I am exasperated by the Government’s treatment of teachers and pupils and baffled as to why the Government didn’t decide to make coursework a large component of the GCSE and A’ Level examinations this Summer. Students of all abilities and income brackets can do project work whether presented as Power Points, blogs, films and websites, or handwritten essays, scrapbooks, diaries and models. Those lucky enough to have broadband and computers can research online while others borrow books from the school and local library.
When I started teaching in an outstanding Camden comprehensive, the English A’ Level was 80% coursework and GCSE was 50%. A’ Level students produced creative writing relating to texts, a comparative dissertation on fiction of their choice and literary criticism essays. GCSE English Language students wrote their autobiography. It involved a lot of marking but it was great fun to teach.
Coursework would give students a purpose during lockdown, develop their skills of research and independent learning and provide opportunity for a huge sense of achievement. To cancel this year’s exams with no ideas for assessment in place when students have been working hard towards an examination and teachers have spent the Christmas holidays turning their schools in to testing centres is damaging to the morale and mental health of pupils and teachers. Once more the Government’s incompetence is nothing less than cruel.
Vanessa Raison
From a letter posted to Kevin Courtney 1.1.21
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