General Article Why I no longer care about getting the top GCSE grades

Topic Selected: Education Book Volume: 353
This article is 5 years old. Click here to view the latest articles for this topic.

In a classroom which is more exam-driven than ever, is it right that children and teachers should have to bear negative consequences?

 

By Alexander Barrington Brown

Next summer, the same as every year, thousands of students across the country will be taking their GCSEs in sweaty exam halls from Edinburgh to Exeter. For a few weeks students write on pages which will determine their A-levels, careers and, to a certain degree, success for years to come. As a nation we put immense pressure on 16-year-olds to succeed in these exams. With new reforms, however, which have been falling into place over the past few years, this becomes a more challenging goal. Exam stress is becoming more common among teens and is a huge issue for schools and parents, with its root cause being the more pressurised and exam-focussed classrooms.

What’s changed?

I first want to start by informing the readers who have previously sat their GCSEs about the recent changes. The whole grading system has changed from ...

Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?

Sign up now for an immediate no obligation FREE TRIAL and view the entire collection