Have schools stopped pupils taking GCSE's early?

Spendless

I asked my friend's daughter, who is 15 and academically bright if she'd taken any exams early (I would have congratulated her on her grades)and she said no, the school had stopped pupils taking them in earlier years.

I was a bit surprised to hear that, as a few months ago, I received a letter from son's school (same one!) saying that son had been selected to do triple science and would sit some of the exams for it in yr 10. This was also what we were told at a meeting about it at beginning of year.

Friend's daughter is also taking triple science.

I've tried google seeing if it's a new rule that's just come in, but can't find anything definite. I don't mind either way, there's pros and cons to both, just wondering if I'd misunderstood.

poet123

As far as I know it is up to the individual school. My youngest son took some in yr 10.

the_pink_panther_2

Taking GCSE final examinations a year early are allowed, but it means that those results are not allowed to be included in the school's publishable statistics as far as league tables are concerned, so in effect appears to reduces the school's overall pass rate and hence also their ranking in national league tables and making the school appear worse rather than better.

Module exams can be taken early, as long as the terminal exam is in the summer of when the student is aged 16 (usually year 11) then those will count. So triple science, which depending on exam board usually includes modular exams can be sat early, giving opportunity to resit lower modular results and can be sat in year 10 or 11, if the terminal exam for that subject is in year 11 the student's final result will count in league tables, if it was taken in year 10 it won't, but in this instance, where there are modular exams then what matters is when the final exam is taken which counts.

All very unfair in my view as either the student or school lose out long term particularly it comes to more able students. But in this school's case, if this girl is gifted, it's quite likely this is more about statistics.

loobylou2

My son took GCSE Geography last year in year 9 and GCSE Maths,Science,German and History this year in year 10 so no I don't think schools are stopping students from taking GCSE's early!!! The opposite in fact, at his school they make a definite push to get them through early!!!! He's still only 15 and although he did really well and got C's in all of them I can't help but wonder how he would have done if he'd taken them at the end of this coming school year instead.

peachyprice

loobylou2 wrote: »

My son took GCSE Geography last year in year 9 and GCSE Maths,Science,German and History this year in year 10 so no I don't think schools are stopping students from taking GCSE's early!!! The opposite in fact. He's still only 15 and although he did really well and got C's in all of them I can't help but wonder how he would have done if he'd taken them at the end of this coming school year instead.

Did he do foundation or higher tier?

If he did higher, I would ask for resits, it seems really unfair to make him take them early then 'only' get a C, when as you say, if he'd have waited he may have done even better.

Obviously if it was foundation he was never going to get higher than a C, but if that's the case would they let him then do higher tier?

loobylou2

peachyprice wrote: »

Did he do foundation or higher tier?

If he did higher, I would ask for resits, it seems really unfair to make him take them early then 'only' get a C, when as you say, if he'd have waited he may have done even better.

Obviously if it was foundation he was never going to get higher than a C, but if that's the case would they let him then do higher tier?

Do you know I'm not 100% sure. I think it was higher because he was disappointed that he didn't get a B in History, he did better than expected in Science though and his German was definitely a resit from last year, we had a letter saying they wanted him to resit as because he'd taken the exam in year 9 and obtained a D grade they felt he could still do better and resit to try and obtain a A-C grade he ended up attending extra classes to do this much to his disgust!!! I have already had a letter about maths and think he will probably be resitting that to try and improve his grade but am not sure about English as I thought he sat the exam this year and he is now telling me its next year. Option choices for year 11 are GCSE PE,and law. I think I'll be contacting school though next week because I want to know what is going on and am finding all this very confusing!!!

angelil

Up to the individual school.

As an international school, we run them early because a) many of our kids stay no longer than a year with us and may not go on to a school that does them, so this could be their only chance; and b) some of our students do stay with us and it gives them a chance to spread their exams out over two years - and, in the worst case scenario, gives them a second bite at the cherry if it all goes tits up the first time through.

We have many students who do very well in these exams in Year 10, so it can work well, but naturally depends on the individual student too. I wouldn't advise taking them in Year 9.

There are no league tables for international schools, so that aspect of the argument is of no relevance to us.

securityguy

loobylou2 wrote: »

My son took GCSE Geography last year in year 9 and GCSE Maths,Science,German and History this year in year 10 so no I don't think schools are stopping students from taking GCSE's early!!! The opposite in fact, at his school they make a definite push to get them through early!!!! He's still only 15 and although he did really well and got C's in all of them I can't help but wonder how he would have done if he'd taken them at the end of this coming school year instead.

So what a shockingly bad thing the school did. He took them early, and got the bare minimum pass. Had he done them a year later, he'd have done better. So he has a bunch of results which mean that either he has Cs in core subjects (ie, no selective university will touch him) or he will have resat a load of core subjects (ie, no selective university will touch him). There's no extra regard for a "C at 15" or, indeed, a "C at 5". It's a C, end of. And for a lot of universities, they will only consider A Levels done in one sitting at year 13 (ie, if you do A levels spread out over three years, only those taken at the end count) so what is he doing with his time now?

If you take GCSEs early, you should get an A*. If you don't, why did you take it early?

securityguy

loobylou2 wrote: »

Option choices for year 11 are GCSE PE,and law.

A Level Law is regarded as an non-preferred soft subject, even if you are applying to do law. GCSE law is even less well regarded.

poet123

securityguy wrote: »

So what a shockingly bad thing the school did. He took them early, and got the bare minimum pass. Had he done them a year later, he'd have done better. So he has a bunch of results which mean that either he has Cs in core subjects (ie, no selective university will touch him) or he will have resat a load of core subjects (ie, no selective university will touch him). There's no extra regard for a "C at 15" or, indeed, a "C at 5". It's a C, end of. And for a lot of universities, they will only consider A Levels done in one sitting at year 13 (ie, if you do A levels spread out over three years, only those taken at the end count) so what is he doing with his time now?

If you take GCSEs early, you should get an A*. If you don't, why did you take it early?

I agree. We told the school that we would only agree to our son sitting the exams early if he was predicted a A*.

lika_86

Spendless wrote: »

I was a bit surprised to hear that, as a few months ago, I received a letter from son's school (same one!) saying that son had been selected to do triple science and would sit some of the exams for it in yr 10. This was also what we were told at a meeting about it at beginning of year.

When I did my GCSEs (2004), science was a subject that was partly made up of modular and final exams, you started sitting modular exams (multiple guess) in year 10 and throughout year 11 and then had final exams. So that may explain what the school have said.

In my opinion, sitting exams early is pointless unless you're a child prodigy getting an A* in maths at 5 or if you're doing something like taking a GCSE in a non-English language which the school won't teach but that the student may know from home/parents etc (ie. someone I knew took Welsh GCSE in year 10). Better to get an A in year 11 than a C in year 9 in my view.