Michael Gove wants to change the format of A levels. He wants to make it so that instead of having January exams (and modular exams) we just have a main exam for each subject at the end of the two years.

   I understand his point that getting rid of regular exams will allow students to "have more time for teaching" enhancing "the joy of learning." However, I don't think his system is going to work.

   By enforcing this new way of teaching, everything you learn during the two years would come down to these exams. This would put enormous pressure on students, because it's basically an 'all or nothing' situation. The system we have now allows us to learn set topics, be tested on them half way through the year whilst they are fairly fresh in our minds, then enter our June exams knowing we already have a fair few marks from our previous exam! It takes the pressure off, and allows us to revise in a less stressed manner. 

   Also, by the time we sat these 'final exams' we would barely be able to remember what we were taught in our first year! And since we would be focusing on new topics in the second year of college/sixth form, we would need to teach ourselves the material from the first year. 

   It is also being discussed that subjects become more 'theoretical' and less coursework based to prepare us for real life. However, I think that when we leave college and get a job, surely it will be more like coursework than theory? For example, someone writing for an article would draft and article, get feedback from their editor etc. and produce a final copy - similar to the process we currently have with coursework. So changing this system doesn't quite make sense to me...

   What are your thoughts?