Idiot's Guide to 'Gove' Levels please - Mr Gove, are you there?

[titchy]

OK OK I know there's nothing concrete out yet, but I am trying to see the difference between what my year 9 (GCSE) and year 7 (Gove levels) dcs will be doing so here goes.....

1. EBacc comprises the same suite of subjects for both, but for the new Gove levels will they get just one certificate with the words E Bacc on for doing all six subjects? Does that mean Hums and (M)FL will become compulsory core subjects? What if your child is a languages disaster - will they not get the EBacc despite passing the other subjects?

Or will they get 6 Gove levels, one for each subject? In which case what's the difference (other than in name) between what they get now and the proposed quals.

1. Non-core subjects (a 2nd language, Music, ICT etc) will still be GCSEs? Not the new qual. Again what's the difference then?

1. Exams at the end of year 11 - the new spec GCSEs that the current year 10s have just started - they're linear aren't they. I thought linear meant they weren't modular and were examined at the end of year 11. Am I wrong? If not, again what's the diffrence?

1. What percentage of students does Mr Gove expect to pass the new EBacc? National average for 5 GCSE A*-C (with E and M) is just under 60%. The new EBacc will presumably be harder, and so fewer will pass it? What will be the target? And what qualification will the remaining 50+% of children get?

1. Can less able children do half their EBacc subjects at the end of year 11 and the remaining three at the end of year 12? Or do they all have to be taken together?

Anyone any ideas?!

Sorry, I can't answer you....and I'd bet good money that Gove couldn't either! [grins]

Will be following your thread as you ask good questions!

None, but with a DS in Year 6 and making high school choices in the next few weeks, I suppose I need to pay attention to it all!

Idiot 's Guide to 'Gove' Levels please - Mr Gove, are you there?

talkin!

Gove Levels are to be called EBC do as to distinguish them from the EBacc. It only contains English, Maths & Science, but since it separates English and Lit, the three Sciences and two Maths (can't remember what the second one is) it sounds like 7 subjects. No idea whether it's one cert or 7. No mention of humanities or MFL, let alone arts subjects or any of the others.

Gove is a tosser.

No idea how its going to work though i see that EvilTwins is beginning to make good headway in understanding some of it!

All I want to know (at the moment) is what will my YR 8 child be doing when it comes to GCSES and when. I cant even begin to get my head round what will be happening with the current year 7's!

It all depends on the outcome of the next General Election - or even Cabinet reshuffle.

Gove (the twat) has changed EVERYTHING at least once since he got his paws on power - the changes from 2010 have not even settled in yet!!!

I agree bet Gove couldn't tell you either.

Only definites seem to be-
No modules, no retaking, more rigour and a combined cert for eng, Maths and science - presumably with some kind of breakdown for how well you really did in each subject.

Which probably means that by the time your year 7 take them the opposite will have come to fruition.

Oh and the final absolute definite- Gove will be taking no advice from anyone qualified, experienced or capable of expressing an alternative viewpoint in the next 10 years.

There is a consultation on the Gove level which runs till Dec. So nothing has been decided and we can all say what a dog's dinner the plans are

see here

Humanities and languages ebacc will start being taught in 2016, so a year later.

Crap knows what's happening to all the other subjects. I don't think Gove cares.

As Creamteas says, the government is about to start a consultation. The details won't be nailed down until after that. However, I don't think Felicity is right that there will be a combined cert for English, Maths and Science. Gove's statement to parliament didn't say that. He said that the new exams will be called EBCs and if you succeed in English, Maths, the sciences and a humanities subject you get the full EBacc. That suggests to me you get a separate EBC for each subject and possibly also a certificate for the EBacc. But I may be wrong.

There are EBCs

There are EBACCs

And there are fucking twats.

Sadly, the twats are in charge.

I think (but may be wrong) that part of the answer to Question 3 (difference between linear exams to be taken by current Yrs 10-8 and new EBCs to be taken by current Yr 7s) is that the former will be doing Controlled Assessments and coursework as well as the final exam - in the case of English Lang, 60% is coursework/ CAs. And a lot of coursework/ CAs will presumably continue to be done in Year 10.
Someone please tell me if I'm wrong!

Ok, having looked at the consultation document here are what I understand to be the proposed answers to the OP's questions:

1. You get EBCs in individual subjects. If you get English, Maths, the sciences and a humanities subject you will also get the EBacc. There is no change to compulsory core subjects, although the EBacc is intended to encourage more students to take the subjects involved.

1. Not sure why you have a second language on that list. Both ancient and modern languages will be included as EBCs and there is nothing in the consultation document to suggest students will be limited to taking just one. Other non-core subjects do not seem to be mentioned so I would have to say this is unclear, although the fact they are not covered suggests they may still be offered as GCSEs. The document does point out that schools already offer a range of qualifications.

1. The proposal is to remove internal assessment (i.e. schools grading of their own students as part of the overall grade) and have assessment only through externally marked exams.

1. There is no stated target, although the consultation document suggests that with a good education all children should be able to perform beyond the levels currently required to achieve a C at GCSE. They do propose removing tiering which currently means some students cannot get higher than a C grade at GCSE. They propose that any student not entered for EBCs should be provided with a "Statement of Achievement" by their school setting out their strengths and weaknesses in each subject.

1. There is nothing in the consultation document that would prevent this. One of the questions on which they are inviting opinions is whether or not EBCs should require the same amount of curriculum time as current GCSEs.

As this is only a consultation at the moment this could all change.