| From: | Alan Buxey |
| Date: | 22 Aug 2000 at 13:03:20 |
| Subject: | Re: OT GCSE Results |
hi,
> the GCSE's without revising and do very well. I did and I know many other
> people who did too. GCSE's aren't getting easier. The problem is is that
sorry, but kids in britain arent getting cleverer each year. fact is more
rely now more than ever on extra means to get answers (use of calculators,
open book exams etc etc)
GCSE's and A-levels are getting easier each year. you only have to take a
1989 GCSE and compare than paper to one from 1994, then 1997, then 2000 to
see this. same for Alevels.
students now coming to university to study science subjects are almost
inadequately taught for certain fields and have to have extra tuition
or crash courses. Most PhD students find extra money teaching these 1st years
I dont want to undermine the exams....and anyone getting good results
deserves a 'well done!!!' and good result! etc , however, the exam can only
test what students have been taught. And its because a lot has been sliced
out of courses and curriculae that the exams have gotten easier, NOT
because of the questions asking less taxing problems. THAT is the issue.
eg, last year of O-levels (ah yes, those were the days), differentiation
and integration were in the maths papers. 1st year of GCSE's, those topics
were nowhere on the paper. instead, students then had to learn about it
for their Alevels instead....which meant 3 months of original Alevels were
cut out...the universities now have to compensate.
strangest of all is that the UK has one of the worlds youngest school-entry
ages...and yet by 14 yrs, children are behind in education compared to other
countries which dont let their children go to school to learn until that are
7 years old. up until then, their children play. Seems that by halting the
playing (which builds up social/confidence/competitiveness/memory/imagination
etc etc) by sending kids to school too early, results in the mind not
developing soon enough and education being unfeasible until
post-puberty/teen age. a big problem for british society.
alan
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