Is it remotely feasible for GCSEs 2021 to move to June/July?

[Mostpeculiar]

And if it were when’s the latest we would be informed?

@Coffeeandbeans

My year 10 does a maximum of 3.5hrs a day of lessons. That is it. There is no homework and no lunch time revision groups. My older child at this stage would be doing a days school lessons then an hour of homework a night at least and then 3 or 4 hours at the weekend. So how anyone can say this years 10s and 12s haven’t missed much are having a laugh.

There are plenty of revision websites and resources, if you want your son to be doing revision sessions at this stage.

@IHeartKingThistle I'm hoping that the compulsory Speaking and Listening element will be scrapped this year - as it counts for zero marks, it makes sense to get rid of it for this year group

Is this the speech pupils have to write, deliver to their class and take questions on?

It is a reasonable idea, as is shaving off days from holidays, and not having a summer term half term break. One question is capacity - gcses are first then there are the A levels and IB exams. There are only so many school halls and gyms and such that can accommodate them - do schools have the room to conduct all the exams in a condensed timeframe? Extra markers will need to be trained as the results cannot be delayed - they come out far too late already.
My daughter is on Y10 and will be moving for sixth form so the results are crucial. She has had full schedule online lessons plus now one day a week at school, so she probably doesn't need extra time, though I do recognise this is not universal. And part of me doesn't want them delayed too mich as I'd like to go on the holiday we can't do this year in June/early July so cheaper!
I think it will be a modified version of what happened this year - exams will stil take place, but some coursework will also have to be taken in to consideration.
I have never liked the exam system here, particularly for A levels (narrowing down the choice too much too early), and hope that some part of the education authorities are considering getting rid of them permanently.

My DD did her S&L at the end of y9.

The summer half term is 'needed' to have a break and prepare for the second half of the exams. Condensing exams will 'disadvantage' pupils who find the intensity too much. It would make the exams less about ability/attainment and even more about endurance than they already are.

I still reckon keep everything as is and add more choice to the exams / discard 'worst' answers.

Though ultimately I don't care provided that they decide so we (pupils, parents and of course teachers) know what we are working towards.

Taking coursework into consideration would be interesting, the y11/13s were told nothing after lockdown would count. So presumably this would mean nothing from this term for y10s? And then looking to y11, would that only be for work properly taught before/after lockdown, not for content covered this term? If it included work this term then what's the point as the disadvantaged are still disadvantaged?

Hi, I don’t think this is feasible for a few reasons -

• some pupils do IGCSE which are international and you can’t expect all the other countries such as China and India to change their dates in line with the UK

• teachers will not want to work the extra weeks and people will have holidays planned

• there is no point to this plan anyway, as it won’t rectify the inequality of teaching time over the course, if all schools stay open for the extra weeks Some pupils have had a full term’s teaching since April, some next to nothing. An extra three weeks for all students won’t address the imbalance as they’ll all be doing the extra time.

• It’s difficult to make A-levels later as these need to be marked by August so that students know where they are going to uni - so they can plan, get organised or go through clearing or ask for remarks, as the case may be. Unis need time to process their intakes

So in summary, it’s just a pointless prolonging if stress for all and those students who have the advantage now, will have even more advantage by then, as they will have finished the syllabus early and will make full use of the extra weeks to revise / consolidate, while others are just trying to get through the course.

@LaureBerthaud yeah, that's the one! Speaking and Listening used to count for 25% of the English Language grade. Then Gove came along and decided it should still be compulsory but shouldn't count for any percentage at all. I love teaching Speaking and Listening but they should definitely be rewarded for it at GCSE and this year it seems very harsh to make them do it. Haven't heard a peep from our exam board as yet though.

How would they do fewer exams without less subjects though ? If you look at triple science isn't it 3 exams per science? If so then they can't do away with one of them because schools choose which topics to teach when don't they ?
Triple science for the 9-1 GCSEs is now 2 papers for each Science subject. Double Science (now known as Combined Science) is 2 slightly shorter papers for each Science subject. My prediction is that there will be more candidates taking the Combined Science in 2021.

My y10 have had to start coursework now in lockdown. And the exam board are aware of this, they didn’t do anything helpful like make it shorter.

We had no choice

@IHeartKingThistle I think my dd has already completed the S&L though, so that would be a shame if it's not counted. Tbh I don't mind too much what they do as long as they do something and let us all know quickly. The whole thing seems to be a bit of a shambles. DD isn't going back into school for any actual teaching this term.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince what subject do you teach?

Hmmm might be a bit outing.

One of the subjects that still has coursework is all l can say!

If nothing counts for coursework for gcse then what about btech
My son hasnt done much i dont think but will have to rush this through
He is doing 1 btech and a similar one as well as gcse's
My college son doing level 3 btech has done several bits of coursework in lockdown soi hope that counts as most of his work is done out of college in normal times in regards to his assignments anyway and he has a lot of content to cover
I hope they let us know what is happening soon and have thought of all eventualities

@sarahbeans they are only talking about pushing them back to into july not sept
Papers running with delaying 2 months and stating exams taken may isnt true
We all know exams are taken in may and june and next year upto end of june
Schools break uo 3 weeks into july roughly so we are really only talking gaining 3 weeks , which is pointless i feel for kids and marking examiners put under pressure

@strugglingwithdeciding

I've seen lots of possibilities floated, but yes setting the exams in July is the most common suggestion I've seen. However, even pushed backed to July, I think exam boards would struggle to make Awarding. You could only solve this by pushing back the release dates of the GCSEs / A levels.... but that has knock on problems.

I also think that if they started later, exam boards would struggle to attract examiners. Many do the work to fund their summer holidays. If it is too late and runs into the summer holidays, then I think many people would not want to mark then.

Your only alternative would be to squash the exam periods down to a shorter time, and say put them all at the same time. But this would put pressure on schools who would struggle to be able to find space for students to all sit their exams at the same time, and again I think exam boards would struggle to recruit, as many experienced examiners (like me) mark more than one paper each year, and would not be able to do this if they were both due to be marked at the same time.

@strugglingwithdeciding although most schools break up 3 weeks into July, the private schools don't. The ones locally to me are finishing this Friday 3rd July. How would that work with their staff?

Exams are marked in the last few weeks if term and start of summer holidays by examiners who are usually working teachers.

Pushing it back a month means teachers definitely would lose multiple weeks of holiday. The pay isn't brilliant and the boards mugged off retained examiners re: furlough this year so lots of examiners may not want to mark next year.

It's not a case of just "employing more". It's not an easy job, it's not paid that well considering how hard it is either.

although most schools break up 3 weeks into July, the private schools don't. The ones locally to me are finishing this Friday 3rd July. How would that work with their staff?

My school pays external invigilators anyway and SMT are already on different contracts which mean they work a portion of the holidays so I think it’s workable in independent schools.

Doesn’t solve the examiner problem though. Although I can’t see Gav believing that’s a problem til the headline hits him in the face though.

Indeed @strugglingwithdeciding and many sixth form colleges have broken up already. The college my daughter is attending next year breaks up at the end of June. Many Sixth Form / FE colleges do as they often go back in August. So again, dates could not be delayed for them either, and they are massive centres.

I wouldnt be booking any holidays during July next year, unless you are willing to lose deposit. Too risky.

@WeAllHaveWings some of us already had as not for one second did I see moving exams back as a viable option
We had to move this years holiday on to next and opted for early July to keep price down and as ds1 finishes 2nd year college and ds2 exams thought bs good time to take them after hard work of both
But worst case we can prob move the holiday but in still don't see benefit of 3 weeks later for exams as thats all it is , and then marking of them will be under pressure , if they can even find enough willing to do
When i did gcse many years ago we left school easter and only went back for exams and had to revise ourselves ( for vast majority we didnt )
My ds school keep them in school until almost the last exam and they go to lessons and revise , once completed exams for say maths , the maths lessons is then for self revising
School also offer easter holiday revision sessions etc
Surely pay teachers to run a few more sessions feb half term , easter etc , after school would be more feasable

School also offer easter holiday revision sessions etc
Surely pay teachers to run a few more sessions feb half term , easter etc , after school would be more feasable

Teachers aren’t paid now for revision sessions after school or in the holidays in most cases. There is no money to pay them. But I agree that pushing exams back 3 weeks won’t make much difference, if children would take responsibility for their own revision instead there may be a huge difference in their grades.

@CarrieBlue im aware teachers arent paid now what im suggesting is the goverment to offer funding for schools to pay teachers to run some more extra sessions , therefore those that need/ want it can go
Could pay so much for running a session etc , its not going to be free to change all the exams etc so spend money on this
Im sure some teachers would be happy to run a few extra sessions on top of normal for a little extra pay

Im sure some teachers would be happy to run a few extra sessions on top of normal for a little extra pay

I think you’ll find that it’ll need to be more than a little extra pay. There’s a lot of goodwill that has disappeared. I also doubt that any money will go to teachers to run revision sessions either, maybe the tutoring companies that have made the biggest donations to the Tory party but not to the teachers who know their students and what they need to revise most.

@CarrieBlue its all only suggestions and my opinion as what would be best having a year 10 child and like you say teachers know who needs what etc
Im sure they will just delay exams and cross their fingers
I also think a lot of teachers would run some extra for pay or one iff bonus as ultimately the majority would put kids first aa always

@strugglingwithdeciding we’ll see, though I doubt the exams will be moved, much easier to adapt them. It would be nice to think the government values teachers (and state school children) enough to pay for useful revision sessions, though their track record doesn’t fill me with confidence.