New GCSE grading 'will de-motivate less able pupils'

We really need to start and invest in vocational training. GCSE's mean nothing and they never have. Skill is what counts. I know people who weren't scholarly at all, did rubbish in all their exams yet make damn fine electricians, or painters, or joiners. There has been and there always will be far too much pressure on students to pursue university even when it does not suit them. It seems to be Uni or bust in this country and it makes me sick.

I think we've become a country that is increasingly judging of those who don't go to uni and a lot of highly paid jobs are open only to those who have degrees. The new grading system won't really benefit those who would excel in vocational courses rather than the more 'academic' courses. I honestly don't think more support and respect for vocational courses will come any time soon because our entire generation have grown up undermining and underestimating it, but I do think that the government should be more supportive towards creating more opportunities for those who are vocational. They can't really change anything drastic about the way society perceives education and what it does for us.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24960415

Thoughts? Personally, I've always thought that the whole point of grading was to identify who are the best pupils - not who are the least bad. Otherwise we might as well set the threshold for an A* at 20%. No matter how you look at it, a C is not a good grade in a competitive environment, and it's no use trying to give less able students false hope by saying it is.

We continuously shirk away from vocational jobs such as plumbing etc then wonder why we have so many immigrants coming in to do those jobs. How often do you hear the words 'Polish' and 'Plumber' in the same sentence and wonder why... It's pathetic.

Uni or nothing is complete rubbish. Germany has a fine record of vocational training and look at the strength of their country. It really does make me sick, it does.

Yeah I know. There are so many countries that uphold vocational courses and the importance of them and Britain just doesn't. We've just evolved to become a country where academic education is prevalent and vocational is shunned. I don't think the government realises yet that if everyone were to go to university and come out with a great degree and go on to a high paid job, no one would be around to do the other things we entirely depend on like plumbers, electricians or hairdressers etc.

In some places C's are actually wonderful.
I did 'rubbish' in a fair few of my GCSE's (Predicted all A's & A*'s but got B's and C's) & I have an interview at Cambridge next month... It's not all about having a long list of subjects at A*
In fact I think some people do damn good to get a C in some subjects

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We really need to start and invest in vocational training. GCSE's mean nothing and they never have. Skill is what counts. I know people who weren't scholarly at all, did rubbish in all their exams yet make damn fine electricians, or painters, or joiners. There has been and there always will be far too much pressure on students to pursue university even when it does not suit them. It seems to be Uni or bust in this country and it makes me sick.

Then I can only assume that you were unlucky, and that you're doing very well in your A-levels.

Some jobs require you to be strong academically, and some don't. For those that do, someone with mostly Cs has very little chance against someone with As, no matter how hard they worked to get those Cs. Meanwhile, all the A and A* students will be fighting among themselves and comparing individual scores, so it makes sense to have lots of grades at the top where it matters.

For jobs that don't, having a C, or even an A, doesn't give much of an advantage over someone who failed most of their exams. It's the rest of the CV that counts. So for less able students, who are likely to enter those sorts of jobs, there's not really a lot to distinguish a C from a G.

Precisely, and then this leads to further detrimental effects. It seems as if a degree, any degree is better than anything else. I seem to recall a degree in Hogwarts, or a degree in Lady Gaga being proposed, no word of a lie. Not to mention the charade of any Media Studies degree... Germany is a definite model to emulate.

Academic education isn't the be all and end all of everything. However I do fear that preaching this on a student forum may be a bit of a dead end.

what he said.

I think labour messed up with its education, education, education. The country only needs so many meedja studies students.

Then I can only assume that you were unlucky, and that you're doing very well in your A-levels.

Some jobs require you to be strong academically, and some don't. For those that do, someone with mostly Cs has very little chance against someone with As, no matter how hard they worked to get those Cs. Meanwhile, all the A and A* students will be fighting among themselves and comparing individual scores, so it makes sense to have lots of grades at the top where it matters.

For jobs that don't, having a C, or even an A, doesn't give much of an advantage over someone who failed most of their exams. It's the rest of the CV that counts. So for less able students, who are likely to enter those sorts of jobs, there's not really a lot to distinguish a C from a G.

Where did it all go wrong?



And Labour had that atrocious dream to get 80% of young people into higher education. Let's not forget that it was Major who abolished polytechnics.

We really need to start and invest in vocational training. GCSE's mean nothing and they never have. Skill is what counts. I know people who weren't scholarly at all, did rubbish in all their exams yet make damn fine electricians, or painters, or joiners. There has been and there always will be far too much pressure on students to pursue university even when it does not suit them. It seems to be Uni or bust in this country and it makes me sick.

I never saw the point of having all those grades below a C, a C is the lowest grade you can get and still have some use for it. You don't tend to see a uni course or college asking for E's in your GCSE's and if they did would it really be a course worth doing?

Where did it all go wrong?



And Labour had that atrocious dream to get 80% of young people into higher education. Let's not forget that it was Major who abolished polytechnics.

Uni is the only reason for GCSE classifications is it?

There are course inbetween GCSE and degree level (ever heard of A Levels as a starting point), where knowing the difference between a D and an F is pretty handy.

Similarly actual jobs.

Its the A* that messed things over.

Really? Because if you are going to ask for below D's I really don't see the point of asking for GCSE's at all. The fact that the grade ranges went from A* to G was a complete joke.