GCSE
A-level grades misallocation – Injustice due to lack of individuality
Nothing can be more individualistic than examinations. The idea of using some algorithm without rigorous evaluation of individual students is not only insensitive and unjust, but grossly inadequate. Hence, the way in which A-level grades have awarded this year is unfit for purpose. I could not believe my ears and eyes when I heard on…
Read MoreShould the pandemic limit young people’s option to five GCSEs?
Should the pandemic limit young people’s option to five GCSEs? According to the Sunday Times, the government released a set of guidelines about the 2021 GCSE examinations on 2nd July. They are recommending that, in exceptional circumstances, pupils may be allowed to take as few as five GCSEs. This is in recognition of the lost…
Read MoreNurture’s dominance increases … 2021 GCSE & A-level exams may be at the mercy of teachers…
Nurture’s dominance over Nature increases, as teenagers A-level and GCSE exams for 2021 may be at the mercy of teachers again… I’ve always been of the belief that nurture plays a greater role in success than nature. I’ve seen so many young people of average ability but who work hard excelling beyond all expectations. At…
Read MoreSchool closure and lock down – Is enough being done to help Y11 prepare for A-level?
From what we’ve been hearing in the news, as far as secondary education is concerned, attention is on Y10 and the lower sixth (Y12) at present; which is understandable, as these two year-groups will be taking their GCSE and A-level exams, respectively, in less than 12 months’ time. Not much is said about Y11 students…
Read MoreHow good is the Quality of Online Teaching after School Closure due to the pandemic?
Since the lockdown and school closure in the last week of March, all secondary schools have been making some sort of provision for their students. The standard of education being provided varies very widely. Some schools are using online technology, such as Zoom, Skype, Microsoft One Note, Google Classroom and so on, to provide live…
Read MorePositive discrimination for white working-class boys, good for the goose, good for the gander
Positive discrimination for white working-class boys…. If it’s good for the goose, should it necessarily be good for the gander as well? A distinguished mathematician, Sir Bryan Thwaites, very recently had his donation of over £1m rejected by two public schools (public schools are top independent, private schools) – Dulwich College and Winchester. The reason…
Read MoreAlas, how come some public schools don’t teach their students GCSEs, and they still take exams in it
A lesson for me from a sixteen-year-old, which you may find intriguing I was at the intensive revision course for our A-level and GCSE students today and, during the break, I was chatting to the teenagers, as I usually do. I usually try and make small-talk and chat about their travelling experience, school and so…
Read MoreMisconceptions about post-sixteen and sixth form A-level subject options
There are so many misconceptions about post-sixteen and sixth form study and before I discuss them briefly, I’d like to list some of those: If I study Media Studies at A-level, I have an excellent chance of getting the top job in the media – like being a top TV presenter or something. A-level in…
Read MoreFailure to plan for A-level or GCSE Exams is a plan to Fail
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase several times that “Failure to plan is a plan to fail.” This very much applies to teenagers as many of them face what is, perhaps, the most important test in their lives to far – the summer examinations. Hard work is important and most young people are working hard…
Read MoreArt and Music versus STEM subjects, McJobs …
On the Radio 4 programme that I mentioned in the first part of this blog post article, some of the panellists, in my view, wrongly blamed the introduction of the EBacc as the reason why there is a decline in the number of young people who are taking Art and Music at GCSE; in fact,…
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