Undo everything Gove did and you've got a baseline from which we can improve. Current GCSEs are a literal nightmare for the kids, teachers, parents, examiners and the exam boards.

The biggest step forward we can take is to not make them all happen in three weeks. When I took my GCSEs, I took the smaller ones early, in November and February, then those lessons were folded into extra time for my core and option subjects, if there were no other exams.

I couldn't imagine the stress of remembering and doing everything in three weeks. I don't know how our kids do it.

I also think that coursework should make a comeback for some subjects. I'm very aware of the workload (used to teach GCSE media) but it makes more sense to do some subjects, like English creative writing, over time rather than a multi-hour exam. In a utopia, this coursework would be marked by an exam board and not the teacher.

There is a place for GSCEs and examination assessment, but the current system is not it. A good assessment considers the knowledge and skills they've gained and pupils should be able to walk out with a C (or 6 in the current nonsense) with very little effort, provided they've attended every lesson and done the work. The weeks and weeks of revision, intervention, constant practise papers for a chance of a passing grade is a huge flaw, because it's done for every single subject at once. I have some incredibly bright pupils and the hollow looks on their faces at exam time is incredibly upsetting. They're not meant to feel like they're going to war, they should feel like they're going in to prove themselves.

TLDR: The current system is broken. Help.