GCSE

For other meanings of GCSE, please see GCSE (disambiguation).

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) (in Welsh: Tystysgrif Gyffredin Addysg Uwchradd (TGAU)) is the name of a set of British examinations, usually taken by secondary school students at age 14–16 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not Scotland, where the equivalent is called Standard Grade).

Structure

A different examination is taken for each area of study, but school students are usually obliged to take examinations for certain "core subjects" (English, English literature, Mathematics, Science and sometimes a modern language) along with several optional subjects. Normally pupils take nine GCSEs, though taking more is not unusual. There is also an option for students to take "short" or "half" courses for certain subjects.

Grades range from an A* to G, with a U standing for Ungraded. The A* was introduced in 1994 due to the increasing number of students attaining A-grades.

There were initially three tiers for most examinations: "Basic" (renamed "Foundation"), "Intermediate", and "Higher" tier. Most subjects moved to two or one tier during the 1990s. Mathematics remained an exception, but as of summer 2006 Maths will only have two tiers: Foundation and Higher. Students are entered for a certain tier based on their ability. The tier a student is entered for affects the range of grades that student could attain. Under the current system Foundation tier gives access to G to C and Higher D to A* - failing either tier would result in a U.

Some subjects, such as Science, can be split up into several different subjects: it is possible to be examined on Science as a whole, with one or two GCSEs, or Biology, Chemistry and/or Physics separately (where 3 GCSEs are awarded).

There are now five exam boards offering GCSEs: AQA, Edexcel, OCR the WJEC and the CCEA. Traditionally, there were a smaller number of regional exam boards, but changes in legislation allowed schools to use any board before a series of mergers reduced the number to five. Some examining boards offer a "modular" structure for some subjects, alongside the more traditional "linear" structure. In a modular structure, one or more modular examinations which focus on a sub-set of the syllabus are taken at intermediate stages of the course. Modular examinations may be re-taken to attempt to improve results. In addition to modular examinations, a modular structure may also include final or terminal examinations which examine the whole syllabus.

In most subjects, one or more coursework assignments may also be completed. Coursework typically contributes around 25% to the final GCSE grade. In subjects such as DT (Design and Technology - electronics, food, graphic products, resistant materials, systems and control and textiles), ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Art, Music Studies and Architecture, the amount of mark relying on coursework is 60%.

History

GCSE was introduced for teaching in September 1986, and replaced both the O-level GCE (Ordinary level General Certificate of Education) and the CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education) qualifications, which suffered problems due to the two-tieredness of the system. Grade C of the GCSE was set at the level where the O Level and CSE overlapped (making grades A-C equivalent to the respective O-level pass grades and grade 1 CSE while grades D-G are equivalent to CSE grades 2-5 respectively).

Some commentators feel that the GCSE system is a dumbing down from the old GCE / O-level system (as it took the focus away from the theoretical side of many subjects and taught students about real-world implications and issues relating to ICT and Citizenship), joking that it stands for Get Crampin Sylvia Examined or General Certificate for Sitting an Exam. Some public schools (private schools), have even gone as far as removing GCSEs from their curricula and instead encourage their pupils to progress straight to A-level or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme studies. On the other hand, it could be said to be better because it takes into account the ability of the student in the duration of the course, through coursework.

Introduced in 2000 was the Vocational GCSE, which encouraged students to take the work-related route and included courses such as engineering, applied business, ICT and leisure and tourism. From September 2004, the word Vocational was dropped and a Vocational GCSE is now known simply as a GCSE. This is to show that the vocational side is "on par" with the traditional academic side.

There are many GCSEs to choose from, with subjects ranging from music to media studies to history.

External links

The Guardian, 25 August 2005, "It really is that bad" - GCSE standards
The Guardian, 3 September 2005, "Top independent school to ditch GCSE science"

Revision

Exam boards

UK Government Education Bodies