New-look tougher GCSEs revealed

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22841266

New-look GCSEs for schools in England are to be unveiled, with exams graded from eight to one rather than A* to G.

From 2015, GCSEs will move from coursework and continuous assessment to exams at the end of two years.

There will be an emphasis on more rigorous content, such as making sure that pupils studying English read the whole of a Shakespeare play, a 19th-Century novel and more poetry.

There is no sign of a change in name to I-level - as had been suggested.

The format, though, may be familiar to anyone who once took O-levels.

Wales and Northern Ireland are keeping GCSEs, but so far are not adopting the changes proposed for England.

The changes to GCSEs in England will be presented on Tuesday in two reports. Exam regulator Ofqual will explain how the exams will be structured and ministers will give details of the course content.

The reforms will initially apply to a group of core subjects - English language and literature, maths, physics, chemistry, biology, combined science, history and geography.

Hundreds of thousands of pupils will begin studying these revised GCSEs from autumn 2015 and the first candidates to take the exams will be in summer 2017.

Apart from exceptions such as practical experiments in science, there will be a strong push towards exams being taken at the end of two years, rather than in individual units during the course.

Grading will be numbers rather than letters - with eight at the top and one at the bottom. The pass mark will be pushed higher, with claims that it will be pitched at the level of the highest-performing school systems, such as Finland and Shanghai, which have topped international rankings.

The new GCSEs will represent a push for a more stretching, essay-based exam system, reminiscent of O-levels, taken by pupils until the late 1980s.

In history there will be more essays and fewer short-form questions, and the removal of a controlled assessment.

In English, responding to concerns that pupils were only reading chunks of books, there will be a requirement to read whole works and an expectation that pupils will study a wider range of of writing from different eras.

Maths will promote the idea of developing independent problem-solving skills, rather than setting types of questions that can be rehearsed.

This is the latest stage in Education Secretary Michael Gove's drive to reconfigure the exam system.

Last year, Mr Gove announced plans for the scrapping of GCSEs and their replacement with English Baccalaureate Certificates, with each subject to be set by a single exam board.

This re-branding was scrapped, with GCSEs to be retained but reformed instead.

These latest plans will be put out to consultation over the summer, with a timetable that will see the exam boards preparing to produce courses that can be accredited by Ofqual to be taught in schools from autumn 2015.

These changes are for exams in England.

Seems like a good idea ..... :idc:

[Me. I Am Salman]

No, it doesn't. GCSEs were stressful enough

[Jack_]

From 2015, GCSEs will move from coursework and continuous assessment to exams at the end of two years.

Absolutely awful idea and for the record, none of Gove's plans could ever be described as 'good'.

[reece(:]

Thank god I've done mine and atleast BTECs are still an option.

[Omah]

For the record, educational standards need improvement - reading a WHOLE play and a COMPLETE novel may be a step forward ..... :laugh2:

[Marsh.]

But we did read a whole play?

Do they only read one act or something nowadays? I only left school 6 years ago.

As for getting rid of coursework and continuous assessment is a big mistake. Not everyone copes well under exam conditions and won't show their true ability. At least the GCSE method actually tested you a variety of ways from timed tests to monitored progress.

[Jake.]

Completely stupid and awful idea. You have to wonder when Gove is going to get it into his thick mind that for some Vocational education is the better option whilst not so for others. Not every teenager is able to cope with the stress of exams and constant revision, coursework and assessments can help take the weight off of their shoulders.

[Jack_]

But leaving exams till the end of a two year course only benefits a small minority of students, it's going to exclude so many people and will, in the end, only make these changes look unsuccessful. Modular exams work much better and make much more practical sense, and of course not everyone can cope with the stress of exams and some prefer coursework.

[Jake.]

But leaving exams till the end of a two year course only benefits a small minority of students, it's going to exclude so many people and will, in the end, only make these changes look unsuccessful. Modular exams work much better and make much more practical sense, and of course not everyone can cope with the stress of exams and some prefer coursework.

:worship: Nail on the head

[Scarlett.]

Exams on the whole are terrible, they're basically memory tests.

[Kizzy]

But leaving exams till the end of a two year course only benefits a small minority of students, it's going to exclude so many people and will, in the end, only make these changes look unsuccessful. Modular exams work much better and make much more practical sense, and of course not everyone can cope with the stress of exams and some prefer coursework.

This is an excellent idea, as was the vocational skills idea.
I feel GCSEs have been simplified, if you read an old O level (higher GCSE equivalent) textbook you would be surprised at the difference in language and vocabulary used.

[Kizzy]

I would welcome a move back to secondary modern and grammar schools, and bring back the middle school system where you go to higher school at 13. I wouldn't bring back the 11+ , by 13 though there is a distinct difference between those who are academic and those who would benefit from a more vocational based education.

[Z]

So basically turning GCSEs into Scottish Standard Grades; which when I was at school were being phased out in favour of Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 exams which worked more like GCSEs. Bizarre.

[Samuel.]

Exams on the whole are terrible, they're basically memory tests.

^^^

Honestly struggled with GCSE's more than A levels or level 4 education. Glad I don't have to worry about this.

[Kizzy]

But we did read a whole play?

Do they only read one act or something nowadays? I only left school 6 years ago.

As for getting rid of coursework and continuous assessment is a big mistake. Not everyone copes well under exam conditions and won't show their true ability. At least the GCSE method actually tested you a variety of ways from timed tests to monitored progress.

My dtr brought photocopies of 2 acts home, they spoke of the literary devices but they did not read the play.... they watched the film! :eek:

[Marsh.]

My dtr brought photocopies of 2 acts home, they spoke of the literary devices but they did not read the play.... they watched the film! :eek:

:laugh: That says it all.

My cousin is in year 10 so has started all their GCSE work and for a novel they are reading they read a chapter, then watch the equivalent of the movie. Back and forth, back and forth most likely in an attempt to hold the student's attention.

[Kizzy]

This has all sprung up from the recent debates about grammar, kids don't know enough, I also think that there is a really limited vocabulary spoken by high school kids. In top set English at 10 we had to learn 10 new words a week, we basically were forced to read a dictionary haha.

[Omah]

My dtr brought photocopies of 2 acts home, they spoke of the literary devices but they did not read the play.... they watched the film! :eek:

:laugh: That says it all.

My cousin is in year 10 so has started all their GCSE work and for a novel they are reading they read a chapter, then watch the equivalent of the movie. Back and forth, back and forth most likely in an attempt to hold the student's attention.

How often does the movie bear little or no resemblance of the play or novel - I am reminded of "The Comic Strip Presents..." The Strike (1988), in which Paul, a former miner, writes a hard-hitting left wing screenplay about the 1984 miners' strike. It is accepted by a Hollywood film company but gets turned into a distorted action film in which Arthur Scargill, portrayed by Al Pacino with Meryl Streep as his wife, performs motor-cycle stunts, rescues his daughter from a flooded mine and saves his pit from closure after an impassioned speech to parliament. The film cleans up at the Oscars but Paul is disillusioned - and a wanted man in his home village.

:laugh3:

[Tom4784]

Moronic ideas.

Focusing more on tests is incredibly ****ty, they should be moving away from exams not emphasising them.

[Z]

Moronic ideas.

Focusing more on tests is incredibly ****ty, they should be moving away from exams not emphasising them.

I agree, I think exams are stupid. Having said that, I always cope really well in exam situations and get ace grades in them and I'm actually pretty rubbish at coursework; so it benefits me the way schools and universities operate. In principle, though, I think exams are stupid, they're glorified memory tests for the most part.

[Nedusa]

I can't believe it..........yet more changes to the Education system. why don't they stop messing around with the system, changing it every 2 or 3 years helps no one.

There should be no further changes for at least 5 years....!!!

[Cherie]

I can't believe it..........yet more changes to the Education system. why don't they stop messing around with the system, changing it every 2 or 3 years helps no one.

There should be no further changes for at least 5 years....!!!


Completely agree.. the constant messing around with it is not fair on the students or the parents.

[jackc1806]

Stupid idea... How do they expect students to memorize 15 or so 2 year courses? It just makes it unnecessarily hard and excludes loads of students.

[Kizzy]

GCSE's including the books studied for English haven't changed since 1988, options have though, we didn't have to choose PE or religious studies or a science. We got 5 options, 3 hours of maths and English a week and half a day at college.

[Tom4784]

I agree, I think exams are stupid. Having said that, I always cope really well in exam situations and get ace grades in them and I'm actually pretty rubbish at coursework; so it benefits me the way schools and universities operate. In principle, though, I think exams are stupid, they're glorified memory tests for the most part.

They should make a more flexible system for it all really, give preference to the child's strengths. You'll never get an accurate depiction of what a student has learned with an exam if they don't test well and vice versa.

[Ammi]

They should make a more flexible system for it all really, give preference to the child's strengths. You'll never get an accurate depiction of what a student has learned with an exam if they don't test well and vice versa.

..yeah, I total agree with that Dezzy, it should be flexible and adapted to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual pupil...I think it would be too expensive maybe to do that though but it's annoying and frustrating that so much money is wasted in keep changing different things constantly when they could take a step toward doing that instead...

[arista]

For the record, educational standards need improvement - reading a WHOLE play and a COMPLETE novel may be a step forward ..... :laugh2:


For Sure

[Vicky.]

Absolutely awful idea and for the record, none of Gove's plans could ever be described as 'good'.

Hmm..so coursework doesnt affect the grade anymore?

I would have aced every one of my exams if this happened..my coursework dragged my grades down because I couldnt be arsed with it. I got Bs in everything when my coursework was usually C and below..so I would think without the coursework bit I would have been A in most :laugh:

Thats me though, I know loads panic under stress. Having it all hanging on a few exams is a bad idea in general IMO

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22841266

Apart from exceptions such as practical experiments in science, there will be a shift towards results depending fully on exams taken at the end of two years. It will mean removing the 25% of marks in history, English literature and geography that are currently allowed for controlled assessments.

History will require a substantial study of British history - with an option for this to be the history of England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland. Pupils will have to write an in-depth study of a 25 to 50 year period within a range of eras stretching from 500AD to the present day.

There will be a less prominent world history section and pupils will be asked to study a theme such as changes in politics, religion or culture across the medieval, early modern and modern eras.

In English literature, responding to concerns that pupils were only reading chunks of books, the exam questions will be designed to ensure that pupils have read the full work.

The course content will include at least one play by Shakespeare, a selection of work by the Romantic poets, a 19th Century novel, a selection of poetry since 1850 and a 20th Century novel or drama.

For both English language and literature, digital texts are excluded.

Maths will promote the idea of developing independent problem-solving skills, rather than setting types of questions that can be rehearsed.

:idc:

[Jack_]

My issue with this is exams at the end of two years, it doesn't make any practical sense whatsoever. Modular courses are much better because you learn the unit, you take the exam in it, that's it. Done. You don't have to then come back at the end of two years to a unit you learnt in the first quarter of the first year of the course, how can you expect students to remember that far back? Even with revision it's simply not practical. This is only tailored towards a very small minority of students that have an excellent memory and the resources available, and in the end will only alienate more students and lead to poorer results, which will then in turn become another issue dealt with by more changes to the education system, it's a vicious circle.

Also, I hate coursework personally and much prefer exams, but that doesn't mean every student is the same. These changes are actually sending the education system back in time and are not at all progressive, but then that's exactly what Gove wants, isn't it?

[RichardG]

What's all this about people only having to read chunks of a book? I did my English Literature exam in May and we had to read the entirety of the two books we studied for it. If we didn't the exam would've been hell. :o

[Kizzy]

I would say personally that removing coursework is a MASSIVE step backwards, and does not prepare for university as that is module based?

[Nedusa]

What I find slightly amusing is that the Govt now wants to focus on the education model as is currently used in Singapore, it wants to try and change the UK system (again) to bring it more into line with the Singapore system.

Funny thing is the Singapore system is actually the old UK system as used in Britain in the late sixties. This system was adopted by Singapore in 1971 and has been used very successfully there producing a high standard of academic excellence.

Can anybody see the sweet irony in this whole situation...!!!!

[Omah]

What I find slightly amusing is that the Govt now wants to focus on the education model as is currently used in Singapore, it wants to try and change the UK system (again) to bring it more into line with the Singapore system.

Funny thing is the Singapore system is actually the old UK system as used in Britain in the late sixties. This system was adopted by Singapore in 1971 and has been used very successfully there producing a high standard of academic excellence.

Can anybody see the sweet irony in this whole situation...!!!!

Yes, it's just like sport - we invent the game, someone in the world will always beat us at it ..... :pipe:

The British educational system is now only middle-league - good, but not good enough ..... :shrug:

[Harry!]

Michael Gove is the education anti-Christ he is totally clueless about the education system. Coursework enables students who do not do well in exams to succeed in the classroom. The education system and exam structure is perfectly fine as it is.

[joeysteele]

Absolutely awful idea and for the record, none of Gove's plans could ever be described as 'good'.

Agree with this, in my opinon little more to be said really, you say it all very well in few words.

[Kizzy]

The education reforms of the late 80's early 90's clearly haven't worked, the schools appear to be manipulating passmarks for funding. and focussing too hard on funneling kids through, focussing too intently on the exam questions and not the subject as a whole.
This helps nobody in the end, I would like to see a return of the 3 R's...

[Sam:)]

Is there any GSCE matherial archive? Im sitting my Junior Cert (I think its the irish equivelant) and want to see how to exams compare to the GCSE's

[Jessica.]

I don't see a problem with it, I think course work and all that is just the teachers and everyone holding your hand to guide you through it, exams are based on what you actually know.

fyi - the Irish equivalent of GCSE is 3 years long and the exams are at the end with 0 coursework in most subjects, it's not uncommon to do 11 or more subjects for it. I think it's a good system.

[Omah]

Head teachers' leader Russell Hobby said the plans for a "more rigorous exam to the existing GCSE contain merit" but warned against an over-hasty implementation. "We need to take time to get any new assessment system right."

Assessment is the major hurdle ..... :pipe:

Ofqual head Glenys Stacey says: "We want to see qualifications that are more stretching for the most able students, using assessments that really test knowledge, understanding and skills."

The LCD has to go ..... :thumbs:

Education Minister Elizabeth Truss said: "We do need to start competing against those top performing countries in the world, because for too long we've pretended that students' results are getting better, when all that's been happening is the exams have been getting easier."

Exactly ..... :idc:

[Jack_]

Exams getting easier LMAO

I hate that argument, it always seems to come from those who left education decades ago too

[Me. I Am Salman]

Exams getting easier LMAO

I hate that argument, it always seems to come from those who left education decades ago too

It's funny because it was 30000x easier for them. being able to flop education and not go to uni but still get a well paid job easily

[Kizzy]

I have a learning resource book from 1988 for English GCSE, you would be shocked to see how they differ from the ones now.... They seem to have been written for 8yr olds.

[Kizzy]

Exams getting easier LMAO

I hate that argument, it always seems to come from those who left education decades ago too

That's an odd thing to say, anyone of any age can compare and contrast education over the years.
There is no getting away with it standards have fallen since the advent of GCSE.

[Omah]

It's funny because it was 30000x easier for them. being able to flop education and not go to uni but still get a well paid job easily

"30000x easier", eh?

Interesting statistical evaluation ..... :pipe:

Obviously, you can't substantiate it ..... :laugh2:

[Niall]

My issue with this is exams at the end of two years, it doesn't make any practical sense whatsoever. Modular courses are much better because you learn the unit, you take the exam in it, that's it. Done. You don't have to then come back at the end of two years to a unit you learnt in the first quarter of the first year of the course, how can you expect students to remember that far back? Even with revision it's simply not practical. This is only tailored towards a very small minority of students that have an excellent memory and the resources available, and in the end will only alienate more students and lead to poorer results, which will then in turn become another issue dealt with by more changes to the education system, it's a vicious circle.

Also, I hate coursework personally and much prefer exams, but that doesn't mean every student is the same. These changes are actually sending the education system back in time and are not at all progressive, but then that's exactly what Gove wants, isn't it?

Sums up my entire opinion the topic actually.

But personally, I think coursework is (if done correctly, which it most often is) is a fantastic way to asses a student's knowledge on a topic. It forces you to apply everything you've learned in the subject, like specific skill sets and techniques, in new, and much more creative ways. I think that it can also give you more of a hands on understanding of a subject than the glorified memory tests that Gove champions. My English Language coursework this year for example forced me to go out and acquire my own data on any linguistic thing I thought was of note. History made me complete a research project into British law around crime and punishment. I learned far more about those subjects, and what they and the potential careers around them would require from the coursework than I ever did in the countless hours of essays I've written in preparation for the exam.

It just amazes me that these people simply do not look into how the successful education systems work. I must sound like a broken record with this now, but Finland has one exam that is mandatory for students in primary and secondary education. Only one. And they have the top education system on the planet. I think that says it all really, doesn't it?

[Me. I Am Salman]

How does Finland work?

[Roy Mars III]

http://i.imgur.com/r9fXlI8.jpg

[Kizzy]

One overiding factor here is that exams (for the majority anyway)
avoid the prospect of cheating?
You can cut and paste essays and ask clever mates/mums to 'help' with coursework?
That, I would say is a big argument for them I suppose.

[Niall]

How does Finland work?

They favour a non-judgemental system based on being all inclusive for all kids no matter what their level of ability. They just try and rigorously use as many resources as it takes to get the children to learn. All teachers are required to have PHDs too (which are paid for by the state) and schools are afforded an extreme amount of autonomy.

Like I said, they have only one mandatory exam and I believe that's treated as a very relaxed affair. It's a much better system, and it's been proven to work.

[Me. I Am Salman]

They favour a non-judgemental system based on being all inclusive for all kids no matter what their level of ability. They just try and rigorously use as many resources as it takes to get the children to learn. All teachers are required to have PHDs too (which are laid for by the state) and schools are afforded an extreme amount of autonomy.

Like I said, they have only one mandatory exam and I believe that's treated as a very relaxed affair. It's a much better system, and it's been proven to work.

Sounds so much better

[Niall]

One overiding factor here is that exams (for the majority anyway)
avoid the prospect of cheating?
You can cut and paste essays and ask clever mates/mums to 'help' with coursework?
That, I would say is a big argument for them I suppose.

I haven't heard of a single person who's gotten away with plagiarism in my school (or in any other school near me) in their coursework. They are very, very rigorous with that. People underestimate it a lot.

And if we're gonna go down that road, is it not cheating if one kid uses a revision guide whilst another doesn't? That is in a way, an unfair advantage, just as someone helping another person on their coursework is (which, again, is a rare occurrence).

[Niall]

I haven't heard of a single person who's gotten away with plagiarism in my school (or in any other school near me) in their coursework. They are very, very rigorous with that. People underestimate it a lot.

And just to expand a bit on this (because it's a bit of an unfounded point), I was actually speaking with my mum about coursework today, and she told me that they will actually go through and check passages of it against the major search engines to find results for exemplar courseworks in case I (or anyone else for that matter) copied and pasted from the Internet.

People just assume that because the top grades are being attained more often now, that the exams are easier. But what if the system has managed to teach well, and kids are more intelligent as a result? No-one seems to consider that..

[Jack_]

And just to expand a bit on this (because it's a bit of an unfounded point), I was actually speaking with my mum about coursework today, and she told me that they will actually go through and check passages of it against the major search engines to find results for exemplar courseworks in case I (or anyone else for that matter) copied and pasted from the Internet.

People just assume that because the top grades are being attained more often now, that the exams are easier. But what if the system has managed to teach well, and kids are more intelligent as a result? No-one seems to consider that..

This is true, a few months back our year had this revision tips session with some organisation that specialises in it and the woman told us (she said she shouldn't be telling us) that there's this special search engine specifically for that purpose that lots of educational institutions use to check for plagiarism. I can't remember the name of it now though.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.copyscape.com

[Omah]

It just amazes me that these people simply do not look into how the successful education systems work. I must sound like a broken record with this now, but Finland has one exam that is mandatory for students in primary and secondary education. Only one. And they have the top education system on the planet. I think that says it all really, doesn't it?

Actually, no ..... the Finnish education system is radically different to the British one, right from day 1 - to foster a culture of reading, parents of newborn babies are given three books, one for each parent, and a baby book for the child, as part of the "maternity package" ..... :idc:

[Niall]

This is true, a few months back our year had this revision tips session with some organisation that specialises in it and the woman told us (she said she shouldn't be telling us) that there's this special search engine specifically for that purpose that lots of educational institutions use to check for plagiarism. I can't remember the name of it now though.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.copyscape.com

Wow I didn't think it would be that public, but it just goes to show how a lot of comsideration is put into it all.

Actually, no ..... the Finnish education system is radically different to the British one, right from day 1 - to foster a culture of reading, parents of newborn babies are given three books, one for each parent, and a baby book for the child, as part of the "maternity package" ..... :idc:

Is that a bad thing? Reading to children as soon as possible helps their linguistic development immensely, and you're making that out to be bad? And as a strong command of any language is vital to success within any education system, I'd say that policies with foresight such as this are excellent.

[Kizzy]

This is true, a few months back our year had this revision tips session with some organisation that specialises in it and the woman told us (she said she shouldn't be telling us) that there's this special search engine specifically for that purpose that lots of educational institutions use to check for plagiarism. I can't remember the name of it now though.

EDIT: Found it.

http://www.copyscape.com

It's called turnitin, I used it in my degree, loads of the lads on my course said prior to that they copy and pasted regularly.

I didn't say the exams were getting easier, I said learning is exam focussed...
The curriculum is so unchanged that the same questions are cropping up regularly... It's just a matter of coaching students to focus on specific areas of text rather than the play or subject as a whole.

[Niall]

It's called turnitin, I used it in my degree, loads of the lads on my course said prior to that they copy and pasted regularly.

I didn't say the exams were getting easier, I said learning is exam focussed...
The curriculum is so unchanged that the same questions are cropping up regularly... It's just a matter of coaching students to focus on specific areas of text rather than the play or subject as a whole.

Okay, but lets be realistic: reading and analysing an entire Shakespeare text is a tall order especially when you consider the multitude of other units within English, but the 7 or 8 other GCSEs the student may be doing at the same time also.

[Omah]

Is that a bad thing? Reading to children as soon as possible helps their linguistic development immensely, and you're making that out to be bad?

Where was I "making that out to be bad?"

:conf:

I was contradicting your implication that Finland's "top education system on the planet" was entirely due ("I think that says it all really, doesn't it?") to the fact that "Finland has one exam that is mandatory for students in primary and secondary education. Only one."

Even a cursory glance at Finland's educational system shows glaring differences between it and the British system - in comprehensive school, from 7-16, classes are small, seldom more than twenty pupils, who, from the outset, are expected to learn two languages in addition to the language of the school (usually Finnish or Swedish) - outdoor activities are stressed, even in the coldest weather - reading for pleasure is actively encouraged (Finland publishes more children's books than any other country) ..... :idc:

[Niall]

Where was I "making that out to be bad?"

:conf:

I was contradicting your implication that Finland's "top education system on the planet" was entirely due ("I think that says it all really, doesn't it?") to the fact that "Finland has one exam that is mandatory for students in primary and secondary education. Only one."

Even a cursory glance at Finland's educational system shows glaring differences between it and the British system - in comprehensive school, from 7-16, classes are small, seldom more than twenty pupils, who, from the outset, are expected to learn two languages in addition to the language of the school (usually Finnish or Swedish) - outdoor activities are stressed, even in the coldest weather - reading for pleasure is actively encouraged (Finland publishes more children's books than any other country) ..... :idc:

Well it was your phrasing and use of emoticons that made it seem that way. Sorry if I misunderstood you.

Anyway, everything you've mentioned is something I think we should strive towards. Perhaps the late entry point of pupils is something that's more debatable, but everything else is marginally better than how it works over here.

I think it would allow a much less stressful environment for people to learn in. Exams cause so much grief in that sense. Learning shouldn't be such a stressful experience.

[Marsh.]

I agree about the teachers using shortcuts. Only focusing on the part of a curriculum they know will crop up in exams again and again.

It's all about statistics, get those pass and A* figures up there to make the school or an individual teacher feel good about themselves but the students are missing out on the broader education. It's all about competition instead of learning.

[Kizzy]

It's all about league tables, funding and a very restrictive curriculum.
Some kids like exams some don't thats just a fact I guess.
There may be room for controlled assessments throughout the year to check progress?

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22854908

In English language, 20% rather than the current 12% of marks will be awarded for good spelling, punctuation and grammar and a "greater range of writing skills" will be required.

A change that's been long overdue .....

Pupils who opt to take geography will be examined on the range of skills needed for fieldwork and there will be more emphasis on the human and physical geography of the UK.

I have no idea how that differs from current practice .....

New science GCSEs contain practical experiments and extended work on topics such as genetics and ecology in biology, nanoparticles and bioleaching in chemistry, and energy and space in physics.

I don't know what those will entail, but they sound interesting and challenging .....

:idc:

[Kizzy]

Sound great to me.

[Apple202]

Absolutely awful idea and for the record, none of Gove's plans could ever be described as 'good'.

:worship:

thank god these havent applied to me