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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:


    I never had the luxury of typing out coursework on a computer, all homework, coursework etc was hand written in exercise books..! sad Or the luxury of using the Internet for reseach either... In fact my 'research' was mostly done in the reference section of the local library in the evenings and out of the way of my then 18 month old brother... laugh

    You raise an interesting point. When the concept of GCSEs having a coursework component was devised in the early 1980s almost all secondary school students used to handwrite their homework. Therefore it's probaby safe to assume that the proposers of GCSE coursework expected all coursework to be handwritten. Home computers became popular in the 1980s but they were overwhelmingly used for games rather than educational activities. Very few kids at the time had a printer, and if they did own one, then schools were often reluctant to accept printed out homework.


    The printing out of homework and coursework only really took off in the mid 1990s after word processing was included in the ICT curriculum and inkjet printers became affordable and commonplace. Around 2000ish it became the norm for GCSE coursework to be produced on a computer rather than hand written.


    My A Level electronics teacher gave everybody a template file for coursework assignments. He mentioned that students shouldn't have to waste time faffing around with formatting the style of coursework assignments as they are an exercise in electronics, not typesetting, so using the template file will result in a document that is properly structured and professionally typeset. There is no rule imposed by exam boards against template files for coursework assignments. Formal typesetting is not part of the school ICT curriculum and I'm doubtful whether many teachers even know much about the subject.
     

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    Lisa Miles:


    I never had the luxury of typing out coursework on a computer, all homework, coursework etc was hand written in exercise books..! sad Or the luxury of using the Internet for reseach either... In fact my 'research' was mostly done in the reference section of the local library in the evenings and out of the way of my then 18 month old brother... laugh

    You raise an interesting point. When the concept of GCSEs having a coursework component was devised in the early 1980s almost all secondary school students used to handwrite their homework. Therefore it's probaby safe to assume that the proposers of GCSE coursework expected all coursework to be handwritten. Home computers became popular in the 1980s but they were overwhelmingly used for games rather than educational activities. Very few kids at the time had a printer, and if they did own one, then schools were often reluctant to accept printed out homework.


    The printing out of homework and coursework only really took off in the mid 1990s after word processing was included in the ICT curriculum and inkjet printers became affordable and commonplace. Around 2000ish it became the norm for GCSE coursework to be produced on a computer rather than hand written.


    My A Level electronics teacher gave everybody a template file for coursework assignments. He mentioned that students shouldn't have to waste time faffing around with formatting the style of coursework assignments as they are an exercise in electronics, not typesetting, so using the template file will result in a document that is properly structured and professionally typeset. There is no rule imposed by exam boards against template files for coursework assignments. Formal typesetting is not part of the school ICT curriculum and I'm doubtful whether many teachers even know much about the subject.
     

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