CaSE reacts to mixed messages from UK exam results

The Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK (CaSE) has expressed mixed reactions to the announcement of exam results recently in the UK. The results of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams, usually taken at the age of 16, were deemed good news by...

The Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK (CaSE) has expressed mixed reactions to the announcement of exam results recently in the UK.

The results of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams, usually taken at the age of 16, were deemed good news by the campaign in light of the increase in the number of students taking three separate sciences at this level. However, the results of the A-level exams, usually taken by students aged 18, caused concern due to the visible decline in the number of youngsters studying physics.

GCSE students have the option of taking an exam combining all three sciences. This is known as Double Award Science as the examinees receive two identical grades for the exam. 'It is important that students should have the opportunity to be taught separate sciences by subject specialists. Students are moving away from the double science course, with more taking single, triple or applied science GCSEs,' said Rosemary Davies, a researcher at CaSE.

This positive trend does not continue when the students sit their A-levels two years later, according to CaSE. The main cause for concern within the campaign is the drop in the number of students taking physics.

'The fall in people taking physics has continued without interruption for over a decade, and we cannot allow it to continue if we want a thriving economy in the future,' said Peter Cotgreave, Director of CaSE.

'We need three kinds of action immediately,' he continued. 'First, there are not enough physics teachers, so we need to pay them more to attract them into the profession. The market for physics graduates is fierce. Second, the careers services in schools need to be giving much, much better information about the job opportunities available to people who study science. Third, within the existing budget, we need to channel a higher proportion of university funding into strategically important subjects like sciences, so that universities can discount the fees for these courses and make them more realistic opportunities for students from less well off backgrounds.'

The number of students sitting A-levels in chemistry and biology has however risen.

Countries

United Kingdom