Paha yes I did and it took me forever to type the thing! Yeah I was basically summarising the arguments that are against bringing O-levels back and here they are briefly:
• It would be taking a step backwards as O-levels were eliminated for good reasons and why should we overlook them now?
• I was a little offended when they claimed the exams I had just done were far too easy
• The foundation and higher tier system does actually work as an umbrella for all abilities
• There is a lot of pressure at the age of 15/16 and toughening exams would increase them
• If they disallow low-ability students from doing the same courses as other then it may upset them and create a division in students
These were just some of the reasons why I didn’t want O-levels to return but having researched it, I think I kind of disagree now. Personally, I did believe that some of my OCR exams were far too easy and I was receiving A*s without doing much revision. OI think I made the mistake of getting scared of the name of ‘O-levels’ rather than the improvements. Many people disagree with the change due to the term ‘O-level’ which suggests we are going back to the 20th century. However, I think I do agree with the idea of revising and toughening the current GCSEs and do believe that they do need improvement. I completely agree with all of the reforms you have suggested. My main point of focus is the ‘one exam board’ idea. I think it would seriously improve the system as all students would be categorised fairly without other factors interfering (like easier exam boards, tougher papers etc). I also strongly agree with the idea of focusing on learning information rather than exam techniques. The main bridge between GCSE and A level is the understanding. AT GCSE, I personally clearly understood al the concepts but I guess you could get away without the comprehension too.
You’re probably wondering why I’ve suddenly changed my mind so drastically but I had my induction the other day where it struck me that there is a big gap between year 11 and 6th form courses. I myself did not feel I would struggle to cross the bridge as I always develop my understanding at GCSE and all of my teachers would frequently take the lessons on to A-level work (not for exams but for comprehension). However, I did realise that those who weren’t lucky like me will struggle lots in this transition.
I guess I’ve written ANOTHER essay. I think we’re getting too used to this *_* lol x