To think GCSE are wrong for many kids

[Mountainsuccess]

I see the level of parental involvement and stress many parents go through when the kids are doing GCSES.

I think if there is so much parental involvement needed surely GCSES are not the right thing for many kids. The number of exams and pressure is completely crazy for a 15/16 year old. Do they actually remember anything after the exams? Or is the UK education system just an exam factory?

The government put so much pressure on schools and schools on teachers, parents, kids. It is just all about results. I feel there is so much micromanaging from the government. Why is this? Why the Government doesn’t trust teachers and parents? Is this ever going to change? Isn’t this supposed to be an advanced country?

Please enlighten me. I am not English but raising kids here.

Why not? All my DC went to grammar and handled their GCSEs well. Yes they got mostly 9s with an occasional 8 or 7. I had one child whose GCSE was the year they did the 9-1 for maths and English only and they took got As,A*s 9s and 8s.

We want a well educated population and workforce don't we. We need to test people and ascertain their knowledge as well.

So you just cant grasp how other kids are not as academic as yours?

I agree. I don't know of any other country that has 2 major sets of exams like that, although France is going that way. Their brevet used to be a casual affair and they've added.more requirements to make closer to GCSEs which I think.is stupid.

It should be just one set of exams for A level - little coursework, just exams. Far less stress for all, less cheating. And more useful for employers to know what someone can do unser pressure, by themselves, instead of propped up and coached and dragged over the finishing line regardless of actual ability and autonomy.

Coursework just drags the stress out for longer.

Can you honestly not see how ridiculous this comment is?

I don't think it's even about being 'academic' tbh, unless you define academic as compliant, with a good memory and being motivated to do well in this type of exam situation at 15/16.

Being old, I know people of all ages that have flunked at school then gone on to find their place, including excelling in very 'academic' type careers eg the law, science, teaching.

Also, some highly creative, outside the box types, who the rigidity of a structured curriculum and exams just didn't suit.

I do think that being good at exams makes your teens/20s easier ( I was and it did mine), but if that's all academic means, I don't think it's the most important aspect of a person.

We can see that EttesEttes school focused on academics at the expense of critical thinking skills

Never said it was the norm. But we were talking about grade 9 maths so of course it’s not the “norm”.

And kids with SEN and/different learning profiles?

My daughter is very dyslexic, she struggled in GCSEs, but absolutely thrived in BTECs.

Her struggle in GCSEs has absolutely nothing to do with her ability or intelligence and everything to do with access to the right way to demonstrate her ability

Honestly, no-one can have a sensible conversation about this when it's coming up against such ludicrous hyperbole. "Barbaric" FFS...

I know someone when I was younger who tried to end their life over exam results, they were only just saved. It may not be a big deal to you, unfortunately for some it is very distressing and you shouldn't belittle those who feel that way.

I'm struggling to understand your figures. Are you saying that in the school you used to go to, 94% secured a grade 8 or 9 last year?

This would put that school in the very top tier. My old school doesn't exist any more. It was a failing school. I chose the 'best' school in our town to check the results and % of students who achieved a strong pass (Grade 5 or above) in English and Maths was 48.2% and 45.2%. - more than 50% got a 4 or less.

Grades are worked out on a distribution curve so around a third have to fail (< grade 4).

@Goldenbear Very few dc feel like that though. They almost certainly should be withdrawn from the exams. Exam stress is normal and you cannot protect dc from everything.

A third of 15/16 year olds 'failing' is, in itself, enough to agree with the OPs premise that GCSEs don't suit a lot of kids.

I certainly don't think that spending so much time learning how to pass tests during your early and mid-teens is conducive to receiving a good education.

If the secondary school curriculum was more relevant to the modern world (and primary tbh, why the Jeff is touch typing not on the curriculum in 2026?), and more focused on developing young people, fewer kids would be utterly cheesed off with it by Y11.

@Shinyredbicycle We had schools that prepared dc for work. The tripartite education system post 1944. We did away with it as it was not “fair”. Now we have one size fits all and we fail quite large numbers of dc. However if some aren’t happy, why don’t we revert to the tripartite system? (I do know why!) However if dc need a non academic curriculum, why not have schools that deliver it?

My DDs learnt touch typing at an independent school. It’s a great skill.

I found the 2024 distribution curve on the School's week website for anyone interested.

I grew up in India, I don't find the UK education system "barbaric" at all. It's nothing compared to what I experienced and my relatives still experience. Entrance test and university prep there starts at 14/15

My kids did them in Wales - there are still called GCSE but are very different to current English GCSE.

They sat exams in Y10 and has assesments inbetween exam periods but Y11 exam timetable was still insane. They all came out with 13 Level 2 qualiifcations - no-one needs that many.

Now they've just started the new GCSE in Wales after much input and re-evaluation - very different first year in Y10 and that's not going well and teachers and kids feel the assesment bit never ending.

Many schools here do ofter Btecs or did - not sure what happening with thsoe along side new GCSE.

Covid showed teacher assesments were not reliable means of assesment - so some exam/course work at end of 16 needed - especially here in Wales where they can still leave education at 16 - but no idea what should be there - even if there is any ideal system out there in rest of the world.

Continuous assessment does work though, its used in my country with students being assessed throughout the year with many little exams. Only thing is you need to trust teachers to assess fairly (there have been some issues here with some teachers being reluctant to give a failing grade as that would mean the student has to retake the year so they give a "mercy 5" but its being talked about more now so I expect teachers will be more strict about it. I know at least one child being kept behind in DD's year, and one that was kept back twice)
And there's far less narrowing of the curriculum, students can only drop a few subjects in the last two years (things like art, music, and technology classes - they have to pick 3 and can drop the others) so much broader education.

The big high stakes matriculation exams only come at around 18 years old and that's only for students who choose to take them because they want to go to university so those who don't want to do them don't have to.

Look that's a fair point. I get that most with dyscalculia probably can't ever pass maths GCSE. What % are SEN though, data says 19.6%?

Dyslexic people can learn to read and write. Some have become great poets and authors. One of my DC's friends did schooling in china (and was excellent at maths) before coming here for uni and only realised in the UK that he was dyslexic and got added them.

I agree totally, I can’t remember so much pressure when I was sitting mine. My daughter worked her socks off and came away with all 5s, she did a-levels and is now going into her final year at uni on track for a first. My son sitting his GCSE’s this year, we’ve helped when asked, he’s not arsed but on track for all 9’s! The system seems to me to be an elaborate memory test and not what they are actually capable of! I think vocational type assessments would be better

I think the number of GCSEs is too many and serves little purpose.

English, Maths, a modern foreign language, a science, and a couple of other subjects (say for your desired A levels or career) should be enough.

@Mountainsuccess do you know what's more stressful than GCSEs?

Having kids!!

At 16 they need to learn to deal with stress. They need to learn how to try hard at something they find difficult. They need to learn how to manage their time effectively. And they absolutely need to have a reasonable standard of maths and English.

And then there's the other skills they need. Punctuality. Getting along with people they don't perhaps like.

If they don't want to carry on down the academic route then they can follow another route.

I do think schools should offer some more alternative subjects though instead of GCSEs.

Except that you can have a sensible conversation, if you would stop clutching at pearls over semantics.

Are we judging education systems by anecdotes about MN children?
Out of interest, what tertiary qualifications do your very able children hold, and what grades did they achieve?

If GCSEs were necessary for a highly educated population, countries like Canada, Germany, Finland and Netherlandswould be struggling. They aren't.

Undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.