GCSE Reforms

[AgnesIO]

New-look tougher GCSEs revealed

Today there will be relatively big reforms for GCSEs. Grading is to move from A*-G to 8-1 (similar to the old O Level style). Furthermore, there will be more emphasis on exams after the two years - with less coursework.

New-look GCSEs for schools in England are to be unveiled, with exams graded from eight to one rather than A* to G.From 2015, GCSEs will move from coursework and continuous assessment to exams at the end of two years.
There will be an emphasis on more rigorous content, such as making sure that pupils studying English read the whole of a Shakespeare play, a 19th-Century novel and more poetry.
There is no sign of a change in name to I-level - as had been suggested.
The format, though, may be familiar to anyone who once took O-levels.
Wales and Northern Ireland are keeping GCSEs, but so far are not adopting the changes proposed for England.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22841266

Thoughts?

[Kardan]

I'm not a fan of the proposed changes to putting the exams at the end of the course personally. And someone please tell me the benefit of changing A*-G to 8-1?

[AgnesIO]

I'm not a fan of the proposed changes to putting the exams at the end of the course personally. And someone please tell me the benefit of changing A*-G to 8-1?

Guess it merely distinguishes between the current GCSE and the new GCSE (and Gove wanting O Levels back...)

[Kardan]

Guess it merely distinguishes between the current GCSE and the new GCSE (and Gove wanting O Levels back...)

Ahh, so when a child gets told they are getting a Level 4 in their Sats, they should get a C at GCSE, which will now be called a Level 5. And a Level 5 Sats, is a B at GCSE, which is now a Level 6.

Well done, you got a 5! So that means you're a 6!

All a bit pointless really... If this does go ahead, I'm sure in 10/20 years we'll go back to letter grading.

[lemons]

I'm not a fan of the proposed changes to putting the exams at the end of the course personally. And someone please tell me the benefit of changing A*-G to 8-1?

I think I read somewhere so that in the future the highest grade can be raised to 9, 10 etc Unlike now

I'm so glad I'm finishing my GCSES this year but I wish there was no coursework, because it's brought some of my grades down a bit especially in English. Plus in English we read about 3 Shakespeare plays and 15 poems wtf is Gove on about?

[Red]

For us it was exams at the end of two years anyway, and I think doing it in modules makes it easier on other people. Also we did Shakespeare, poetry and all that jazz :S I would have also preferred less coursework but I'd imagine it will probably make it more difficult for most people. Don't like the idea of them changing the grading system to numbers :S

[MKR&*42]

Why are they changing to numbering lool. Lettering is fine, that' a silly and unnecessary change (didn't expect any less).

I studied Shakespeare in year 7, year 8, year 9 and year 10 - I can't comprehend that some schools would never teach a whole book on it?

[-:Undertaker:-]

'Deckchairs' and 'Titanic' spring to mind.

[Grig]

This is foolish.

Everyone is moving away from solely assessing on examinations to more continuous assessment, not the opposite way round.

[Kardan]

I think Gove is so out of touch of the education system it's unreal. He's saying that people don't do 1 Shakespeare play or do poetry? Everyone does Shakespeare, I studied 2 plays, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream (and yes, that meant reading through it all ), and I'm sure everyone on here has done at least one as well.

And he's saying we don't do poetry? Does he not know of the massive anthology book everyone has to read through and you spend months upon months studying them. It's mad.

Apparently you can get your hands on a guide for the news Maths system for Year 4's, and there's no mental maths or division. Apparently Maths should be more about problem solving rather than... sums and equations. Yeah, Okay. Good luck with that. And people wonder why more and more schools are becoming academies so they can move away from the curriculum.