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the regular moan about school leavers skills

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4170336.stm


this isn't a issue for GCSEs it's an issue for people leaving primary school for christs sake

learning to read write and do arithmetic is something a 10year old can learn

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    and just to add, surely this is somehow related
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4467726.stm
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think GCSE's are a good indicator of a students ability in English or Maths, but they don't necessarily mean that the student will have all of the basic skills required, such as spelling, basic grammar, because these aren't the focus of the course. From what I remember from my GCSE English papers, you gained about 4 marks (out of 100) for spelling and grammar. In Maths, you were given between about 3 and 6 marks per question. Only 1 mark was awarded for the correct answer, the rest being given for showing the correct working out.

    I would suggest that someone who got an A* at GCSE Maths would be much better at working out a complex mathemtical problem than someone who got a D, but would not automatically be better at working out sums in their head. I'm not exactly great at maths without an Excel workbook open, but I'm not bad. I've come across people at my work (who's job it is to quote prices for customers, incidentally) who didn't even know how to add VAT onto a price with a calculator.
    Similarly, an A* English student may be able to write an excellent persuasive article for the local newspaper, but will not always be better than a D grade student at proof reading an article for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

    And I don't think that these things should be the focus of GCSE courses. Basic spelling (i.e. their, there, where, were, wear, we're), grammar and times tables should have been learned by primary school. If students are leaving secondary school without these basic skills, then we should be looking at the teaching in primary schools and the first three years of secondary schools, rather than the GCSE course itself, which let's remember, is only two years long.

    Go on then smart arses, point out all of my mistakes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In Maths, you were given between about 3 and 6 marks per question. Only 1 mark was awarded for the correct answer, the rest being given for showing the correct working out.

    Last year when I was doing my GCSEs, we got told that you get all the marks for the correct answer without the workings and got a certain amount of marks (depending on the amount of marks for the question) if the workings were correct, but the answer was wrong.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Last year when I was doing my GCSEs, we got told that you get all the marks for the correct answer without the workings and got a certain amount of marks (depending on the amount of marks for the question) if the workings were correct, but the answer was wrong.

    Must have changed a bit since I did it then.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    couldnt be arsed reading the links but ...i thinks kids at twelve should be inturfuced at least one day a week to real lidfe.
    work experience ...of every possible kind cois i believe school may well educate but don't prepare.
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