[Dinosaurus_Rex]

The thing is, people that did O levels before GCSEs were introduced had to do GCSEs again, just because the O levels were not recognised. How about the people that have to leave school after sitting their GCSEs? All their efforts would be nullified and they would have to take O levels as well as GCSEs. And all of us who have done GCSEs who do not go onto A levels will get looked down upon by employers compared to people that do O levels.
However I do support that when we finish our A levels and our degrees, GCSEs will not be of any matter.

[Dinosaurus_Rex]

(Original post by Mbob)
How so? Are you saying that as soon as GCSEs were introduced, people's O Levels became worthless and they couldn't get a job any more. Of course not!

Actually yup. People with O levels had to take GCSEs as well, because employers would not accept the O level results.

[Namige]

This would make sense as gcses were similar in difficulty compared to the o levels, but updated so people then had to take gcses to have the most modern qualifications.

Now, they are changing to O levels because gcses are too easy. That's the difference.


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

[Insanity514]

I think it's a good plan GCSEs were dull and lifeless, I hope that more interesting content is covered.

[Dalek1099]

(Original post by AboveTheLine)
I am sitting a Maths Paired Pilot qualification from Edexcel that better prepares us for A-Level Maths. This was needed sure, but the rest isn't!

I plan on taking Further Maths GCSE to help me do that and by turning GCSEs into O-Levels,where only the top 10% get such a grade,it will not recognise skills and will just differentiate between people,which means that people sitting them at years,with different standards,will be either advantaged or disadvantaged and the education system should recognise achievement in skills not % in the country and by making GCSEs harder,by turning them into O-Levels,Michael Gove will make A-Levels easier because students will be more prepared for them,which isn't fair on the younger generation,who will have rubbish GCSE qualifications and lower A-Levels than this generation because they were less prepared for them.

[us3481jd]

It won't necessarily prepare pupils better at least not all pupils or at least prepare everyone better and equally. It will hurt weaker maths pupils or those pupils who attend terrible primary schools that been properly taught prior to year 7 since it will still be effecting them at 16.

[sputum]

(Original post by Dinosaurus_Rex)
The thing is, people that did O levels before GCSEs were introduced had to do GCSEs again, just because the O levels were not recognised.

They really didn't

I have no idea why you would think this

[Dinosaurus_Rex]

Cause people in their thirties had to retake GCSEs and ended up getting a lower grade due to the fact that they were not as well prepared as they were in their teens, although they had relatively high O levels to begin with...

[JamalAhmed]

(Original post by Dinosaurus_Rex)
The thing is, people that did O levels before GCSEs were introduced had to do GCSEs again, just because the O levels were not recognised. How about the people that have to leave school after sitting their GCSEs? All their efforts would be nullified and they would have to take O levels as well as GCSEs. And all of us who have done GCSEs who do not go onto A levels will get looked down upon by employers compared to people that do O levels.
However I do support that when we finish our A levels and our degrees, GCSEs will not be of any matter.

No that won't happen. The last year to do GCSEs will be the last year to have their GCSEs recognised by universities.

[JamalAhmed]

(Original post by Dalek1099)
I plan on taking Further Maths GCSE to help me do that and by turning GCSEs into O-Levels,where only the top 10% get such a grade,it will not recognise skills and will just differentiate between people,which means that people sitting them at years,with different standards,will be either advantaged or disadvantaged and the education system should recognise achievement in skills not % in the country and by making GCSEs harder,by turning them into O-Levels,Michael Gove will make A-Levels easier because students will be more prepared for them,which isn't fair on the younger generation,who will have rubbish GCSE qualifications and lower A-Levels than this generation because they were less prepared for them.

**** Michael Gove.

[Data]

(Original post by Dinosaurus_Rex)
The thing is, people that did O levels before GCSEs were introduced had to do GCSEs again, just because the O levels were not recognised.

I am an old person. No one has ever suggested I had to take GCSEs because my O levels were not recognised or of no value. I have worked in education for years and dealt with many mature students and have never met anyone who took GCSEs because their O levels were not recognised. People who got grades below a C at O level may have taken GCSEs to get better equivalent grades but I doubt anyone with decent O levels will have taken GCSEs to update them.

[us3481jd]

(Original post by Steerforth)
I do think that GCSE's need changing and tweaking here and there, and the idea of one national exam board sounds very appealing, but a total overhaul of the entire system just sounds crazy! Calling them O-levels also seems strange - is Gove looking to relate to the middle-age voting population?

Exams and content should be constantly evolving to match the skills needed in life. Multiple exam boards have led to grade inflation, however having one exam board would stop this, as they could simply set the grade boundaries so that a set percentage got A* etc.

There have always been more than one Exam Boards at least since the beginning of O-levels. The difference is that at that time they were University Boards and not in there current form. There were the University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations (founded by the University of Oxford) 1857, University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES, founded by the University of Cambridge) and University of Durham Matriculation and School Examination Board (founded by the University of Durham)1858, Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board (founded by the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge) 1873, Central Welsh Board (founded by the Welsh local authorities) 1896, University of Birmingham 1900, University of London Extension Board (founded by the University of London) 1902, Joint Matriculation Board (JMB, founded by the Victoria University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool and the University of Leeds) 1903, and University of Bristol School Examinations Council (founded by the University of Bristol) 1911. Bristol School Examinations Council closed in 1964. By 1980s and 1990s Midland Examining Group 1985–1998, London and East Anglian Group 1987–1991, University of London Examinations and 1991–1996, Southern Examining Group 1987–1994, Associated Examining Board/Southern Examining 1994–2000, Northern Examining Association 1985–1992, and Northern Examinations and Assessment Board 1992-2000. In the 1990s the changed OCR Oxford Cambridge and RSA (Examination Board) 1998, Edexcel Edexcel 1996, and Assessment and Qualifications Alliance 2000.

[sputum]

(Original post by Dinosaurus_Rex)
Cause people in their thirties had to retake GCSEs and ended up getting a lower grade due to the fact that they were not as well prepared as they were in their teens, although they had relatively high O levels to begin with...

I bet they were crushed.
What happened next?