All Articles tagged Testing

The Best Approach to SSAT or ISEE Preparation

May 21, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Most competitive private day schools and many selective boarding schools are back to requiring standardized testing as part of the application process to grades 3 through 11. And whether testing is required or not, test-optional policies ought to be considered cautiously given holistic review application processes. We strongly recommend planning to exceed any minimum admissions requirements in order to be more competitive, and it’s likely that at least 1 or more schools on your working school list with require standardized testing. Certain schools require completion of their own placement tests in addition to, or in lieu of, standardized testing.

To this end, many families wonder about the best approach to ISEE or SSAT preparation. For any grade level transition between grades 5 and 11, we recommend starting about a year in advance with an eye toward official testing in November and December. While test preparation and school planning can certainly feel overwhelming, there are many factors within a family’s control, and starting early provides a structure that’s comforting for both children and parents. By initiating the SSAT or ISEE planning process about a year in advance, families stand to create the greatest number of school options.

Many families currently enrolled in private schools with CTP testing assume that CTP testing and ISEE testing are very similar, but they’re not. While they do share the same publisher, the ERB, the tests serve different purposes and have different formats. The CTP is designed as a grade level achievement test, whereas the ISEE (as well as the SSAT) is designed as an above-grade level measure:

The primary level ISEE is designed for admissions to grades 3 (PL3) and 4 (PL4).
The lower level ISEE test is designed for admissions to grades 5 and 6, and it covers math content and vocabulary well through 7th grade.
The middle level ISEE test is designed for admissions to grades 7 and 8, and it covers math content and vocabulary well through 9th grade.
The upper level ISEE test is designed for admissions to grades 9 to 11, and it covers math content and vocabulary well through 10th grade.

The best way to approach SSAT and ISEE preparation is to start early. We strongly recommend diagnostic testing during the winter/spring term so that we are able to better assess instructional needs and pacing over the spring, summer and fall. Sometimes educational testing is needed, too, in order to explore a suspected learning disability and appropriate accommodations. This educational testing should be completed during the spring or summer.

The best approach to SSAT and ISEE preparation is content-based, which means remediating and/or accelerating instruction for each student with the goal of achieving mastery. Surely there are test-taking strategies, but choosing an appropriate strategy generally still requires an understanding of the content. Simply “working backwards” or using “process of elimination” isn’t effective if a student doesn’t have a starting point or means of assessing the reasonableness of an answer choice.

We also value an approach to SSAT and ISEE preparation that focuses on the bigger, more important picture of middle and high school readiness. This readiness includes mastery of a certain body of content as well as a skill set around managing the workload itself (executive functions) and persisting through a difficult task and process (grit). Since the testing has to be done in most cases, it’s best to take advantage of all the learning opportunities related to the testing experience.

There’s also family debate about SSAT vs. ISEE testing, and some families feel they need to prepare for both, which isn’t necessary or advisable. Most NYC independent schools AND boarding schools accept both ISEE and SSAT scores. There are three main factors to consider when making the choice: 1) The ISEE has no wrong answer penalty, and 2) The ISEE presents sentence completions vs. analogies, and 3) The SSAT presents 5 answer choices, whereas the ISEE only presents 4 answer choices. We’re happy to discuss these factors further as they relate to your family’s situation.

For 7th grade students interested in specialized public high schools, there is SHSAT testing to manage as well. Historically this testing happened in October, but this past school year, it occurred on November 17, 2022. The previous school year, this testing occurred in January 2021. We do not yet have confirmation of the test date for Fall 2023.

Are you ready to start planning?

Please contact our office.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed.
Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist
My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Understanding Pandemic Learning Loss

May 5, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Parents and educators have observed firsthand that the pandemic caused massive disruptions in the academic, emotional, and social lives of students. The compounded effect of the past three years is responsible for significant pandemic learning loss. Meira Levinson and Daniel Markovits note in their article for The Atlantic that no other historical event has so suddenly and so drastically changed the way that American children spend their days–not the Great Depression, not World War II. For children and teens especially, a year or two is a large chunk of their lives. As we wrap up the second full year of in-person schooling since the onset of the pandemic, we are beginning to have enough data and perspective to better understand the impacts that the pandemic has had on our students and how we will continue to recover from them.

Quantifying Pandemic Learning Loss

Recent studies show that the pandemic’s major disruptions to daily instruction have set today’s students back significantly. A meta-analysis of studies conducted in 15 countries by Nature Human Behavior suggests that pandemic learning loss for students is the equivalent of 35% of a school year’s worth of learning. Indeed, 2022 US National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) logged significant drops in reading ability and the greatest decline in student math performance in American history. Students in New York state were hit especially hard. On average, their math and reading losses were double those of their peers across the country. In purely quantitative terms, the pandemic’s impact on learning has undone decades of progress in American student performance in English and Math. Getting test scores back to pre-pandemic levels would take decades at the current rate of recovery.

American students in 2022 were, on average, about 15 to 24 weeks behind in math and nine weeks behind in reading compared with 2019. History scores have also fallen significantly. National test scores for 2023 reflect an “accelerated…downward trend [in history] that began nearly a decade ago” with only 13 percent of eighth graders achieving scores deemed proficient in U.S. history, and about 40 percent scoring “below basic,” according to The New York Times. The average 8th grader is performing one full year below grade level.

Pandemic learning loss disproportionately impacted students who were already struggling academically before the pandemic, to the point that statistical declines across subjects have largely been driven by the lowest-performing students. Students from lower-income families and districts also tended to suffer greater setbacks than students in high-income families and districts. At the middle- and high-school levels, male and female students experienced similar rates of academic achievement declines across all subjects. Results reported by the Enrollment Management Association indicate that performance gaps between students of different racial identities are wider today than they were pre-COVID. Public school students experienced significantly larger declines than private school students. Asian and Black students at the middle-school level experienced much sharper declines in quantitative scores than their peers of other racial identities.

Across socioeconomic lines, children whose schools remained remote longer tended to suffer greater academic setbacks. Most often, the schools that managed to limit the amount of time students were in Zoom school were often well-resourced private schools. In fact, many elite private schools practically avoided pandemic learning loss due to lower student-teacher ratios, more in-person instruction, and greater ease in implementing remote learning measures when their buildings were closed during the 2020-2021 school year.

Beyond Test Scores: Mental Health Impacts of the Pandemic

The social isolation of the pandemic caused suffering in people of all ages but this is compounded in children and teens, who are still developing the skills needed to form and maintain friendships, collaborate with others, and cope with their emotions. 94% of the 362 school guidance counselors surveyed by The New York Times last April reported higher rates of anxiety and depression among their students; 88% percent said students were struggling to regulate their emotions; and almost 75% said that students were struggling to resolve conflicts with their friends. A CDC survey of high-school students from January to June 2021 found a 20% increase in teens who felt “persistently sad or hopeless” over the previous year. 20% of the students surveyed had “seriously considered attempting suicide.” The rates of hospitalization and suicide attempts were even higher for girls. In response to this data, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health in 2021. The declaration itself notes that while the pandemic exacerbated the mental health crisis in children and teens, the growing rates of mental health concerns predate it.

As we come to grips with this alarming situation and plan for the future, it is also important to note that students who were able to maintain social connections–whether to a friend, counselor, or teacher–during lockdown and remote learning, tended to fare much better than those who did not.

A Patchwork of Solutions

What’s especially concerning about pandemic learning loss is that there is no tried and tested method for recovering so much missed instruction at scale. So how have districts been spending the $190 billion dollars provided as pandemic relief funds? Some of the most common academic recovery interventions among schools surveyed by Future Ed, a research lab at Georgetown University, are summer learning, instructional materials, investing in software, afterschool enrichment, and tutoring. Among the most promising and prevalent interventions is “high-dosage” tutoring, where school districts hire a “tutor corps” that can provide individual and small-group instruction to students. States crafted their own plans, but most address some combination of making up for lost instructional time, investing in student mental health, hiring new staff, training existing staff, and infrastructural investments like expanding internet access for students.

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University released a study that measures the impact of COVID recovery interventions and has identified some effective strategies for alleviating pandemic learning loss. However, the study notes that, “The implementation challenges district leaders recounted suggest that the simple-sounding logic of academic intervention—identify students in need and provide them extra support—belies a host of complex design and implementation decisions.” In other words, the reality is that even apparently straightforward academic interventions are cumbersome to implement at scale, and would require historic action to be effective.

As states and districts weigh their options for how to address these historic setbacks in the academic success and emotional health of American students, we must remember that the statistics we’ve outlined here are helpful for painting a picture of our present reality in aggregate. Yet, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the development of academic ability, emotional resilience, and self-regulation are deeply personal journeys that each individual student undertakes. Students’ academic abilities and emotional wellbeing are certainly impacted and conditioned by context, but in addition to the way that states, districts, and independent schools end up addressing pandemic learning loss, one thing is for certain: our students will need our continued support, encouragement, and guidance as we continue to make our way out of this strange and difficult time.

To discuss your family’s needs in more detail, please contact us to schedule a call.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

Sources

Betthäuser, B. A., Bach-Mortensen, A. M., & Engzell, P. (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01506-4
Howard, J. (2023, January 30). Children lost about 35% of a normal school year’s worth of learning during the pandemic, study suggests. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/health/covid-learning-loss-study-wellness/index.html
Levinson, M., & Markovits, D. (2022, June 23). The Biggest Disruption in the History of American Education. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/covid-learning-loss-remote-school/661360/
O’Neill, J. (2023, March 15). New York 4th-graders lost twice as much ground as peers and lost year of learning during pandemic virtual learning. NY Post. https://nypost.com/2023/03/15/nys-4th-graders-saw-test-scores-plummet-during-pandemic/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=pasteboard_app
Bryant, J., Dorn, E., Pollack, L., & Sarakatsannis, J. (2023, January 11). COVID-19 learning delay and recovery: Where do US states stand? McKinsey & Company. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-learning-delay-and-recovery-where-do-us-states-stand
Braga, Dana, and Kim Parker. “Most K-12 Parents Say First Year of Pandemic Had a Negative Effect on Their Children’s Education.” Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/26/most-k-12-parents-say-first-year-of-pandemic-had-a-negative-effect-on-their-childrens-education/. Accessed 5 May 2023.
AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/. Accessed 5 May 2023.
Kane, Thomas. “Kids Are Far, Far Behind in School.” The Atlantic, 22 May 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/schools-learning-loss-remote-covid-education/629938/.
“Academic Recovery.” FutureEd, 7 June 2022, https://www.future-ed.org/academic-recovery/.
“With an Influx of Covid Relief Funds, States Spend on Schools.” FutureEd, 3 Jan. 2021, https://www.future-ed.org/with-an-influx-of-covid-relief-funds-states-spend-on-schools/.
Carbonari, M., Davison, M., DeArmond, M., Dewey, D., Dizon-Ross, E., Goldhaber, D., Hashim, A., Kane, T., McEachin, A., Morton, E., Patterson, T., Staiger, D. (2022) The Challenges of Implementing Academic COVID Recovery Interventions: Evidence From the Road to Recovery Project. Research Report. Cambridge, MA: Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University. Accessed on May 5, 2023. https://cepr.harvard.edu/road-to-covid-recovery
Mervosh, S. (2023, May 3). It’s Not Just Math and Reading: U.S. History Scores for 8th Graders Plunge. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/us/us-history-test-scores.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Koo, J. K., Wright, K. D. (2023). Effects of COVID-19 on Educational Outcomes: Enrollment Management Association Special Report. Enrollment Management Association.

Addressing Math Gaps

May 4, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

$Math Gaps$ Math Gaps and How to Fill Them

What happens to students who fail to master fractions by 6^th grade? Nothing much, apparently; they continue to work on more advanced areas, building on shaky foundations. Among the myriad of topics covered in mathematics, the following three have a disproportionate effect on future development: fractions, negative numbers, and algebra. Shakiness in these areas leads to math gaps and weaknesses in trigonometry, calculus, statistics, and other topics and endless frustration with standardized tests.

Fractions

Teachers generally present mathematics as a cumulative subject; it requires the mastery of basic techniques before tackling more advanced concepts, which assume complete knowledge of these techniques. Many of my students, for example, learn how to solve systems of equations and happily master these techniques when solutions are integers. Add fractions to the mix, though, and they begin to struggle and lose confidence in the whole topic. These weaknesses and math gaps persist into high school and beyond; in conversations with NYU mathematics professors, they shared that the biggest complaint was that many students couldn’t handle algebraic fractions. Of course, there isn’t time to redo the 6th-grade curriculum at that late stage.

Fractions also tie into other areas – students need to convert freely between fractions, decimals, and percentages; they also need to deal with decimals within fractions e.g.

Simplify:

and (my students’ pet hate) fractions within fractions e.g.

Simplify:

Given how broad and complex this topic is, teachers and tutors should review it throughout middle and high school.

In my experience, a standard method of teaching fraction manipulation leaves much to be desired: a focus on mastering concepts at the expense of developing computational skills, which makes students confused about both. Many of my students take a ponderous approach to fraction manipulation: when solving proportions, for example, we may encounter something like the following equation:

The students may painstakingly find a common denominator and then sometimes struggle with what to do next when cross-multiplication yields the solution in a couple of short steps. Once students understand that the two methods are equivalent, they should routinely use the more efficient one. When they master fraction manipulation in 5^th or 6^th grade, they are free to master more advanced topics as they progress through High School.

Negative Numbers

Fractions aren’t the only stumbling block; handling negative numbers is a topic that causes many of my high school students to struggle. A significant weakness is distributing negative signs outside parentheses and thinking of the relation between negative numbers and the number line. It’s supposed to have been dealt with by 7^th grade and is not touched upon again.

Algebra

Moving from the concrete (i.e., numerical) to the abstract (i.e., algebraic) is a leap that many students never complete consistently. Teachers usually cover this step by 8^th grade, but many students feel abandoned at this point. Algebra is not re-visited until 10^th grade, with geometry typically filling the time gap in 9^th grade, so 8^th-grade progress is often lost by 10^th grade when students have to make the enormous leap to Algebra II, leading to even more frustration and bigger math gaps. The modular nature of most school curricula exacerbates the weaknesses we are discussing, so I favor a more integrated approach that is rare in most American schools but common elsewhere.

There are other areas that could be added to the list, such as geometry and exponents, but the above topics hold the most significant foundational importance. It’s almost pointless to study trigonometry and calculus, for example, without mastery of these areas – it’s akin to playing a sport without training.

Now that I’ve highlighted some common math gaps and areas of frustration for students and their teachers, what are the possible solutions? Students who barely master skills will lose them fast without constant reinforcement – it happens to all of us, to a degree – but school teachers are under pressure to cover a curriculum that doesn’t give them latitude to return to skill-building. Frequent testing puts students under pressure to forget the material they’ve just covered as they anxiously prepare for the next test.

Students and their tutors can fill these math gaps by:

Creating a study program to review past material for students.
Avoiding a “one size fits all” approach – each student has their way of understanding the areas outlined above.
Ensuring that students don’t fall behind on quizzes and tests.

We live in a competitive environment; there is competition for middle schools, high schools, university places, internships, jobs, and graduate schools. Successful students cover more than what is offered in school, so students can’t afford to be left behind. It’s far better to tackle these issues as early as possible and then reinforce them regularly, with the help of tutors if necessary, in order to mitigate unnecessary math gaps.

By Kovan Pillai, PhD and Math Specialist as well as Executive Director of the New York Math Circle

What Are A Levels?

May 2, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In the UK’s unique education system, all students are required to sit formal examinations called GCSEs at around the ages of 15 to 16, after which they are allowed to leave school with no further education requirements. For those who wish to continue their high school education, however, the next step is to study A Levels (Advanced Levels) during the two years between the ages of 16 and 18.

A Levels are designed as a two-year course culminating in exams and a qualification that is superior to a GCSE qualification, but less advanced than a university degree. Indeed, A Levels are an important stepping stone to gain admittance to university in the first place, with universities offering prospective candidates conditional places, dependent upon their achieving certain grades on the final A Level tests. For example, the university may require “three As”, or “two Bs and a C” and it is up to the student to attain these results in their final exams.

Grading

A Levels are graded by letters, ranging from A* (for scores above 90%) through A (for scores above 80%) then B (for scores above 70%) and so on down to E for scores above 40%. Anything under 40% will earn a U, meaning that it was unclassified.

Assessment

Examinations for A Levels happen at the end of the second year of study in one flurry of examinations taking place across several days during the early summer. Certain subjects, such as Art & Design or the main trio of sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) include a significant coursework element that will be completed before these final exams; nonetheless this coursework component will only be worth up to 20% of the overall grade, making it a significant, but not primary part of the assessment.

Uniqueness

The most remarkable feature of A Level courses, which makes them so unique globally, and so notably different from the American system or the European Baccalaureate, is that there are no mandatory subjects. At the age of 16, students are able to choose the subjects that they wish to study and drop all other subjects. Students may pick a maximum of five subjects to study, but most students study three subjects, which is what most universities expect. It may seem tempting to attempt to study more than three subjects, since this would make a student stand out to top universities; but each course of study is very demanding, and there is a very real possibility of struggling under the workload if one takes on too many courses, potentially causing grades to suffer and having the opposite effect of that intended.

The lack of mandatory subjects may be a good or bad thing for the student’s academic growth. For example, a student who loathes math may well thrive once they are no longer obliged to spend time struggling with a hated subject; at the same time, this subject will get no further support and existing math skills may atrophy during the two years that they study their chosen courses. If they wish subsequently to study at an American university, for example, they may find the compulsory math requirements in the American system to be particularly onerous.

However, the unique feature of A Levels that allows for the student to pick courses that they actually want to study encourages students to choose areas of personal interest that will motivate them to pursue their academic career. Studying only three subjects may result in a narrower academic field, but the courses explore those areas more deeply, beginning at an early age a process of specialization that continues into university and the world of employment beyond. By comparison, most American students follow a broader but therefore less in-depth curriculum throughout high school and into their first years of college, only beginning to specialize at the point that they pick their major.

Choosing A Levels

One issue with choosing A Levels at the age of 16 is that many students don’t know at this point in their lives what they wish to study in the future or what vocation they might want to pursue, and therefore do not feel clear about which subjects to pick, and perhaps more importantly which ones they can safely drop. For example, dropping Chemistry at this point would effectively rule out the possibility of a career in medicine.

With over 80 subjects to choose from, trying to make the ‘correct’ choice of which subjects to study can be overwhelming. It is therefore helpful to consider the end-goal, since most students study A Levels with the intention of moving on to university. Universities are typically looking for students with sufficiently strong grades in three subjects, and they will be looking for subjects that pertain to the college course itself. Thus, for example, a student who wants to study for a medical degree will have to have a chemistry A Level and then another two STEM subjects, such as Biology and Math. On the other hand, someone wishing to pursue Politics at university could happily choose more diverse subjects, but will definitely need to have studied at least one essay-based humanities A Level, such as English literature or History, since the college course will have a heavy essay component.

Therefore, it is sensible to contact universities that you might wish to attend to see how many A Level subjects they expect and also what grades are typically required. Alternatively, you might consult UCAS’s guide to choosing a course. The Russell Group, which represents 24 of the leading UK universities, also offers a website to help students make informed choices. However, if you are not yet sure what you wish to study at university – which is typical for 16 year olds – the top ten subjects that keep your options open are: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, History, Geography, English Literature, and Languages (either modern or classical). These are all ‘safe’ choices. Ultimately, however, the great gift of A Level is the ability to study whatever is of interest to the student, and it is almost always better to choose subjects that the student will enjoy studying and will be motivated to work on, rather than subjects that they ‘ought’ to do.

International A Levels

As well as the regular UK-based A Levels, there is also a variation called the International A Level (IAL). The IAL has fewer course options (about 55 rather than 85), but there is not a significant difference between the content to be studied. The big difference is in how the tests are taken. The regular A Level is assessed at one set of tests at the end of the second year of study. International A Levels are more flexible: you have the option to sit them in the same way as the regular A Level in one go at the end of the second year; or you can sit half of them at the end of the first year, and the other half at the end of the second year. Also, there is more than one opportunity to sit these tests during the same year, meaning that it’s also easier to resit the IAL if need be. This modular approach to test-taking may suit some candidates who do not like to have all the pressure of the exams happen in one fell swoop; but for many candidates it is preferable to spend the full two years studying and developing their knowledge and skills before having to put them to the test. Indeed, by taking half the exam after only one year of studying, there is much less time to prepare and master the material, which potentially makes the process harder rather than easier.

Flexibility and Depth

Ultimately, the appeal of A Levels lies in the authority it places on the learner themselves: the student gets to choose for themselves what to study and what matters to them; at the same time they are empowered to stop studying subjects that they do not enjoy and don’t care to pursue. This personal investment and choice will – ideally – lead to a more focused and specialized student who takes genuine interest in their studies and develops a depth of appreciation in three areas that simply wouldn’t be possible if they were having to study more subjects.

For support with college planning in the US, UK, EU, or Canada, please contact our office.

By Nick Thomas, Private Tutor, Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

What are the (I)GCSEs?

May 1, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In the UK, around the age of 15 to 16, students take public examinations called GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). These are the only mandatory public examinations in the UK system, which means that after earning these qualifications, 16-year olds are allowed to leave school altogether; nevertheless 16-year old school-leavers are still required to enrol in some form of traineeship or apprenticeship until the age of 18, even if they start a regular job.

For most students, however, GCSEs are merely a stepping-stone towards A Levels, which in turn are needed for enrollment in universities. GCSEs are designed as a two-year course, though some schools may start teaching the curriculum a year earlier to allow students longer to prepare. The courses culminate in a separate qualification for each subject studied. It is obligatory to study English, math and science, but it is typical for students to study at least five GCSE courses since this is a key metric used by the government in rating schools. However, students who expect to pursue their academic studies to A Level and beyond will likely take 9 or 10 GCSEs, and potentially more.

Other than the mandatory subjects, students have a very wide range of courses that they can choose from, including eclectic choices such as Food Technology or Ceramics. As a result, students can begin to direct their own future trajectory at a young age in the UK system, but choices do need to be carefully made at this stage with one eye on A Levels and University: for example, if a student decides not to study chemistry at GCSE, then they won’t be able to study it at A Level, and then they won’t be able to apply to study medicine at university.

In practice, however, the freedom to choose is usually limited by the options available at the student’s school. For example, “Manufacturing” is a GCSE course that only 50 students took in 2017 since almost no schools have the ability to offer it. Most schools also set their own required courses and typically this follows another important metric – the EBacc, or English Baccalaureate. This is a score – not altogether dissimilar to the GPA – awarded to each individual student based on their exam results in English, Math, Science, a language (either ancient or modern), and either History or Geography. As a result, schools usually expect their students to take all these subjects, and since the English requirement usually involves both English Literature and English language, and the Science requirement counts for either two or three GCSEs, it is not unusual for students to have six or seven courses chosen for them, leaving them with the ability to choose only a few courses for themselves.

Grading

A significant overhaul of the GCSE system in 2017 means that exams are now graded with a number between 1 and 9 rather than with letters. 9 is the highest possible grade, and represents a very high level of achievement, equivalent to the old A* grade. The lowest score to be considered a “pass” is a 4, and any score between 4 and 9 will earn a “level 2” qualification which is almost certainly the minimum needed to pursue further education either at A Level or university. Anything below a 4 will earn a “level 1” qualification and a score below that will earn a U, meaning that it was unclassified.

The new grade system has narrower bands and therefore draws sharper distinctions between students’ relative levels. For example, the old A-grade is now separated between 7 (a standard A) and 8 (a strong A), and similarly the old C-grade is distinguished between 4 (a standard passing grade) and 5 (a strong passing grade).

Universities will almost certainly require a 4 or 5 in English and Math at the very least, but at the upper end it should be noted that more than ten GCSEs will only be beneficial if the grades are consistently high. If studying further courses will overburden a student and cause the quality of their work and the resultant grade to suffer, then doing more courses could easily and unnecessarily backfire.

Assessment

Examinations for GCSEs happen at the end of the second year of study in one flurry of examinations taking place across several days during May and June. Resits – if needed – happen in November. GCSE courses used to contain a lot of coursework until the overhaul in 2017; nowadays there is almost no coursework in GCSE courses and the final examinations are almost entirely responsible for the full grade in almost all subjects.

International GCSEs (IGCSEs)

As well as the regular UK-based GCSEs, there is also a variation called the International GCSE (IGCSE). In the past, IGCSEs were more distinct from the GCSEs, but now that GCSEs have been overhauled and have removed the old coursework requirements, there is really very little to tell between the two tests, and they are certainly treated as interchangeable by universities and businesses.

There are, however, two meaningful differences: first of all, the IGCSE can be sat at multiple sessions throughout the year, in November or January or at the classic end-of-year session during May and June. By contrast the GCSE exams are only sat once a year in May and June, with resits occurring during November if necessary.

The second and more important difference is that the IGCSE is truly an international test. It is offered in over 150 countries whereas the GCSE exam is only offered in the UK and at select schools in a handful of other countries. In other words, someone not based in the UK will almost certainly be looking at taking IGCSEs rather than GCSEs. This will typically be preferable for other reasons too: since the IGCSE course is offered all around the world, it means that an international student whose family moves around the world can continue to study the same course and take the same exam, even when they change countries and change schools.

The IGCSE variant is designed for an international audience, and in some courses it even adapts to different countries. Thus, for example, the UK-centric GCSE requires students in English to study Shakespeare and the GCSE course in History places a lot of significance on British history; meanwhile, the IGCSE in English makes Shakespeare optional, and the IGCSE in History offers more variation in topics and cultures from around the world.

Summary

GCSEs (and IGCSEs) are an important stepping stone in the British system, marking the end of formal schooling for some, and a gateway to further education (at A Level and university) for others. It also marks the first point in the system that a student can begin to pick their own courses, although in practice this ability to exercise choice is typically strongly limited by the school that the student attends. Nevertheless, students start to make plans for themselves and their futures, which is a big hallmark of the UK’s A Level exams and university system. The new system is able to distinguish more precisely between candidates, allowing the best students to shine, while at the same time making it straightforward for almost all students to achieve a solid qualification that they can add to their resumes as they choose their next steps in life.

For support with college planning in the US, UK, EU, or Canada, please contact our office.

By Nick Thomas, Private Tutor, Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

All Articles tagged Testing

The Best Approach to SSAT or ISEE Preparation

Understanding Pandemic Learning Loss

Quantifying Pandemic Learning Loss

Beyond Test Scores: Mental Health Impacts of the Pandemic

A Patchwork of Solutions

Sources

Addressing Math Gaps

$Math Gaps$ Math Gaps and How to Fill Them

Fractions

Negative Numbers

Algebra

What Are A Levels?

Grading

Assessment

Uniqueness

Choosing A Levels

International A Levels

Flexibility and Depth

What are the (I)GCSEs?

Grading

Assessment

International GCSEs (IGCSEs)

Summary

Company Overview

School Planning

Private Tutoring

Test Preparation