A NORTH-EAST MP will tomorrow (Wednesday) present a petition to parliament calling for fairness over GSCEs in schools.

Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson gave his backing earlier this month to the campaign set up by pupils demanding equality for GCSE English Language and English Literature between the maintained - state schools and academies - and independent sectors.

The independent sector enables pupils to opt to sit the IGCSE which allows for 40 per cent of coursework to count towards the final mark plus the opportunity to sit the exam twice, first in January and then in June.

In the maintained sector the reformed GCSE, introduced last year, allows for only 100 per cent examinations towards the final grade, and just one chance to sit it in June.

Mr Wilson said: “State school students face a far tougher examination process than students who have the privilege of going to private school, making the system inherently unfair.”

The petition, set up by Melissa Foster, 15, and 16-year-olds Christina Davis and Aidan Wong, has received more than 1,000 signatures.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said schools still had the option to enter pupils for the IGCSE although the government had decided it will not count them in league tables. The preferred option is the reformed GCSEs.