Comments for Consultation on GCSE Reform http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform This consultation covers the changes being made to current GCSE specifications in England. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:30:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on How we intend to implement the changes and proposed changes to regulatory documents by Sue Copeman http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/how-we-intend-to-implement-the-changes-and-proposed-changes-to-regulatory-documents/comment-page-1/#comment-169 Sue Copeman Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:30:04 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=8#comment-169 An Exams Officer's point of view:- If we are to move back to linear specs, it would be common sense for one entry code, or two if F or H, as it used to be, with covers all units, given that they all have to be entered in the same series. In the interests of putting candidates first, admin processes should be simplified as much as possible. There are always people new to the role of Exams Officer, and candidates should not fall victim to admin errors due to over-complicated entry processes. An Exams Officer’s point of view:- If we are to move back to linear specs, it would be common sense for one entry code, or two if F or H, as it used to be, with covers all units, given that they all have to be entered in the same series.

In the interests of putting candidates first, admin processes should be simplified as much as possible. There are always people new to the role of Exams Officer, and candidates should not fall victim to admin errors due to over-complicated entry processes.

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]]> Comment on The implications of the changes by Steve http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/the-implications-of-the-changes/comment-page-1/#comment-168 Steve Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:42:28 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=10#comment-168 I'm in favour of scrapping modules. Why? As a maths teacher: - I find pupils suffer exam fatigue - There is too much valuable class time spent on revising and sitting external exams - Because they're doing them from year 9, they fail to grasp the importance of them and as a result don't do enough home study and revision in years 10 and 11 - the way marks/grades are awarded for modules it is too complicated for pupils, parents (and some teachers!) to understand. - with modules you don't get the benefit of looking back at work you did last year to get a better/deeper understanding of it before being examined on it. (e.g. once you've cracked some harder algebra, algebra you may have struggled with 18 months ago will be a breeze) As a parent: - my son misses out on indoor PE lessons as the hall is far too often in use for exams. Schools weren't designed/built for modular exams! I’m in favour of scrapping modules. Why?
As a maths teacher:
- I find pupils suffer exam fatigue
- There is too much valuable class time spent on revising and sitting external exams
- Because they’re doing them from year 9, they fail to grasp the importance of them and as a result don’t do enough home study and revision in years 10 and 11
- the way marks/grades are awarded for modules it is too complicated for pupils, parents (and some teachers!) to understand.
- with modules you don’t get the benefit of looking back at work you did last year to get a better/deeper understanding of it before being examined on it. (e.g. once you’ve cracked some harder algebra, algebra you may have struggled with 18 months ago will be a breeze)
As a parent:
- my son misses out on indoor PE lessons as the hall is far too often in use for exams. Schools weren’t designed/built for modular exams!

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]]> Comment on How we intend to implement the changes and proposed changes to regulatory documents by Elaine http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/how-we-intend-to-implement-the-changes-and-proposed-changes-to-regulatory-documents/comment-page-1/#comment-166 Elaine Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:39:54 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=8#comment-166 As a current HOD (Geography/Citizenship) like many of the contributors above I am horrified at the prospect of changing the courses so soon after the last re-write of our schemes of work. Lessons and progression pathways are planned directly to the modular course. The time and cost implications are substantial. Following the introduction & announcement of the Ebacc measure many lesser able students have opted for Geography in our centre; attracted by the tiered papers & modular approach. Aspirations are high and the current course promotes this, as learners have greater opportunities to show their achievements during the course. I fear that these gains will be wiped out by the proposals. The current modular system in the subject has three examined units(Edexcel specB). Potentially these would be examined at the end of the course when students, who regularly take ten GCSEs could potentially have to face over 20 examinations. Is placing this amount of pressure on students really allowing them to achieve their potential? In addition shelf life of controlled assessments will no longer be feasible, as it would allow no flexibility for completion in year 10. My final concern is the lack of empirical evidence for these changes. Show me the research please. As a current HOD (Geography/Citizenship) like many of the contributors above I am horrified at the prospect of changing the courses so soon after the last re-write of our schemes of work. Lessons and progression pathways are planned directly to the modular course. The time and cost implications are substantial.
Following the introduction & announcement of the Ebacc measure many lesser able students have opted for Geography in our centre; attracted by the tiered papers & modular approach. Aspirations are high and the current course promotes this, as learners have greater opportunities to show their achievements during the course. I fear that these gains will be wiped out by the proposals.
The current modular system in the subject has three examined units(Edexcel specB). Potentially these would be examined at the end of the course when students, who regularly take ten GCSEs could potentially have to face over 20 examinations. Is placing this amount of pressure on students really allowing them to achieve their potential? In addition shelf life of controlled assessments will no longer be feasible, as it would allow no flexibility for completion in year 10.
My final concern is the lack of empirical evidence for these changes. Show me the research please.

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]]> Comment on The implications of the changes by Julie Howes http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/the-implications-of-the-changes/comment-page-1/#comment-164 Julie Howes Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:56:39 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=10#comment-164 Having been around for a few years I have seen many changes to the way Mathematics is taught, what is taught and how it is assessed. I don't know about other subjects but have they too been subjected to so many changes? It was not too long ago that the recommendation was to fast track through the GCSE course, enter early then consider doing an AS module in KS4. Now the recommendation appears to be no early entry and that we concentrate all of our examinations into a 2 month period with no opportunity for students to lighten the load by entering for some examinations a few months earlier. In my experience, no matter how much emphasis you put on studying, how many times students are taught/reminded how to do something, how much pressure you place on students to perform in examinations, there will still be a large percentage of children that will never grasp certain concepts, never conquer exam nerves and will never be acedemic. There seems to be such an emphasis on how we are slipping behind compared to other countries yet has the government look at the whole picture? Do they strive to create a nation of acedemics? Surely pushing students to gain so many GCSE 'passes' will have a negative effect on the economy. Entry levels into further education will have to increase else too many students will fulfil the criteria. Is it perhaps better to look at why some children cannot grasp certain concepts and perhaps acknowledge that they are skilled in other ways that are equally valuable but perhaps not so statistically pleasing. A Doctor may well be more qualified than a farmer but does that make their contricution to the economy more valuable? I think not. Having been around for a few years I have seen many changes to the way Mathematics is taught, what is taught and how it is assessed. I don’t know about other subjects but have they too been subjected to so many changes? It was not too long ago that the recommendation was to fast track through the GCSE course, enter early then consider doing an AS module in KS4. Now the recommendation appears to be no early entry and that we concentrate all of our examinations into a 2 month period with no opportunity for students to lighten the load by entering for some examinations a few months earlier.

In my experience, no matter how much emphasis you put on studying, how many times students are taught/reminded how to do something, how much pressure you place on students to perform in examinations, there will still be a large percentage of children that will never grasp certain concepts, never conquer exam nerves and will never be acedemic.

There seems to be such an emphasis on how we are slipping behind compared to other countries yet has the government look at the whole picture? Do they strive to create a nation of acedemics? Surely pushing students to gain so many GCSE ‘passes’ will have a negative effect on the economy. Entry levels into further education will have to increase else too many students will fulfil the criteria. Is it perhaps better to look at why some children cannot grasp certain concepts and perhaps acknowledge that they are skilled in other ways that are equally valuable but perhaps not so statistically pleasing.

A Doctor may well be more qualified than a farmer but does that make their contricution to the economy more valuable? I think not.

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]]> Comment on Background to the changes by Kate Richardson http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/introduction/background-to-the-changes/comment-page-1/#comment-162 Kate Richardson Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:13:55 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=17#comment-162 My eldest daughter has just received certification for GCSEs (summer 2011). She achieved 14 GCSEs, all at excellent grades (10 x As and 4 x Bs - 2 of these As were from a Distinction for BTEC Business Studies which we don't really count!). However that still leaves her with an impressive 12 GCSEs. She worked really hard to achieve this and did re-sit a couple of the early science modules. Why are re-sits such a bad thing? (OK, I appreciate you shouldn't be allowed to re-sit forever but surely a second chance is fair enough, anyone can have a bad day or lack maturity in exams initially, thus failing to reach their true potential). Anyway, she is now settling well into 6th form having achieved the entry requirement grades no problem. By contrast, my second daughter is currently in Year 9 and will be one of the first to be effected by the proposed changes. She is about to sit her first GCSE maths module (Nov) which now may or may not actually count towards her final GCSE as I understand it? The playing field is not level and I am confident that the 2014 GCSE results will show a steep decline, severely knocking the confidence of the students. Are 6th form entry requirements going to change to reflect this does anyone think? Also, are universities and employers going to start checking as to which year GCSEs were taken and judge there value accordingly? My eldest daughter has just received certification for GCSEs (summer 2011). She achieved 14 GCSEs, all at excellent grades (10 x As and 4 x Bs – 2 of these As were from a Distinction for BTEC Business Studies which we don’t really count!). However that still leaves her with an impressive 12 GCSEs. She worked really hard to achieve this and did re-sit a couple of the early science modules. Why are re-sits such a bad thing? (OK, I appreciate you shouldn’t be allowed to re-sit forever but surely a second chance is fair enough, anyone can have a bad day or lack maturity in exams initially, thus failing to reach their true potential). Anyway, she is now settling well into 6th form having achieved the entry requirement grades no problem. By contrast, my second daughter is currently in Year 9 and will be one of the first to be effected by the proposed changes. She is about to sit her first GCSE maths module (Nov) which now may or may not actually count towards her final GCSE as I understand it? The playing field is not level and I am confident that the 2014 GCSE results will show a steep decline, severely knocking the confidence of the students. Are 6th form entry requirements going to change to reflect this does anyone think? Also, are universities and employers going to start checking as to which year GCSEs were taken and judge there value accordingly?

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]]> Comment on Introduction by Emma Fox http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/introduction/introduction-2/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Emma Fox Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:14:31 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=14#comment-161 I prefer the linear option and glad it is going back to that. Also, I think it's a good idea to have a focus on spelling, punctuation and grammar to improve the standards of literacy across the country. I prefer the linear option and glad it is going back to that.

Also, I think it’s a good idea to have a focus on spelling, punctuation and grammar to improve the standards of literacy across the country.

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]]> Comment on Introduction by Kim http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/introduction/introduction-2/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Kim Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:30:07 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=14#comment-159 Although on some counts I agree that the constant resitting should not continue, I do continue to believe that education should not only be assessed in one way. As an AST I spend a lot of my outreach work supporting teachers and students in schools who all have very different ways of learning. Surely the way we assess needs to reflect this? The buzzword recently has been personalised learning and although we have to be realistic in how we accomplish this, surely seeing how much a child can remember on one day after a two (or potentially three) year course, is truly ridiculous. Many learners struggle with summative assessment and as a progressive profession we are looking at ways to formatively assess and develop assessment for learning. Why can't the people who actually spend time with pupils and who know what they are doing be involved in the decision making? Although on some counts I agree that the constant resitting should not continue, I do continue to believe that education should not only be assessed in one way. As an AST I spend a lot of my outreach work supporting teachers and students in schools who all have very different ways of learning. Surely the way we assess needs to reflect this? The buzzword recently has been personalised learning and although we have to be realistic in how we accomplish this, surely seeing how much a child can remember on one day after a two (or potentially three) year course, is truly ridiculous. Many learners struggle with summative assessment and as a progressive profession we are looking at ways to formatively assess and develop assessment for learning. Why can’t the people who actually spend time with pupils and who know what they are doing be involved in the decision making?

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]]> Comment on The implications of the changes by Graeme http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/the-implications-of-the-changes/comment-page-1/#comment-155 Graeme Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:34:33 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=10#comment-155 Apols to anyone who has already raised this point. My pupils follow a modular Mathematics GCSE, the total amount of maths they show through the various exams is greater than that in the linear scheme. The elephant in the room is of course, 'Do examinations show true long term learning/skills etc. or mearly that at the moment an examination was taken the candidate was capable of a particular grade' I think it's a mixture of the 2 dependant on the individual, but a modular system allows the pupil to demonstrate more knowledge, thus a return to the linear system is a lowering of standards, is that irony? Apols to anyone who has already raised this point.
My pupils follow a modular Mathematics GCSE, the total amount of maths they show through the various exams is greater than that in the linear scheme.

The elephant in the room is of course, ‘Do examinations show true long term learning/skills etc. or mearly that at the moment an examination was taken the candidate was capable of a particular grade’
I think it’s a mixture of the 2 dependant on the individual, but a modular system allows the pupil to demonstrate more knowledge, thus a return to the linear system is a lowering of standards, is that irony?

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]]> Comment on How we intend to implement the changes and proposed changes to regulatory documents by David Cross http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/how-we-intend-to-implement-the-changes-and-proposed-changes-to-regulatory-documents/comment-page-1/#comment-154 David Cross Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:37:39 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=8#comment-154 There seems to be an assumption that exams are sit down 2 hour written papers - examinations are not a homogeneous species. All subjects are not best suited to a terminal written examination. Assessment that is fit for purpose, matching the current wide range of disciplines taught in our schools, has come a long way over the years. Subjects with significant practical content like art, drama and dance often involve an examination that lasts many hours spread over several days or weeks. In the current OCR Drama specification the use of distinctive modules allows the candidates to demonstrate a greater depth of knowledge and breadth of skills than would be possible with just a terminal exam. It is not an issue of ‘bite sized’ information retention that we test, but distinctive processes of performing, directing, devising and designing. I have sympathy with concerns about resits, principally on issues of cost, however revisiting tasks and coming at them a second time is not necessarily negative in a learning context. In the OCR Drama specification, like many similarly examined subjects, resits are not really a feasible option. The time frames, practical aspect and often group nature of the examinations make this impossible. Please in your deliberations do not adopt a model of one fit to suit every instance. Very well thought out and successful ways of teaching and assessing are going to be compromised if all the new GCSEs have to follow one formula. There seems to be an assumption that exams are sit down 2 hour written papers – examinations are not a homogeneous species. All subjects are not best suited to a terminal written examination. Assessment that is fit for purpose, matching the current wide range of disciplines taught in our schools, has come a long way over the years. Subjects with significant practical content like art, drama and dance often involve an examination that lasts many hours spread over several days or weeks.
In the current OCR Drama specification the use of distinctive modules allows the candidates to demonstrate a greater depth of knowledge and breadth of skills than would be possible with just a terminal exam. It is not an issue of ‘bite sized’ information retention that we test, but distinctive processes of performing, directing, devising and designing.
I have sympathy with concerns about resits, principally on issues of cost, however revisiting tasks and coming at them a second time is not necessarily negative in a learning context. In the OCR Drama specification, like many similarly examined subjects, resits are not really a feasible option. The time frames, practical aspect and often group nature of the examinations make this impossible.
Please in your deliberations do not adopt a model of one fit to suit every instance. Very well thought out and successful ways of teaching and assessing are going to be compromised if all the new GCSEs have to follow one formula.

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]]> Comment on The implications of the changes by Jen http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/making-the-current-gcses-linear/the-implications-of-the-changes/comment-page-1/#comment-153 Jen Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:42:12 +0000 http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/gcse-reform/?p=10#comment-153 It is ridiculous to pull the plug on Modular courses after such a short space of time. As HOD of History it has made perfect sense to learn about one topic in Y10 and do an exam in it, then another in Y11. This has put us on alot more of a level playing field with other subjects, as the amount of content covered for our subject is huge as well as the high skill level. As part of the Ebbac should humanities and Languages not have the same re-sit system as core subjects? It is ridiculous to pull the plug on Modular courses after such a short space of time. As HOD of History it has made perfect sense to learn about one topic in Y10 and do an exam in it, then another in Y11. This has put us on alot more of a level playing field with other subjects, as the amount of content covered for our subject is huge as well as the high skill level. As part of the Ebbac should humanities and Languages not have the same re-sit system as core subjects?

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