to be a bit sick of people on here going on about how much harder GCSE's/O levels were in their day...blah blah blah...

[purplefish]

Some of us are very proud of our DC and know how hard they have worked to get the grades they got.

I agree with all your points sky. I have a really big problem with the age we start school in the UK - I think 4 (because that's what it is for most children) is far too early. I have Danish friends and they don't start school until they're 7 there and they certainly don't seen to suffer for it. I also think we specialise far too early here - the Baccalaureat system is much better because it allows you to keep options open.

And yes, you're right that this topic should be discussed at other times of year but unfortunately it falls off the register unless it's in the news.

lets be honest here

comparing GCSE to O levels is like comparing apples to oranges they are different.

My nephew is just 4, and while smart and well-behaved, he is still far too young to go to school in my opinion. I was a September birthday, so I was 5 when I went, thank goodness.

Agree on specialisation, that aspect had not occurred to me, but that is another positive in Germany (and even Scotland I believe). They can choose certain subjects but others are compulsory.

I think people who are concerned should actually campaign for a better education system, rather than empty complaining every time exam results come out and making the students feel bad.
With any luck the new government will reform education (so much for Blair's 3 key words) but I don't have high hopes for that.

I don't think exams are getting easier. I think teaching is getting 'better' more targeted and kids are working harder. Although I don't necessarily think either of these are good for pupils.

Also can you imagine the fuss if instead of exam passes going up each year they stayed the same or, god forbid, went down. Teachers would be burnt at the stake and students slagged off even more than they are already.

they are slowly getting rid of coursework from many exams, as it has been a failure brought in to deliberately enhance grades

Agree re starting school to little my eldest starts in September but she will be 5 a week after. My youngest birthday is the end of August though and I can see her still needing a little kip in the afternoon when she starts school.

'they are slowly getting rid of coursework from many exams, as it has been a failure brought in to deliberately enhance grades'

But suppose you are very very bright but just crap under pressure?

yes that was how it used to work, you did suffer if you were bright but crap under pressure. But with coursework, in theory, rich parents could pay a private tutor to do much of it, so it is also an unfair system.

I don't think there can be any serious debate that GCSEs are not easier than olevels.For instance what about module tests that examine a student on a small area of say biology science and which can be resat without penalty.And the English course work is a joke!The pupils have a bash,hand it in for markinbg.the teacher marks and tells the students how to improve it from which they produce the coursework.How can these things possibly compare to 100% going on a big unseen exam at teh end of the course

No system is perfect though....

It is true that O levels are harder than GCSEs. The questions are harder, there were no modules, and little course work. Those are hard facts. Just go and Google on O level papers and look!

It grieves me to say this, as the parent of two kids who will soon be taking GCSEs.

herbietea, that's good to hear, I didn't know that that was happening.

Some of them are easier. You can find an O Level Maths paper and a GCSE Maths paper via Google. Just compare them. The O Level paper is MUCH harder, IMHO.

The teacher marking coursework and telling the students how to improve it issue - degree assignments have been done this way for years, and to my knowledge still are (?), so it probably made sense that the system should be tried at GCSE level.

As for some children not doing well under pressure, it isn't just the issue of pressure. Girls were shown to be disadvantaged under the old system if they were having a period during the exams, children with hayfever likewise, etc etc.

Ya definitly definitly definitly nbu-
I think it is so fucking sad that people truly waste their breath discrediting the achievements of children

People just grab 'facts' out of thin air or better still, a fucking newspaper!

I would LOVE these people to sit some gcse exams now and would proceed to laugh my arse off when they struggled.

someone posted links to the O level and GCSE maths papers on one of BarmyArmy's threads. If you look at them, there is no doubt that the O level is harder.

Here is a Maths O level paper

extras.timesonline.co.uk/mathsquest.pdf

I can not do a link on this gadget, sorry.

but isn't coursework being phased out from many exams? Isn't that proof that it has been a failure, in spite of all the political advantages that coursework provided to the politicians and social engineers?

Its evolution innit - the older generation don't like it.

[[http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/mathsquest.pdf
]]

to do links just type the character
[
twice, then the link, then type the character ] twice

I don't think that because coursework might be being phased out from some courses should be taken as proof that it has been a failure. If you are applying that logic, then it would also follow that the old exam courses without coursework which were phased out and replaced with modulated courses were also considered a failure, wouldn't it?

And how about when they do not, in fact, struggle with it, Ishouldprobablywax?

Well I think if you compare that to this year's paper, it's fairly conclusive that one is rather easier than the other.