When was gcse coursework introduced

As you browse the site simply add the courses you wish to study to your courses area. When you are ready just complete your application. This raised a couple of key questions:. Coursework became a new feature of assessment, one that teachers rightly regarded with scepticism. The introduction of controlled assessment for coursework attempts to overcome the issue of coursework authentication by making coursework supervision compulsory. Click here for a full account of the background, controversies and national statistics for GCSE.

IGCSEs were introduced in and are internationally recognised qualifications. IGCSEs do not include coursework. A further 20 subjects were reformed from , and most others in During the transition, pupils received a combination of letter and numerical grades. These are overseen by regulatory authorities to ensure parity between schools using a different exam board.

The timetable usually runs from late May to late June. Should GCSEs be scrapped? Despite the rise in alternative qualifications, GCSE and A-Levels remain the most widely recognised by national employers. The Learning and Work Institute reiterates this point by stressing the value of GCSEs among adults seeking to take exams retrospectively. The continued existence of GCSEs allows adults to access key qualifications supporting their professional development — often in ways which could scarcely be understood at the age of sixteen.

Albeit often considered unpleasant, the traditional exam assessment experience is also said to be important in preparing pupils for workplace norms. While critics draw on the severe stress and anxiety associated with high-stake exams, proponents of the current system respond that a combination of coursework, and mitigating circumstances exist to appease this.

Sheltering students at a young age would not, they claim, play to their advantage in later life. Although the government remains committed to the current exam system, the system has been attracting increasing criticism. Perhaps the most controversial issue relating to GCSEs is the contention that the exams are too easy and are getting easier — a claim seen to be given credence by the fact that overall pass rates have increased every year since GCSEs were introduced.

The Government and most teachers maintain that rising pass rates is a consequence of improving teaching methods, but opponents disagree, claiming that it is possible to pass GCSE exams without reaching many basic levels of educational attainment.

GCSEs have also come under fire for opposite reasons. It is claimed that their content-laden nature suits more academically able children, while hindering those whose competencies are best exhibited through practical means. Elsewhere it is argued that poor performance in GCSE exams disenfranchises some children, deterring them from pursuing further or higher education. Opponents of GCSEs have also attacked the exam dominated assessment methods, which are said to favour those who are skilled in written expression, possess strong time-management skills, and perform well under acute pressure.

The austere nature of exams is also criticised for the way in which it fuels anxiety and mental health problems for large cohorts of young people. GCSE reform — looking forward to a rosy past. As more people stay on at school after 16, the value of GCSE exams is increasingly coming into question. In a Working Group, chaired by the former chief inspector of schools Mike Tomlinson, was charged with developing a comprehensive framework for schooling between the ages of 14 to The Tomlinson report proposed a series of radical changes, including replacing GCSEs, A-Levels and vocational qualifications with a single diploma available at four levels — entry, foundation, intermediate and advanced.

Early Years General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level examinations O Levels had existed since the early s, but were only available in grammar schools and private schools. Lord Baker.

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