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Howard Falshaw pours scorn on the education secretary’s ‘new’ proposal for mock exams, while Eric Gilhooley and Chris Dunne offer some much-needed solutions to the education shambles
So Gavin Williamson’s plan B in the event of Covid-related disruption to next year’s GCSE exams is that schools will hold mock exams with exam-style invigilation, marking and grades awarded, using specimen papers from the exam boards (‘Plan B’ for rigorous mock exams to avoid rerun of A-level fiasco, 10 October). How does he think schools normally conduct mock exams – with disco lights and free shots?
Going by my experience of 40 years of teaching, every secondary school conducts mock exams in precisely the way that this “new” initiative proposes. It beggars belief that the education secretary’s grasp of his brief is so flimsy. Rather than delaying GCSE exams by three weeks, Williamson’s proposal will effectively bring them forward by six months, as the mock exams will assume a far greater weight for students than they ever have in the past.Howard FalshawCrofton, West Yorkshire Continue reading...