Why not bring back coursework for GCSEs/A levels?

[notevenat20]

There seems a serious risk that exams won't run again in Summer 2021. Would it make sense for the govt/examining boards to introduce assessed coursework for this academic year? Maybe also some "controlled assessments"?

If the exams run then these can make up a low percentage of the mark but if they don't they can still awards grades.

Or are those not sensible ideas?

Controlled assessment was always a complete joke and essentially rewarded pupils for the extent to which their teachers decided to cheat and that's before considering the systematic biases in the marking of such forms of assessment that are proven to widely occur.

Didn't loads of people cheat with coursework ( kids, parents, teachers).

Because the logistics of doing so at such a late stage are ridiculously complex.

Controlled Assessment was indeed an exercise in cheating. More so than coursework, in fact, because conditions we were meant to be following were so strict.

You can't just add bits to accredited qualifications - they'd have to go through accreditation again. And that's not a short process.

Yes there is a lot of cheating. Is there any way to award partial marks before the exams that might be reliable?

It's worth commenting that with online university exams no one even knows who is taking the exam.

Coursework benefited wealthier, more middle class kids. Yes there was lots of "cheating"

You can't just add bits to accredited qualifications - they'd have to go through accreditation again. And that's not a short process.

I was hoping that given the global pandemic things could be expedited. After all the grades for last summer's exam were given without any lengthy accreditation.

Coursework benefited wealthier, more middle class kids.

Even more than everything else in the British education system?

Given that it was the Tory government who removed coursework from most subjects and limited it to 20% in others, they're unlikely to be interested in bringing it back.
And you also have the issue of timescales - coursework marks have to be in by May for the summer series. Getting it accredited, taught and marked from zero in that amount of time is improbable. Plus you then need people trained to moderate it.
The qualifications last summer were already accredited. You're proposing changes to qualifications - which requires consultation and that takes time.

The qualifications last summer were already accredited. You're proposing changes to qualifications - which requires consultation and that takes time.

Sorry I was referring to the made up grades the pupils were given that changed at the last second. That can't have been accredited was it?

The grades were for accredited qualifications, as you very well know.
Making 100% terminal exam assessed qualifications into something else isn't as easy as going "paper 2 is now coursework"

Grammar error..."can it?".

Coursework was really boring.
It wasnt fair for kids in schools where the teachers were fair.
Basically certain schools the teachers would help a lot more. In my school half the kids had their older siblings do it for them.
These days you could just pay someone online to do it for you if you have the money.

It’s not the grades that are accredited, it’s the qualifications

It’s now October. Half term in 2 weeks. So we’ve got 3 full half terms left until the exams start. That’s what? 19 Teaching weeks? And you want to create coursework, Send it out, get it completed, marked and moderated in that time. With a group of kids who, having missed 6 months of school, might not have time to finish the curriculum as it is? I’m not sure that will help anyone’s stress levels.

Making 100% terminal exam assessed qualifications into something else isn't as easy as going "paper 2 is now coursework"

Understood but is it harder than saying "you will all get grades by this algorithm...oh actually by this other method"?

Yes, it’s a lot harder. Most of all on the pupils who do not need the goal posts moving again.

@notevenat20

Making 100% terminal exam assessed qualifications into something else isn't as easy as going "paper 2 is now coursework"

Understood but is it harder than saying "you will all get grades by this algorithm...oh actually by this other method"?

Yes

Basically certain schools the teachers would help a lot more. In my school half the kids had their older siblings do it for them

Yes I had a friend who paid someone 20 quid to do his. Sadly for him he was caught.

Yes, it’s a lot harder. Most of all on the pupils who do not need the goal posts moving again.

Yes but won't that happen if the exams are cancelled again and we have no way to give them grades?

Serves him right for being a cheat. People like that are why coursework was banned in the first place.

No, modular exams would be better so students are tested throughout their GCSE years and not all lumped at the end of Year 11 with no real options for retakes.

The current pressure is extreme.

Thing is, we have been 'training' children for the skills/ types of question required in GCSEs since the start of year 7. Adding unexpected coursework would be additional work and may do not follow the guidelines. I hated the years of coursework. The changes this year for my subject are stressful enough ( for both the students and the teachers)

Not coursework, but I bet some people are wishing they hadn't done away with the modules.

A levels still have coursework.

Some A levels have coursework. But it's not very heavily weighted.