanism . The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor age of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I ("the Virgin Queen"). Historians often depict it as
9600-453: The 1997 general election . Major and Lamont's personal ratings also declined dramatically. Lamont's unpopularity did not necessarily affect Cameron, who was considered as a potential " kamikaze " candidate for the Newbury by-election , which includes the area where he grew up. However, Cameron decided not to stand. During the by-election, Lamont gave the response " Je ne regrette rien " to
9792-787: The 2010 general election , negotiations led to Cameron becoming prime minister as the head of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats . His premiership was marked by the effects of the 2007–2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession , which his government sought to address through austerity measures . His administration passed the Health and Social Care Act and the Welfare Reform Act , which introduced large-scale changes to healthcare and welfare . It also enforced stricter immigration policies via
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#17327647767859984-643: The Age of Discovery . Henry VIII broke from communion with the Catholic Church, over issues relating to his divorce, under the Acts of Supremacy in 1534 which proclaimed the monarch head of the Church of England . In contrast with much of European Protestantism , the roots of the split were more political than theological. He also legally incorporated his ancestral land Wales into the Kingdom of England with
10176-583: The Angeln region of what is now the German state of Schleswig-Holstein . The earliest recorded use of the term, as " Engla londe ", is in the late-ninth-century translation into Old English of Bede 's Ecclesiastical History of the English People . The term was then used to mean "the land inhabited by the English", and it included English people in what is now south-east Scotland but was then part of
10368-590: The Battle of Trafalgar confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century. The Napoleonic Wars fostered a concept of Britishness and a united national British people , shared with the English, Scots and Welsh. London became the largest and most populous metropolitan area in the world during the Victorian era , and trade within the British Empire – as well as
10560-536: The Battle of Watling Street . The author of one study of Roman Britain suggested that from 43 AD to 84 AD, the Roman invaders killed somewhere between 100,000 and 250,000 people from a population of perhaps 2,000,000. This era saw a Greco-Roman culture prevail with the introduction of Roman law , Roman architecture , aqueducts , sewers , many agricultural items and silk. In the 3rd century, Emperor Septimius Severus died at Eboracum (now York ), where Constantine
10752-676: The British Isles , but also from the Commonwealth , particularly the Indian subcontinent . Since the 1970s there has been a large move away from manufacturing and an increasing emphasis on the service industry . As part of the United Kingdom, the area joined a common market initiative called the European Economic Community which became the European Union . Since the late 20th century the administration of
10944-497: The Conservative government of David Cameron, reforms were initiated which converted all GCSEs from 2012 (for assessment from 2014) to de facto linear schemes, in advance of the introduction of new specifications between 2015 and 2018 (for first assessment from 2017 to 2020). These new rules required that 100% of the assessment in a GCSE be submitted in the final examination series, at the same time as applying for certification of
11136-610: The Cotswold Hills , Chiltern Hills , North and South Downs ; where they meet the sea they form white rock exposures such as the cliffs of Dover . This also includes relatively flat plains such as the Salisbury Plain , Somerset Levels , South Coast Plain and The Fens . England has a temperate maritime climate : it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0 °C (32 °F) in winter and not much higher than 32 °C (90 °F) in summer. The weather
11328-638: The Court of Appeal , the High Court of Justice for civil cases, and the Crown Court for criminal cases. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the highest court for criminal and civil cases in England and Wales . It was created in 2009 after constitutional changes, taking over the judicial functions of the House of Lords . A decision of the Supreme Court is binding on every other court in
11520-527: The Courts of England and Wales continued, under the Treaty of Union , as a separate legal system from the one used in Scotland . The general essence of English law is that it is made by judges sitting in courts, applying their common sense and knowledge of legal precedent – stare decisis – to the facts before them. The court system is headed by the Senior Courts of England and Wales, consisting of
11712-436: The French Revolution , under George III and William Pitt the Younger . The regency of George IV is noted for its elegance and achievements in the fine arts and architecture. During the Napoleonic Wars , Napoleon planned to invade from the south-east ; however, this failed to manifest and the Napoleonic forces were defeated by the British: at sea by Horatio Nelson , and on land by Arthur Wellesley . The major victory at
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#173276477678511904-409: The Home Office hostile environment policy , introduced reforms to education under Michael Gove as Education Secretary and oversaw the 2012 London Olympics . Cameron's administration privatised Royal Mail and some other state assets, and legalised same-sex marriage in England and Wales . Internationally, Cameron oversaw Operation Ellamy in the First Libyan Civil War and authorised the bombing of
12096-614: The House of Commons . Through his father, he was then employed for a further three months in Hong Kong by Jardine Matheson as a 'ship jumper', an administrative post. Returning from Hong Kong, Cameron visited the then- Soviet Union , where he was approached by two Russian men speaking fluent English. He was later told by one of his professors that it was "definitely an attempt" by the KGB to recruit him. In October 1985 Cameron began his Bachelor of Arts course in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Brasenose College, Oxford. His tutor, Vernon Bogdanor , has described him as "one of
12288-437: The Islamic State in Syria. Domestically, his government oversaw the 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum and Scottish independence referendum , both of which confirmed Cameron's favoured outcome. When the Conservatives secured an unexpected majority in the 2015 general election , he remained as prime minister, this time leading a Conservative-only government known as the Second Cameron ministry . Cameron introduced
12480-418: The Labour Party , 116 from the Conservative Party , 65 from the Liberal Democrats , five for Reform UK and four for the Green Party of England and Wales . The English law legal system, developed over the centuries, is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States (except Louisiana ). Despite now being part of the United Kingdom, the legal system of
12672-417: The Labour Party , Cameron retired from frontline politics. However, he maintains his House of Lords seat. As prime minister, Cameron was credited for helping to modernise the Conservative Party and for reducing the UK's national deficit. However, he was subject to criticism for austerity measures. In historical rankings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom , academics and journalists have ranked him in
12864-400: The Latin word Anglii is used. The etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars; it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. How and why a term derived from the name of a tribe that was less significant than others, such as the Saxons , came to be used for the entire country is not known, but it seems this is related to
13056-424: The Mayoral Council for England , was established to bring together ministers from the UK Government , the Mayor of London and the leaders of combined authorities . In the House of Commons which is the lower house of the British Parliament based at the Palace of Westminster , there are 543 members of parliament (MPs) for constituencies in England, out of the 650 total. England is represented by 347 MPs from
13248-438: The Ministry of Justice , manages most prisons, housing 81,309 prisoners in England and Wales as of September 2022 . The subdivisions of England consist of up to four levels of subnational division , controlled through a variety of types of administrative entities created for the purposes of local government . Outside the London region, England's highest tier is the 48 ceremonial counties . These are used primarily as
13440-401: The Movement for European Reform with the Czech Civic Democratic Party , leading to the formation of a new European Parliament group, the European Conservatives and Reformists , in 2009 after the European Parliament elections . Cameron attended a gathering at Warsaw 's Palladium cinema celebrating the foundation of the alliance. In forming the caucus, which had 54 MEPs drawn from eight of
13632-490: The National Curriculum at Key Stage 4 . GCSEs are awarded on a graded scale and cross two levels of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF): Level 1 and Level 2. These two levels roughly correspond, respectively, to foundation and higher tier in tiered GCSE qualifications. Level 1 qualifications constitute GCSEs at grades G, F, E, and D or 1, 2, and 3. Level 2 qualifications are those at grades C, B, A, and A* or 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The tiering of qualifications allows
13824-622: The Privy Council , being formally approved to join on 14 December 2005, and sworn of the council on 8 March 2006. Cameron's relative youth and inexperience before becoming leader invited satirical comparison with Tony Blair. Private Eye soon published a picture of both leaders on its front cover, with the caption "World's first face transplant a success". On the left, the New Statesman unfavourably likened his "new style of politics" to Tony Blair's early leadership years. Cameron
14016-687: The Severn is the longest river flowing through England. It empties into the Bristol Channel and is notable for its Severn Bore (a tidal bore ), which can reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. However, the longest river entirely in England is the Thames, which is 215 miles (346 km) in length. There are many lakes in England ; the largest is Windermere , within the aptly named Lake District . Most of England's landscape consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in
14208-883: The South East , and conurbations in the Midlands , the North West , the North East , and Yorkshire , which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. The name "England" is derived from the Old English name Englaland , which means "land of the Angles ". The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages . They came from
14400-716: The State Opening of Parliament by the British monarch when the doors of the House of Commons are slammed in the face of the monarch's messenger, symbolising the rights of Parliament and its independence from the monarch. With the founding of the Royal Society in 1660, science was greatly encouraged. In 1666 the Great Fire of London gutted the city of London, but it was rebuilt shortly afterward with many significant buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren . By
14592-503: The Stuart dynasty England expanded in trade, finance and prosperity. The Royal Navy developed Europe's largest merchant fleet. After the parliaments of England and Scotland agreed, the two countries joined in political union , to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. To accommodate the union, institutions such as the law and national churches of each remained separate. Under the newly formed Kingdom of Great Britain, output from
14784-664: The Trinovantes . The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD during the reign of Emperor Claudius , subsequently conquering much of Britain , and the area was incorporated into the Roman Empire as Britannia province . The best-known of the native tribes who attempted to resist were the Catuvellauni led by Caratacus . Later, an uprising led by Boudica , Queen of the Iceni , ended with Boudica's suicide following her defeat at
14976-553: The Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years. After the last ice age only large mammals such as mammoths , bison and woolly rhinoceros remained. Roughly 11,000 years ago, when the ice sheets began to recede, humans repopulated the area; genetic research suggests they came from the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula . The sea level
15168-652: The canal age in Britain . In 1825 the world's first permanent steam locomotive-hauled passenger railway – the Stockton and Darlington Railway – opened to the public. During the Industrial Revolution , many workers moved from England's countryside to new and expanding urban industrial areas to work in factories, for instance at Birmingham and Manchester , with the latter the world's first industrial city. England maintained relative stability throughout
15360-435: The decline of the Roman Empire , Britain was left exposed by the end of Roman rule in Britain and the withdrawal of Roman army units, to defend the frontiers in continental Europe and partake in civil wars. Celtic Christian monastic and missionary movements flourished. This period of Christianity was influenced by ancient Celtic culture in its sensibilities, polity, practices and theology. Local "congregations" were centred in
15552-616: The golden age in English history that represented the apogee of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of great art, drama, poetry, music and literature. England during this period had a centralised, well-organised, and effective government. Competing with Spain , the first English colony in the Americas was founded in 1585 by explorer Walter Raleigh in Virginia and named Roanoke . The Roanoke colony failed and
15744-548: The jet engine led to wider air travel . Residential patterns were altered in England by private motoring, and by the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, providing publicly funded health care to all permanent residents free at the point of need. Combined, these prompted the reform of local government in England in the mid-20th century. Since the 20th century, there has been significant population movement to England, mostly from other parts of
15936-452: The 2016 and 2017 syllabus publications, leading to first awards in 2018 and 2019 respectively. For GCSE Science the old single-award ‘science’ and ‘additional science’ options are no longer available, being replaced with a double award ‘combined science’ option (graded on the scale 9–9 to 1–1 and equivalent to 2 GCSEs). Alternatively pupils can take separate qualifications in chemistry, biology and physics. Other removed qualifications include
16128-528: The 27 EU member states , Cameron reportedly broke with two decades of Conservative co-operation with the centre-right Christian Democrats, the European People's Party (EPP), on the grounds that they are dominated by European federalists and supporters of the Lisbon treaty . EPP leader Wilfried Martens , former prime minister of Belgium , stated: "Cameron's campaign has been to take his party back to
16320-642: The 32 London Boroughs and the 25 Wards of the City of London . Geographically, England includes the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus such offshore islands as the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly . It is bordered by two other countries of the United Kingdom: to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. England is closer than any other part of mainland Britain to
16512-575: The 6th century. Contemporary texts describing this period are extremely scarce, giving rise to its description as a Dark Age . Details of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain are consequently subject to considerable disagreement; the emerging consensus is that it occurred on a large scale in the south and east but was less substantial to the north and west, where Celtic languages continued to be spoken even in areas under Anglo-Saxon control. Roman-dominated Christianity had, in general, been replaced in
16704-638: The A* grade was added above the grade A to further differentiate attainment at the very highest end of the qualification. This remained the highest grade available until 2017, when numerical grades were introduced (see below). The youngest pupil to gain an A* grade was Thomas Barnes, who earned an A* in GCSE Mathematics at the age of 7. Initially the mathematics papers were set in three tiers: Higher, Intermediate and Foundation, to cover different mathematical abilities. The Higher level corresponded to grades A-C,
16896-531: The CCEA in Northern Ireland. In England, AQA, OCR, and Pearson operate under their respective brands. Additionally, WJEC operate the brand Eduqas, which develops qualifications in England. CCEA qualifications are not available in England. In Wales, WJEC is the only accredited awarding body for GCSEs in the public sector, and thus no other board formally operates in Wales. However, some qualifications from
17088-553: The Conservative Party when Michael Howard took over the leadership in November of that year. He was appointed Opposition frontbench local government spokesman in 2004, before being promoted to the Shadow Cabinet that June as head of policy co-ordination . Later, he became Shadow Education Secretary in the post-election reshuffle. Daniel Finkelstein has said of the period leading up to Cameron's election as leader of
17280-449: The Conservative Party's mission into a "PR agenda". Traditionalist conservative columnist and author Peter Hitchens wrote: "Mr Cameron has abandoned the last significant difference between his party and the established left", by embracing social liberalism. The Daily Telegraph correspondent and blogger Gerald Warner was particularly scathing about Cameron's leadership, saying that it alienated traditionalist conservative elements from
17472-565: The Conservative Party. Before he became Conservative leader, Cameron was reportedly known to friends and family as "Dave", though his preference is "David" in public. Labour used the slogan Dave the Chameleon in their 2006 local elections party broadcast to portray Cameron as an ever-changing populist , which was criticised as negative campaigning by the Conservative press, including The Daily Telegraph , though Cameron asserted
17664-446: The Conservative party that "a small group of us (myself, David Cameron, George Osborne, Michael Gove , Nick Boles , Nick Herbert I think, once or twice) used to meet up in the offices of Policy Exchange , eat pizza, and consider the future of the Conservative Party". Cameron's relationship with Osborne is regarded as particularly close; Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi suggested the closeness of Osborne's relationship with Cameron meant
17856-448: The D grade by a small margin are awarded an E. Otherwise the grade below E in these papers is U. In untiered papers pupils can achieve any grade in the scheme. This scheme has been phased out in England, but remains in Wales and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland the A* grade has been adjusted upwards with the introduction of the numerical scheme in England, such that an A* is equivalent to a new English grade 9. Northern Ireland also added
18048-610: The English boards are available as designated qualifications in some circumstances, due to not being available from WJEC. In Northern Ireland, CCEA operates as both a board and a regulator. Most qualifications from the English boards are also available, with the exception of English language and the sciences, due to requirements for speaking and practical assessment, respectively. Pupils usually take 7-10 GCSEs in Key Stage 4 . The exact qualifications taken vary from school to school and pupil to pupil but all schools are encouraged to offer
18240-676: The English kingdom of Northumbria . The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that the Domesday Book of 1086 covered the whole of England, meaning the English kingdom, but a few years later the Chronicle stated that King Malcolm III went "out of Scotlande into Lothian in Englaland", thus using it in the more ancient sense. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus , Germania , in which
18432-591: The European continent. It is separated from France ( Hauts-de-France ) by a 21-mile (34 km) sea gap, though the two countries are connected by the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone . England also has shores on the Irish Sea , North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The ports of London, Liverpool , and Newcastle lie on the tidal rivers Thames , Mersey and Tyne respectively. At 220 miles (350 km),
18624-509: The Great was left as the only surviving English kingdom, and under his successors, it steadily expanded at the expense of the kingdoms of the Danelaw . This brought about the political unification of England, first accomplished under Æthelstan in 927 and definitively established after further conflicts by Eadred in 953. A fresh wave of Scandinavian attacks from the late 10th century ended with
18816-605: The Intermediate level corresponded to grades C-E and the Foundation level corresponded to grades E-G. However it was later realised that nobody who sat the Foundation level had any chance of passing the subject at grade C, so this arrangement was replaced by a two-tier arrangement whereby the Intermediate and Foundation levels were merged. This brought the subject into line with other subjects that typically had foundation and higher-level papers. This meant that somebody who sat
19008-454: The January series of examinations as an option in most subjects and requiring that 100% of the assessment in subjects from the 2014 examination series be taken at the end of the course. These were a precursor to the later reforms. From 2015 a large-scale programme of reform began in England, changing the marking criteria and syllabi for most subjects as well as the format of qualifications and
19200-602: The North, and the successful Norman Conquest in October 1066, accomplished by an army led by Duke William of Normandy invading at Hastings late September 1066. The Normans themselves originated from Scandinavia and had settled in Normandy in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. This conquest led to the almost total dispossession of the English elite and its replacement by a new French-speaking aristocracy, whose speech had
19392-555: The Party "should be proud of the Tory tax record but that people needed reminding of its achievements ... It's time to return to our tax-cutting agenda. The socialist prime ministers of Europe have endorsed Tony Blair because they want a federal pussy cat and not a British lion." When writing his election address, Cameron made his own opposition to British membership of the single European currency clear, pledging not to support it. This
19584-682: The Pope. During the 14th century, the Plantagenets and the House of Valois claimed to be legitimate claimants to the House of Capet and of France; the two powers clashed in the Hundred Years' War . The Black Death epidemic hit England ; starting in 1348, it eventually killed up to half of England's inhabitants . Between 1453 and 1487, a civil war known as the War of the Roses waged between
19776-943: The Royal Society and other English initiatives combined with the Scottish Enlightenment to create innovations in science and engineering, while the enormous growth in British overseas trade protected by the Royal Navy paved the way for the establishment of the British Empire . Domestically it drove the Industrial Revolution , a period of profound change in the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of England, resulting in industrialised agriculture, manufacture, engineering and mining, as well as new and pioneering road, rail and water networks to facilitate their expansion and development. The opening of Northwest England's Bridgewater Canal in 1761 ushered in
19968-451: The UK for that reason. The following lists are sourced from the exam board websites. These are the requirements for achieving the English Baccalaureate headline measure in league tables, from 2017 onwards. Other subjects, especially religious studies, citizenship studies, computer science and physical education are compulsory in the majority of secondary schools since these subjects form part of
20160-432: The United Kingdom has moved towards devolved governance in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England and Wales continues to exist as a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. Devolution has stimulated a greater emphasis on a more English-specific identity and patriotism. There is no devolved English government, but an attempt to create a similar system on a sub-regional basis was rejected by referendum . England
20352-607: The United Kingdom as part of the Allies . Two decades later, in World War II , the United Kingdom was again one of the Allies . Developments in warfare technology saw many cities damaged by air-raids during the Blitz . Following the war, the British Empire experienced rapid decolonisation , and there was a speeding-up of technological innovations; automobiles became the primary means of transport and Frank Whittle 's development of
20544-521: The ablest" students he has taught, with "moderate and sensible Conservative" political views . Guy Spier , who shared tutorials with Cameron, remembers him as an outstanding student: "We were doing our best to grasp basic economic concepts. David—there was nobody else who came even close. He would be integrating them with the way the British political system is put together. He could have lectured me on it, and I would have sat there and taken notes." When commenting in 2006 on his former pupil's ideas about
20736-455: The agenda both at home and abroad. He correctly identified the problem of Islamist extremism , the inadequacy of our response both domestically and internationally, and supported—quite rightly in my view—the action to remove the Taliban regime from Afghanistan ." Cameron determinedly attempted to increase his public visibility, offering quotations on matters of public controversy. He opposed
20928-577: The area, the Beaker culture people made bronze , and later iron from iron ores. The development of iron smelting allowed the construction of better ploughs , advancing agriculture (for instance, with Celtic fields ), as well as the production of more effective weapons. During the Iron Age , Celtic culture , deriving from the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures , arrived from Central Europe. Brythonic
21120-767: The auspices of James VI and I the Authorised King James Version of the Holy Bible was published in 1611. It was the standard version of the Bible read by most Protestant Christians for four hundred years until modern revisions were produced in the 20th century. Based on conflicting political, religious and social positions, the English Civil War was fought between the supporters of Parliament and those of King Charles I , known colloquially as Roundheads and Cavaliers respectively. This
21312-721: The best economic team." The reshuffle also saw eight other changes made. During his successful 2005 campaign to be elected leader of the Conservative Party, Cameron pledged that the Conservative Party's members of the European Parliament would leave the European People's Party group, which had a "federalist" approach to the European Union. Once elected, Cameron began discussions with right-wing and Eurosceptic parties in other European countries, mainly in eastern Europe; in July 2006, he concluded an agreement to form
21504-416: The bottom 42% of O-Level entrants, who failed to receive a qualification, and the highest-achieving CSE entrants, who had no opportunity to demonstrate higher ability. In their later years O-Levels were graded on a scale from A to E, with a U (ungraded) below that. Before 1975 the grading scheme varied between examination boards, but typically there were pass grades of 1 to 6 and fail grades of 7 to 9. However
21696-477: The broadcast had become his daughter's "favourite video". During the leadership election, allegations were made that Cameron had used cannabis and cocaine recreationally before becoming an MP. Pressed on this point during the BBC television programme Question Time , Cameron expressed the view that everybody was allowed to "err and stray" in their past. During his 2005 Conservative leadership campaign, he addressed
21888-399: The centre at which they sat the exams. In England these results then go on to inform league tables published in the following academic year, with headline performance metrics for each school. Owing to COVID-19, pupils who were supposed to sit their GCSEs in 2020 and 2021 were awarded qualifications based on predicted grades from their teachers. Traditional exams, however, have been taken since
22080-589: The centre in every policy area with one major exception: Europe. ... I can't understand his tactics. Merkel and Sarkozy will never accept his Euroscepticism." Similarly, Cameron's initial " A-List " of prospective parliamentary candidates was attacked by members of his party, and the policy was discontinued in favour of gender -balanced final shortlists. Before being discontinued, the policy had been criticised by senior Conservative MP and former Prisons Spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe as an "insult to women", and she had accused Cameron of "storing up huge problems for
22272-585: The conquered territories by Anglo-Saxon paganism , but was reintroduced by missionaries from Rome led by Augustine from 597. Disputes between the Roman- and Celtic-dominated forms of Christianity ended in victory for the Roman tradition at the Council of Whitby (664), which was ostensibly about tonsures (clerical haircuts) and the date of Easter, but more significantly, about the differences in Roman and Celtic forms of authority, theology, and practice. During
22464-484: The conquest of this united kingdom by Sweyn Forkbeard in 1013 and again by his son Cnut in 1016, turning it into the centre of a short-lived North Sea Empire that also included Denmark and Norway . However, the native royal dynasty was restored with the accession of Edward the Confessor in 1042. A dispute over the succession to Edward led to an unsuccessful Norwegian Invasion in September 1066 close to York in
22656-454: The course of the fifth and sixth centuries, initially in the eastern part of the country. Their advance was contained for some decades after the Britons' victory at the Battle of Mount Badon , but subsequently resumed, overrunning the fertile lowlands of Britain and reducing the area under Brittonic control to a series of separate enclaves in the more rugged country to the west by the end of
22848-883: The custom of calling the Germanic people in Britain Angli Saxones or English Saxons to distinguish them from continental Saxons (Eald-Seaxe) of Old Saxony in Germany. In Scottish Gaelic , the Saxon tribe gave their name to the word for England ( Sasunn ); similarly, the Welsh name for the English language is Saesneg . A romantic name for England is Loegria , related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr , and made popular by its use in Arthurian legend . Albion
23040-460: The early 2010s England was divided for a few purposes into regions; a 1998 referendum for the London Region created the London Assembly two years later. A failed 2004 North East England devolution referendum cancelled further regional assembly devolution with the regional structure outside London abolished. Ceremonially and administratively, the region is divided between the City of London and Greater London ; these are further divided into
23232-419: The economic crisis. Lamont fell out with John Major after Black Wednesday and became highly unpopular with the public. Taxes needed to be raised in the 1993 Budget, and Cameron fed the options Lamont was considering through to Conservative Campaign Headquarters for their political acceptability to be assessed. By May 1993, the Conservatives' average poll rating dropped below 30%, where they would remain until
23424-479: The final examination series. This allowed for students to take some units of a GCSE before the final examination series, and thus gave indication of progress and ability at various stages, as well as allowing for students to resit exams in which they did not score as highly, in order to boost their grade, before receiving the qualification. Various qualifications were available as both modular and linear schemes, and schools could choose whichever fit best for them. Under
23616-468: The first assessment series in 2010, controlled assessment replaced coursework in various subjects, requiring more rigorous exam-like conditions for much of the non-examination assessed work and reducing the opportunity for outside help in coursework. Under the Conservative government of David Cameron various changes were made to GCSE qualifications taken in England. Before a wide range of reforms, interim changes were made to existing qualifications, removing
23808-426: The four sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, computer science), geography or history and an ancient or modern foreign language. Studies for GCSE examinations take place over a period of two or three academic years (depending upon the subject, school, and exam board), starting in Year 9 or Year 10 for the majority of pupils, with examinations usually being sat at the end of Year 11 in England and Wales. Before
24000-458: The fourth and third quintiles. Cameron was the first former prime minister to be appointed to a ministerial post since Alec Douglas-Home in 1970, and the first former prime minister to be raised to the peerage since Margaret Thatcher . David William Donald Cameron was born on 9 October 1966 at the London Clinic in Marylebone , London, and raised at Peasemore in Berkshire. He has two sisters and an elder brother, Alexander Cameron . Cameron
24192-495: The full qualification. The examination boards complied by modifying the syllabi of the remaining GCSE qualifications to remove modular components. England – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the United Kingdom (green) England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It is located on the island of Great Britain , of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands . It has land borders with Scotland to
24384-418: The future." In April 2009 The Independent reported that in 1989, while Nelson Mandela remained imprisoned under the apartheid regime, Cameron had accepted a trip to South Africa paid for by an anti-sanctions lobby firm. A spokesperson for him responded by saying that the Conservative Party was at that time opposed to sanctions against South Africa and that his trip was a fact-finding mission. However,
24576-426: The grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are targeted. Students who take the higher tier and miss the grade 4 mark by a small margin are awarded a grade 3. Controlled assessment and coursework tasks are untiered. The youngest person known to have achieved a grade 9 is Ellie Barnes, who achieved the grade in Mathematics aged eight. GCSE results are published by the examination board in August for the exam series in April to June of
24768-400: The grades were not displayed on certificates. The CSE was graded on a numerical scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest and 5 the lowest passing grade. Below 5 there was a U (ungraded) grade. The highest grade, 1, was considered equivalent to an O-Level C grade or above, and achievement of this grade often indicated that the pupil could have taken an O-Level course in the subject to achieve
24960-420: The grading system. Under the new scheme all GCSE subjects were revised between 2015 and 2018 and all new awards were to be on the new scheme by summer 2020. The new qualifications are designed such that most exams will be taken at the end of a full 2-year course, with no interim modular assessment, coursework nor controlled assessment except where necessary (such as in the arts). Some subjects retain coursework on
25152-474: The hierarchy, which must follow its directions. The Secretary of State for Justice is the minister responsible to Parliament for the judiciary , the court system and prisons and probation in England. Crime increased between 1981 and 1995 but fell by 42% in the period 1995–2006. The prison population doubled over the same period, giving it one of the highest incarceration rates in Western Europe at 147 per 100,000. His Majesty's Prison Service , reporting to
25344-420: The house of Alan Duncan in Gayfere Street , Westminster , which had been Major's campaign headquarters during his bid for the Conservative leadership. Cameron headed the economic section. It was while working on this campaign that Cameron first worked closely with and befriended Steve Hilton , who was later to become Director of Strategy during his party leadership. The strain of getting up at 04:45 every day
25536-418: The incorporated subjects. These reforms did not apply immediately in Wales and Northern Ireland, where GCSEs would continue to be available on the A*-G grading system. However owing to legislative requirements for comparability between GCSEs in the three countries and allowances for certain subjects and qualifications to be available in Wales and Northern Ireland, some 9–1 qualifications were to be available and
25728-411: The influence of Howard's Special Advisers, saying previous incumbents "would listen to the evidence before making a decision. Howard just talks to young public school gentlemen from the party headquarters." In July 1994 Cameron left his role as Special Adviser to work as the Director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton Communications . Carlton, which had won the ITV franchise for London weekdays in 1991,
25920-475: The introduction of GCSEs, pupils took CSE ( Certificate of Secondary Education ) or the more academically challenging O-Level ( General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level) exams, or a combination of the two, in various subjects. The CSE broadly covered GCSE grades C-G or 4–1 and the O-Level covered grades A*-C or 9–4, but the two were independent qualifications, with different grading systems. The separate qualifications were criticized for disadvantaging
26112-453: The metropolitan counties have different types of status to other ceremonial counties. The second tier is made up of combined authorities and the 27 county-tier shire counties . In 1974, all ceremonial counties were two-tier; and with the metropolitan county tier phased out, the 1996 reform separated the ceremonial county and the administrative county tier. England is also divided into local government districts. The district can align to
26304-420: The mid-to-late 17th century, two political factions had emerged – the Tories and Whigs . Though the Tories initially supported Catholic king James II , some of them, along with the Whigs, during the Revolution of 1688 invited the Dutch Prince William of Orange to defeat James and become the king. Some English people, especially in the north, were Jacobites and continued to support James and his sons. Under
26496-451: The monastic community and monastic leaders were more like chieftains, as peers, rather than in the more hierarchical system of the Roman-dominated church. Roman military withdrawals left Britain open to invasion by pagan, seafaring warriors from north-western continental Europe, chiefly the Saxons, Angles , Jutes and Frisians who had long raided the coasts of the Roman province. These groups then began to settle in increasing numbers over
26688-427: The nation, many by Natural England themselves, but also by non-governmental organisations, including the members of The Wildlife Trusts partnership, the National Trust , and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds . There are 221 NNRs in England covering 110,000 hectares (1,100 square kilometres). Often they contain rare species or nationally important populations of plants and animals. . The Environment Agency
26880-453: The new Foundation level could now achieve a grade C, which was considered the formal pass level. With the introduction of numbered grades, the Higher tier provides grades 9-3, with 3 being classed as a 'safety net' grade, and the Foundation tier provides grades 5-1. Between 2005 and 2010 a variety of reforms were made to GCSE qualifications, including increasing modularity and a change to the administration of non-examination assessment. From
27072-439: The new Northern Irish A* grade. A grade 8 is also equivalent to an A*, however the grade 9 is the top end of the A*. The former C grade is set at grade 4 (known as a 'standard pass') and grade 5 (considered a 'strong pass') under the numerical scheme. Although fewer qualifications have tiered examinations than before, the tiering system still exists. At foundation tier the grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are available, whilst at higher tier
27264-421: The newspaper reported that Cameron's then superior at Conservative Research Department called the trip "jolly", saying that "it was all terribly relaxed, just a little treat, a perk of the job. The Botha regime was attempting to make itself look less horrible, but I don't regard it as having been of the faintest political consequence." Cameron distanced himself from his party's history of opposing sanctions against
27456-410: The north and Wales to the west, and is otherwise surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the south-west, and the Irish Sea to the west. Continental Europe lies to the south-east, and Ireland to the west. At the 2021 census , the population was 56,490,048. London is both the largest city and the capital . The area now called England
27648-433: The north and west of the country. The northern uplands include the Pennines , a chain of uplands dividing east and west, the Lake District mountains in Cumbria, and the Cheviot Hills , straddling the border between England and Scotland. The highest point in England, at 978 metres (3,209 ft), is Scafell Pike in the Lake District. The Shropshire Hills are near Wales while Dartmoor and Exmoor are two upland areas in
27840-496: The other changes were mostly adopted in these countries as well. In Northern Ireland a decision was taken by Minister of Education , Peter Wier ( DUP ), in 2016 to align the A* Grade to the 9 Grade of the English reformed qualifications. The first award of the new A* grade being in 2019. A C* grade was also introduced in Northern Ireland to align to the 5 Grade in England, again with first awarding in 2019. GCSEs in Northern Ireland remain modular and Science practicals can count towards
28032-457: The overall grade. Speaking and listening also remains a component of the GCSE English Language specification. Historically, there were a variety of regional examination boards, or awarding organisations (AOs), who set examinations in their area. The 5 examination boards include: The examination boards operate under the supervision of Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) in England, Qualifications Wales in Wales, and
28224-549: The payment of compensation to Gurbux Singh, who had resigned as head of the Commission for Racial Equality after a confrontation with the police; and commented that the Home Affairs Select Committee had taken a long time to discuss whether the phrase "black market" should be used. Cameron was passed over for a front-bench promotion in July 2002. Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith did invite Cameron and his ally George Osborne to coach him on Prime Minister's Questions in November 2002. The next week, Cameron deliberately abstained in
28416-432: The payroll as a consultant. Having been approved for the PPCs' list, Cameron began looking for a seat to contest for the 1997 general election . He was reported to have missed out on selection for Ashford in December 1994, after failing to get to the selection meeting as a result of train delays. In January 1996, when two shortlisted contenders dropped out, Cameron was interviewed and subsequently selected for Stafford ,
28608-549: The phrase "balanced diet", and that Lewis had written thanking Cameron for a valuable contribution. During his work for Howard, Cameron often briefed the media. In March 1994, someone leaked to the press that the Labour Party had called for a meeting with John Major to discuss a consensus on the Prevention of Terrorism Act . After an inquiry failed to find the source of the leak, Labour MP Peter Mandelson demanded assurance from Howard that Cameron had not been responsible, which Howard gave. A senior Home Office civil servant noted
28800-610: The question of drug consumption by remarking: "I did lots of things before I came into politics which I shouldn't have done. We all did." His Shadow Cabinet appointments included MPs associated with the various wings of the party. Former leader William Hague was appointed to the foreign affairs brief, while both George Osborne and David Davis were retained, as shadow chancellor of the Exchequer and Shadow Home Secretary , respectively. Hague, assisted by Davis, stood in for Cameron during his paternity leave in February 2006. In June 2008 Davis announced his intention to resign as an MP , and
28992-485: The regime. He was criticised by Labour MP Peter Hain , himself an anti-apartheid campaigner. At the launch of the Conservative Party's education manifesto in January 2010, Cameron declared an admiration for the "brazenly elite" approach to education of countries such as Singapore and South Korea , and expressed a desire to "elevate the status of teaching in our country". He suggested the adoption of more stringent criteria for entry to teaching, and offered repayment of
29184-434: The right of the party, Norman Tebbit , a former Conservative chairman, likened Cameron to Pol Pot , "intent on purging even the memory of Thatcherism before building a New Modern Compassionate Green Globally Aware Party". Quentin Davies , who defected from the Conservatives to Labour on 26 June 2007, branded him "superficial, unreliable and [with] an apparent lack of any clear convictions" and stated that Cameron had turned
29376-451: The run-up to the 2001 general election , Cameron again attempted to be selected for a winnable seat. He tried for the Kensington and Chelsea seat after the death of Alan Clark , but did not make the shortlist. He was in the final two but narrowly lost at Wealden in March 2000, a loss ascribed by Samantha Cameron to his lack of spontaneity when speaking. Cameron was selected as PPC for Witney in Oxfordshire in April 2000. This had been
29568-513: The same year. They are usually released one week after the A-Level results, on the Thursday that falls between 20 August and 26 August. The examination results are released to centres (schools) prior to the release to candidates and the public. Examination results are released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents the main GCSE awarding organisations. Some boards and schools release results online, although many still require pupils to attend in person to collect their results from
29760-450: The settlement period the lands ruled by the incomers seem to have been fragmented into numerous tribal territories, but by the 7th century, when substantial evidence of the situation again becomes available, these had coalesced into roughly a dozen kingdoms including Northumbria , Mercia , Wessex , East Anglia , Essex , Kent and Sussex . Over the following centuries, this process of political consolidation continued. The 7th century saw
29952-422: The signing of Magna Carta , an English legal charter used to limit the sovereign's powers by law and protect the privileges of freemen. Catholic monasticism flourished, providing philosophers, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge were founded with royal patronage. The Principality of Wales became a Plantagenet fief during the 13th century and the Lordship of Ireland was given to the English monarchy by
30144-524: The south-west of the country. The approximate dividing line between terrain types is often indicated by the Tees–Exe line . The Pennines, known as the "backbone of England", are the oldest range of mountains in the country, originating from the end of the Paleozoic Era around 300 million years ago. Their geological composition includes, among others, sandstone and limestone , and also coal. There are karst landscapes in calcite areas such as parts of Yorkshire and Derbyshire . The Pennine landscape
30336-408: The speakers in the economic debate, having to resort to putting messages on the internal television system imploring the mover of the motion, Patricia Morris , to contact him. Later that month, Cameron joined a delegation of Special Advisers who visited Germany to build better relations with the Christian Democratic Union ; he was reported to be "still smarting" over the Bundesbank 's contribution to
30528-436: The standing of the British military and navy – was prestigious. Technologically, this era saw many innovations that proved key to the United Kingdom's power and prosperity. Political agitation at home from radicals such as the Chartists and the suffragettes enabled legislative reform and universal suffrage . Power shifts in east-central Europe led to World War I; hundreds of thousands of English soldiers died fighting for
30720-412: The summer of 2022. Source : Joint Council for General Qualifications via Brian Stubbs . Note : In the final year DES statistics for O-Levels are available, and across all subjects, 6.8% of candidates obtained a grade A, and 39.8% achieved grades A to C. In the past, many GCSE qualifications used a modular system, where some assessment (up to 60% under the 'terminal rule') could be submitted prior to
30912-476: The team across Smith Square to jeer at Transport House , the former Labour headquarters. Cameron was rewarded with a promotion to Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Norman Lamont . Cameron was working for Lamont at the time of Black Wednesday , when pressure from currency speculators forced the pound sterling out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism . At the 1992 Conservative Party conference, he had difficulty trying to arrange to brief
31104-441: The then twice-weekly sessions of Prime Minister's Questions . One newspaper gave Cameron the credit for "sharper ... Despatch box performances" by Major, which included highlighting for Major "a dreadful piece of doublespeak " by Tony Blair (then the Labour Employment spokesman) over the effect of a national minimum wage . He became head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department, and in August 1991
31296-441: The threat: Spain launched two further armadas, in 1596 and 1597 , but both were driven back by storms. The political structure of the island changed in 1603, when the King of Scots , James VI , a kingdom which had been a long-time rival to English interests, inherited the throne of England as James I, thereby creating a personal union . He styled himself King of Great Britain , although this had no basis in English law. Under
31488-413: The time the grief I would get for that picture, of course I would never have joined. But life isn't like that..." and: "These were also the years after the ITV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited when quite a few of us were carried away by the fantasy of an Evelyn Waugh -like Oxford existence." Cameron's period in the Bullingdon Club was examined in a 2009 Channel 4 docu-drama, When Boris Met Dave ,
31680-433: The title referring to Boris Johnson , another high-profile Conservative party figure, the then-mayor of London, who had been a member at the same time, and who would go on to be prime minister himself. He graduated in 1988 with a first-class honours BA degree (later promoted to an MA by seniority). After graduation, Cameron worked for the Conservative Research Department between September 1988 and 1993. His first brief
31872-473: The two branches of the royal family, the Yorkists and Lancastrians . Eventually it led to the Yorkists losing the throne entirely to a Welsh noble family the Tudors , a branch of the Lancastrians headed by Henry Tudor who invaded with Welsh and Breton mercenaries, gaining victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field where the Yorkist king Richard III was killed. During the Tudor period , England began to develop naval skills , and exploration intensified in
32064-459: The two effectively shared power during Cameron's time as prime minister. From February 2002 to August 2005, he was a non-executive director of Urbium PLC, operator of the Tiger Tiger bar chain. Following the Labour victory in the May 2005 general election , Michael Howard announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and set a lengthy timetable for the leadership election . Cameron announced on 29 September 2005 that he would be
32256-534: The two qualifications to allow access to the full range of grades for more pupils. However the exam papers of the GCSE sometimes had a choice of questions, designed for the more able and the less able candidates. When introduced the GCSEs were graded from A to G, with a C being set as roughly equivalent to an O-Level Grade C or a CSE Grade 1 and thus achievable by roughly the top 25% of each cohort. The Royal Alexandra & Albert School in Reigate, Surrey, trialled GCSE English in 1980. Those who passed would receive both
32448-428: The warming of the sea by the Gulf Stream . Rainfall is higher in the west, and parts of the Lake District receive more rain than anywhere else in the country. Since weather records began, the highest temperature recorded was 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) on 19 July 2022 at Coningsby , Lincolnshire , while the lowest was −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F) on 10 January 1982 in Edgmond , Shropshire. The fauna of England
32640-425: The world's first industrialised nation. England is home to the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world: the University of Oxford , founded in 1096, and the University of Cambridge , founded in 1209. Both universities are ranked among the most prestigious in the world. England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains , especially in the centre and south . Upland and mountainous terrain
32832-463: Was Trade and Industry, Energy and Privatisation; he befriended fellow young colleagues, including Edward Llewellyn , Ed Vaizey and Rachel Whetstone . They and others formed a group they called the " Smith Square set", which was dubbed the "Brat Pack" by the press, though it is better known as the " Notting Hill set ", a name given to it pejoratively by Derek Conway . In 1991 Cameron was seconded to Downing Street to work on briefing John Major for
33024-407: Was a break with official Conservative policy, but about 200 other candidates were making similar declarations. Otherwise, Cameron kept closely to the national party line . He also campaigned using the claim that a Labour government would increase the cost of a pint of beer by 24p; however, the Labour candidate, David Kidney , portrayed Cameron as "a right-wing Tory". Initially, Cameron thought he had
33216-478: Was a growing media company which also had film-distribution and video-producing arms. Cameron was suggested for the role to Carlton executive chairman Michael P. Green by his later mother-in-law Lady Astor. He left Carlton in 1997 to run for Parliament, returning to his job after his defeat. In 1997 Cameron played up the company's prospects for digital terrestrial television , for which it joined with ITV Granada and Sky to form British Digital Broadcasting . In
33408-409: Was accused of paying excessive attention to appearance: ITV News broadcast footage from the 2006 Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth showing him wearing four different sets of clothes within a few hours. In his column for The Guardian , comedy writer and broadcaster Charlie Brooker described the Conservative leader as "a hollow Easter egg with no bag of sweets inside" in April 2007. On
33600-433: Was added above the initial A grade to indicate exceptional achievement, above the level required for the A grade. Under the letter grade scheme, foundation tier papers assess content at grades C to G, while higher tier papers assess content at grades A* to C. In foundation-tier papers, pupils can obtain a maximum grade of a C, while in a higher-tier paper they can achieve a minimum grade of a D. Higher-tier candidates who miss
33792-453: Was an interwoven part of the wider multifaceted Wars of the Three Kingdoms , involving Scotland and Ireland . The Parliamentarians were victorious, Charles I was executed and the kingdom replaced by the Commonwealth . Leader of the Parliament forces, Oliver Cromwell declared himself Lord Protector in 1653; a period of personal rule followed. After Cromwell's death and the resignation of his son Richard as Lord Protector, Charles II
33984-473: Was built by Cameron's great-great-grandfather, Alexander Geddes, who had made a fortune in the grain trade in Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Scotland in the 1880s. Blairmore was sold soon after Ian's birth. Cameron has said: "On my mother's side of the family, her mother was a Llewellyn, so Welsh . I'm a real mixture of Scottish , Welsh and English." He has also referenced the German Jewish ancestry of one of his great-grandfathers, Arthur Levita,
34176-469: Was caught smoking cannabis . He admitted the offence and had not been involved in selling drugs, so he was not expelled; instead he was fined, prevented from leaving the school grounds and given a " Georgic " (a punishment that involved copying 500 lines of Latin text). Cameron passed twelve O-levels and then three A levels : history of art ; history, in which he was taught by Michael Kidson ; and economics with politics. He obtained three 'A' grades and
34368-478: Was commented that he was still "very much in favour" and it was later reported that many at the Treasury would have preferred Cameron to carry on. At the beginning of September 1993, he applied to go on Conservative Central Office's list of prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs). Cameron was much more socially liberal than Howard but enjoyed working for him. According to Derek Lewis , then Director-General of Her Majesty's Prison Service , Cameron showed him
34560-481: Was eliminated with 38 votes. In the second ballot on 20 October 2005, Cameron came first with 90 votes; David Davis was second, with 57; and Liam Fox was eliminated with 51 votes. All 198 Conservative MPs voted in both ballots. The next stage of the election process, between Davis and Cameron, was a vote open to the entire party membership. Cameron was elected with more than twice as many votes as Davis and more than half of all ballots issued; Cameron won 134,446 votes on
34752-401: Was established with the Bill of Rights in 1689. Among the statutes set down were that the law could only be made by Parliament and could not be suspended by the King, also that the King could not impose taxes or raise an army without the prior approval of Parliament. Also since that time, no British monarch has entered the House of Commons when it is sitting, which is annually commemorated at
34944-428: Was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic . It takes its name from the Angles , a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensive cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery , which began during the 15th century. The Kingdom of England , which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be
35136-461: Was immediately replaced as shadow home secretary by Dominic Grieve ; Davis' surprise move was seen as a challenge to the changes introduced under Cameron's leadership. A reshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet was undertaken in January 2009, with the chief change being the appointment of former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke as Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary. Cameron stated that "With Ken Clarke's arrival, we now have
35328-428: Was implicated in the Greensill scandal . Cameron released his memoir, For the Record , in 2019. In 2023 he was appointed Foreign Secretary by Rishi Sunak and became a life peer as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton. His tenure as Foreign Secretary was dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine , the Israel–Hamas war , and the Gaza humanitarian crisis . After the Conservatives lost the 2024 general election to
35520-401: Was introduced. The final O-level/CSE examinations were sat in 1987. GCSEs were introduced in September 1986 to establish a national qualification for those who decided to leave school at 16 without pursuing further academic study towards qualifications such as A-Levels or university degrees. The first GCSE exams were sat in 1988. They replaced the former CSE and O-Level qualifications, uniting
35712-399: Was invited to return as monarch in 1660, in a move called the Restoration . With the reopening of theatres, fine arts, literature and performing arts flourished throughout the Restoration of the "Merry Monarch" Charles II. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, it was constitutionally established that King and Parliament should rule together, though Parliament would have the real power. This
35904-572: Was lower than the present day and Britain was connected by land bridge to Ireland and Eurasia . As the seas rose, it was separated from Ireland 10,000 years ago and from Eurasia two millennia later. The Beaker culture arrived around 2,500 BC, introducing drinking and food vessels constructed from clay, as well as vessels used as reduction pots to smelt copper ores. It was during this time that major Neolithic monuments such as Stonehenge (phase III) and Avebury were constructed. By heating together tin and copper, which were in abundance in
36096-411: Was not a member of Parliament he could not have been. Lamont was sacked at the end of May 1993, and decided not to write the usual letter of resignation; Cameron was given the responsibility to issue to the press a statement of self-justification. After Lamont was sacked, Cameron remained at the Treasury for less than a month before being specifically recruited by Home Secretary Michael Howard . It
36288-438: Was reported to have led Cameron to decide to leave politics in favour of journalism. The Conservatives' unexpected success in the 1992 election led Cameron to hit back at older party members who had criticised him and his colleagues, saying "whatever people say about us, we got the campaign right", and that they had listened to their campaign workers on the ground rather than the newspapers. He revealed he had led other members of
36480-568: Was subsequently proclaimed emperor a century later. There is debate about when Christianity was first introduced; it was no later than the 4th century, probably much earlier. According to Bede , missionaries were sent from Rome by Eleutherius at the request of the chieftain Lucius of Britain in 180 AD, to settle differences as to Eastern and Western ceremonials, which were disturbing the church. There are traditions linked to Glastonbury claiming an introduction through Joseph of Arimathea , while others claim through Lucius of Britain. By 410, during
36672-401: Was the spoken language during this time. Society was tribal; according to Ptolemy 's Geographia there were around 20 tribes in the area. Like other regions on the edge of the Empire, Britain had long enjoyed trading links with the Romans. Julius Caesar of the Roman Republic attempted to invade twice in 55 BC; although largely unsuccessful, he managed to set up a client king from
36864-412: Was tipped to follow Judith Chaplin as political secretary to the prime minister. Cameron lost to Jonathan Hill , who was appointed in March 1992. Instead, he was given the responsibility for briefing Major for his press conferences during the 1992 general election . During the campaign, Cameron was one of the young "brat pack" of party strategists who worked between 12 and 20 hours a day, sleeping in
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