Reflections on the 2023 Exams

Well, it is over – another year of A-level exams is now completed. I’ve been involved in this process as a teacher for over a decade, and it remains as nervous, frustrating, and exhausting in 2023 as it felt in 2013. So, how about a post providing a snapshot of my main reflections on what happened in 2023:

Return to “normality”

Covid impacted exams in 2020 and 2021, when centres and teachers provided grades for students based on internal assessments (in 2020 the grades were predicted, due to lessons being ended in March, whereas in 2021 students in the majority of centres completed a range of assessments). Due to the continuing impact on disrupted learning, the 2022 exams provided advance notice of key topics to focus on for the exam. Then, in 2023, the plan was for everything to return to pre-Covid conditions.

The advance notice provided in 2022 made perfect sense, and it is a big shame that none of the exam boards or those responsible in the education department had the idea (or bravery) to continue this onward for future exams. A-level students are forced to remember an incredible amount of information over a two-year period, and the majority of this information does not even feature in the exam.

For example, in the Tudors A-level exam this year, months of lessons and revision on the reign of Queen Elizabeth was boiled down into the following two topics: whether her time in government from 1558-1571 could be called a crisis, and whether or not there was a golden age of culture for all.

So, students (and teachers) spent a heck of a lot of time covering her foreign policy (and all its entanglements with Philip II of Spain, the Armada and war, the situation in the Netherlands, potential marriages to French princes, as well as colonisation attempts), the various intrigues at court (such as that of the factional divide between Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex), the incredibly complex religious problems (of Catholics, of seminary priests, of Jesuits, of Protestants, of Puritans, of Presbyterians, of separatists), and of a long list of other issues, such as Elizabethan policies in Ireland and in the provinces. And none of that was covered! The golden age question is particularly annoying: it covers a couple of pages in the textbook. But yet a grade could rest or fall on how well they responded to that question.

Surely we could have a better system in place? After all, there is no job that requires a person to study for two years, remember everything, only to have a final high-pressured task that picks out a handful of topics.

Stress & Student Resilience

The above point is connected to this point: stress. Stress is to be expected with these exams; there is an argument that they should be stressful. Changes (on the whole positive) over the past decade have led to a greater awareness of mental health, which has led to some (minor) negative issues. By attempting to help anxious students, perhaps teachers have simply allowed them to avoid stressful situations rather than actually overcome and deal with stress.

However, on the whole, I was encouraged by the resilience shown by students throughout this period: a wide range of stressful exams, and with some completed on the same day (which genius thought that Politics and History exams should be put on the same day?!), but yet the students kept going and battling on.

The whole process has given me some food for thought in terms of how the college helps students over a longer process of two-years, particularly in using personal development sessions to help improve resilience and other areas (such as confidence, independence, and integrity). Yes, exams are stressful, but teachers can give students the tools to be successful and overcome their fears and anxiety.

What changes can be made for 2024?

As noted above, I am not particularly happy with how A-level exams are arranged, and if I was suddenly the Education Secretary I would look at reform of the system. However, the same system is in place for all A-level students across the country, so I need to focus on the impact that I can make with my students in my classroom.

My first change is in moving more focus of covering content onto students. I am in the middle of typing up meaningful, engaging guided study tasks in History and Politics; students will read ahead and engage in wider reading, allowing me to use more lesson time for other activities.

This leads to the second change: more time devoted to exam preparation. I’ve always been against “teaching to the test”; after all, I am a nerd and I want to engage in the topics themselves. However, I can do more to help students achieve their target grades. This will include more question breakdowns, looking through past papers, engaging with examiner reports, all with the hope of building up a stronger array of skills in students.

My third change is to create more space for 1-2-1 feedback. I have been so overwhelmed in recent years in returning marked work to students, and due to a lack of time this feedback hasn’t always been as effective as it could be. The use of guided study tasks hopefully will provide additional time, particularly in provided differentiated feedback for all students in the class.

Is it still worth it?

A final question or two: do I still enjoy it and is it worthwhile? Yes, I 100% enjoy teaching and seeing the development of students. But I also am 100% annoyed at the demands of A-levels, the lack of time, and the other wider problems of further education (particularly the lack of investment and support from government). But until I become so overwhelmed or apathetic, I will continue to plug away attempting to do my best. After all, this is what I expect of my students: to try their very best.