In England, thresholds for success in public examinations taken by 15/16 year-olds play a major role in the education system. Definitions of what constitutes ‘success’ change over time and have an important impact on young people’s progression to further education, training, and employment. By taking a historical view of examination thresholds at 15/16 in England, we show that thresholds are not a mere reflection of societal or economic norms, nor are changes to them simply gradual adjustments or technical modifications. Using ideas from ‘critical policy sociology’ (see Savage, Gerard, Gale and Molla, 2021), we argue that thresholds can be understood as ‘temporary settlements’ (Gale 1999, p. 401) that are the product of four separate but interlocking policy contests around educational purposes, the importance of specific subjects, the role of education in the economy, and educational governance. Analysing and decoding the production of changing thresholds over long periods through these policy contests allows us to more clearly understand the contemporary situation (where thresholds have become very prescriptive) and to challenge the foundations of thresholds: creating space for different conceptions of success and failure. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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