Exam data nerdery

[noblegiraffe]

I'm fairly sure that there are other nerds on this site so I thought I'd post some stuff I'd collected in case anyone else is interested. Also, if you see something in the data, maybe we could chat about it.

First offering is this widget from Ofqual. You can look at the grade distribution for various subjects, or you can see how grades in one subject affects grades in another subject (the link between maths grade and computer science grade is quite pronounced, for example).

https://analytics.ofqual.gov.uk/apps/GCSE/9to1/

What I noticed is that the grade distribution for English language is weird. And there are far fewer top grades awarded than for Maths. Why? (This is with the resit data stripped out). It's the same cohort that sits both so it's not about prior attainment.

Absolutely with you on the resit nonsense teen.

Keegan does not seem to want to budge on this issue.

I know it's popular on here to say don't worry you always have options, some kids take the long route etc. I've said it myself and it's true to a point but there are actually some things that become a bit of a closed door if you don't access or achieve in a timely fashion.

@OvaHere At least at age 19 you can in theory access adult education for free to get English & Maths (or can't you if still under an EHCP?). My DD also with EHCP isn't 19 until later this year, so she comes under 16-19 and as you said 'needs to be doing a full time course'. It's ridiculous. She has done a full time course for 2 years and could not cope with that AND English AND maths. Her LA case worker seems to think she can sort it but term starts next week! I have said if they can't sort it I'd like a tutor for her under EOTAS provision.

Thanks to all the contributors for a really enlightening thread. My eldest is just going into year 9 so a way off any exams but it's making me think about her options, as the subjects she enjoys seem to be the ones that are difficult to do well in - arts subjects. She's thinking of choosing art, drama and RS over History as her options, probably with a view to doing A levels in drama, English lit and maybe a language or Philosophy. I'm not sure whether to try and persuade her to do history instead after reading this. Then again she's a bright kid who excels at English.

It's really sad that the arts seem to be suffering so much and as a result people aren't choosing to study them at uni. Think I read somewhere English is now outside the top ten degree subjects, while when I did it in the 90s (joint with philosophy) it was one of the most popular.

The thing i have found is you can access them in theory post 19, but in reality there doesnt seem to be any where that actually does it.

Ironically the young people who get these lower marks, and then go back and put themselves through it again, show real grit and commitment that half the top set have no inkling of. How hard it must be to sit through a 2 hour untiered exam in a subject you really struggle with, and then go back, do all the prep again, put yourself through it again.

@PhotoDad Philosophy seems a complete outlier in terms of the grade profile, I just don't get it. DD would have loved to do it (and what a great precursor it would have been for her Law aspirations) but she decided not to risk it given how rare As seem to be. It doesn't seem the tiniest bit plausible to me that there are only a quarter as many A and Astar-capable students in a Philosophy cohort compared with an English or Psychology cohort.

Do exam boards or government consult with any teachers before they set up exams? I would have LOTS to say if anyone ever asked!

Most of us love our subject and would want the exam system to work with us, not be an active hinderance to engagement and enjoyment . I teach science and in the main students seem to have enough time to finish papers -but the amount of students who come out of history or RE exams saying they ran out of time seems crazy . If exams are to allow students to demonstrate skills as well as straightforward content recall why wouldn’t you allow them enough time to properly show what they can do?

I also think we could do with a national conversation about what job or jobs we want exams to do for society. Do we value knowledge of facts or key skills or pitting students against each others to see where the ‘winners’ are? Has anyone asked employers have about the skills they actually want in maths and English?

Yes in theory at 19+ you should be able to access maths and english as an adult learner but I found you couldn't just do it during the day at a local centre. He might have been able to do maths on an evening at one of the satellite centres miles away (it's a big LEA) but that kind of travel he isn't yet able to manage and I doubt they would be able to support his needs.

Well yes exactly!

Oh wonderful

Do exam boards or government consult with any teachers before they set up exams?

Only the favoured ones... let's say they have particular 'views'.

I agree on the time thing. It shouldn't be your ability to rush that is rewarded. But they do so many exams (especially all the science ones) that a time limit was put on the length of each one, iirc.

With an EHCP you can do that. It would need to be in the EHCP, which you may need to appeal, but it is possible. It is also possible via EOTAS rather than via college. Although, again, you may have to appeal.

Teen for funding, those with an EHCP are classed as 16-19 pupils until 25.

Isn't there a distinction between Lit and Lang? Surely at least some of the latter should be 'functional' including spoken English.
Maybe both maths and English could have a specific sub component of 'functional skills' (basic numeracy and communication) that would be part of the gcse but also serve as a separate qualification that would allow access to employment and further training?

Otoh, I'm not sure why English literature is often compulsory rather than an option like history etc.

Thanks. That's useful to know. I'll probably have to go back to the LA then.

@Piggywaspushed
I get that exams have to be time limited but it seems they are being asked to do too much in the time limit that they have!

I like to quietly fantasise about a ‘zombie apocalypse’ science curriculum to shake up the content for students who do not want to go on to A level. All the things you would need ‘come the apocalypse’ so teaching microbes via food hygiene and sexual health / chemistry via metal extraction / making useful chemicals like soap/ physics - making generators and motor/ circuits/ build a radio etc. leave in key skills like data interpretation and assessing credibility of science methods. Anything to avoid the nonsense of trying to get ionic bonding into set 4.

I would totally do that! 😂

I'm afraid that you're right and it's a roll of the dice, even for talented students. One of mine this year did get 25/25 for one of their long exam essays, but 13-16 / 25 on their other three. I know that they have written equally strongly on all of them during homeworks/exams.

When I mentioned switching to RS (or "Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics") it's not because it's easier or indeed has much of a different grade profile, but because it's a much bigger subject in terms of entries, and that tends to lead to more predictable marking.

It slightly annoys me that even though Philosophy has more candidates than, say, German, the latter appears as a separate subject in exam statistics but Phil gets rolled in with RS or just "other subjects."

Because most English teachers have Lit degrees and would not want to teach just Language! We do do an amazing job of teaching both in -usually- less than twice the time one option gets.
In the olden days there used to be more overlap between them and texts counted twice. You also, at one stage, used to not be able to get one without the other. I have given up teaching English because I HATE what ahs happened to it. They wouldn't' have a cat in hell's chance of dragging me back i Lit got taken out and only taught to the chosen few. Quite a few schools used to do this but I don't know of any that still do. It would hammer the already dwindling Alevel too.

Most people hate the speaking element as it is done at the moment.

The spoken language element we used to like was not 'functional'. Honestly ,there really would not be time to add these functional elements to the existing GCSEs. I think we just need to accept that a GCSE in English means they can read , interpret and write- not that they can specifically write a report, plan a presentation, use ppt etc : other subjects also have that responsibility.

This also happens with film!

One of my A level students still complains at me about how she got 'tricked' into doing RS GCSE because they kept calling it philosophy!

English language GCSE was better when it was proper English Language with the spoken language study and proper speaking and listening.

The language exams don't move quickly enough to reflect modern language use, either. Especially when anyone is able to write and publish anything on the Internet, often with a cheerfully inconsistent approach to spag, which would see them fail the gcse (looking at you, online news outlets).

If they actually want to make the exam preparation for real life, look at the type of texts people actually write. I'd keep stories, because it's often the only bit of fun students have. Reports are boring, but it seems to be a real life text type people have to write in work. There are reports on eduqas but they never come up.
Emails. Specifically, ones to complain. How many of us actually write or receive letters?

In terms of reading, rather than have the fiction piece, they could get students to read texts and look for inconsistencies in order to discern between real and fake news and therefore become more savvy readers.

There should probably also be a test where they have to read things like phone ts and Cs, but I'd fail that one.

Resit thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4883817-rishi-to-overhaul-maths-gcse-resit-requirements

@TheMoth The FS L2 English does a lot of what you just said. Letters, Email, Reports, Articles, understanding what language to use when. If only I could get someone to teach DD we'd be well away. Interestingly it includes the 'presentational features' but that was in the old GCSE but not the new one.

It looks positively useful and even my reluctant dyslexic DD can see that.

I write formal letters whenever I think emailing does not seem to be having the desired effect, even if just as a Word attachment.