• Question: Do you agree with Michael Gove's opinions concerning GCSEs? Do you think they are too easy?

    Asked by selmae to Andrew, Ash, Gem, Paige, SJ on 28 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by minisam22.
    • Photo: Gemma Staite

      Gemma Staite answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      This is a difficult one. It’s been quite a while since I did my GCSE’s now, but I don’t remember thinking they were easy when I did them. A lot of focus goes to them being easy because the percentage of top grades increases, but this is what we would hope for as we learn from previous experiences.

    • Photo: Paige Brown

      Paige Brown answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      I’m not sure about this one… we have a different system in the US!

    • Photo: Andrew Thomas

      Andrew Thomas answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      I don’t know really. I did O-levels and old style A-levels – that’s how old I am and from the point of view that you sat the whole thing in one go at the end of the course rather than modules, yes I think it was a little harder to get a good grade. I’ve been helping my son with his revision for his linear GCSE maths exam, and apart from the fact you are given some of the equations that we had to learn, and you can use a calculator (we had to use logarithm tables) I don’t think it’s that much easier now, just different.

      I will tell you though that Michael Gove says that children today have a lack of understanding of basic maths. Actually by saying that all children should learn times tables up to 12 he shows a basic lack of understanding of maths. As you all know if you can multiply up to 10 x tables you can multiply any two numbers together because we operate in the base 10 system. He only wants to do 12 x tables because that’s what he did (and me). He forgets the reason we did this was because we used to work in feet and inches and pounds shillings and pence where there were 12 parts in a unit! Send Mochael Gove back to remedial maths I say!

    • Photo: SarahJayne Boulton

      SarahJayne Boulton answered on 30 Jun 2012:

      I really like Andrews answer to this one – I did GSCE’s and didn’t realise why I learned the times tables up to 12 – it makes sense now!

      I tutor a handful of students through their GCSE’s and can see that even the ones predicted A’s and B’s still really struggle with some of the concepts. Having seen some of the past papers and test questions I don’t think the exams them selves are too easy, but I think the way that the grades are awarded should be made clear before the exams are sat and definitely before results are published.

    • Photo: Ashley Cadby

      Ashley Cadby answered on 1 Jul 2012:

      I think that the number of students getting higher and higher grades is worrying. We are very good at science education in the UK, but are we really that good? I would guess not, I think that we should make exams difficult enough so that most people get C’s and an A is exceptional. The bunching of high grades does no one any good. So I think they are too easy and we should make them harder so that most people get C’s. This has nothing to do with the students but rather the people that set the exams.

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