Drafting and Re-Drafting

Observing (from a distance!) some of my international students completing coursework for the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE in English Literature has reminded me just how beneficial drafting and redrafting an assignment can be.

In a system where examinations carry all of the marks, we have lost sight of the fact that developmental editing, line editing and wholesale redrafting are absolutely fundamental to teaching students how to write well.

After all, this is how professional writers and publishing houses work, so why do we not recreate these conditions at GCSE?

With the advent of AI, and the prospect of superintelligence, it does seem ethically right to have moved towards a system where 100% of marks are awarded under exam conditions.

Nonetheless, it is a shame that this technology has (inadvertently) challenged not simply the idea of coursework, but the whole process of drafting and redrafting a piece of work.

Beyond the academic skills that are lost, a system built entirely around examinations has heightened the anxiety of perfectionism. Students have learnt that their analytical and creative writing needs to be ‘perfect’ first time round, since there is no second draft under exam conditions. This is not how real writing (or real life) works!

I would be interested to hear any strong views on this; I know they’re out there!