Return of the 'O' level

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

You have to question what examinations are meant to demonstrate. If it's just remembering facts, like history, then those with photographic memory will breeze it.....

I agree completely. I've lost count of the number of people I've spoken to who did well at their exams, but struggle with quite basic concepts a year or so later.

Just to add my 2p to the debate, what is the problem with re-taking exams? If you are not very good at something, shouldn't you keep trying until you get it? How many of us managed to pass the driving test first time around?

[devilincarnate]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

How many of us managed to pass the driving test first time around?

It took me 2 times to pass the theory and only one to pass the practical.

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by devilincarnate

It took me 2 times to pass the theory and only one to pass the practical.

And would you say you are a worse driver than someone who passed the test first time?

Originally Posted by cookie_365

O levels were dreadful qualfications. They tested nothing of any value. All they tested was your ability to regurgitate a fairly predictable set of key facts.

Good at problem solving? Good at working together in a group? Good at doing stuff (instead of knowing stuff)? Good at finding stuff out rather than memorising a tiny proportion of it? Good at applying what you've learned to real life scenarios?

If you answered 'yes' to any of these - well, no-one would ever know if you took O levels. Because they measured none of the above.

If you think about the skills you need to get through life and perform jobs in 2012 Britain, then O levels are about as far away as those skills as you can get.

Believe me, I was one of the last group in the UK to take them. I very quickly learned that I didn't need to do any work whatsoever for three years. I just memorised a small number of key points, regurgitated them into essays, and got good results.

since '0' levels and cses's weren't meant to do any of the above i'm not surprised they didn't .There purpose was to provide a good basic grounding in certain chosen subjects .The pupil would then either leave school with a basic knowledge of a subject or go onto further education in those subjects where they where expected to ,work in groups ,find things out ,etc.Nowadays ,as in my sons case ,he was "re-assessed" in geography to make sure he attained a pass mark ,not a resit as such just re marked in such a way that he gained a C grade