I have a proposal for a new GCSE grading system

Let me explain,
I feel that the numbers used by exam boards breed an environment of self-entitement and a general "holier-than-thou" attitude. As someone who is sitting happily on a grade average of 6, people who have grades above me usually carry an air of superiority when talking to me because they have a bigger number on paper than me.
I suggested to my friends that they implement a "PASS/FAIL" grade only, moving the pass grade up slightly higher to a grade 5 equivalent and taking away any differentiation between candidates. I argue that this breeds a more encouraging environment around grades that convinces people to pass and pass only. This means people find out only what matters- whether they passed or not, meaning the 'snobs"have no ground to be mean to me- or others with lower grades- when discussing results.
I feel this would alleviate a common problem with GCSE-related egos and I'd love to hear people's opinions!

Let me explain,
I feel that the numbers used by exam boards breed an environment of self-entitement and a general "holier-than-thou" attitude. As someone who is sitting happily on a grade average of 6, people who have grades above me usually carry an air of superiority when talking to me because they have a bigger number on paper than me.
I suggested to my friends that they implement a "PASS/FAIL" grade only, moving the pass grade up slightly higher to a grade 5 equivalent and taking away any differentiation between candidates. I argue that this breeds a more encouraging environment around grades that convinces people to pass and pass only. This means people find out only what matters- whether they passed or not, meaning the 'snobs"have no ground to be mean to me- or others with lower grades- when discussing results.
I feel this would alleviate a common problem with GCSE-related egos and I'd love to hear people's opinions!

I agree somewhat with your point but I think Pass/fail could be replaced with Brick/Bad brick

I agree somewhat with your point but I think Pass/fail could be replaced with Brick/Bad brick

Valid NGL, people may like the change of terminology

Solid brick of chalk, right?

The term "brick" implies solidity and achievement, while "bad brick" suggests a lesson learned. This framing can motivate students to strive for improvement rather than fear failure.

orr the Pass/Fail thing could be used for school reports and stuff, like stuff that students have access to see. There would still be a numbers/grades system which could be used for more serious stuff like school/university applications, but it would only be accessible by the teacher/exam board/school/ and (maybe parents?), and no student can access it, which means no comparing grades between classmates
my thoughts

Dude. That pass fail doohickey would make me anxious and paranoid

Let me explain,
I feel that the numbers used by exam boards breed an environment of self-entitement and a general "holier-than-thou" attitude. As someone who is sitting happily on a grade average of 6, people who have grades above me usually carry an air of superiority when talking to me because they have a bigger number on paper than me.
I suggested to my friends that they implement a "PASS/FAIL" grade only, moving the pass grade up slightly higher to a grade 5 equivalent and taking away any differentiation between candidates. I argue that this breeds a more encouraging environment around grades that convinces people to pass and pass only. This means people find out only what matters- whether they passed or not, meaning the 'snobs"have no ground to be mean to me- or others with lower grades- when discussing results.
I feel this would alleviate a common problem with GCSE-related egos and I'd love to hear people's opinions!

orr the Pass/Fail thing could be used for school reports and stuff, like stuff that students have access to see. There would still be a numbers/grades system which could be used for more serious stuff like school/university applications, but it would only be accessible by the teacher/exam board/school/ and (maybe parents?), and no student can access it, which means no comparing grades between classmates
my thoughts

If it’s pass/fail without students, teachers, educational institutions and employers being able to see what percentage of marks students got overall for the GCSE subject then nah. Even with the current system, I’m against the fact that the percentage of marks a student got for each qualification isn’t easily shown. A grade 5 for GCSE higher tier Maths might look good on paper (no pun intended) but is really good when you only know just over/under 30% of the content?
If it’ll be a case of:
GCSE Maths (student 1): Pass 57%
GCSE Maths (student 2): Pass 28%
GCSE English Language (student 1): Fail 41%
GCSE English Language (student 2): Fail 30%
Etc
So that schools, employers and universities can differentiate better between students.
Then I’d somewhat support it but in a manner that’s phased.

I don’t think this is really an issue with the grading system itself, but rather with the behaviour and attitude of your peers. I’d worry a pass/fail system would make people who try really hard and get top marks feel like their hard work is worth the same as someone who did very little and scraped a pass.

Yes, but it is easier to hide/remove ranked grades compared to removing attitudes. Egos are pre-instated whereas grades can be presented in any way one likes

That makes more sense, but it still provides an "I'm better then you" opportunity

But the grades aren’t actually the thing that you have an issue with, it’s the attitudes. I mean imagine that you’re a grade 9 student who puts in hours and hours of work, just to get the exact same recognition as someone who just crammed the night before and got a 5. It seems like a recipe for everyone just doing the bare minimum. In real life, people are different levels than others at many things, but you don’t just hide that to prevent the possibility of someone acting superior.

Yeah but you need some way of differentiating between scores in my opinion. Even with the current system I don’t like the fact that percentages aren’t easily shown. I’ll take percentages over grades.