Are GCSEs and A Levels past their sell-by date?
This could be one of those balanced posts where, in order to present myself as considered, I sit on the fence. ‘On the one hand this, on the other hand that.’ Fortunately, it is not going to be.
The traditional British GCSE and A Level curriculum model is too narrow and not well suited to educating the majority of young adults in the modern world.
British education is revered around the world for quality and depth. In comparison to the US system, we Brits have, in general, higher academic expectations of our teenagers than our friends across the Atlantic. But I believe that our curriculum model sacrifices breadth and forces children to specialise too early.
Our GCSE curriculum places too much emphasis on constraining knowledge into the narrow confines of exam specifications. It is a travesty that a foreign language is not compulsory at GCSE level. Two schools doing interesting work in this area are St Edward's School, Oxford and Bedales School, both of whom have developed their own in-house courses that prioritise a joy of learning and intellectual breadth over constant past papers. Latymer Upper School has recently announced it is doing the same.
A Levels are impressive in their depth but 15-16 is too young to choose just three or four subjects that will determine future university and career pathways. Limiting a young person’s experience to just a few options limits exposure to a broad range of ideas and experiences essential to developing an informed worldview.
I agree with the Prime Minister’s stance that all students should study maths up to the age of 18. We are almost unique in developed OECD countries of not having compulsory maths from 16-18.
The IB Diploma offers broader all-round education. While it is not perfect, overall, the IB model of six subjects plus an extended essay and personal development offers better preparation, in my view, for further study and for success in a rapidly changing global landscape.
The current British GCSE and A Level model was designed for a pre-WW2 industrial society. It is well past its sell-by date.
Rethinking Assessment is a group of teachers and school leaders advocating for ground-up change in the UK’s model of assessing students: https://rethinkingassessment.com