O-Levels return would be 'unfortunate', says headteacher (From Bucks Free Press)

Bucks has a two-tier secondary school system - why not a two-tier exam system to go with it?

Why change the name?

The reason why GCE's and CSE's were scrapped was of a perceived two tear system.

GCSE was a one tear! or was it?
No it is not - many papers have two tears i.e. a lower and higher paper. On the higher paper you can get A* to C on the lower C to E.

The major problem with education is everyone wants to look good and boast they have done something positive. This normally means meddling with an already good system. British education was considered one of the best in the world but one has to question that now. The classic is the exam module. This meant you had a very intensive and specific topic to learn. Its fresh in your mind and you take an exam at the end. Two months later, after studying for the next module, you have forgotten 90% of what you only recently learned. All looks good on paper but information retention is bad. The concept of one exam at the end of the full study period (as per GCE and CSE) is a much better system.

We need to go back to the old system of just core academic subjects as these are the building blocks for latter life. Yes change to more specialist subjects after the age of 16 but up until then keep the choice small.

For the previous commentator it seems exams were full of tears, especially English it seems.

Says the head from a two tier system in Bucks.
A two tier system that works well in Bucks...
Just sorting the chaff from the wheat...

Interesting that the commenter here who wants a return to focus on core academic subjects does know the difference between tiers and tears.

Welwyn Dowd wrote:
For the previous commentator it seems exams were full of tears, especially English it seems.

Yes - it's a crying shame (apparently)

English added, though not studied.
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The objective of the two-tier system appeared to be to produce a piece of paper for those less academically inclined, thus no-one would be perceived as "failing". (although those intellectuals who introduced this concept may be so judged).
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One can only "fail" in what one individually aspires to achieve.
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Sounds like educational heresy?

The old CSE system was far better and more understandable by employers than the GCSE has ever been

It was based on a years course work and two end of year exams with the added bonus that it wasn't a set percentage or score that represented a grade. Just because you got an X % score it did not guarantee a good pass. Ths meant if you didn't work hard and did better than the rest you could fail especially if the exam was easy.

Only the top pre-set percentage were awarded a top grade and that was taken as a percentage of all those who took the exam that year.

There were 6 grades and an employers could see straight away just by the grade if the person had done well. Where as with the current system nobody knows if the grade was achieved through hard work or because it was a simple test that any five year old would pass.

Its only real draw back was that it was only available to those who attended Secondary Modern or Comprehensive Schools where as Grammar and Public Schools only had the GCE. As such those that only had CSE's were marked as being educated at a so called lesser school. (Which is daft because it wasn't uncommon for a student to leave school seven or eight good grade CSE passes)

If every student achieves an A or A* what good is that to us and it doesn't help those students who really work hard if an employer has the view that the exam mark was achieved by simply turning up or is swamped with applicants all claiming good grades.

Sorry but there are times when we all fail at something - its how we pick ourselves up again and learn that matters not that we got good grades when everybody no matter how hard they work gets the same mark.

Not everybody can be a Doctor, Professor or City sponger we still need manual workers and those that make things and just because you don't do well in exams does not mean that you cant do well in life or be a success in business if you work hard to achieve and want it badly enough to over come.

GCSE's are confusing to employers because only half the students get to take a exam that could be awarded an A but if a student gets a C was it that they workd hard in the Lower Level Test of did rubbish in the Harder Test

At least a Grade 1 CSE was equated to be an O Level pass and employers and Colleges understood what it ment

Welwyn Dowd wrote:
Bucks has a two-tier secondary school system - why not a two-tier exam system to go with it?

It actually has a Four tier system

Both so called top Schools Like Borlase once was and the rest - it also has Higher and Lower GCSE exams -
Confused well will someone explain it to employers