Exam overload - what exactly is the point??

[Notcontent]

My year 10 dd had some end of year exams in years 7 and 8, but they were only in core subjects and other exams were spaced out. No formal exams in year 9 because of covid.

She now has 10 exams in one week. On one of the days she has 3 exams, all covering different, quite demanding subjects.

It’s only Tuesday and she is already exhausted. I understand that they need to practice for GCSEs but this seems a bit much?! They would get much better results if the exams were spaced out a bit more, so is this to scare them?

I don't think 10 in one week is excessive.
When I was at secondary we used to have 14 exams in 7 days (starting on Thursday with a weekend in the middle) every year. The exams were typically 2- 2.5hours long, and actually doing them wasn't that bad. It was the revising and getting results that was stressful.

She could easily have a week fairly similar. Dd had 2 weeks when she was doing GCSEs, a couple of years ago, with 8 one week and 7 the next, and that was at least one day with 3 exams. And those weren't the only exams! That was just 2 of the weeks.

Y10 exams aren't designed for pupils to perform at their best. The aim is to experience revising all the subjects all at once and sit multiple exams in a short space of time as per the public exams at the end of y11, which can have days with no exams and days with 3 exams depending on subjects and exam boards. If they can identify gaps in knowledge then that’s a bonus. They aren’t supposed to do brilliantly, they are supposed to learn from them and carry that learning forward into their revision and prep for the real thing.

I agree with Shadedog.

Year 10 summer exams are the time for them to make their mistakes, find out what they do/don’t know after two terms and to use the experience to practise how to revise and sit exams in a more formal style.

It is our job (both teachers and parents) to support them in managing their stress (as it is perfectly normal to get stressed over exams but in recent years, we seem to have forgotten how to help them cope and instead, young people think they are experiencing anxiety or full blown MH issues).

Giving them time and a quiet place to revise helps enormously but this needs to be coupled with good family time and regular opportunities for them to socialise and do something they enjoy.

If a child is feeling overwhelmed, it helps to tell them that this is normal and that feeling a little worried/nervous is their body’s way of helping them do a little better in their exams, if it is managed well.
If a child has SEND, then other strategies suited to them need to be used.
Letting their form tutor know can also help further support too.

@WelcometoJam

My year 11 was informed by the education secretary that GCSE’s were cancelled. She has had 17 ‘assessments’ since Easter. You’d think they would prioritise actual teaching having been locked down with crap online provision for months on end. To say I am fuming would be putting it politely to say the least

You are probably not fuming as much as the teachers are. The wanker of an Education Secretary announced GCSEs were cancelled - and then expected schools to sit shed loads of internal assessments, that teachers were to design, oversee and mark, so that they could provide at least four separate pieces of evidence for each subject to show how the grade was reached.

I'd be massively fucked off as a teacher to be basically marking this year's GCSEs on top of my normal workload. Normally they are sent off to exam boards - but this year, on top of all the Covid shit and everything else they've had - teachers are doing it for free, instead of exam board markers being paid to do it.

You’d think they would prioritise actual teaching

How would they then award fair grades to students this year? There needs to be some sort of evidence gathering (individual and supervised in school), and regardless of how they did it, or what it was called it will feel like a test/exam/assessment of their attainment.

I don't think anyone would have accepted the cancellation of awarding gcse grades this year, delaying a year isn't practical. It is hard work for the students, exam years always are, but I can't think of any other fair or robust alternative this year.

Another one who agrees with shadedog. My Y10 is horrified, he's never had to revise all his subjects at once. But it's been a good way of showing him what is expected and bringing home the need to keep on top of things.

I'd be massively fucked off as a teacher to be basically marking this year's GCSEs on top of my normal workload.

GCSEs and A Levels sadly in a lot of cases!

It may also be that the school want to book some decent invigilated evidence for when (inevitably) the govt. mess up the 2022 GCSEs. I have just marked my students' A-levels and we have to tell the exam board if the evidence we are using is 'high, medium or low' control (high means formal invigilated exams).

@Phineyj

It may also be that the school want to book some decent invigilated evidence for when (inevitably) the govt. mess up the 2022 GCSEs. I have just marked my students' A-levels and we have to tell the exam board if the evidence we are using is 'high, medium or low' control (high means formal invigilated exams).

Yes absolutely. I’m sure it won’t be all back to normal for next summer. Already starting to consider the evidence.

How would they then award fair grades to students this year

They could have assessed on some of the work already done, and done some extra work. The amount of assessment that has happened before and after Easter has been crazy for Y11 and not that great for Y13s.

I think people would have accepted no GCSEs this year - a lot of people were suggesting only doing exams in Maths and English and having a school certificate for the rest, as you don't need GCSEs after you get into sixth form/take up an 16+ apprenticeship, other than Maths and English.

But how would sixth forms have known the level that students applying were at in this case?

Are y10 exams likely to be used for CAGs? Terrifying thought!