Education News: As children went back to school last week with record numbers having gained five or more GCSEs, the old question of ‘are exams getting easier’ has raised its head yet again.
Some studies show that 100% of all students expected to gain A* results in every single subject by 2015, so The Poke decided to compare some sample O level questions from 1985 with some GCSE questions from the papers set this year, and leave it to you click through the selection and decide if we are raising a generation of teenagers who can’t even spell GCSE, let alone deserve one.
Story: David Harris
Images: Q4Nobody
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This can’t be true…
Not sure about the 1985 example, but being an English teacher, I know that the June 2011 example is not true!
I doubt these are true, it looks more like you’re comparing an A-Level exam to a year 6 class test.
I think the GCSE examples may well be from a Foundation Tier paper, but no examples of the Higher Tier questions are given.
Ive just done my gcses and had a question exactly like the first one. These comparisons are extremely unfair, i doubt that second question is even real. In gcses, there is a higher tier and foundation tier. There are also extra units for brighter students. These reports are basically comparing the absolute easiest D grade question with a hard question from O levels. I took Food Technology and i admit that that was easy, but i can assure you exams like the sciences and maths were not easy at all.
There is no point comparing the easiest questions of a foundation tier GCSE examination to the hardest questions of an O Level examination. Its not a fair comparison.
This is not true, and is actually defamation of character against every examiner and teacher in the country! Poke should shut down, they are the scum that make this world!
Reasonably funny, but worth a read for the comments alone! What brought thsese idiots here anyway….?
The English “example” offers 52 marks…. hmm not sure I remember the questions being that heavily weighted. As students are doing better shouldn’t we be praising the hard work and dedication of teachers? Or the fact that teens are inside studying not on the streets?
Also in this incredibly tough job market 5 GCSEs won’t even get you a job at the car wash. So lets stop criticising and give them a pat on the back and wish them luck for the next 5 years of financially crippling education they have to face if they want to make it into the world of work!
Unless all those who are convinced GCSEs are easy would care to sit them themselves….
This is a ridiculous post and unfairly discriminates against GCSE’s. Having just completed nineteen exams all in higher tier i think this is severely unfair and for those whom don’t understand that this is inaccurate may influence their ideas in completely the wrong way.
To all the people that are treating this article seriously: This is THE POKE – shockingly, this article may just be for the laughs.
It’s probably because the exam paper you chose from 2011 would be the foundation paper. If you chose the higher paper then it’s a lot more difficult than the 1985′s or whatever.
I genuinely fear for humanity if there are people who think this is real. One of the questions was “Do you have a favourite number?” It’s a joke!!! People saying The Poke should shut down? I am a teacher and have taken no offense. Am just ashamed of some members of my species.
Fuck you, Poke. As a student getting their GCSE results today I can tell you that Higher tier at least, is much harder.
Hilarious that some people are outraged and actually think the GCSE questions are real! Brightended up my morning!
Anyone that has taken offense to this should not be allowed on the internet!
I have taken some of my gcses and these question are ridiculous, especially the physics one! The exams I have sat were a lot closer to the o level ones and if I saw a gcse question like these on a paper I would laugh as my sats were harder then that!!