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What is wrong with all examination?

Arran Cameron
During my secondary school years every GCSE subject had a coursework component. In 2007 coursework was dropped from maths making it all examination. In more recent years other subjects have gone all examination.


I strongly uphold the main GCSE subjects (English, maths, science, probably geography, history and RS as well) as all examination with no coursework, as I believe it to be the fairest method overall, although coursework components should continue for creative subjects including art, music, and D&T.


Whenever I state my view I get accused of being another Michael Gove.


I am aware that the Lib-Dems and the Green Party want to re-instate coursework for ALL GCSE subjects. Is this intelligent thought or just a whim of a liberal chattering class without any regard for students themselves or the desires of the silent majority?
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    Lisa Miles:

    If I had done GCSE's instead of O levels then I probably would have got higher grades due to the coursework inclusion. Although I did 'pass' most of my exams with C's and B's anyway. 


    .... Apart from maths.... I was always (and still am) really rubbish at maths laugh. I failed my O level (D grade) and ended up doing a CSE in maths instead and getting a grade 1 which was equivalent to a C grade pass at O level anyway! 


    I suppose in Maths, my coursework was good because I had time to think through everything but under exam conditions I just got too flustered and couldn't work everything out in time. sad




    You might have picked a bad example because maths is a subject that naturally lends itself to all examination more so than creative or essay based subjects. For example, history is a subject where exams require the ability to (hand)write lengthy paragraphs in a short space of time whereas coursework assignments (which are also lengthy paragraphs) can be completed at leisure and typed on a computer. Coursework is closer to the work of real world historians whereas it can be artificial and unrepresentative for secondary school level maths apart with the possible exception of statistical analysis. In fact I have found pure maths coursework assignments to be of a questionable nature. This probably helps to explain why maths was the first subject to abandon coursework. 



     

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    Lisa Miles:

    If I had done GCSE's instead of O levels then I probably would have got higher grades due to the coursework inclusion. Although I did 'pass' most of my exams with C's and B's anyway. 


    .... Apart from maths.... I was always (and still am) really rubbish at maths laugh. I failed my O level (D grade) and ended up doing a CSE in maths instead and getting a grade 1 which was equivalent to a C grade pass at O level anyway! 


    I suppose in Maths, my coursework was good because I had time to think through everything but under exam conditions I just got too flustered and couldn't work everything out in time. sad




    You might have picked a bad example because maths is a subject that naturally lends itself to all examination more so than creative or essay based subjects. For example, history is a subject where exams require the ability to (hand)write lengthy paragraphs in a short space of time whereas coursework assignments (which are also lengthy paragraphs) can be completed at leisure and typed on a computer. Coursework is closer to the work of real world historians whereas it can be artificial and unrepresentative for secondary school level maths apart with the possible exception of statistical analysis. In fact I have found pure maths coursework assignments to be of a questionable nature. This probably helps to explain why maths was the first subject to abandon coursework. 



     

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