Exams - Dumbing Down or Wising Up?

Description

Exploring whether exam standards are being dragged down by the rising popularity of vocational and creative subjects, students and staff from two contrasting schools swap places in this video for teachers on assessment.

The claim that exams in academic subjects are getting easier and that modern, softer subjects are less demanding, is tested by the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, in Croydon, and Wilmington Grammar School for Girls.

The students and staff swap schools for a day to explore whether there's a difference in difficulty between the two approaches, and whether the popularity of applied and creative subjects led to 'dumbing down'.

Sharing their views on the subject are Richard Pike from the Royal Society of Chemistry, Dennis Opposs from Ofqual, Ralph Levinson from the Institute of Education and Julie Henry of the Sunday Telegraph.

Part of the series: School Matters