iGCSE Question
iGCSE Question
iGCSE Question
An anonymous correspondent got in touch this week and raised questions about iGCSE.
He suggests that it seems easier to get a C with that qualification than the conventional GCSE in which C grade candidates in June have been punished with a D because of examination board incompetence in January and Ofqual’s obsession with ‘comparative outcomes’ in June.
He suggests that this is a state v independent school thing.
I have no personal experience of iGCSE, though perhaps I will do soon, as the flight from GCSE gathers pace - especially if iGCSE provides fairer criteria-referenced sanctuary.
It would be interesting to hear from centres that use iGCSE to learn whether the comparative outcomes nonsense has been similarly applied to that qualification or whether a student who should have got a C actually got one.
Or, as Glenys Stacey might put it, did iGCSE students ‘get even luckier’?
Any further insights gratefully received ...
Dear Geoff
My colleagues and I are very suspicious of what we discovered yesterday re the iGCSE which we are thinking of changing to.
We spent 2 hours looking through the English and Eng Lit specs for Cambridge iGCSE - the ones that are validated by that esteemed organisation Ofqual.
And we found no mention of bands.
Instead we found clear grade descriptors in the English spec for grade C which matched the grade descriptors for band 3 in AQA.
When we looked at Lit grade C it requires some understanding etc which sounds E-ish to me.
So is the independent sector having Cs awarded to pupils matching criteria which now only merit a grade D in the state sector?
Grade descriptions
Grade descriptions give a general indication of the standards of achievement likely to be shown by
candidates awarded particular grades.
To achieve a Grade A, a candidate will be able to:
• Understand and communicate information at both a straightforward and a complex level.
• Understand facts, ideas and opinions, and order and present in detail what is relevant for specific
purposes.
• Describe and reflect upon experience and detail, analysing effectively what is felt and what is imagined.
• Recognise implicit meanings and attitudes of a writer.
• Show a clear sense of audience and an understanding of appropriate uses of language.
• Write in well constructed paragraphs, using a full range of appropriate sentence structures, and show
accuracy in spelling and punctuation.
• Select and use appropriate spoken styles and registers. Candidates will vary their sentence structure,
vocabulary and expression confidently for a range of purposes, sustaining discussion through the use of
a variety of contributions, listening with sensitivity, and occasionally taking the initiative.
To achieve a Grade C, a candidate will be able to:
• Understand and convey information both at a straightforward level and at a more complex level.
• Understand basic facts, ideas and opinions, presenting them with a degree of clarity and accuracy.
• Evaluate material from texts and select what is relevant for specific purposes.
• Describe and reflect upon experience and express effectively what is felt and what is imagined.
• Recognise the more obvious implicit meanings and attitudes of a writer.
• Show a sense of audience and an awareness of appropriate uses of language.
• Write in paragraphs, using a variety of types of sentence and taking care over spelling and punctuation.
• Use varied vocabulary when speaking, and organise their Individual Task to communicate clearly,
engaging the interest of the listener. In discussion, candidates make significant contributions, mostly
in response to the directions of the speaker(s), showing a readiness to listen to others and to respond
appropriately.
To achieve a Grade F, a candidate will be able to:
• Understand and convey information at a straightforward level.
• Understand basic facts, ideas and opinions, presenting them with a degree of coherence.
• Select material from texts and comment upon it at a literal level.
• Describe experience in concrete terms, expressing intelligibly what is felt and what is imagined.
• Recognise clear meanings and explicit attitudes of a writer.
• Show awareness that language is used in different ways in different circumstances.
• Write at least in correct, simple sentences – weaknesses in spelling and punctuation and the
construction of complex sentences will be apparent, but will not seriously impair communication.
• Develop ideas, describe events and convey their opinions clearly when speaking. In discussion, they
listen with concentration and make contributions in response to others’ ideas and views.
Saturday, 15 September 2012