23rd August 2012 12:29
By Blue Tutors
The Drive for O Level Type Exams Continues
More pupils than ever before are taking iGCSEs, an exam which examines at the end of 2 years rather than throughout the year. This backs up Michael Gove’s plan to reintroduce O Level type courses to the UK which also examine only at the end of the 2 year course.
Overall, UK schools made 50,000 IGCSE entries this year, this compares to the more than 5m GCSE entries last year.
From September, pupils in England starting GCSE courses will mostly take exams after two years.
Cambridge International Examinations says 400 state schools in the UK are now preparing pupils for IGCSEs, compared with 97 in 2010.
Among private schools, 500 are using IGCSEs, compared with 320 in 2010.
A spokesman for Pearson, Edexcel's parent company, said: "The continuing popularity of IGCSEs in this country and abroad supports our view that students should be able to choose the qualifications that suit their interests, ambitions and style of learning."
Peter Monteath, from Cambridge International Examinations, said: "The feedback we are getting from schools is that they like the flexibility of these syllabuses, which gives teachers more scope to explore different topics with students.
"Their linear structure also gives students space and time to study topics in-depth."
This all seems to tie in with the call by Universities for students to be able to study in greater depth and more independently by the time they reach undergraduate age.
Full story BBC Education website 08/08/12.