GCSEs explained GCSE IS WIDELY REGARDED INTERNATIONALLY AS THE GOLD-STANDARD
QUALIFICATION FOR STUDENTS AGED 14–16. THE GOVERNMENT RECENTLY INTRODUCED MAJOR REFORMS TO THE EXAMINATION SYSTEM, TO PROMOTE INCREASED RIGOUR AND ADDRESS CRITICISM OF GRADE INFLATION. WE EXAMINE THE CHANGES.
he GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) is the main school-leaving qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland operates an independent system of National qualifications). It is generally well regarded by higher-education institutions and employers for its rigour and breadth of study. However, in recent years, the examination system has come under attack for failing to address grade inflation and placing a heavy reliance on resits and modular coursework assessment. The government has responded by introducing a comprehensive programme of GCSE reforms, which will be rolled out over the next few years. GCSEs are currently available in more than 50 subjects and are usually studied full time at school or college, taking five terms to complete. The qualification mainly involves studying the theory of a subject, combined with some investigative work. Some subjects also involve practical work. They are assessed mainly on written exams, although there are elements of coursework in some subjects. Some subjects, such as art and design, have more coursework and fewer exams.
T
GCSE exams are taken in May/June when pupils are in Year 12, and the results are published in August.
GCSE REFORM IN ENGLAND Reforms to the GCSE system in England began in September 2015 and included a major change to the way in which GCSEs were graded. From 2017, English language, English literature and maths will be the first subjects to be graded 1–9, with 9 being the top grade and set above the current A* grade.
The new system is intended to provide more differentiation, specifically for higher-achieving students. The grading for all other subjects will be rolled out across 2018 and 2019. However, as the grading is being changed over three years rather than all at once, some students will receive a mixture of letters and numbers in their results.
The new exams are also said to be more demanding, with
content developed in coalition between the government and the exam boards. According to the Department for Education (DfE), the exams will include “more challenging content”. Some experts believe that one of the more positive
changes will be how schools are ranked. Rather than looking at the number of pupils achieving a C grade or above, which tempts schools to place too much emphasis on students who are attaining just below a C grade and too little emphasis on low- and high-achieving students, schools will now receive a progress score that measures every pupil’s GCSE results against their Key Stage 2 tests, taken at the end of primary school. However, other experts believe that this will create a
complicated system in which the figures are hard to interpret and parents will find it difficult to compare and contrast the performance of local schools.
WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND Following recent government changes, policies and regulations are no longer aligned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so examination boards cannot offer the same qualifications in all three countries. GCSEs offered by the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) in Wales will retain the A*–G grading system, although the WJEC’s Eduqas brand is offering 9–1 GCSEs for schools in England, Northern Ireland and the independent-school sector in Wales. However, in June 2016, Northern Ireland’s Education
Minister, Peter Weir, lifted the restriction on 9–1 GCSEs enforced in 2015, which means that English examination boards will be able to offer their 9–1 GCSEs in Northern Ireland. The Council for Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) GCSEs will retain the A*–G grading system, but the CCEA will realign its A* grade to reflect the level of attainment at grade 9, and will create a new C* grade to equate to the new grade 5.
82 |
relocateglobal.com | Keep Informed
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172
