Scrapping GCSEs

[gelatinous]

Daily mail article here.

Good idea or not?

I have seen the A levels and GCSEs in sciences, and the level of them is ridiculously simplistic. A bit of "use and apply" stuff (How Science Works) is less important than actually gaining a broad, schematic introduction to the actual content that will leave the student well grounded for moving to an undergraduate course and HE personnel confident that this is the case. I'm not saying HSW should go altogether, but there is a problem with too much emphasis on teaching skills and not enough on knowledge. The former is of little practical use without the latter.

There are still plenty of A-levels and some GCSEs, where parts of the syllabus are sufficient to answer all exam questions.

but...that's what the Universities and scientific societies asked QCA to put more emphasis at the last review, in the last 5 years! . They did not want students who could spout facts with no understanding and who were unable to demonstrate any actual skills in scientific processing.

However, I don't think you could have seen the most recent A level and GCSE exams because the general feeling is that they have toughened up since january.

Actually I have heard that about Jan 2012. I have read the current specifications though for at least biology & chemistry. They are still dumbed down in many ways. Many of the more involved topics from the past 10-20 years have been removed and replaced with filler on the simpler stuff.

University-minded teenagers should be bright enough to understand scientific skills, facts vs. understanding is a false dichotomy as you can clearly have both.

People accuse you of bashing the students if you suggest exams are getting easier, but I am not. It's not their fault the syllabus is not as demanding as it once was and I know some put in a massive effort to get the grades they do. It's not absolutely easy, but can still be relatively easier.

Actually, I disagree with you about the content of the syllabus. Dunno which board you are looking at but, as a previous poster said, some topics are gone, others, such as modern cloning techniques and genetic engineering are given higher status.

I am sure you know what you are talking about but I am also sure of my personal experience as a teacher of the past 20 years.

We'll have to part disagreeing about this, I think.

It seems, as ever, that the Government employs 'experts' and then refuses to listen to them. The whole education system needs to be looked at from early years through to university and beyond - but look at it from a university/employers perspective - what skills do they need to enter professions/take apprenticeships etc - society needs a very wide range of skills and talents. But it needs to be looked at from the top down. Gove has looked at Scandanavia, and seems to have ignored the reasons for its success, the multi layered approach they have to education, and the lack of pressure on 3 year olds..... My daughter has just completed 12 GCSES, and had, in total over 40 controlled assessments, ISAs, pieces of course work etc etc in this time - it has been an endless conveyor belt. Surely we should be listening to the professionals about how to establish an assessment system which is rigorous, looking at the strengths of the current system ( how about an exam at the end aof year 10, bring back KS3 etc), plus somedemanding controlled type assessments across all subjects, so that it is just not down to examinations - practical work etc. I have seen that to tackle GCSES requires stamina, commitment, resourcefulness, the ability to think out of the box - surely these are qualities which, although difficult to quantify, mean that the child is being looked at as a complete entity, rather than just an exams passer. Isn't the main problem that we have a competitive system, pitting private schools against state, able children against those who need support. We need to look at what our society really needs, values and is willing to finance. Yes, I imagine that won't be a popular comment.

Actually MC I know quite a number of teachers of sciences and they tend to agree with me. Particularly in chemistry and physics, but my own understanding of Bio papers since the 90s is that they are being dumbed down too.

So yes, I will absolutely not agree with you on this.

MigratingCoconuts - I was not being disparaging about GCSEs. Times have moved on, and in this increasingly small global world, returning to 60's style O Levels and A Levels is tobe commended,

My childtren will be prepared, as they already use a lot of books (English) and Mathematics from the 50s and 60s). Fortuantely, I am learning too. I also benefit from a full set of model answers - and so it is easy to validate thier work. My children do not undertaken school homework; I have withdrawn them from it. We tend to use challenging resources from yesteryear.

Roll on O Levels, A Levels and S Papers too.

Do you mean S-papers as in Supplementary Levels... now that's when you were frustratingly intelligent for everyone else a really good candidate. Some find their S-level pass to be a bigger achievement than getting into uni as masses of people get uni places but you had to be highly academic to be offered this paper.

The only other thing I can think of is STEP papers but these have never been stopped for university entry in maths.

My DD will be part of the first year of the proposed new system, used as a guinea pig by an incompetent government who will probably be long gone by then.
Thanks Tories

Hoodoo
which variant of teh "propsed new system" - the one Announced in May 2010 / October 2010 / Feb 2011 / June 2011 / October 2011 / January 2012 / June 2012
and on it will go
with restrospective judgements (like the Ebacc) abounding.
My kids are year 9 and year 7.
I see no point worrying about which syllabus they will be doing as its all up in the air
(and the Academies programme may yet implode and scupper the whole thing anyway)
Its ALL just hot air.

I hope you are right TalkinPeace2 because it is our kids future they are fucking with.

O Levels DID NOT WORK, so why are they changing back to them/a similar system???

Currently 40% of children's grades are lower than a GCSE grade C now - so why make it even more difficult?

In my view the Education Minister needs to ask himself who will benefit from this - perhaps he already knows; himself, because the arogant man will be in the spotlight.

Lastly, why mend something that isn't broken?