Page 5 | will GCSEs be harder from 2016?

2catsfighting · 2015-05-17T17:25:57+00:00

I was wondering about families with children of different ages, and the different educational challenges they face. My eldest DS's education was at the time when course work was able to be repeated. His sibling seems to have a much tougher time of it.

SugarPlumTree · 17/05/2015 19:07

Think DS will prefer no coursework but there will be tears over the language and this might influence which school we send him to.

LimeFizz · 17/05/2015 19:03

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IHeartKingThistle · 17/05/2015 18:54

Oops sorry! And I meant 'the end OF Year 11' of course!

IHeartKingThistle · 17/05/2015 18:51

I honestly think it will depend on the student. Coursework is a disaster for certain personality types. Some kids suit exams better. And some need more time to mature before the end if Year 11. Many schools now start GCSE coursework at the end of Year 9 - some students will really benefit from being tested later, especially if they have a miraculous last minute change of attitude!

On the other hand, it will be MUCH harder for those who are anxious about exams, those who would have spent ages on their coursework, perfectionists, those who find it hard to memorise things. I think expecting them to do exams on Shakespeare, poetry, a play and two novels in one go is particularly hard if they are keeping them as closed book.

I HOPE it will become more about skills. I hope it will enable teachers to teach, rather than administer coursework and chase it. I hope it will make bad departments stop spoon - feeding kids. But I don't know how it will work in practice.

IHeartKingThistle · 17/05/2015 18:49

I honestly think it will depend on the student. Coursework is a disaster for certain personality types. Some kids suit exams better. And some need more time to mature before the end if Year 11. Many schools now start GCSE coursework at the end of Year 9 - some students will really benefit from being tested later, especially if they have a miraculous last minute change of attitude!

On the other hand, it will be MUCH harder for those who are anxious about exams, those who would have spent ages on their coursework, perfectionists, those who find it hard to memorise things. I think expecting them to do exams on Shakespeare, poetry, a play and two novels in one go is particularly hard if they are keeping them as closed book.

I HOPE it will become more about skills. I hope it will enable teachers to teach, rather than administer coursework and chase it. I hope it will make bad departments stop spoon - feeding kids. But I don't know how it will work in practice.

sassytheFIRST · 17/05/2015 18:33

Yes. No coursework at all, students have to do Ebacc (eng, maths, a modern language and a humanity - no btec in ICT or health and social care anymore...)and in English (which is my subject, can't speak for others) the texts have been changed for a more traditional, British written agenda so texts like To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men have gone in favour of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein.