Doing GCSEs early

[Schmedz]

My DD has come home today saying there is going to be a class at her school which will prepare some of the more able children for French GCSE a year early. Apparently she is good enough at French to be considered for it but I am wondering if there is any benefit in doing it earlier than usual (apart from lightening the load when all the other exams are on) She is young for her year so not sure if she is mature enough to cope with 'real' exam pressure.

Anyone else had DCs do this? Pros? cons?

it's popular at schools around here & among vast majority of the parents I've spoken to. It's unpopular on MN.

My elder daughters school, a super selective does enter girls early for French or maths to stop them getting bored and to allow them to do AS/ A2 early. I think that's fine.

My younger DD's school, a comp, starts them off with 2 in year 9, 4 or 3 in year 10 etc. I don't think that is an advantage.

If it is just one I don't see a problem tbh.

With the demise of modular exams, schools are having to feel their way. There might be a benefit in 'lightening the load' but there's a disadvantage in terms of maturity and experience and less time to go to France, or have a French exchange, and also a possible disadvantage more generally with university entry (depending on the university's admissions criteria) in that the UCAS form shows which exams were taken when and there's obviously a plus point in showing all exams were taken at one time, demonstrating an ability to manage competing demands on time and therefore pressure. I'd say don't be flattered into it but to ask questions, and be satisfied with the response before saying yes.

Children from DD2's school do get into Oxbridge, Imperial and a particularly large number to UCL (we're in London). If it is school policy to spread them over three years I don't think the Unis care.

Schools should only allow early entry for a few very bright dc guaranteed to get an A* who want to move onto next level in my opinion. Far too many dc sit exams early get a b or c- good for school's league table but not individual

Actually DD2's school only let the top set (A*/A predictions) do English and Maths GCSE this year (year 10). They used to enter students up to three times to try and pass English or maths. They also moved maths from November when English was taken to June.

All students had to do their two GCSE options exams in the summer though. Many already have 5 or 6 GCSEs before the start of year 11. Some children seem to benefit from spreading them, though in DD2's case, I think taking them all in year 11 might have been beneficial.

DD feels certain that if she had taken her Music & her Spanish at an older age she would have got a better mark - she doesn't think this about Geography - however she does accept that her arguments and 'world knowledge' would have been better for Geography if she had been older (but she doesn't know if it would have been good enough to get a higher grade)

Fundamentally I feel that the longer you have to study a subject the better grade you are likely to get in a subject. This is particularly the case with languages where so much of it is down to picking up vocabulary which comes down to time to practice.

The only way I think it would work is if you give more time to the subject relative to others - but I don't think that tends to happen.

I agree with you KatyMac and throckenholt. DD is also dyslexic and her study skills and especially her general knowledge improve markedly the older she gets.

At DD1's school they do all their GCSEs in Y10. Seems to work ok.

Also maturity comes into it - both in more confidence, better exam technique, but also in those subjects where you have to express an opinion (English Lit for example).

I think our system now has far too many exams spread over far too many years (given the new lower sixth exams as well - whatever they at called - slotted in between GCSE and A level).

I know someone who is doing GCSE chemistry after 1 year (alright at most 2.5 terms) of lessons on Friday afternoon. Not surprisingly they were struggling. I fail to see how that does the child or the subject any justice. And I don't see how the school benefits - can't believe many kids will pull out a good grade from that regime.

I took French and RE early in the '90s. Didn't affect me in any way, other than that there were fewer exams to do at the 'normal' time.