Have GCSE's really become easier?
Discussion for GCSE students, including those studying for IGCSEs and O Levels.
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Have GCSE's really become easier?^Title^
This is my opinion:
1) GCSE's have not become easier, it's just that people are becoming more aware of it's importance so more people are getting better grades, this does not mean the exams have actually been degraded but people doing better in them.
2) The hindsight argument, university students saying A-levels were a walk in the park, A-level students saying GCSE's were a walk in the park and so on.
I think - compared to 6 yeas ago - GCSE's have actually become harder, in previous years there was coursework where the candidate can virtually get a family member to assist them and achieve A* in 40% of their English Language grade, a lot of subjects had coursework. However, the start of this school year (year 11's) coursework's have been scrapped and now we do controlled assessments in exam conditions. -
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Yes definitely, if you look at GCSE French for example, 10-15 years ago you would need to be able to write creatively and on the spot in exam conditions about a given topic. Nowadays you get 2 weeks to prepare a pretty simple piece of French (which you can get anyone to do for you to be honest) and simply memorise and copy it out. The exams are also a joke, there is no actual writing in French required, just ticking boxes and answering in English for one question.
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?I think this depends on the exam board! The board I did french with there were many writing full answer questions. But, you are right that there is no french writing required!(Original post by Giant)
The exams are also a joke, there is no actual writing in French required, just ticking boxes and answering in English for one question.
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?what about the fact people can now retake as many times as they like though?(Original post by `God)
^Title^
This is my opinion:
1) GCSE's have not become easier, it's just that people are becoming more aware of it's importance so more people are getting better grades, this does not mean the exams have actually been degraded but people doing better in them.
2) The hindsight argument, university students saying A-levels were a walk in the park, A-level students saying GCSE's were a walk in the park and so on.
I think - compared to 6 yeas ago - GCSE's have actually become harder, in previous years there was coursework where the candidate can virtually get a family member to assist them and achieve A* in 40% of their English Language grade, a lot of subjects had coursework. However, the start of this school year (year 11's) coursework's have been scrapped and now we do controlled assessments in exam conditions. -
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What's wring that, having a limit on tetanus or mo restore at all is just elitist (I never had to retake a gcse)(Original post by just george)
what about the fact people can now retake as many times as they like though?
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Well this is a discussion about if gcse's have become easier.. i would say that being able to sit the exam as many times as you like and pick the best grade makes them easier :L(Original post by Jack22031994)
What's wring that, having a limit on tetanus or mo restore at all is just elitist (I never had to retake a gcse)
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Some subjects seem to have done. However subjects such as languages (I did Spanish) have definitely become easier!
I think it comes down to people becoming smarter AND tsome subjects getting a little bit easier. Saying that AQA GCSE mathematics has not become easier in recent years in my opinion. So it varies on the subject. -
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Elite universities now don't look at resits, they only look at the first obtained grade so your argument is moot(Original post by just george)
Well this is a discussion about if gcse's have become easier.. i would say that being able to sit the exam as many times as you like and pick the best grade makes them easier :L
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?(Original post by just george)
what about the fact people can now retake as many times as they like though?
Retakes have nothing to do with exams getting easier... They're still the same exams. Obviously you can redo it as many times as you like in some cases it it's still the same exams.
Also, people are sitting exams earlier now, often when they aren't ready because they are taking more exams. For example, I have 16 GCSEs, but I wouldn't have been able to do them all at the same time!
My school made me sit a module of Core Science in year 9 too, I got an E, obviously, I wasn't ready. So without those resits, I'd have done really bad.
What I'm saying is, resist are there for a reason because exams may be taken in a weird situation or whatever, it has no impact on the actual exams. The thread is about exams themselves becoming harder. -
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?well tbh most dont give much of a **** about GCSE grades anyway, unless you're doing medicine or similar..(Original post by Plums&Peaches)
Elite universities now don't look at resits, they only look at the first obtained grade so your argument is moot
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Exactly so why does it matter then if they're becoming easier? (Which I don't think is the case for all GCSEs)(Original post by just george)
well tbh most dont give much of a **** about GCSE grades anyway, unless you're doing medicine or similar..
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?I don't think that's true.(Original post by Plums&Peaches)
Elite universities now don't look at resits, they only look at the first obtained grade so your argument is moot
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Fair point, but perhaps without the resits your school wouldnt have put you into exams you clearly werent ready for? Resits have just given the school the ability to enter you in to more exams then you have a use for as an excuse to make them get higher up in league tables..(Original post by Gthreadgold)
Retakes have nothing to do with exams getting easier... They're still the same exams. Obviously you can redo it as many times as you like in some cases it it's still the same exams.
Also, people are sitting exams earlier now, often when they aren't ready because they are taking more exams. For example, I have 16 GCSEs, but I wouldn't have been able to do them all at the same time!
My school made me sit a module of Core Science in year 9 too, I got an E, obviously, I wasn't ready. So without those resits, I'd have done really bad.
What I'm saying is, resist are there for a reason because exams may be taken in a weird situation or whatever, it has no impact on the actual exams. The thread is about exams themselves becoming harder.
Just to make it clear though, i'm not completely against resits, but i am against unlimited resits, because it makes it much harder to distinguish those who should be getting the top grades and those who shouldnt. (sorry i dont really know how to word it, hope you get what i mean)
And ok to address your first point, i got a C in GCSE french. I cant speak french whatsoever anymore, and i was shocking at it at the time. I got a lot of help with the coursework, and memorised a lot of stuff for the speaking test, and then probably did pretty bad at the exam. But iv been given a C grade, which makes it look like i can actually do something vaguely useful in french, which i can't. When my parents did languages at this level, they were expected to be able to translate a page of writing into english, and everything was tested in the exam.. no help with coursework or anything like that. I would say that has got one hell of a lot easier
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?I don't know whether they're easier or harder, but I do think it would be better to have one final exam and controlled coursework. That way it wouldn't be a test of memory, but more a gtest of real understanding. Also, I don't understand why they start GCSEs in Year 9 now, when you are still growing as a student.
In my School, everyone re-sat their modules and pretty much all the teachers helped with coursework. Especially Music. I was so proud of myself having written my report on my own and really putting a lot of effort into it, to then walk into the classroom and see my teacher editing everyone else's coursework
ANYWHO... that's my opinion
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?Speaking from first hand experience. Yes it is Oxbridge do not look at resits. First time or nothing.(Original post by `God)
I don't think that's true. -
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Re: Have GCSE's really become easier?It matters because people come up into A levels and fail completely because GCSEs havent prepared them for it. This means A levels have had to be made easier/have content removed, because there isnt enough time to teach people from the ground up after GCSEs have failed to do it..(Original post by Plums&Peaches)
Exactly so why does it matter then if they're becoming easier? (Which I don't think is the case for all GCSEs)
