The Student Room Group

Ok so the kids are approaching (have started) their GCSE's

It got me thinking about when I did mine I really didn't get great grades but i got in to an honours degree (after 4 years in collage but this is about GCSE's so it's moot) in the end but it got me thinking about the foundation and higher tier system doit broke down like this:

Foundation: highest you could get was a C and the lowest was a G

Higher :highest was a A* and lowest was a D or C

Maths was diffrent AQA maths broke down like this

Foundation: D-G
Intermediate: C-E
Higher: A*- C

Why can't all kids get taught the same thing and be given the opportunity to get good grades it would mean a longer (2 - 2.5 hour exam) but it seems like a much fairer system to me.
(edited 7 years ago)

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Reply 1
Because it would cost a stupid amount of money to mark. A ridiculous amount of money.
Original post by jonathanemptage
It got me thinking about when I did mine I really didn't get great grades but i got in to an honours degree (after 4 years in collage but this is about GCSE's so it's moot) in the end but it got me thinking about the foundation and higher tier system doit broke down like this:

Foundation: highest you could get was a C and the lowest was a G

Higher :highest was a A* and lowest was a D or C

Maths was diffrent AQA maths broke down like this

Foundation: D-G
Intermediate: C-E
Higher: A*- C

Why can't all kids get taught the same thing and be given the opportunity to get good grades it would mean a longer (2 - 2.5 hour exam) but it seems like a much fairer system to me.


first of all, they arent kids :colonhash: they are teenagers
2nd of all, what if a student find circle theorems and dunno the basis of circles
if the student doesnt know the foundation level of the subject then they cannot do the higher level, it can be very difficult to catchup with foundation and higher level at the same time :yep:
Original post by fatima1998
first of all, they arent kids :colonhash: they are teenagers

Same difference
Original post by fatima1998
2nd of all, what if a student find circle theorems and dunno the basis of circles
if the student doesnt know the foundation level of the subject then they cannot do the higher level, it can be very difficult to catchup with foundation and higher level at the same time :yep:

well they would all have had the same lessons so they would have at least come across it. Thats like saying what if I didn't know Ohms law then I wouldn't get the questions on that part correct same as that student who doesn't know circle theorems.
Original post by offhegoes
Because it would cost a stupid amount of money to mark. A ridiculous amount of money.


Why it's still the same amount of exams it's just everyone taking the same one.
Reply 5
Original post by jonathanemptage
Why it's still the same amount of exams it's just everyone taking the same one.


It's everyone taking a much longer exam.
Original post by offhegoes
It's everyone taking a much longer exam.


that still doesn't explain why it would cost more money I mean ok so there would be more sheets of paper so printing it might cost more but i can't see much beyond that
Why have a G grade student sit for 2 1/2 hours when they'll likely only answer the first 2 questions correctly? It would mean people at the lower end getting slightly inflated grades because they've got longer to struggle through the questions, and potentially stronger candidates losing marks because they've had to waste time with basic addition questions, which is potentially a source of unnecessary errors.
I don't think the exams would have to be longer (you get extra time anyway if you've LDs) but I would tend to agree. I don't think there should be two tiers of exams. As at A-level, imo, one would suffice. Foundation maths, for example, is barely above year 6 stuff in terms of content/difficulty.
(edited 7 years ago)
I'd agree with you. I don't see how it can be good to stream students in to different sets (which may or may not reflect their actual level of ability, there are lots of reasons why students flunk school and they are far more vulnerable to the effects of life at home, bullying, etc.) and say to them "it doesn't matter how hard you work, or if you put extra effort in to catch up - the highest grade you will ever be able to achieve is a B". Especially as that then chases people throughout the rest of their educational career.

We shouldn't put a cap on attainment.
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
I'd agree with you. I don't see how it can be good to stream students in to different sets (which may or may not reflect their actual level of ability, there are lots of reasons why students flunk school and they are far more vulnerable to the effects of life at home, bullying, etc.) and say to them "it doesn't matter how hard you work, or if you put extra effort in to catch up - the highest grade you will ever be able to achieve is a B". Especially as that then chases people throughout the rest of their educational career.

We shouldn't put a cap on attainment.


I know you hear you can't get higher than a D (then whats the point of even trying).

I actually have a degree now but still.
Reply 11
Original post by jonathanemptage
that still doesn't explain why it would cost more money I mean ok so there would be more sheets of paper so printing it might cost more but i can't see much beyond that


The most expensive aspects of an exam are the costs of exam setting, invigilation and marking.
Reply 12
Original post by jonathanemptage
I know you hear you can't get higher than a D (then whats the point of even trying).

I actually have a degree now but still.


The point is those people, if not put into sets, are more likely to actually get a lower grade or even fail by sitting the exam that gives them the unlikely potential to get an A.
Original post by offhegoes
The most expensive aspects of an exam are the costs of exam setting,invigilation and marking.


i get the setting but invigilation and marking really shouldn't change that much. in my school the teachers and staff invigilated the exams and the marking it's the same amount of papers so why would that cost increase.
just thought they are only setting one exam per subject instead of 2 so that would actually go down wouldn't it
Reply 15
Original post by jonathanemptage
i get the setting but invigilation and marking really shouldn't change that much. in my school the teachers and staff invigilated the exams and the marking it's the same amount of papers so why would that cost increase.


Each paper would be significantly longer, to cover each level of ability. Each paper could easily be triple the previous size, or more.
Original post by jonathanemptage
Same difference

well they would all have had the same lessons so they would have at least come across it. Thats like saying what if I didn't know Ohms law then I wouldn't get the questions on that part correct same as that student who doesn't know circle theorems.


it's kind of not though...

Oh well, teenagers probably won't want to agree with you now because you seem to have no respect for them at all :dontknow:

sorry I just get mad when people are so dismissive of younger generations, like, stop trying to make us feel ashamed or not good enough simply for being born a bit earlier?? Every adult and senior has been a child and teenager, so why do they act like we're scum. I agree some people of our ~generation~ aren't perfect etc. But there's no need for that
no need man

/rant
Original post by Milzime
it's kind of not though...

Oh well, teenagers probably won't want to agree with you now because you seem to have no respect for them at all :dontknow:

sorry I just get mad when people are so dismissive of younger generations, like, stop trying to make us feel ashamed or not good enough simply for being born a bit earlier?? Every adult and senior has been a child and teenager, so why do they act like we're scum. I agree some people of our ~generation~ aren't perfect etc. But there's no need for that
no need man

/rant


Oh I seem to have offended you let me clarify I never said you were scum or whatever the reason i say kids is because under UK law you are still kids (although kids at the age of consent) you don't have the fly off the handle lots of people will still call you a kid it's just english up to the age of 18 you still have some of the protections being offered by your age.

But relax are you really getting that worked up over the title of a thread.
Original post by jonathanemptage
It got me thinking about when I did mine I really didn't get great grades but i got in to an honours degree (after 4 years in collage but this is about GCSE's so it's moot) in the end but it got me thinking about the foundation and higher tier system doit broke down like this:

Foundation: highest you could get was a C and the lowest was a G

Higher :highest was a A* and lowest was a D or C

Maths was diffrent AQA maths broke down like this

Foundation: D-G
Intermediate: C-E
Higher: A*- C

Why can't all kids get taught the same thing and be given the opportunity to get good grades it would mean a longer (2 - 2.5 hour exam) but it seems like a much fairer system to me.


I completely agree with you, when I did mine I had to practically force, BEG AND PLEAD my teachers to put me on to the higher papers for some of my subjects, in the end I wasn't "allowed" to do the higher paper for French. :colonhash: I found it very unfair, what paper we sat in the summer was determined by our sets that were determined by our year 6 sats. It was a ridiculous and stupid way to organise students, in the end I was moved up to higher set science and I was already in top set english, but the whole thing was far too stressful. I knew I had more potential when in my middle set science class girls (all girls school) would bring in E-ciggrettes to smoke when the teacher wasn't looking. :colonhash:
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
I completely agree with you, when I did mine I had to practically force, BEG AND PLEAD my teachers to put me on to the higher papers for some of my subjects, in the end I wasn't "allowed" to do the higher paper for French. :colonhash: I found it very unfair, what paper we sat in the summer was determined by our sets that were determined by our year 6 sats. It was a ridiculous and stupid way to organise students, in the end I was moved up to higher set science and I was already in top set english, but the whole thing was far too stressful. I knew I had more potential when in my middle set science class girls (all girls school) would bring in E-ciggrettes to smoke when the teacher wasn't looking. :colonhash:

I know right I wasn't allowed to do higher science dispite getting 80%-100% in all my in class tests from year 7-9 and then continuing in years 10 -11 the head of science even said to me in year 8 i could probably take and pass the science GCSE and pass that year (although not actually do it i had to wait until i did my GCSE) and low and behold stuck on foundation which meant I couldn't do biology chemistry or psychics at A level I have a degree in electronics now but still.
(edited 7 years ago)

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