This is kind of like the standardized tests Americans take. It's good that they're getting rid of it. I think standardized tests are unfair. They're inaccurate. If someone in honors courses takes the standardized test, chances are it'll be quite easy. But if someone in lower level classes takes the test, it'll be much harder for them. Giving everyone the same level test despite different level courses isn't fair (at least that's how it's done here.)

@Strawberryshortcake, things are done differently over here, thats why he mentioned not to confuse them.

My SAT results were not really used for anything after i had taken them, however it was good practice for the following years when i had to sit my GCSE's, without them the first major exams you sit during school will be your GCSE's, i know you have mock exams first but they aren't the same.
Our SATs were also a good indicator of which sets to put us in whilst we were studying our GCSEs by judging how we did in exams. You could argue that class work could be used instead but it isn't always a fair judgement.
As i have already mentioned our results were never referred to afterwards so maybe it's just extra stress which is unneccessary?
Still i think we should have kept them.

The 11 year old situation hasn't changed, merely sees to me that they're changing the name :rolleyes:. And the 14 year old SATs were only useful for fuelling league tables, which I disagree with. Schools are and have been perfectly able to decide skill levels and suitable setting of their year 9s without having to go through SATs that matter little. The problem with testing is that you're perfectly free to forget it once you've learned it, but then that probably goes for a lot of the education system

When I took them, they were purely used to define what level I was to be placed in at GCSE. (ie, sets)

Never heard of them afterwards.