If you just sat the GCSE...

[Pudding]

the answers might've been on the back of the test.

I'm amazed that no one has to retake the test because of this. The first time I took the SAT, the entire room's scores got thrown out because of some technicality--which didn't give anyone the answers.

If I got a test with answers on the back, I would suspect that the answers were wrong and they were just trying to catch opportunistic cheaters. I don't generally trust things like that, and I probably wouldn't spend the time it'd take to see if the answers were right at all.

Has anyone here ever taken the GCSE music exam? What sorts of questions does it ask--is it mostly music theory, or what?

[Twinkle]

I took G.C.S.E. Music and the written exam is based on different periods of music, ie Baroque, Classical, Renaissance etc. You have to know about composers, notation, musical theory and history, dance music (Salsa, Disco, Waltz and so on) so unless you have an awesome teacher (like me) the exam is quite tricky.

Then again, the practical and coursework aspects of the course makes up 80% of the grade so written answers on the back wouldn't affect your grade that much.

[Alex]

o.O Are you serious? That's not good.

I remember one of my VCE exams had the wrong year at the top of a couple of the pages (it said VCE English Exam 2005 instead of 2006), and they were worried we'd freak and think it was the wrong exam, so interrupted us to let us know.

Never mind that it was halfway through the booklet, and that 99% of the state practices with the previous years' papers, so we'd likely recognise if the same exam had been used...

[Igg]

In the science SAT exams, there were 2 sections to the question paper depending on which levels you were doing. Often you could find answers for the 2nd section in the 1st section. Fun times.

GCSE music is well hard though, especially the composition. It affected about 5% of people's overall marks, eh.

[Mongrel]

I'm amazed that no one has to retake the test because of this. The first time I took the SAT, the entire room's scores got thrown out because of some technicality--which didn't give anyone the answers.

I read that a few days ago and thought the same thing. School testing of any sort is incredibly ritual here(regardless of its purpose). I remember on state testing that one kid started testing ahead in his booklet, and he wasn't allowed to be in contact with the other students at school for the rest of the week, because he might tell the other kids what was on the test. And the kids who took Advanced Placement tests weren't allowed to talk about the tests for three weeks, because kids in California and Alaska hadn't taken the AP tests yet. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, 12,000 students are literally given the answers and they don't throw the test scores out. Isn't there some sort of happy medium between "Bringing the wrong kind of calculator invalidates your test" and "Oh well, those kids just get to be really lucky and have some of the answers"?

[Igg]

I guess 'cause it counts for such a small percentage of the grade that redoing it would be much more hassle than it's worth. It's impossible for anyone's grade to be radically different from what they would have got.

Plus, EVERYONE got the dodgy paper (though hardly anyone seems to have noticed) so they were still on an even playing field. And they will probably adjust the grade boundaries slightly in light of it.

I guess we're more chilled than you guys

[Twinkle]

Plus the government hardly cares about a music GCSE. There's such a minimum of students who actually take music seriously and proceed onto the next level. Besides, most serious musicians audition for scholarships/placements at specialised music colleges.

[Igg]

To be honest your GCSEs become unimportant very quickly...

[fzun]

Is GSCE the equivalent of AP in the U.S.? *confused*

But wow yeah I can't believe that. I just sat two make-up AP exams last week and we were told before we started and after we stopped that "the multiple-choice questions and free-response topics are never to be discussed with anyone, including teachers and other students, EVER" xD.

When I sat my FCATs (state testing), a girl in my room got her test invalidated because she went into her backpack to apply make-up during the break. And when I took my SATs, they made you present a photo ID to get back into the testing room if you left during a break.

Honestly even if it is a small percentage I still think they should have to take it over. If you look over at another person's paper for one answer you lose your entire test for cheating, if you get handed a bunch of answers I don't really see how that's much different. But I do know that if I sat that test and later found out the answers were on the back I'd be smurf if I hadn't figured it out while I was testing

[jellyoflight]

Didn't take it, but the question was just where they had to listen to a song and write down who they think the composer is, & the composer's name was on the back due to copyright reasons.

Think it was worth 2 marks?

Like Igg said, they'll probably make the grade boundaries lower but that's it. No point in getting everybody to resit it.

[Igg]

GCSEs are the national exams that everyone sits in their last 2 years of compulsory schooling- most of the exams are done in the 2nd year of the courses, when you're 16.

You get letter grades for them. The only compulsory ones are English, Maths and Science and then you get to pick other ones to take.

They kind of only really matter at the time. For later life, some jobs expect you to have got a C or above in GCSE Maths but that's pretty much it; otherwise they're a means to an end in terms of doing the A Level Course you want to..

[Ski]

I'm guessing this is the thing that J.K. based the OWLs on.

Considering most people didn't even notice, I guess it's not too bad.

[Mongrel]

And SAT and ACT scores only matter when you're applying to college. And AP tests just get a student out of one college course. And state testing never matters at all to the students, which is why they have to make up incentives for the students to actually care about them. But there are still an insane number of rules that have to be followed.
I guess it's just a cultural thing, but it doesn't make sense to me that the scores are still valid when students were given answers.

[Igg]

Well, like I said, they probably changed the grade boundaries to make up for it- as in they probably made the number of marks you need to get each grade slightly higher in compensation.

*shrug*

[Ski]

AP tests just get a student out of one college course.

Yes, but the College Board has a vested interest in making sure students can't cheat. Students who test out don't have to pay the colleges that class' tuition and fees, and the colleges that make up the board don't make as much money. I'm sure that's partly why they don't take any inconsistency.