mark barker said:
Well I can't go back that far, but in the 10 years that I've been teaching I don't believe that the standards have dropped. Sure, the requirements have changed, but thats only to be expected.
Do you really believe that if the majority of parents were to sit the exams now they would get a grade equal to or higher than they did at school? I doubt it!
Parents using subject related skills should have no difficulty in equalling or exceeding their grades. I am such a parent. My wife teaches German and is confident enough to claim that she'd clear an A in French despite deserting it twenty years ago.
I am genuinely concerned about the disappearance of large amounts of countent from the science and maths courses that do require higher level thinking skills.
Remember, just last week the exam boards have been instructed to re-write their examinations as they were deemed to be too easy at GCSE level. I wonder when there will be an intervention at A/S level.
Gove does have a point in his request for summary assessment at the end of a two year course:
Many of the high grades awarded come as a result of the ability of students to re-sit modules until they get the 'right grade' when combined with less demanding questions it's no wonder that grade inflation happens.
I have no problems in accepting modular exam results if the 'first sitting' only results are counted for performance comparisons.
Not all A grades are equal. One candidate might have taken double the number of modules as another.
The knowledge that re-sits are available are a noticeable disincentive for some student to take the first sittings seriously.
