ON June 11 Mr Gove made a statement to Parliament about the future of exams. He said he believed there is widespread consensus that Britain needs to reform its exam system in order to restore public confidence in the way children are being educated and tested.
He said: "The new subject content published today has been drawn up in collaboration with distinguished subject experts.
"In line with our changes to the National Curriculum, the new specifications are more challenging, more ambitious and more rigorous.
"That means more extended writing in subjects such as English and history, more testing of advanced problem-solving skills in mathematics, more testing of mathematics in science GCSEs to improve progression to A-levels, more challenging mechanics problems in physics, a stronger focus on evolution and genetics in biology, and a greater focus on foreign language composition so that pupils require deeper language skills."
For primary schools, Mr Gove's changes include recommendations that English lessons should put more emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar.
They also say that children should know their times tables up to 12 by the age of nine and start learning about algebra and geometry by the time they leave primary school.
Meanwhile, changes are also afoot in history, with children learning more about how Britain has influenced the world.
And children will, for the first time, have to learn a language – either ancient (such as Latin) or modern – from the age of seven, if Mr Gove's proposals are approved.