Exam overload - what exactly is the point??

Are y10 exams likely to be used for CAGs? Terrifying thought!

But how would sixth forms have known the level that students applying were at in this case?

How would they then award fair grades to students this year

They could have assessed on some of the work already done, and done some extra work. The amount of assessment that has happened before and after Easter has been crazy for Y11 and not that great for Y13s.

I think people would have accepted no GCSEs this year - a lot of people were suggesting only doing exams in Maths and English and having a school certificate for the rest, as you don't need GCSEs after you get into sixth form/take up an 16+ apprenticeship, other than Maths and English.

It may also be that the school want to book some decent invigilated evidence for when (inevitably) the govt. mess up the 2022 GCSEs. I have just marked my students' A-levels and we have to tell the exam board if the evidence we are using is 'high, medium or low' control (high means formal invigilated exams).

I'd be massively fucked off as a teacher to be basically marking this year's GCSEs on top of my normal workload.

GCSEs and A Levels sadly in a lot of cases!

Another one who agrees with shadedog. My Y10 is horrified, he's never had to revise all his subjects at once. But it's been a good way of showing him what is expected and bringing home the need to keep on top of things.

You’d think they would prioritise actual teaching

How would they then award fair grades to students this year? There needs to be some sort of evidence gathering (individual and supervised in school), and regardless of how they did it, or what it was called it will feel like a test/exam/assessment of their attainment.

I don't think anyone would have accepted the cancellation of awarding gcse grades this year, delaying a year isn't practical. It is hard work for the students, exam years always are, but I can't think of any other fair or robust alternative this year.

@WelcometoJam

My year 11 was informed by the education secretary that GCSE’s were cancelled. She has had 17 ‘assessments’ since Easter. You’d think they would prioritise actual teaching having been locked down with crap online provision for months on end. To say I am fuming would be putting it politely to say the least

I'd be massively fucked off as a teacher to be basically marking this year's GCSEs on top of my normal workload. Normally they are sent off to exam boards - but this year, on top of all the Covid shit and everything else they've had - teachers are doing it for free, instead of exam board markers being paid to do it.

I agree with Shadedog.

Year 10 summer exams are the time for them to make their mistakes, find out what they do/don’t know after two terms and to use the experience to practise how to revise and sit exams in a more formal style.

It is our job (both teachers and parents) to support them in managing their stress (as it is perfectly normal to get stressed over exams but in recent years, we seem to have forgotten how to help them cope and instead, young people think they are experiencing anxiety or full blown MH issues).

Giving them time and a quiet place to revise helps enormously but this needs to be coupled with good family time and regular opportunities for them to socialise and do something they enjoy.

If a child is feeling overwhelmed, it helps to tell them that this is normal and that feeling a little worried/nervous is their body’s way of helping them do a little better in their exams, if it is managed well.
If a child has SEND, then other strategies suited to them need to be used.
Letting their form tutor know can also help further support too.

Y10 exams aren't designed for pupils to perform at their best. The aim is to experience revising all the subjects all at once and sit multiple exams in a short space of time as per the public exams at the end of y11, which can have days with no exams and days with 3 exams depending on subjects and exam boards. If they can identify gaps in knowledge then that’s a bonus. They aren’t supposed to do brilliantly, they are supposed to learn from them and carry that learning forward into their revision and prep for the real thing.

I don't think 10 in one week is excessive.
When I was at secondary we used to have 14 exams in 7 days (starting on Thursday with a weekend in the middle) every year. The exams were typically 2- 2.5hours long, and actually doing them wasn't that bad. It was the revising and getting results that was stressful.

She could easily have a week fairly similar. Dd had 2 weeks when she was doing GCSEs, a couple of years ago, with 8 one week and 7 the next, and that was at least one day with 3 exams. And those weren't the only exams! That was just 2 of the weeks.

I think it's really hard. In more normal years kids build up exam stamina from the beginning of secondary - I remember DS having more exams each year than the last until the peak of GCSE's. Between Dec and February of Y11 he had 2x 2 week periods of mock exams with 2 papers a day. He took 11 actual GCSE's and had 28 exams over a 4 week period (thank god for half term in between), on 2 days he had 3 papers. Unfortunately the uncertainty over this years GCSE has led to more or less constant testing for Y11's and adding the disruption to current Y 10's and uncertainty over how next years exams will pan out has possibly made schools more rigorous in their internal assessments.
Makes university seem positively easy going

Hard to do it any other way and still prepare them for next year’s exams. If you spread them out, you lose too much teaching time.

If they spread the exams more, then they'll be doing more "ordinary lessons" inbetween. I'm not sure it helps to have them spread out if they're also being taught new material at the same time. If it's only a week or so, then they can probably keep the lessons between to revision / getting exams back.

There's also a practical issue if they are using halls/gyms, as those facilities are out of use for the PE department while they're full of exam desks. DD's school have a cross-country week in November when they have mock exams on.

@willowsmumsy DS is pretty much the same. 2 weeks of mock exams straight after Easter and then at least 2-3 assessment papers a day since then. GCSEs would have been less stressful (both for him and his teachers!)

As per others, it's so they can schedule them all in. I agree it's exhausting.

DS had 3 exams most days for 7 days during his mocks, so he would have been overjoyed with a "mere"10 in a week! They were all full length GCSE papers as well with about 30-40 minutes break between them. It was noticeable he did less well in the "third paper of the day" cases.

My son has just completed his assessments in year 11. He's had 52 tests since Easter. He'd have been better off having the actual exams!

I believe the mocks were over 2 weeks.

Year 10 mocks for Ds1 took place straight after the GCSEs finished as the sports hall was still set up with the desks and chairs. They only did 1 paper for English lit (hadn't started the other book) and 1 for English lang but apart from that they had covered a lot of content and wanted to test them on it properly, in an exam setting and they sat one set of past papers.

If your Dd is struggling you need to help her learn coping strategies because Ds1 sat 24 exams for his GCSEs and he only took 9. He had 6 exams in one week and it happened twice. Plus the booster classes set by school.

On an actual GCSE exam day Ds had a pre exam booster at 8am then the morning exam, then normal period 3 in school. Then he had lunch, followed by a pre exam booster for the afternoon exam followed by an after school booster. And he was a grade 7+ student, all students had to do this.

GCSEs are 2 years worth of content, this is the half way marker to see how well their revision is working. Yes it is tough but so are the relentless exams when they sit their GCSEs for real. Plus Ds had 2 sets of year 11 mocks, November and February. Yes it is shit, but sadly this is how it is done.

This is what my DC have always done, but when it got to Y11s mocks they space them out to be more like real GCSE. It seems quite early for Y10 assessments though.

My Y11 DD has had two weeks of solid "assessments" sitting in a broom cupboard just her and an invigilator. On the plus side she's avoided exams in a broom cupboard during hey fever season. It could always be worse.

@TheJackieWeaver yup. I did my gcses in 1989. Had exams every year before them and did about 15 exams in GCSE year. ''Twas ever thus.

It’s normal.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a crap way to do it.

But the schools only doing what they have to within the parameters set by the government.

This years “no external exams, so we’ll force you into a position where the only way to gather the evidence needed is a shit tonne of assessments” (exams by any other name) is a joke on the kids and teachers.

I’m pretty sure this has been ‘normal’ since we were in school. The y10 exams are there to allow pupils to get used to this sort of pressure. They’re probably being taken more seriously than ever by staff though as they know they might also be used for CAGS in the future.

The issue is with the outdated style of linear GCSEs (thanks Gove) not with your child’s school.