The unfortunate reality: are students avoiding GCSE Chinese over shortage of Cantonese oral examiners?

(This article is about the GCSE exam and it is written with reference to the Pearson Edexcel specifications.)

Over the few years lots of parents have asked us questions at our information sessions. One question that comes up again and again is: "Can we get an examiner for the GCSE Chinese exam?"

If you are from Hong Kong you know how easy it is to get around. You can hop on the MTR or a bus. You will be across the city in no time.. In the UK it is very different. Towns are apart, public transport is not always frequent and it can take a long time to get somewhere.

Because of this many families have a time finding someone who can deliver the GCSE Chinese speaking exam. Some families even give up on the idea because they do not know where to start.

There are also some challenges with the exam system itself.

The GCSE Chinese speaking test is not carried out by an examiner sent by Pearson Edexcel. Instead the school or test centre has to find its teacher-examiner, run the test on site and submit all recordings and paperwork themselves. Pearson Edexcel does not send examiners into schools.

This is mainly for security reasons. They want to make sure everything is done in a controlled and confidential environment. It also avoids the task of sending examiners all over the country.

However in life this arrangement does not always work smoothly. Chinese teachers are already hard to find in the UK and many schools or community centres do not have the resources to train examiners or bring in staff.

To be approved as a speaking-test examiner you need more than good Chinese language skills. You need teaching qualifications or assessment experience. Pearson Edexcel is very clear about this.. Smaller Chinese schools, community organisations and weekend language programmes often do not have anyone who meets those requirements.

When a school manages to find someone qualified, travel can be another problem. Getting from one city to another in the UK can be expensive. It takes hours.

During the speaking-test period examiners schedules fill up quickly making it even harder for families to secure a slot.

The result is a system that does not quite fit the realities faced by families across the UK. Lots of students want to take the GCSE exam but many simply cannot because they cannot find an examiner nearby.

Summary

From Pearson Edexcel's point of view, asking schools to arrange their examiners makes sense. It keeps costs down and maintains exam security.. When you combine this with the lack of Chinese-speaking teachers, the difficulty of qualifying examiners and the challenges of UK travel families are left with a real problem. Many students who really want to take the GCSE exam find themselves without the chance to do so.

So what can we do?

The only way forward is to work. By connecting teachers, parents and community supporters we can start building a network that makes the GCSE Chinese exam more accessible for everyone.

We would love to hear your thoughts.

Please share your experiences, ideas or suggestions. Your voice could help make a difference for students, across the UK.