exam results

I think it is a bit of both. The contents of the maths/English etc are far more complex than when I was that age. I look at the maths that Yr 6 are doing in the local primary school and it makes no sense at all to me. But, on the other side, the pass mark has been downgraded. So, on balance, I do not think things are that different overall.

I am just concerned about how we help children to see the relevance of what they are learning. I hear so often, well what use is this to me? - how will I use this in my future life? And sometimes they do have a point.

I wonder how pupils would get along with paralellograms ?

Ahh it’s so hard I would not pass now I don’t understand much of the maths they do very much more complex stuff than we did And I thought I was reasonable not brilliant but reasonable but I would fail miserably

A lower pass mark doesn't necessarily mean that the exam is easier. It could mean that the questions are more difficult.

Pupils learn about parallelograms in primary school.

Ah, yes parallelograms, I remember them well.
Well I remember the word nothing more.

Wow...you should have seen the outcry in Scotland when it was discovered the pass mark for some exams was 44% .SNP haters would love this pass mark ,think of the ammunition they could have to say SNP bad !

I took the maths, english, biology and geography ones in mid 1980s after having studied them in adult evening classes). I then went onto do A level in maths.

I've seen the papers most years. The maths, especially, is much harder than the one I took.

I think things are just different. Maths is a subject which seems to change. Maths "O" level which I passed is completely different from GCSE Maths and, if I were to take it, I'd have to do the course.

Years ago, for other subjects, there was more learning by rote and regurgitation for the exam.

As I said, it's just different.

The English they do now is WAY harder than when I took my O Levels. As is the A Level English now.

I feel for the students now. Glad it isn't me being tested.

Every year it seems that the cry is that exams are too easy! I can see from the work that my GC are doing that they are working incredibly hard on a wide variety of topics. The work is definitely more complex than I ever did. A lot of work goes into working out the grading systems too.