GCSE sitting needs rethinking

Surely large scale exam taking in big halls needs a rethink. This debate is part of a bigger and wider debate on the value of GCSEs in the first place. GCSEs for a lot of pupils actually do not bring enrichment or opportunity. Instead they bring anxiety and misery just when their young minds need promoting as much as publicly measuring. 

We have discussed the value of computer based testing that can happen throughout the year. Especially for the private schools or foundation range. It seems strange we expect pupils who find their subject hard to sit in big intimidating rooms at specific times of the year. Which only come around once a year for a test that all the adults tell them is going to define the rest of their life's chances. 

The majority of GCSEs are done in large intimidating halls with aggressive staff who wander the hall like camp guards. The size is all down to the one offness of the event. Schools cram them in just once a year in, cross their fingers and wish them well. Surely the solutions to vastly increase the number of opportunities a pupil can take their GCSE exam by removing the schools requirement to sit the exam in their locations. Rather, like in my other blogs have exams running throughout the year and it is up the pupil and teacher to decide when they are ready to it the exam. As the exam is done elsewhere  the pupils will not feel beholden to the school and the school will encourage them when the pupil is ready. Rather than when the school is ready and only once a chance a year.

The exam centre can also be far focussed on giving a better experience to sitting the exam including keeping it cleaner than the school and better use of technology.