GCSE

abbr. (in the UK) General Certificate of Secondary Education.

* * *

noun

the basic level of a subject taken in school

• Syn: ↑General Certificate of Secondary Education, ↑O level

• Regions: ↑England

• Hypernyms: ↑grade, ↑level, ↑tier

* * *

abbrev

General Certificate of Secondary Education

* * *

GCSE UK [ˌdʒiː siː es ˈiː] US [ˌdʒi si es ˈi] noun [countable] [singular GCSE plural GCSEs]

General Certificate of Secondary Education: an examination in a wide range of subjects taken by students in England and Wales, usually at the age of 15 or 16 http://www.macmillandictionary.com/med2cd/weblinks/gcse.htm

Thesaurus: school and university examinations and tests_hyponym

* * *

GCSE [ˌdʒiː siː es ˈiː] [ˌdʒiː siː es ˈiː] noun countable, uncountable

the abbreviation for ‘General Certificate of Secondary Education ’ (a British exam taken by students in England and Wales and some other countries, usually around the age of 16. GCSE can be taken in any of a range of subjects.)

•

She's got 10 GCSEs.

•

He's doing German at GCSE.

compare ↑A level

 

Culture:

the National Curriculum [GCSE the National Curriculum]

The National Curriculum was introduced in all ↑state schools in England and Wales in 1988. Children’s education from 5 to 16 is divided into four key stages. Key stage 1 covers ages 5–7, key stage 2 ages 7–11, key stage 3 ages 11–14 and key stage 4 ages 14–16. At key stages 1 and 2 pupils study English, mathematics, science, technology, history, geography, art, music and physical education. A modern foreign language is added at key stage 3. Pupils at key stage 4 must study English, mathematics, science, physical education, technology and citizenship and may take several other subjects. In Wales the Welsh language is also studied. Detailed guidance about what children should be taught is given in official programmes of study. A disadvantage for teachers has been the increase in the number of documents they are expected to read and the reports they have to write. The National Curriculum does not apply in Scotland, where individual schools decide which subjects and topics to teach.

Attainment targets are set within each subject and pupils’ progress is checked at the ages of 7, 11 and 14 when they complete ↑National Curriculum Tests (NCTs). Pupils are graded into eight levels for all subjects except art, music and physical education. At the age of 16, at the end of key stage 4, pupils take ↑GCSE exams, which are also based on material covered in the National Curriculum. Some children struggle to reach the required standard. If they have learning difficulties, their parents may ask for them to be statemented, i.e. given an official document saying that they have special educational needs.

The NCTs allow education authorities, in theory at least, to compare standards between different schools. Since the National Curriculum was introduced many people have expressed doubts about the publication in the press of school league tables showing the relative performance of schools and about the increased competition.

There is no national curriculum in the US. State governments are responsible for deciding the curriculum for primary and secondary schools. The curriculum is often the cause of debate between people who want to emphasize basic skills, such as reading, writing and mathematics, and others who see the curriculum as a political issue and want schools to teach respect for other cultures or history from the point of view of African Americans, or to offer less traditional topics.