As time goes by I become more of the view that most exams are an unnecessary waste of time. I have sat a fair few in my time including the 11 plus (failed) which indicated that I was not cognitively competent for an academic education. Fortunately I managed to study for A levels and get to university and gain a first. I say this not to b…
As time goes by I become more of the view that most exams are an unnecessary waste of time. I have sat a fair few in my time including the 11 plus (failed) which indicated that I was not cognitively competent for an academic education. Fortunately I managed to study for A levels and get to university and gain a first. I say this not to boast (well just a bit then!) but to confirm that over the decades our state education system exams have rarely been fit for purpose.
Exams provide an assessment based on a few hours of frantic scribbling. They suit some people far more than others. For many particularly those who don't thrive on formal exams they serve to devalue the learning that the pupil/student has engaged with over the preceeding years. GCSE is a good example of this.
Back in the dark ages on the last century most youngsters left school at 15/16 years of age. Many had no formal educational qualifications at all. That includes many who passed the 11 plus and went to grammar schools. You would have imagined they'd all gone on to take A level and then to H.E. but that wasn't the case. Most went straight into work. Of course there was work aplenty whether in management training, factories, apprenticeships as well as posts in local government, police, nursing. The list goes on. Fast forward to the 21st century and we are fast entering a world where few occupations are open to you unless you have a degree or the entry qualifications to start one. Pity those 40 % of 16 year olds who didn't get L4 in English and/or maths. Not much open to them. We now have a national shortage of craftspeople. Don't get me wrong. Assessment matters. I don't want people driving on the public highway unless they havd proven their competence. I don't want medics practising on me unless they too have proved their competence. Or architects designing buildings..... But there has to be a point to it all. I'm not sure about the point of GCSEs. Except thst the grades decide who get a ticket for the next stage of the education ladder.
As time goes by I become more of the view that most exams are an unnecessary waste of time. I have sat a fair few in my time including the 11 plus (failed) which indicated that I was not cognitively competent for an academic education. Fortunately I managed to study for A levels and get to university and gain a first. I say this not to boast (well just a bit then!) but to confirm that over the decades our state education system exams have rarely been fit for purpose.
Exams provide an assessment based on a few hours of frantic scribbling. They suit some people far more than others. For many particularly those who don't thrive on formal exams they serve to devalue the learning that the pupil/student has engaged with over the preceeding years. GCSE is a good example of this.
Back in the dark ages on the last century most youngsters left school at 15/16 years of age. Many had no formal educational qualifications at all. That includes many who passed the 11 plus and went to grammar schools. You would have imagined they'd all gone on to take A level and then to H.E. but that wasn't the case. Most went straight into work. Of course there was work aplenty whether in management training, factories, apprenticeships as well as posts in local government, police, nursing. The list goes on. Fast forward to the 21st century and we are fast entering a world where few occupations are open to you unless you have a degree or the entry qualifications to start one. Pity those 40 % of 16 year olds who didn't get L4 in English and/or maths. Not much open to them. We now have a national shortage of craftspeople. Don't get me wrong. Assessment matters. I don't want people driving on the public highway unless they havd proven their competence. I don't want medics practising on me unless they too have proved their competence. Or architects designing buildings..... But there has to be a point to it all. I'm not sure about the point of GCSEs. Except thst the grades decide who get a ticket for the next stage of the education ladder.