I feel pretty terrible for people who’re currently doing their GCSEs. Everyday I go past hordes of Year 11’s, some seemingly blissfully ignorant and others looking as if they’re heading for the Long March. I guess I kind of just accepted these types of exams for what they were back in year 10 (there wasn’t really much choice); now I’ve gradually come to accept that the fact that these exams act as types of pivots for the rest of some people’s lives, is really messed up.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to the idea of these milestone exams as a whole- universities, workplaces etc need to have something tangible to gauge people off of & they provide at least a little motive for study. What I loathe, however, is the culture around these exams, one which can influence select groups of people significantly more than others. I think the gold standard for arguing against exams revolve around this, often creatively ambiguous, idea of grading or around faults in the educational curriculum. I’m not going to focus on holistic aspects of these exams in this blog; instead I’m gonna outline my opinions in regard to art-related courses during these turbulent times. 

I’d like to think of myself as a little bit of an artist; no Picasso obviously because I’m not a misogynist and no Dali (I should be slightly saner than that guy). Art is, at its core, a passion project: something that demands time alongside meticulous effort, something that offers tangible improvement; something that can give you a Napoleonic ego. On the other hand, GCSE art can be a crappy slog.

Freedom of choice?

Nah, we’ve got a bible-sized theme itinerary already set out for you, no need to be creative.

Grading structure?

Just make sure you’ve an ‘exceptional ability to redefine work… creatively link ideas…’ wait a minute.

How the heck do teachers decide whether a student has ‘exceptional abilities’ when they’re limited to follow some deadpan theme? Hell, why do students need to morph their ideas in conformity with those of the geriatric octogenarians running exam boards? This is year 10, not some capitalist entertainment conglomerate!

Thing is, this is absolutely fine for masochists who just want to drone on with copious amounts of dullness; for young, promising artists/architects/designers, it’s not OK. Upon being forced to do something, it’s natural for one to stray away from said thing in the future, and for creative subjects this is especially true. Most people who pick said subjects for their GCSEs either have had at least some passion for it or saw it as a opportunity to escape the mundanity of other courses. 

To squeeze them through outdated, arbitrary exam-board specifications is cruel, leading to them not allowing them to seek out their artistic passions, resulting in their realization that art and design are just sorry alternatives to study. Luckily, this issue isn’t so prevalent during students’ A-Levels (if they’re still there); this doesn’t alleviate or act as excuse to the poor GCSE situation.