A Lot Of Time Has Been Wasted

Original post by dabest2500

Has any of you realised how much time has been wasted?
Since year 7, we could have been studying for our GCSEs which then allow us to have them spread out over the years.
We would have achieved better grades, and be less stressed!
Instead of having all our exams compressed into a tiny space of time, it would be spread out.
Your thoughts on this?

If that was the case, how would you cope with A Levels, or your degree? Going from having five years to cover a set of topics in a little depth, to covering topics in more depth for A Levels over 1-2 years (AS and A2 obviously)... Or then your degree where it will really step up and you will have to pass them all within the year? The stress is only going to increase, no point in spoon-feeding through the first five years only to throw you in at the deep end for the next years to come.

Reply 3

OP

Then how will you learn?

Original post by beffnee

If that was the case, how would you cope with A Levels, or your degree? Going from having five years to cover a set of topics in a little depth, to covering topics in more depth for A Levels over 1-2 years (AS and A2 obviously)... Or then your degree where it will really step up and you will have to pass them all within the year? The stress is only going to increase, no point in spoon-feeding through the first five years only to throw you in at the deep end for the next years to come.

A Levels will obviously be harder, some say GCSEs are already dumbed down anyway, but there's still no harm in making year 7 8 and 9 useful.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

Aj12

18

As Churchill once said I never allowed my schooling to interfere with my education

Reply 5

Original post by dabest2500

Then how will you learn?

A Levels will obviously be harder, some say GCSEs are already dumbed down anyway, but there's still no harm in making year 7 8 and 9 useful.

They are useful. They are preparing you for GCSEs, giving you skills which you need for year 10 and 11, in the same way that the first year of a degree is not usually counted in order to get you up to speed. If this time was being wasted, the system would have been changed a long time ago.

Reply 6

prozium

http://english1101.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/into_the_wild.jpg
suck my dick exams

Reply 7

OP

Original post by beffnee

They are useful. They are preparing you for GCSEs, giving you skills which you need for year 10 and 11, in the same way that the first year of a degree is not usually counted in order to get you up to speed. If this time was being wasted, the system would have been changed a long time ago.

But at the end, it's your exam results that matter.
You don't need so much time to get up to speed.
3 years? Come on, a year would have been enough.
Then just hardcore studying.

Reply 8

Original post by dabest2500

Has any of you realised how much time has been wasted?
Since year 7, we could have been studying for our GCSEs which then allow us to have them spread out over the years.
We would have achieved better grades, and be less stressed!
Instead of having all our exams compressed into a tiny space of time, it would be spread out.
Your thoughts on this?

This doesn't even make sense.

You wouldn't have been able to start your GCSE's in year 10 unless you'd already learnt the skills you needed through years 7, 8 and 9.

Reply 9

Original post by dabest2500

But at the end, it's your exam results that matter.
You don't need so much time to get up to speed.
3 years? Come on, a year would have been enough.
Then just hardcore studying.

You've ignored my first point though. How would you then cope with your AS/A2 exams or degree if it has taken you four or five years preparation for the easiest set of exams of the lot?

Reply 10

OP

Original post by twelve

This doesn't even make sense.

You wouldn't have been able to start your GCSE's in year 10 unless you'd already learnt the skills you needed through years 7, 8 and 9.

You don't need so long to learn skills.

Original post by beffnee

You've ignored my first point though. How would you then cope with your AS/A2 exams or degree if it has taken you four or five years preparation for the easiest set of exams of the lot?

How do you mean?
A Levels and GCSEs are completely different, you'll need to study harder for A Level.

Reply 11

crazycake93

Original post by dabest2500

Has any of you realised how much time has been wasted?
Since year 7, we could have been studying for our GCSEs which then allow us to have them spread out over the years.
We would have achieved better grades, and be less stressed!
Instead of having all our exams compressed into a tiny space of time, it would be spread out.
Your thoughts on this?

I guess. I'm helping out my cousin, (he's 11). He's sitting Maths, Economics, Statistics GCSE's this summer... In pretty much every past paper he's at an A*/A

Reply 12

0201Bean

12

But we need the knowledge given through year 7, 8 and 9 to be able to do the GCSE level work in the coming years? :L

Anyhow, they've already started GCSE's in Year 9 at my high school, so they now have three years to get about 30+ GCSE's. Good Luck to 'em at A level I say.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 13

Original post by dabest2500

You don't need so long to learn skills.

If you didn't need as long to learn the skills and get a good basis, then why has it been done that way for years? Not just GCSE's, back when there were O-levels. Same system then.

There would be no benefit of doing it over five years. There would have to be at least twice the content to make it make sense.

Reply 14

OP

Original post by crazycake93

I guess. I'm helping out my cousin, (he's 11). He's sitting Maths, Economics, Statistics GCSE's this summer... In pretty much every past paper he's at an A*/A

I didn't know they had economics and stats at GCSE.
That's impressive.

Original post by 0201Bean

But we need the knowledge given through year 7, 8 and 9 to be able to do the GCSE level work in the coming years? :L

Anyhow, they've already startes GCSE's in Year 9 at my high school, so they now have three years to get about 30+ GCSE's. Good Luck to 'em at A level I say.

What knowledge have you learnt from year 7, 8 and 9 that would prepare you for the exams.
In my school, 7, 8 and 9 were years where everyone messed about.

Original post by twelve

If you didn't need as long to learn the skills and get a good basis, then why has it been done that way for years? Not just GCSE's, back when there were O-levels. Same system then.

There would be no benefit of doing it over five years. There would have to be at least twice the content to make it make sense.

Because it's been done wrong :smile:

How long does it take to learn a syllabus for a subject?
Not a year at all.
5 exams could be done every year or something.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 15

crazycake93

Original post by dabest2500

I didn't know they had economics and stats at GCSE.
That's impressive.

What knowledge have you learnt from year 7, 8 and 9 that would prepare you for the exams.
In my school, 7, 8 and 9 were years where everyone messed about.

Yeah I sat Economics (OCR) at GCSE, but not stats.

Reply 16

Original post by dabest2500

In my school, 7, 8 and 9 were years where everyone messed about.

Because it's been done wrong :smile:

How long does it take to learn a syllabus for a subject?
Not a year at all.
5 exams could be done every year or something.

Exactly why you don't need to extend the time for GCSE's to be done. We had ample time to cover all the content - absolutely no need for any extra time. In some subjects we had TOO MUCH time.

And yes, in year 7,8 and 9, people did just mess around, but you need those years to mess around before it gets serious. What 11 year old is happily going to sit their History GCSE and actually learn all the dates they need to?

Reply 17

OP

Original post by twelve

Exactly why you don't need to extend the time for GCSE's to be done. We had ample time to cover all the content - absolutely no need for any extra time. In some subjects we had TOO MUCH time.

And yes, in year 7,8 and 9, people did just mess around, but you need those years to mess around before it gets serious. What 11 year old is happily going to sit their History GCSE and actually learn all the dates they need to?

I mean that the exams could have been spread out.
Not spending 5 years on Biology or something.
I would learn the dates for an exam.

BTW, going to sleep now so will reply to anything in the morning.

Reply 18

Original post by dabest2500

How do you mean?
A Levels and GCSEs are completely different, you'll need to study harder for A Level.

That's my point. A Levels are harder, and cover topics in more depth than GCSEs do. But you only have two years in which to learn for them (Or a year for each (AS/A2) if you want to look at it that way). You have two years to learn less material for GCSEs. If you had five years to learn that material, the amount that people would struggle the next year would be insane. Think about how many people complain about the jump as it is.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a lot of people could cope with doing GCSEs earlier than that in subjects they excel in, but for a start - as you say, people mess about in those earlier years. But as I have said, you need the skills from the earlier years in order to take your GCSEs. If you compare your learning style and way you interacted with work at the end of Y6, to the end of Y9, I am sure you would see a great difference. The extra years add maturity also. But as someone else has mentioned, there would need to be a lot more covered in order to warrant it.

If the system had been failing since the time of O Levels, it would have been changed. Aspects of it have been changed in that time. The fact that this element of it has remained the same for decades suggests that it is the right system. Starting GCSEs earlier will lead to worse results either because people will just mess about instead of working, or because they lack the skills they would have learned in those three years in order to complete the exams sufficiently.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 19