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Why isn't their more controversy over the scrapping of January exams?

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This thread has actually made me realise that I'm not getting into any university omg loool. I think i've failed AS... How can i depend on resitting atleast 10 exam papers next year in June and passing them to get me into university, tis a joke!! :tongue:

ain't nobody got time to be retaking a year.. *cries*

Reply 81

theblackreaper

Original post by Miss Jean Brodie

GCSEs aren't modular anymore either, so A Levels are being brought in line with other qualifications. You don't need to 'study 24 hours straight each day' to pass an exam the first time.

As far as i'm concerned i don't see A levels being brought into line with other qualifications, i see a man (Michael Gove) making unnecessary changes to both GCSEs and A levels in an attempt to make himself look good, and not in the best interest of others. Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't he start making these changes as soon as he screwed up the GCSE english grades for thousands of pupils around the country. It looks like he's just trying to cover his tracks, and at the same time is putting the education of others in jeopardy. looks like i'll be voting for Labour at the next election.

And yes i'm aware that you don't need to study 24 hours a day to pass an exam, but then again everyone's different, some people need to work harder to take in stuff in.

Reply 82

User995789

Original post by ThatPerson

I added it. :smile:

Thanks

I asked the moderators/admins to put this on the tabs on the homepage. This is massive!
I said "the principles upon which your site is built on as mentioned in the interview, is to help students, what I can't comprehend, is why fellow students such as yourself and the admin would not want to help other fellow students in this matter.
I'm not saying that you don't and I'm sure if an admin reads this, they will probably show this in the home page.
Surely you want to help us. This issue is massive, its not a case of say, making exams harder, etc, its the absolute overhaul of a system that benefited so many others, and will put thousands and their future at a great disadvantage.
Thank you."
And those are all fair statements, we students should not be put at a disadvantage, because of a quite frankly cruel education minister.

Reply 83

ForgottenPen

I think we have a valid reason to start another riot.

Reply 84

ForgottenPen

Instead of totally scrapping Jan exams I think schools should do various mocks to see if you are ready. So if you are you take the Jan exam if not then in summer.

Reply 85

Miss Jean Brodie

Original post by theblackreaper

Michael Gove doesn't care for the opinions of the professionals who have trained to teach and spend every day of their working lives trying to make life better for pupils, so I don't know why you all think he'll care about the opinions of those being taught in an epetition. He doesn't care for dissenting views.

Yes, he is making unnecessary changes, but I don't think that getting rid of January exams is one of them.

He has, after all, been Education Minister since 2010, but until he actually did something that directly affected students and made them go 'hey, this man is affecting our lives with his arbitrary decisions', no-one actually expected school children to pay attention. He has been tinkering with lots of things for three years. Most of them have been bad decisions.

Reply 86

kpusa1981

Original post by Data

Those doing 3 Arts subjects with coursework would only have 6 exams.

'Everything at the end of Year 13' was the way A levels happened for 30 years or more and people survived - there were fewer exams but they were mostly 3 hours each so the hours spent in them was probably the same. If it happened to everyone then it would be a level playing field and I expect people would adapt more easily than you think.

Now there are many more pupils taking A-Levels because all pupils are going to have to at on in education or training until18.
What do all of you think about this?

Reply 87

Loquacious

Original post by ForgottenPen

Instead of totally scrapping Jan exams I think schools should do various mocks to see if you are ready. So if you are you take the Jan exam if not then in summer.

I totally agree with this. So the school/teachers have the choice of deciding who is capable for the Jan entry and who would benefit more doing the June.

Reply 88

Data

Original post by Loquacious

I totally agree with this. So the school/teachers have the choice of deciding who is capable for the Jan entry and who would benefit more doing the June.

When would you do these mocks? They would either be too early to have covered most of the course or too late to make entries for January exams (the current deadline is 21 October in order to give exam boards enough time to recruit examiners, print and distribute papers etc). Even if it were possible, you'd land up teaching a class where half had done the January exam and half were going to do it in the summer which would be a real nightmare. Additionally, one of the problems with the current system is that teaching time is disrupted by too many exams, this would just add another set into the system

Reply 89

SiobhanDee

It's actually ridiculous because off what people say about how AS is not as important year and it's A2 which you should focus more on. At the time I didn't know that my AS grades would affect my predicted grades therefore did not put in as much effort as I should have done. What the government has done is utterly ridiculous because surely if you are going to do a retake that you shouldn't be put under such stress? Having all your exams in Summer does not allow for any breathing space and in my case, clashes occurring due to retakes. Doing a retake does not undermine your abilities but merely your judgement of the situation in which you had faced. Also, scrapping January exams means that more people are going on a gap year because there is no way in which the universities will know that you are doing a retake and can get the required grades to get in.