Baccalauréat, A-levels, Abitur, Bachillerato

➔ THE TOMLINSON COMMISSION PROJECT
Students would study for a diploma on four possible levels: introduction,
proficiency, intermediary and advanced.
Each diploma level comprises:
– a core of compulsory subjects (mathematics, communication skills, ICT,
extended project, educational and artistic activities, career project)
– a second core of subjects inherent to the chosen course (professional
specialisation, further study in compulsory subjects, another subject
chosen by the pupil)
– skills common to both cores (all knowledge, skills and experience
required for the pupil’s future career, such as personal and social
development, independence, etc.).
16
The design of the new diploma, the structure of which is closer to a university
or professional diploma than a GCSE or A-level, would offer several advantages:
– it would reorient schooling towards basic education and prevent young
people leaving the school system with major gaps in their basic knowledge
– examinations would be assessed differently, depending on the subjects
and courses taken. The proportion of work submitted ( * ) would be limited
to a personal project (experimental work in sciences, press-book in applied
arts, dissertation, etc.)
– pupils aged over 16 would have a wider choice and could choose between
– – a range of specialist diplomas designed to provide a basis for progress
with learning axes that cover the range of options in professional and
general education
– – open diplomas that allow the pupil to select a combination of subjects
and broad subject matters to be mastered.
Many subjects in the new diploma stem from current curriculums and
qualification systems. At each level of the examination, the modules are
designed to cover the previous level, which would enable each pupil to work at
his or her own pace and would cut down the number of pupils dropping out or
starting too early. Each student could enter the curriculum at the level that suits
them, and could follow the course without necessarily sitting the diploma.
(
* ) A-levels have been criticised for attaching too much importance to homework.