Science GCSEs rejected in favour of ‘easier subjects’
- April 20, 2010
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Keywords:
- gcses
- science
- Not rated
A report by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), one of Britain’s biggest examination boards, has claimed that growing numbers of teenagers are deserting traditional GCSEs in sciences as alternative qualifications can provide an easier route to getting a good grade
As part of an AQA conference, head teachers and science experts were quizzed as to the state of science in the educational system. A document summarising their views argues that pupils opting for more vocational subjects was seen to be “leading to a bankrupt system”.
Nearly 50% of state comprehensives are still failing to offer separate science GCSEs; with the majority of pupils taking the arguably ‘less demanding’ double award science scheme, merging all sciences.
Richard Pike, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, commented on the report saying that teachers are so frustrated with the curriculum they just wanted to get it out the way in order to do more interesting things:
“Teachers cover the curriculum in 60 per cent of their time and spend the other 40 per cent doing really great things like tracking asteroids or doing transgender work in biology.”
The report said that results showed the current curriculum was encouraging students to do the bare minimum in order to just get through the exam, preventing them from aspiring to a lifelong interest or future career:
“Exams, particularly, were accused of having very constraining questions that were sometimes nothing to do with what students were being taught in the classrooms.”
