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Original poster

Surely she will end up sitting 30 odd exams?

60 replies

MoominmammasHandbag · 25/01/2013 21:40

The other night we went to my DC3s GCSE choices evening. We discovered that, by the time she sits her exams, new government guidelines will dictate that she has to sit them all at the end of 2 years rather than spreading them out over that time.

Fair enough I thought, that's how mine were 30 odd years ago and fortunately DD is bright and capable of intensive studying. But when I counted things up I realised she will have 9 for triple science, 4 for history, 4 for Latin etc. She will be doing 11 GCSEs. How on earth will they fit in all the exams?

OP posts:
Original poster
MoominmammasHandbag · 25/01/2013 22:21

But years ago when we did our exams at the end of two years we did one exam for each subject. I did 8 O levels, I did 8 exams ( well maybe an extra spoken one for French).

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prettydaisies · 25/01/2013 22:20

Mine do/ did them all at the end of Y11 because they don't do modules. The language ones are quite short and listening and speaking are very early. Mine only had 2 science exams per subject - so 6 altogether, 2 maths papers etc. they did have some clashes, but I don't think they ever had more than 2 in a day.

NewFerry · 25/01/2013 22:19

I agree. At A level, DS would have to learn and revise 12 separate text books, each with 1.5 hour exam, for his maths and further maths exams.

DS1 at uni, has module exams every 6 months.

Colleagues at work taking professional IT exams take them in modules

I am studying accountancy exams, again they are taken at the end of each module

I feel very Sad for the new students (inc my dd) who will have to work under this new system

lubeybooby · 25/01/2013 22:16

There are only 3 or 4 exams for subjects at the moment because they are broken down into modules

if it goes back to the old system like I did as a teen, it will just be one exam per subject.

littleducks · 25/01/2013 22:14

I think thats how I did it, often two exams a day. Sometimes exams would 'clash' and we would have to go into seclusion for a break before sitting an exam that most people in the country had just sat.

It wasnt that big a deal

goinggetstough · 25/01/2013 22:14

Do remember that these exams are not very long. I believe the GCSE science exams are 45 mins each.....
I expect the end result will be that DCs take less subjects. No university asks for 11, 12 or 13 GCSEs. So hopefully the numbers taken, will be more sensible.

Original poster
MoominmammasHandbag · 25/01/2013 22:08

My two older kids have done Music, RE, Maths and some English and Science modules a year or even two years early in the past. And other random bits I can't remember. i just think this lumping it all together at the end thing hasn't been thought through.

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casma · 25/01/2013 22:03

DD did her GCSEs last year and sat 25 exams in June (not including art) as her school didn't do module exams. It does mean that more than one exam a day is the norm, but it is doable - just very hard work!

Original poster
MoominmammasHandbag · 25/01/2013 22:01

Well every subject seems to be 3 or 4 and she's doing 11 subjects.

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GinandJag · 25/01/2013 21:54

What sums did you do to get to these figures?