For some of us, GCSEs (or O Levels) might be a distant memory. You might be surprised to find out just how much they've changed. While the GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) are still the qualifications that children tend to take in Years 10 and 11, you mightn't recognise them or even understand what GCSE results mean.
With students being required to cover a variety of different subjects for their GCSEs, it can certainly become difficult for them to navigate their studies. When time is constrained such as in the period leading up to the GCSE examinations, this is amplified and students often find themselves struggling to sustain their study efforts.
Having an idea of what the GCSE program itself involves, the decisions that you will face throughout your study or even how to study are all things that can be nailed down in advance of commencing your preparation at school. This means that you can allocate your time towards studying and ultimately attain a higher overall grade in the exams!
While GCSEs have changed a lot over the years, they changed fairly recently with the reforms in 2015. With this in mind, in this article, we'll look at the most recent GCSE reform and what the GCSEs, the exams, the grading system, and secondary education for those aged between 14 and 16 are like now.
2015 GCSE Reform
If you studied O Level or GCSE before 2015, you won't have taken the same type of examinations as children are taking now as there was a GCSE reform and an A Level reform in 2015.
The biggest change for GCSE students is the GCSE grades. While many of us will be used to the idea of grades being based on letters, new GCSEs are awarding students a number from 9 to 1 with the former being the highest grade and the latter being the lowest.
Many parents will be worried about the new 9 to 1 system and how it will affect their child's grades as the first GCSE results are released. If you have any questions about GCSE results day, this
With more grade boundaries, it's easier to differentiate the abilities of different students and quickly see which students have studied the new GCSE and who studied the old GCSE.
The new GCSE's mathematics questions are more open-ended, challenging, and heavily rely on the student's mathematical intuition. Teaching to the test is no longer an option because there is a higher emphasis on problem-solving.
There are still Foundation (1–5) and Higher (4–9) tier papers, and many Higher topics are now making their way down into the Foundation paper. Some topics from the old A levels are still included in the Higher exam. Overall, the paper is more difficult.
On the other hand with the English exam, there is no longer a Foundation or Higher tier paper; instead, there is a single paper on which all students must be able to comprehend, analyze, compare, and assess obscure passages from nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature and nonfiction. But many students have reported having trouble finishing the test in the allotted time.
In English Literature, there is not only more emphasis placed on grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but there is also a lot more material to review, such as closed book exams on a text from the nineteenth century, fifteen poems, a contemporary play or novel, and a Shakespeare text.
The way students study for the qualification is different, too. In the past, many subjects were modular but now they're designed with two years of study in mind. Since the GCSEs have been reformed, there's less of a focus on “foundation tier” and “higher tier” exams and they can only be split into two exams if one of the papers limits a student's ability to show off all their knowledge.
Finally, one of the biggest changes is that resits are only available in November and students are only allowed to retake their GCSE maths and GCSE English language exams.
Generally, the reform timetable came into effect with core subjects (English language, English literature, and mathematics) rolling out in September 2015 and other subjects rolling out in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
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This means that students who studied in those years may have different GCSE subjects with different grade schemes. For example, students who started their GCSEs in 2015 will have taken a new style exam for English and maths with a numerical grade but GCSE science, religious studies and business studies will have been graded with letters.
Find out more about GCSEs and A Levels.
GCSE Exams
Sadly, even those who hate exams aren't free from having to take them if they're studying GCSEs. While recent changes have removed the modular aspects of the GCSEs, that just means that students won't have exams in January but they'll probably still end up doing the same amount of exams, they'll just be doing them in the summer instead.
If students achieve a grade of 3 or lower then they will have to retake their exams the next year if they decide to continue in further education. If this happens, then an English or Maths tutor will be able to help prepare your child for the rigours of the new exams, teaching them sound exam techniques and giving them access to high-quality revision resources.
How Long Are GCSE Exams?
The length of a given GCSE exam will depend on the subject and the exam board your GCSE is with. The exam boards in the UK include AQA, OCR, CIE, Edexcel, CCEA, ICAAE, and WJEC. Generally speaking, exams in academic subjects are between 1 and 2 hours in length with a GCSE level exam in modern foreign languages being under an hour they're usually broken down into speaking, listening, reading, and writing, for example.
When it comes to art exams, they tend to be much longer (around 10 hours) with students spending a couple of days working on a final piece.
Science exams tend to be closer to one hour in length than two hours as there'll be multiple exams (a double award science GCSE is often split into multiple exams). However, if you're studying triple award science, which means you're doing GCSE Physics, Biology, and Chemistry as separate subjects, you can expect longer individual exams.
In the event of exceptional and mitigating circumstances, extra time or special help may be offered. For example, students with dyslexia or a learning difficultly may be offered extra time in their exams.
Similarly, some students may be offered someone to help them write, read, or given a word processor if required. If the student requires someone to write for them as they dictate, they'll be able to take their exam in a different room.
Learn more about GCSEs.
Where Do GCSE Exams Take Place?
Before you can get your exam results, you'll need to sit your GCSE exams. Generally speaking, almost all subjects taught at your school will have the exams take place in the school as well. However, certain specialist subjects may be taught off-campus or in another place. Check with the school as to the location of exams.
As you'd expect, the exams will be conducted under exam conditions. This means that you won't be allowed anything not specifically permitted by the exam and you won't be allowed to have additional books or notes with you and nor will you be allowed to have electronic devices such as mobile phones. Normally, invigilators will take these devices off students as those found in possession can be disqualified from the exam.
Students shouldn't bring mobile phones, opaque pencil cases/tins, music playing or storage devices, books, or bags, etc. Having banned items can lead to disqualification as can communicating with other candidates, copying their work, attempting to communicate, or using any unauthorised aids.
If you need help with your GCSEs, A Levels, or any other subject or skill, consider getting in touch with one of the many talented and experienced private tutors on Superprof. You can find tutors all over the country and the world who are helping students with one or several different subjects and skills. There are tutors for academic subjects like maths, English, and science as well as tutors for hobbies, crafts, and skills like yoga, life coaching, or even sewing.
Similarly, you can find tutors across a range of different budgets, too. On Superprof, regardless of the subject or skill, there are three main types of private tutorial offered by private tutors: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. Each type of tutorial comes with pros and cons in terms of cost, learning style, and effectiveness so it's up to you to carefully choose the right tutor and the right style of tutoring.
Finally, group tutorials are between a private tutor and several students. While you won't get to enjoy one-on-one tutoring like the other types of private tutorials, this can be good for subjects like foreign languages where having several different students to talk to can be a huge benefit. With several students paying for the tutor's time, the cost works out cheaper per student per hour. Generally, group tutorials are the cheapest type available.
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