Fears of cheating lead to crackdown on GCSE coursework
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Print
Email
Pupils will be barred from taking GCSE coursework home in a bid by government watchdogs to stamp out cheating.
The proposal, outlined in a consultation document published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) yesterday, is designed to stop children getting their parents to do the work - or using the internet to copy answers. Instead, pupils will have to complete their assignments in a supervised classroom, allowing teachers to monitor any aides that they use. They will still be allowed to carry out independent research but always with a strict time limit and with the condition that the work will be completed in the classroom.
In addition, exam boards are urged to be stricter about setting out what should be covered in assignments and what resources pupils can use.
The concept of coursework will be replaced by "controlled assessments" which Dr Ken Boston, chief executive of the QCA said would, "increase public confidence in the GCSE".
The shake-up, which will also include greater emphasis on the ability to write extended projects in a range of subjects, comes in the wake of research that showed one in 20 parents admitted drafting their children's answers. It also revealed that 93 per cent of youngsters had access to the internet at home and could use it to frame their answers.
But teachers' leaders are worried that the extra supervision will increase their workload and limit pupils' opportunities for independent learning. They also believe slow learners should be given more time.
Yesterday's blueprint coincided with the publication of a second report outlining details of what should be covered in the syllabus for each subject at GCSE. In history, it is proposed that a minimum of 25 per cent of time should be devoted to British history - partly to meet the demands from senior politicians such as Gordon Brown that "Britishness" should be covered in the school curriculum to give pupils a sense of their culture.
In some of the new vocational GCSE's - for instance, construction and the built environment - pupils will be asked to spend more time considering the impact of environmental changes. They will be asked to, "develop an awareness and understanding of sustainable construction and environmental issues". In geography, the syllabus should, "develop their responsibilities as global citizens and recognise how they can contribute to a future that is sustainable".
* GCSE students with hay fever symptoms are 40 per cent more likely to drop a grade between their mocks and final exams rising to 70 per cent if they are taking a sedating anti-histamine treatment, a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology shows.As many as 63 per cent of the 1,834 students surveyed reported hay fever symptoms.
