Work dumped for new exam
On hearing that GCSE coursework is to be stopped or altered to be completed entirely in school classrooms, the general public may be forgiven for thinking that this is a good thing. Surely it will prevent cheating by some pupils and parents.
However, there are many implications for our teachers and pupils which may not be obvious to those not involved in delivering education.
Teachers have invested many hours of work developing resources based on coursework set by themselves to exam board guidelines. This is not to support cheating but to allow and encourage pupils to understand the work and gain the skills to produce their best.
Teachers can and do easily spot work copied from the internet or with parental input as it stands out from the pupil's normal work. All students coursework is internally moderated (checked by more than one teacher) to provide consistency of marking and grading.
This work is further checked by an expert marker at the exam board.
If the proposals are carried out, maths for instance might have four hours per week in which to prepare students for their exams. English however, would have to fit five major pieces of coursework as well into the same time allocation. Staff would have to produce all new resources for set coursework that may change annually.
In some instances, text books will become redundant while others will need to be purchased. In some schools, GCSE English delivered within one year to allow other options to be taken by pupils would also be under threat. Teachers are faced once again with the prospect of dumping many hours of work in the form of resources, an activity to which long-serving teachers are becoming wearily accustomed.
Will this really improve the understanding of a subject by pupils or will it once again cause a massive workload for no advantage?
Please look behind the headlines and consider if scrapping or curtailing coursework will really be an improvement.
Simon Biggs, retired teacher, Alderdale Avenue, Sedgley.
