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Top GCSE grades for only top pupils - what do you think?

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With regards to each aspect of the proposal..

I'm supportive of replacing letters with numbers though i can't say i care too much.

I oppose increasing the amount of numbers and further complicating the system, indeed i'd rather have A*-C-Pass to reduce the number of grades.

I'm generally supportive of limiting the number of people who can achieve the top grades however of more importance will be the grade 4 (C) boundary as it's too low at the moment, it's ludicrous that you can get a C in some cases while not achieving 50% on an exam.

Original post by Sloppy Jumpers

I see what you mean - having a scale from 1-9 is almost like painting by numbers! I would just worry that students will be increasingly categorised and defined by the 'number' they are.

And it's crazy that 50% is sometimes the boundary (or higher than the boundary) for a C grade. I did not know that!

It's 27% for GCSE maths sometimes, just because so many people completely fail it so the grade boundaries are low.

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Reply 161

username638250

Original post by Sheldor

Shouldn't the grade boundary for a C depend on the test though? I mean, it's a bit arbitrary to say less than 50% doesn't deserve a C, that may just show that the exam was harder. For example, with most degrees to get a 2:2, which could be said to be the equivalent of a C, you need 50%

It's 27% for GCSE maths sometimes, just because so many people completely fail it so the grade boundaries are low.

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What gives me second hand embarrassment is that a C grade in GCSE Maths is met with jubilation by some as if it's some massive achievement. 27% is poor.

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Reply 162

username1002982

Original post by yl95

What gives me second hand embarrassment is that a C grade in GCSE Maths is met with jubilation by some as if it's some massive achievement. 27% is poor.

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It's possible that they entered at Foundation Tier and got a C because they got 100% :tongue:

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Reply 163

username638250

Original post by Sheldor

It's possible that they entered at Foundation Tier and got a C because they got 100% :tongue:

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Ah, forgot that existed.
Which is pretty elementary stuff...

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Reply 164

andrewpilot

And whats wrong with the current system?

Reply 165

Jacob-C

Original post by andrewpilot

And whats wrong with the current system?

Nothing. Gove just feels the need to leave his mark by pointlessly changing letters to numbers.

Reply 166

Rascacielos

I'm on the fence about this. Whilst I appreciate it's too easy to get excellent GCSEs these days, setting a "limited" number of each grade does create problems when one year you get a particularly good bunch of students or a particularly bad bunch. I think I'm more in favour of making the exams harder - or the grade boundaries higher - to test the abilities of each student and grade them as individuals rather than collectively saying which ones are the 'best'. Inevitably then you're going to create injustice where some students fall just below the top grade because students that year did especially well in the exam even though, on paper, that student is more intelligent than other students who got higher grades in previous years (where the standard was lower, so less deserving students got the top grades).

Reply 167

JamesGibson

I agree that we need to ensure that the brightest, talented and hard working students are given proper merit and recognition for their achievements, however we need to consider the social/psychological impacts of the so called 'toughening' up of GCSEs.

With the current trajectory under Tory education policy, GCSEs are becoming less about analysis and evaluation, and more about regurgitating endless facts and figures. Gove is just increasing the sheer size of content we have to learn and slowly taking away the elements of critical thinking and analsysis - this means that GCSEs require more work and effort to do well, but don't necessarily help students develop those deeper analytical and intellectual skills that are demanded in higher education.

A side effect of this, is that the exams become more stressful for everybody (stress is a very bad thing healthwise for pupils) and the students best capable of memorisation become the ones who come out on top.