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Bad. Some people generally are not as good in the exams because they fail when it comes to retaining reels of info. Coursework allows people to show independant research and do large amounts of work to contribute to their course. I think especially in art subjects coursework should be compulsory, same for english, however maths/science perhaps could do without the coursework. A lot of people can cheat on that coursework (Same for all coursework) But especially maths, when it is such an important subject perhaps coursework should not be compulsory x
Reply 2
I think it's bad.
If I was to do my GCSE's again with this new no coursework thing, then I don't think I would do very well.
I'm really good at coursework and find it easy - whereas I am rubbish at exams, I can't revise to save my life, and have the worst memory.

My sister however is the opposite - she would love all exams and no coursework as that's what she's best at.
all they need to do now is scrap exams and work, then i will be completely happy :smile:...

Seriously, i think its a fairly decent idea. I never minded coursework personally, and i've never cheated on any, but there is that opportunity available to some, i guess.
Reply 4
I think it's good.
While the majority of people don't abuse the system, and enjoy doing coursework, and it's sad that the minority who do cheat have perpetuated this outcome, exams are, let's be honest, the only form of assessment where you can be sure that what the pupil turns in is all their own work.
What they should introduce, alongside traditional exams, are open-book exams. Not the ones where you know the question a week in advance where the teachers have a week to forcefeed pupils the answer they should write when they get in there - but exams where you don't know the question but have the opportunity to take in one or two textbooks so that you can construct your answer with secondary sources, more like you would for coursework. This, in my mind, seems the most sensible compromise.
i wouldnt mind it..alevels have taught me that i can do well in exams without having to have coursework to rely on..which is good to know :smile:
Reply 6
I have mixed veiws on this.

While I don't like coursework, especially in maths and science, I don't see how you can truley level someones performance over two years on just one exam. Alevels might not have coursework but they have modules, and I couldn't see a modular system working in quite the same way for GCSEs. (Although I know it does in maths and science sometimes, but they aren't worth so much as far as I'm aware).

In English I think coursework is a nice part of the course because they can asses you on more areas of work and you are doing a similar thing to the exam.

The way my geography GCSE is done seems interesting to me. It's 20% coursework, and then you have a DME exam (desicion making excersise) worth 30% in January and then the final exam is only 50%. It's testing more skills than just one exam at the end of year eleve by have the DME. The coursework however was a mick take and you could get full marks easily.

But, maybe people who are the ones working to get C passes find it helpful and the ones who are aiming for As ect find the CW a test of folowing instructions?
Today's announcement by the QCA advocates supervised coursework as one way of getting round the problem. What do you think of that?
Reply 8
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All of our science and maths coursework, in my school, is supervised in lessons and if you need more time you have to come back at lunch. You cannot take your work outside the room.

We draft a few paragraphs for English occasionally, but I hate that because I have to go home and sit at my computer for ages surrounded my cofee mugs and really think about things in order to write anything.

(Yes, I am bad at timed essays LOL)
Reply 9
If only this was announced 4 years ago...
Reply 10
Good only in conjunction with tougher exams, or at least exams that don't repeat themselves in such a way that all you have to do is remember how to answer a certain type of question.
Reply 11
I suppose what we've got to remember is that because we've been brought up in a system which advocated coursework, we've almost been conditioned to think that its abolition would be a terrible thing.

Plenty of generations before us survived on an exam-only system.
Reply 12
This is great news!! I finished my GCSE's 3 years ago and have always asked myself how the government can let the education system be so flawed when it has the easy option of scrapping coursework. Now the only thing that reamins which is the biggest obstacle to a fair education system (imo) is to harmonise the exam boards system and have ONE central exam board providing papers for ALL students.
Reply 13
Stupid idea. In the real world you have to research and write reports and stuff using all and any available resources; why should the education system be any different?
Reply 14
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(edited 13 years ago)
This is good news (the best news was the abolishion of maths coursework a couple of weeks ago).

If only this announcement had come a year or two ago....then I wouldn't have had to do coursework with any of my classes. Sadly the change in maths has come too late for my year 11 and 10 classes :frown:
Bloody brilliant.

Coursework is terrible, it really is the biggest waste of time.
Reply 17
Bad, overall. Maths coursework, yes - I'm working through some right now and there's a lot of pointless stuff to do generally. Maths is one of those subjects where coursework doesn't completely make sense to me - ditto Science, in some ways. They're quite academic, exam-orientated subjects, as I perceive them, whereas I can understand that more creative subjects need the more extended periods of time and the freedom that coursework provides.

People have argued that they struggle with nerves etc in exams but find coursework fine - I think it's fair to give people a chance this way, even though I'm happy doing exams myself. But I much prefer the freedom of coursework - being able to go onto a computer, delete things rather than crossing them out and having to write tiny to fit new ones in, being able to delete stuff and whatever. I also like the opportunity to research stuff properly.

What are they going to do about music coursework, anyway? It's not really practical to do the same level of composition as an exam, for a start - while the ABRSM music theory exams include a bit of composition, I don't think they could work that into a GCSE in exam format.

I know some people do cheat on coursework, but a lot of these are caught when someone realises the style's wrong, and if they needed to cheat on coursework, chances are they'll do badly the exam anyway! I think this minority of people isn't significant enough to warrant scrapping coursework that's useful for the majority.
Reply 18
Maths coursework is pointless, so that is great that's it is gone. I didn't have a clue what to do for mine, but luckily manged to muddle through. I didn't use anything again though.
Reply 19
Firebird
What are they going to do about music coursework, anyway? It's not really practical to do the same level of composition as an exam, for a start - while the ABRSM music theory exams include a bit of composition, I don't think they could work that into a GCSE in exam format.


I see what you're saying about music coursework but I don't think music provides the same scope for cheating as English or Maths.