GCSEs to go

[FredPuli43]

Anybody here in favour of scrapping the 'modular' exams in favour of a one-off one? The defects in one-offs are that they depend lot on luck; I once passed an exam when I only knew 6 things in the syllabus and the examiner asked for all 6, ; and on nerves; the brightest English literature student in my class failed the A level through panicking. How is the one-off better and what's the problem with modular?

[Gromit]

They are making the exam system like a pub quiz. How appropriate.

[Gromit]

I wouldn't worry too much, the change depends on the Conservatives winning the next election outright. That won't happen, they are more uupopular than the Taleban.

[Gromit]

And to finally answer your question, assessment of all a students work is a by far more accurate way of guaging their ability. The one off exam will fail many good students and help some poor ones.

[rockyracoon]

I've got two children, my son hates class work, puts no effort a all in but when it comes to the end of year exams he always exceeds his target without much revision being done, now, my daughter will excel in classwork, putting huge effort in but she's a worry monkey and an end of the year exam will floor her. Some it will suit, some it won't, pretty much the way it is now.

[Sqad]

Gromit....remember 1992....Labour ahead of an unpopular Tory government....Neil Kinnock clicking his heels ready to become P.M?

Neil Kinnock...in Sheffield shouting " we'alright.......we're alright"

The Conservatives received the largest number of popular votes in history, despite the UK being in recession under a Tory Government.

You may be right Gromit....but "the show and the Fat Lady......"

[factor-fiction]

"assessment of all a students work is a by far more accurate way of guaging (sic) their ability."

Or gauging the ability of the teacher/parent who does much of it for them

[Sqad]

factor...I must say that i am out of touch with modern pupil assessment, but i have to say, for what it is worth, that there were very few surprise failures or surprise passes in the "one off's."

To counter Fred's comment about his 6 things that he knew came up, multiple choice was brought in which tested one's overall knowledge and largely precluded the "chance revision topics."

Do they still have multiple choice examinations?

[factor-fiction]

I haven't seen multiple choice in the main subjects but I did see some on a BTEC type exam for 16 year olds about the world of work. I teach mainly maths and haven't seen multiple choice papers for years.

The exams have changed though sqad in some big ways:

-Whereas O level papers in our day were 2½ hours long many papers now are as short as 45 mins and generally not more than 1½ hours long

- The questions are more shorter and there are more of them. In Maths rather than five or six long questions that take 20-30 minutes each there will be lots of much shorter questions, ensuring most topics are covered and assessed.

- Questions are also structured more than they used and are much more 'user friendly'. So, if there is a question about a shopping bill there will be a picture of Danii and Amjit, a picture of bottles of cola and chocolate bars labelled with their prices, and a picture of each of the different coins they have (£1, 50p,...1p).

-There are two tiers of exam (some subjects have had tiers) in some subjects (maybe all). The Foundation tier covers grades G to C and is really the old CSE. The Higher Tier generally covers C-A* although I think you can get a D.

-Modular exams means you do a few topics at a time, spread over a couple of years, and can resit each one and use the higher score. Some students do each modular exam twice and then also sit a non-modular version so that they can use their best result.. All these exam entries are money spinners for the boards and a drain on resources for schools

[ummmm]

No, I'm not in favour of it. For the reasons you state; some people are not very good at taking tests.

[factor-fiction]

Modular exams are tests

[Sqad]

factor.....thanks........much simpler in my time.

something else i have difficulty in coming to terms with, in the 50's, the really bright pupils would get 3 A levels, perhaps 4 and the exceptional ones would get 4 A-levels.

Now one sees students getting 10 A levels....are they superhuman?

[ummmm]

Do parents do their kids homework?

[ummmm]

They don't have the option to do 10 A Levels, do they?

In my day it was 3. My son, who has just started his A levels was also given the option of 3.

[mxyzptlk]

I think it is also thought provoking that results under modular systems have improved with the growth of the internet.

[factor-fiction]

In terms of GCSEs we could only take 8 (this was at a Grammar School). I did meet some students at University who had done 9 or 10 but no more. Now some students are leaving with 15 GCSEs. Some BTec type exams count as 4 or 5 GCSEs. Some are in subjects that we couldn't take such as PE.

In terms of GCSEs I took 5 (including General Studies) but most took 4. My own children also took 4 and 5 respectively. I am not aware of anyone taking 10 A levels.

A levels are now done in 2 parts - AS level at end of year 12 (lower sixth) and A2 at end of year 13. Students often drop a subject or two at the end of year 12 so end up with 3 or 4 complete A levels and 1 or 2 AS levels.

[factor-fiction]

I'll retype that as paragraph 2 should say "in terms of A levels..."

In terms of GCSEs we could only take 8 (this was at a Grammar School). I did meet some students at University who had done 9 or 10 but no more. Now some students are leaving with 15 GCSEs. Some BTec type exams count as 4 or 5 GCSEs. Some are in subjects that we couldn't take such as PE.

In terms of A levels, I took 5 (including General Studies) but most took 4. My own children also took 4 and 5 respectively. I am not aware of anyone taking 10 A levels.

A levels are now done in 2 parts - AS level at end of year 12 (lower sixth) and A2 at end of year 13. Students often drop a subject or two at the end of year 12 so end up with 3 or 4 complete A levels and 1 or 2 AS levels.

[Sqad]

factor....thanks for your valuable input.

[ummmm]

That's the same as it is now, Factor.

GCSE...I took.

English Language, English Literature, Maths, RS, Art, Humanities, Science and Languages.

[factor-fiction]

It is quite common now though ,ummmm, for students to do a lot more than 8. I have taught a number of students who left with 15 or 16 GCSEs but often many of the grades were low (E-G, with D-G being fails in our day) and sometimes didn't include Maths and English. I doubt a recruiting employer would be impressed by 16 GCSE's if the student had failed Maths and English.

I should add that many students do work extremely hard and deserve good grades and do have wider skills/knowledge than I had. (I didn't do Resistant Materials or Tourism for example.)

[factor-fiction]

That's another difference ummmm- for many students Science is just one subject now whereas I did 3 science subjects, and there is now an exam called Modern Foreign Languages whereas we had separate options for French, German and Latin (not modern I know).

When I did science we had to use lots of formulae for Boyles Law, refractive index, resistance, focal length, molarity etc but now there is a more practical element. I saw a science paper that asked you to draw a poster about healthy eating and write a paragraph on whether smoking might be bad for you.