Is the current GCSE curriculum relevant to the needs of future careers?

Think that kids could do with being taught life skills in school too.

While I am maybe not a critical towards GCSEs as some in this thread, this is something I agree with particularly for low ability kids.

I've had the misfortunate of trying to teach GCSE chemistry to teenagers with reading abilities several years behind their peers, who struggle with abstract thought, and have a poor working memory. It is an exercise in futility. Such kids would be much better off learning life skills or vocational skills which may offer them better employment opportunities later on.

Reply 21

username5637224

20

Original post by Crazed cat lady

While I am maybe not a critical towards GCSEs as some in this thread, this is something I agree with particularly for low ability kids.

I've had the misfortunate of trying to teach GCSE chemistry to teenagers with reading abilities several years behind their peers, who struggle with abstract thought, and have a poor working memory. It is an exercise in futility. Such kids would be much better off learning life skills or vocational skills which may offer them better employment opportunities later on.

I 100% agree!! But this would mean going back to the principles in place 80 years ago when children had the school certificate at 13 and depending on their results went onto vocational courses or continued an academic education. Left wing governments put pay to this in the name of social justice claiming that some children were condemned to poorly paid occupations simply because they were «*late bloomers*» And although there will be a very small number of children who do develop a taste for academic work slightly later than others, in the vast majority of cases you can tell who will do well academically and who will always lag behind at the age of 13. Those that occupy the middle ground should be able to continue, but those that have no aptitude at all would be far happier and more productive in learning a skill than taking up places in classes that are already overcrowded. And as Britain is actually experiencing a chronic shortage of skilled manual workers these children are far from being condemned as the great grand parents were.

I don't think school's function is job-training. Employers should do that. School should first provide technical training in subjects, (whether academic or vocational) and secondarily provide some kind of "worldliness" (awareness of history, politics, the law, the function of society). Finances in middle-class+ areas should basically come from family. In schools with high working-class representation I see the argument in providing training on this, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect parents to do their bit here.

I do think English Language should emphasise literacy and composition (iirc it used to be that English Language was mostly composition, crafting argumentative pieces, etc., I prefer that to the current structure) and then critical analysis of text should be built into the literature GCSE instead. I'm fairly satisfied with the content of the maths GCSE though would like some differentiation, being basically adequate for further scientific training.

GCSEs are a memory game because making them focus on understanding would make them substantially harder. I mean no disrespect when I say that most GCSE students do not have a deep understanding of their subject, they mainly learn facts and relate them to contexts. I don't think this is a massive problem - grokking comes at A-level and beyond. Introducing a substantial problem solving component is not in the student's best interests and would cause upheaval - you've seen the reaction when exams incorporate the most minimal unseen components - being accused of setting off-spec on any slight deviation from the rehearsed questions. (see Edexcel maths 2019)

I think the number of students that are excellent thinkers but are limited by poor memory are relatively few - the content of GCSEs is quite light compared to A-level or degree-level. Since I've started university I've become a fan of exams being 3 hours to eliminate time pressure but I think that might be more stressful for students pre-A-level.

(edited 1 year ago)

Personally I've always found how to say what's in my pencil case in Spanish to be an absolute critical life skill

Original post by CoolCavy

Personally I've always found how to say what's in my pencil case in Spanish to be an absolute critical life skill

Can't tell whether this is sarcasm or not.

Reply 25

Hamzag838

1

There should be a combination of coursework and exams and they should be externally assessed, rather than coursework being internally assessed as some teachers mark unfairly. I was the final year that sat the alphabetical GCSE's and the second year to sit the new AS/A Levels and we were officially the final year to do coursework. Instead of the governement scrapping coursework and controlled assessments, they should have introduced Independent Projects for each subject, except maths, weighing at least 20%. In that way a student would write about a topic of their own choice rather than write about topics that have been set for them. It would provide them with more scope, critical thinking skills and would increase the emotional aspect of them. Also, it would prepare them for university and would boost their grades.

Is the current GCSE curriculum relevant to the needs of future careers?

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