Focusing on technical issues, this paper critiques proposed changes in assessment procedures at the further educational level (ages 16 through 18) in England and Wales. Major structural changes are taking place at this educational level, partly because of large scale youth unemployment. The two current examination systems for the final year of cumpulsory education, the Ordinary (O) level of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and the Certificate of Education (CSE), are now being combined in a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) with courses starting in 1986. A new 17-plus exam, the Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education (CPVE) is also being introduced. In addition two major initiatives are taking place in the schools: (1) student profiles, or records of achievement; and (2) graded or graduated assessments. All these innovations are characterized by a commitment to development and implementation without adequate evaluation. This lack of concern for curricular and organizational consequences or major technical problems (such as criterion referencing, score equating, and reliability) reflects a widespread disillusion with the academically divisive and unreliable current examination system (BS)