Stop Press: Important changes to National 5 and GCSEs this year

Last week, it was announced that in Scotland, National 5 will not be examined in 2021, but will be based on teacher assessment. And just yesterday, an announcement was made in respect of GCSEs in England and Wales (with details to follow).  

What this means for National 5 students  

This means there will be no external assessment of National 5 this year – either by an exam or by coursework. Instead, National 5 will be assessed by a system where grades are awarded based on coursework and teacher judgement.

Some guidance for teachers as to what this will entail and how they can achieve this has already been issued, with more guidance per subject to be issued on a rolling basis after half term.

However, it is envisaged that where possible, between two and four pieces of work per subject will form the basis of arriving at a student’s final award with early indications suggesting emphasis will understandably be on the quality of work produced by each student throughout the year.

The position in respect of GCSEs

The situation in England and Wales is not yet quite as clear when it comes to GCSEs. The exams regulator Ofqual has already confirmed that changes will be made to GCSE assessments next year. These changes address concerns about missed learning and will allow certain assessments to go ahead in a way that allows for maximum social distancing, for example by reducing the need for group performances.

Stop press

At the time of publication, the Government had just announced that GCSEs will go ahead, but three weeks later than usual. However, the Government has also stipulated that this could be subject to change if there is no COVID 19 vaccine or events change. Ofqual have been understood to be working on contingency plans for next summer's exams. One idea that appears to have been floated is that mocks will potentially be used as a factor towards assessing grades if exams can’t take place again. Either way, today’s announcement still means a level of uncertainty is likely to remain for some time to come. 

A change in approach for all children

Whilst the details of how this is going to affect learning and teaching remain uncertain, what is clear is that there is going to be increased emphasis on work done throughout the year and ongoing/teacher-led assessment. Good study habits and good work techniques, such as careful answering of questions, showing working in maths, excellent choice of vocabulary etc. will be important to ensure students perform consistently well. In short, your child is going to need to perform to the best of their abilities consistently over the rest of this academic year.

We’ll keep you informed of further changes

We will keep you informed as further details emerge and of how these will affect your child.  

In the meantime, please bear in mind that MagiKats are ideally placed to help.

• We understand and support both Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence and the National Curriculum in England and Wales. That means we can help your teenager catch up lost learning.

• We also understand what is needed from students in terms of both their working technique and the knowledge they will require. We can also help them build good study habits.

• By working with each student as an individual, we can identify any areas where they need a little extra help and then support them to ensure they maintain their performance throughout the year.

• As they work with us, we see our students’ confidence grow. This is going to be an important part of dealing with both the challenges that lie ahead and the specific assessments that they will be doing from now on in respect of their final marks.

But the sooner your teenager starts, the better. Time really is of the essence with the first half of this term nearly complete. This year, more than ever before, it’s unwise to wait until later in the year to get extra help, not least because your child may have already undertaken some of the assessment work by then.

Why don’t you get in touch with us now to find out more, or to book a place?