Heads' dismay at exam fiasco (From Stroud News and Journal)

Heads' dismay at exam fiasco

HEADTEACHER Jo Grills has spoken of her shock and lack of faith in the exam system after scores of her High School pupils had their coursework downgraded.

And Roger Lock, head of Marling described this year's exams as 'a mad house.'

As disappointed students in the county learned they had failed to meet their predicted grades leaving them unable to to pursue their first choice degree courses Mrs Grills has joined other heads in asking the examining board OCR for a remark.

"It does shake your faith in the exam boards," she told the SNJ on Monday.

"You don't want to knock students' confidence because there is already so much stress on them, but it has been a shock.

"We worked very hard and that has been rather undermined.

"We had no extra time or money for the changeover to the new A levels.

"It might be best to introduce the International Baccalaureate, but any new system is a huge burden on schools.

"I wouldn't want to increase the pressure for staff and pupils."

Mr Lock said the computer science may have been lower than expected because teachers were not properly informed by exam boards what was expected of students.

"It was all completely new to us," he said. "We started some courses without completed syllabuses."

"It was a mad house."

Mr Lock added that it was important not to jump to conclusions before the inquiry. "We will wait for the results," he said, "but it does make you suspicious about what's going on elsewhere."

Many pupils had their marks reduced in at least three subjects. In one case students with As and Bs were downgraded to Es and Us.

Students from High School and Marling who were taught by the same teachers were given different grades depending where their coursework was sent.

Pupils in the joint Downfield sixth form are taught by the same teachers, but their papers were given to different external moderators.

When their biology marks were returned, students from Marling were told their grades were fair but those from High School were judged over-generous.

Four to eight marks were taken from each paper, which in some cases meant the loss of a grade.

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