WJEC GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education shortened, as GCSE is a secondary examination taken by almost all the students of the United Kingdom ranging from the age of 15 to 16. Primarily four government boards are responsible for conducting the exams related to GCSE:
Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA Examinations (OCR)
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC)
Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA)
There are various other private boards as well, which conduct the GCSE exams as well. Of these four government boards, the government schools and colleges of Wales and Northern Ireland fall under WJEC.
About the board
The WJEC board was established way back in 1948. Earlier it was known as Welsh Joint Education Committee or Cyd-bwyllgor Addysg Cymru in Welsh. WJEC has been in the market for over 65 years providing quality qualifications. In Wales, it is considered as the greatest provider followed by a leading crown in Northern Ireland and England. The organization has a growing employee strength of 360.
Study time
The study time for this board is quite similar to the other boards. A comprehensive approach must be taken to clear the exams with flying colors. Previous years’ papers and mock tests form the basis of preparation for the exams; of course, after have a complete understanding of the lessons within the syllabi scope. In addition, special care must be taken for difficult topics as it varies with each student.
Type of assessments
The assessment types are primarily divided into two categories:
External: The external exam paper generally consists of marks that range from 50 to 100 depending on the subject and have more than eight questions in total, which also varies with the subject. The types of questions also vary from subject to subject. However, they can be broadly categorized into the below types:
Multiple Choices or MCQs
Short Subjective – where the answer needs to be completed within a single sentence or two
Long Subjective – where the answer needs to be at least more than two sentences
Single-word answers
Graphs Plotting (subject dependent)
Flowchart making (subject dependent)
Internal: The internal paper is also known as Non-Examination Assessment or NEA. No exams are conducted as part of internal assessments. The marks vary with the subject the students undertake as part of their curriculum. The guides and teachers assess the students based on either the year-round general performance or any medium they deem appropriate.
Is the exam hard?
The exams of WJEC are hard with strict marking criteria. The key to score is to write answers that are short yet completely comprehensive. In order to achieve that level, the only way is to solve mock tests and past papers to the fullest. The WJEC board has adopted the 1-9 grading system just like all of the GCSE Boards of the UK. While the top grades range from seven to nine and the lowest ones come in the range on 3 to 1. The grading system was done manually in the recent past. However, currently, electronic grading has been introduced.
