What is the argument for children doing their GCSEs a year or two early?

[Mintyy]

I can't think of any.

[bigTillyMint]

Yes, I was an exam crammer - did all my O'level revision the night before!

And as I dropped art in favour of cookery (which I thought would be an easy option - how wrong could I be?!) and drama (which I hated), I have nothing to compare with anyway!

[Mintyy]

Yes Tilly, in some ways I think gcses are harder than the O levels we used to do (I will not comment on the marking/grading) but that is because I look at it all from the perspective of someone who didn't mind exams but was quite lazy for the rest of the year. You certainly can't get away with that nowadays.

Not sure why it is relevant to discuss what we had to do for our art and drama exams ... it was bloomin yonks ago. I don't imagine my children's courses and exams will bear the slightest resemblance to what I did back in the late 70s .

[bigTillyMint]

That's good!

[bigTillyMint]

LaQ, she's doing that too! I am hoping that it will be a good choice with the English which she should may do at A'level.

I am just amazed/proud at how good she is at all this stuff. Anyone who says GCSE's are easy needs to take a look at what they are being asked to do and what they are producing.

[IShallWearMidnight]

LOL at Latin - when DD1 was picking her GCSEs, I suggested that she have one easy subject and one fun subject. Her easy one was Maths, her fun one was Latin . And so it turned out over the two years of the courses. She is a maths geek though, and generally odd like that

[bigTillyMint]

MI, you are probably right - I think this is what happens at the DC's school, though it won't be DD either

[motherinferior]

It's probably the top set maths (where there are some really scary mathematicians)* doing it.

*This is does not include my PFB, I should point out lest it be seen as stealth boast.

[grovel]

Etonians all do French and Latin a year earlier than their other GCSEs.

[bigTillyMint]

Well, last time we chatted about it, a friend's DD in Y11 sat it last year and a friend's DD in Y10 is sitting it this year. But it may have all changed since we chatted/only be some girls that do it early

[Mintyy]

Not that I'm aware of Tilly!

That would be a bit strange wouldn't it

[motherinferior]

Hmm. Not sure. Nobody's told me yet

[bigTillyMint]

MI, don't they all do maths a year early at your DD's school?

I agree there is absolutely no point in sitting GCSE's early unless it benefits/is appropriate for the individual child. It is all very confusing.

[motherinferior]

Yep .

[MaddAddam]

MI, perhaps we can put Latin in the "non-essential fun subjects" box with Art?

Ancient dead languages all very interesting etc but you don't need them....

[motherinferior]

DD1 appears to want do art a year early. She is less keen on doing Latin a year early but I don't think they have an option

[friday16]

I find it interesting that DSs independent, academically selective school does not do early entry for GCESs

Quite. The only early entry most super-selective do is maths, in order to do FSMQ additional maths in Y11, but some of these schools don't do that and it's a matter for some debate as to what's the right way.

And yet schools flirting with the floor standard measures, and without the advantage of only dealing with the top 2% of the cohort, enter pupils a year early for a wide range of subjects.

It's all most puzzling. One would have thought that schools with brighter children, taught in smaller classes, with a much narrower ability range, and (for practical purposes) zero SEN, would be more likely to be able to take exams a year earlier than other schools. And yet they don't. I wonder why now?

[wordfactory]

I think the reasons for early GCSEs must be child and not school focussed.

Schools who get pupils to sit early to play the system are cynical and actually hurt pupils' education. Thankfully, this is being stopped.

The only pupils who should sit early are those who are so ready it is just daft for them to carry on with the GCSE curriculum.

Colyton, I believe, has all its pupils sit their GCSEs en masse in year 10. This is a superselctive school which beleives its pupils will become highly bored if forced to continue the syllabus for another year.

DS school is also superselective. There, decisions are made on an ad hoc basis. Teachers and boys decide between them if early sitting is approriate and whatw ill take its place. Thus DS took a handful of GCSEs in year 9 and could thus free up more time in his timetable for another two new subjects.

[SoupDragon]

I find it interesting that DSs independent, academically selective school does not do early entry for GCESs. Which says to me that there is no benefit at all.

[MaddAddam]

I would consider Art and Maths GCSEs taken early as quite different issues. My yr9 dd is v good at Art, she might do an AS level instead of the GCSE at her school, but if they did suggest Art GCSE a year early it wouldn't bother me as in the end, as an academic type, I don't think an Art GCSE grade is that crucial. Dd1 spends a large portion of her free time on arty stuff so I think she'd enjoy it and could just give it up if she didn't.

But I'm a bit concerned (back from yr9 parents' evening yesterday) at the idea they might do maths GCSE a year early. DD1 is good at maths but not amazing - so she's on track for an A or possibly A if she did it in yr 11, but a B if she did it in yr 10. I can't see why this will be good for her at all. It seems a bit of a disaster to get a B at maths, which is such a crucial subject and important for university entry right across the sciences, if you could get an A. So I might just refuse to let her take it early (not sure yet if you can do that). They do a Further Maths qualification in yr 11 if they do the GCSE; that might be fine for the students who'd get A easily anyway but not the more marginal ones like dd1.

[Talkinpeace]

Mintyy
My DD is in year 11 doing her GCSEs, among them "textiles" as her fluffy option.
Good grief no. Written exams about sustainability and ethical sourcing and all that guff
the actual work with textiles and costing up her projects is a teeny bit of the whole thing
its such a shame because the "relaxing" exam is the most of a chore

if your DD is going to do Art early, be VERY VERY sure what is entailed

[Mintyy]

I guess I'm not of the mindset where it is vital to push your child at school in every subject. I want her to enjoy school and have enough time for fun outside of school.

[bigTillyMint]

No it isn't a soft option. There is a lot of research involved and everything has to be presented beautifully as well as the actual artwork.

[motherinferior]

Perhaps I am enormously thick, but I didn't find doing my O levels at the appropriate time left me madly unchallenged and kicking my heels . Granted, I didn't get As in them all, but then it was back in the Jurassic age.