An Exploration into Students’ Views on the GCSE Examination Experience

Abstract

Background: GCSEs are compulsory, high-stakes examinations because access to further education and employment depends on performance (Denscombe 2000; Putwain, 2009). Despite the potential significance, students are rarely asked to share their views on GCSE assessment (Woods et al., 2018). There is a lack of meaningful use of student perspectives in education assessment policy and reform (Barrance & Elwood, 2018). Methods/ participants: Preliminary research involving a focus group with Year 10 students about their experiences of GCSEs informed the development of a GCSE student perspectives survey. Four identified topics informed the survey foci: the exam hall, content amount, time limit and changes to GCSE assessment. The survey was completed by 351 Year 11 students. Paper Two is split into two papers, Paper Two A pertains to the first three topics of the survey while Paper Two B explores the changes students would want to make to GCSE assessments.  A further topic arising from the preliminary research informed the first paper. Paper One describes a systematic review of the literature around the evidence base of closed book (CBE) vs. open books (OBE) examinations at secondary level education. Analysis/ findings: A systematic literature review revealed that CBEs impact the creativity of teaching, exam experience and performance. Evidence of the comparable effectiveness of CBE and OBE is varied. Findings from the second Paper found common desired changes to GCSE included OBEs, modular exam format, and extra time. Students were motivated to share their perspectives. Conclusion/ implications: Findings are analysed and discussed in relation to implications for GCSE assessment policy and evolution, and to the professional practice of those working with GCSE students.

Date of Award	6 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Kevin Woods (Supervisor) & Catherine Kelly (Supervisor)