[GreenLantern1]

(Original post by Gwilym101)
That's when they claim it'll all start but it won't be by then. For one simple reason there's going to be a general election around that time and they're not going to focus an education plan whilst its uncertain whether they're going to be in power by the time of the first new exams.

No it will start then! Yes General election there will be; what 2015 right? But they will have implemented it befor ethen as it will be ready for teaching by 2014.

[xkakesx]

(Original post by Dinosaurus_Rex)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-30-years.html

I think this is a disgrace to our generation, and the generation before us. Firstly, introducing GCSEs took away the certificates and the amount of work and effort the generation before us did for the past 30 years. Now, they are changing it back? Not only does this lead to the nullification of the GCSEs, it would devalue these awards, and make us feel Sh*t, even for the top percentage of students; they would never get the recognition which they deserved.
If anything, at least just reform the GCSEs, not completely change everything to O levels, this would leave the efforts of the last 30 years pointless and wasted, and makes us feel worthless. If they never changed to these GCSEs, problems like these would not occur, and everybody would be respected. The Tories have completely messed up our system.

What are your views on this?

I think the one exam board is a good idea for education, although awful for the people that work for exam boards, as it will put them out of jobs. I don't think it will devalue our GCSEs though, people still accept the old O-level qualifications as equivalent to GCSEs, so I don't see why this wouldn't happen for us. People will realise it wasn't our fault which exams we took and base job applications etc on the same thing. If they were looking for Bs at the new O-level they might look for As in GCSEs for example, but if that's stated in job applications it shouldn't be a problem.. Now I should get back to my A-level revision :L

[xkakesx]

(Original post by Magickal)
I think it's going to be a massive financial drain on schools. Teachers will need to go on courses, new textbooks will be needed and the system will need to be reorganised.

Teachers continually go on courses to keep up to date and know the best ways to teach their students already, new textbooks are also constantly coming out so these things won't make too much of a difference.

[LETSJaM]

(Original post by mrshinyshoes)
Are you just tory bashing?

I don't see what the fuss is about, the GCSE's will get if anything more regimented, written by a single board not loads where we all know different exam boards are easier or different to others, wheres the fair comparison in that??

It stops schools shopping round for the exams that will give them best results, not necessarily the students with the best grounding of knowledge, and you do realise the first exams will the 2020 at the earliest?

The first people will sit these exams in 2016, as the first people to take these new O-levels will start in September 2014.

<3 x

[greenmind]

(Original post by xkakesx)
I think the one exam board is a good idea for education, although awful for the people that work for exam boards, as it will put them out of jobs. I don't think it will devalue our GCSEs though, people still accept the old O-level qualifications as equivalent to GCSEs, so I don't see why this wouldn't happen for us. People will realise it wasn't our fault which exams we took and base job applications etc on the same thing. If they were looking for Bs at the new O-level they might look for As in GCSEs for example, but if that's stated in job applications it shouldn't be a problem.. Now I should get back to my A-level revision :L

I just can't help thinking that an employer would rather employ somebody who has the more 'superior' and 'hard earned' O-levels rather than the 'easy' and much more 'inferior' GCSEs The government is making GCSEs sound like they are worthless, and yes maybe the standard has fallen but I think it would've been better if they'd made these changes to GCSEs rather than bringing in a whole new system which devalues the old.

[xkakesx]

(Original post by greenmind)
I just can't help thinking that an employer would rather employ somebody who has the more 'superior' and 'hard earned' O-levels rather than the 'easy' and much more 'inferior' GCSEs The government is making GCSEs sound like they are worthless, and yes maybe the standard has fallen but I think it would've been better if they'd made these changes to GCSEs rather than bringing in a whole new system which devalues the old.

I suppose so, but it would be due to our age that we did GCSEs not O-levels, and in theory employers can't discriminate on the basis of age so in theory it shouldn't be a problem.. They'll just have to use different criteria for each type of application

[Alex J]

one good thing i see coming out of this is that there will be a single, nationwide o-level exam board.

the idea that there are separate exam boards competing doesn't work because of the nature of the job they have to carry out.

think about it, the exam boards will want to make as much money as possible, which can be done by making the exams easier than other boards, and that would mean more schools would select them, to try and get their pupils better grades, and the boards would therefore get more income. That is actually one cause of grade inflation. With just one exam board however, there will be no need to do this because it won't have competition, and they can focus on making the exams as fair and reliable as possible.

However this should really be done to the existing GCSE system, rather than doing a complete overhaul to make it into o-levels.

[greenmind]

(Original post by xkakesx)
I suppose so, but it would be due to our age that we did GCSEs not O-levels, and in theory employers can't discriminate on the basis of age so in theory it shouldn't be a problem.. They'll just have to use different criteria for each type of application

Yeah in theory, but lets just see how that goes

[Alex J]

(Original post by xkakesx)
I suppose so, but it would be due to our age that we did GCSEs not O-levels, and in theory employers can't discriminate on the basis of age so in theory it shouldn't be a problem.. They'll just have to use different criteria for each type of application

yeah but how can they guarantee that the different methods they use to analyse the different qualifications have no inherent bias one way or the other? There will come a time where someone with GCSEs and someone with O-levels will be competing for the same job, in which case how can they be sure they are valuing the grades each of them have obtained, fairly?

Edit:
its the same problem as if someone who did IB and someone who did a-levels were competing for the same job..

say the IB person got 40/45 and the A-leveler got A*AA,
you cant really say the A-leveller has achieved any better or any worse than the IB person because its difficult, and subjective, to decide the corresponding number of IB points which represent the same level of achievement as A*AA

[xkakesx]

(Original post by Alex J)
yeah but how can they guarantee that the different methods they use to analyse the different qualifications have no inherent bias one way or the other? There will come a time where someone with GCSEs and someone with O-levels will be competing for the same job, in which case how can they be sure they are valuing the grades each of them have obtained, fairly?

Edit:
its the same problem as if someone who did IB and someone who did a-levels were competing for the same job..

say the IB person got 40/45 and the A-leveler got A*AA,
you cant really say the A-leveller has achieved any better or any worse than the IB person because its difficult, and subjective, to decide the corresponding number of IB points which represent the same level of achievement as A*AA

I see your point but it's not the grades alone that will win the applicant the job.. surely they'd just give them both an interview and see who is the best fit?

[mrshinyshoes]

(Original post by GreenLantern1)
And the first sitting for thee exams is 2016 with first teaching 2014! Read the article and the BBC announcement!

4 year difference oops, either way it doesn't effect the current students in the slightest

[siwelmail]

It was necessary.

[Namige]

Thank god when these kids have o levels I'll have a degree so it doesn't matter how worthless gcses are.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Alex J]

(Original post by xkakesx)
I see your point but it's not the grades alone that will win the applicant the job.. surely they'd just give them both an interview and see who is the best fit?

indeed but the grades might be the differentiating factor between applicants which came across equally good in interview. Or it might be that one applicant with slightly worse interview skills than the other gets the job, and the grades are used as the justification for this.

So even if grades arent the only factor in selecting for jobs, they are factors nonetheless, and therefore need to be looked at as fairly as possible.

[thenumber2goose]

(Original post by Dinosaurus_Rex)
Not only does this lead to the nullification of the GCSEs, it would devalue these awards, and make us feel Sh*t, even for the top percentage of students; they would never get the recognition which they deserved.

Surely by that logic, the original introduction of GCSEs nullified o-levels and made the people with those qualifications feel like "Sh*t". This obviously didn't happen.

[GreenLantern1]

(Original post by mrshinyshoes)
4 year difference oops, either way it doesn't effect the current students in the slightest

Yeah. I mean I am in year 11 doing GCSEs atm. Tbh I kinda just missed it as we have easier exams, well the content is at least.. for some subjects though. But I honestly would have preferred to have been a part of the O-Level system purely because I feel it would provide more of a challenge as it goes into further, higher level content for the large majority of subjects in which learning new information is applicable e.g. maths! Plus, and I can only speak from speculation, but it does seem that it would bridge the gap between year 11 and sixth form a lot more. Moreover, the people who can't cope with O-Levels have the CSE alternative which I think is good as it doesn't make the 'not so academic' students fail but gives them an opportunity more suited to their level.

Yeh I am sure my GCSE grades would eb looked at like normal and then a different approach takenn to O-Levels. The obvious outcome is is that an A* in GCSE would by no means equate to an A* in O-Level.

[TheHansa]

(Original post by Blutooth)
Gove is doing the right thing. By making exams more rigorous O-levels , he will properly prepare students for A-levels. Anyone studying maths/physics at gcse and moving on to A-levels will know what I mean when I say GCSE maths was a piss-take. Also, there is the additional benefit that O-levels might actually mean more as a qualification obtained by 6th form drop outs if they are more rigorous.

Perhaps it would have been fairer to us if he kept the name GCSEs rather than rebranding them as O-levels, but I can see why he wanted to make a clean break and I support the principle behind these changes, which is to make the educational system more worthwhile.
It's a small price to pay imho.

This. The only mistake was replacing them with GCSEs in the first place.

[user1-4]

mother****ers

[AverageExcellence]

I think itll be good, GCSEs are too easy. Its not exactly a complete overhaul either the foundations of O levels have been long established. they also say it would be like separating students into sheep and goats with the 2 modules which they claim is unfair but they do that with GCSEs in high and foundation anyway so its not really an argument. On the brighter side at least getting 10 As at O level would be an achievement

[desijut]

I always thought GCSE's were worthless after you've done A levels, the only real reason to have them is to prepare you for A levels, which they didnt do, hence why so many people complain about a "gap" between gcse's and a levels, so, if by changing GCSE's into something more rigorous prepares these kids for A levels better, so be it.