Are GCSEs relevant? I’m not so sure. And even if they are, they’re certainly not appropriate for every child. Plus, GCSEs might suit some subjects more than others.
And that’s before I even get to my own confusion about the new grading system. The A, B, C, D and E of my year (1988) have been replaced with a baffling 9-1 range, in which being No.1 no longer means you’re the best or at the top.
More positively, exams are good in that they teach kids that life can get quite uncomfortable at times (my two-dozen failed job interviews spring to mind). The last things young people need are spoon-feeding and mollycoddling.
Looking back at my own set of average grades, they certainly haven’t defined my working life since: that’s been anything but average, ranging from drab, dull and achingly miserable to utter rubbish in the early years, moving through comfortable to thoroughly enjoyable more recently.
I feel uncomfortable with the pressure that kids find themselves under to do well at exams (some more than others) because they tend not to reflect professional life – at least not in my experience.
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