Boundaries changed for English GCSE in Wales

[creamteas]

So if you are in Wales, you get the result you deserve. If you are in England, you get shit on by Gove see here

The unfair GCSE, just got worse IMO

[BringBack1996]

To make it even worse, a lot of schools in England do the WJEC board. How on earth will employers know who got the grades they deserved?

[BringBack1996]

Ignore that, I just read the article and it seems that the WJEC candidates in England won't get remarks!

[creamteas]

Yes, the fact that kids doing the same exam, at the same time, who get the same marks will end up with different grades is really shitty

[LittenTree]

Actually, I don't think, as I mentioned in another post, that the Welsh should have been allowed to do the regrade in isoltaion. It could, in fact, backfire on them as less well informed people assume that any grade a Welsh student got in any GCSE taken this past summer has been 'inflated' over what it 'should have been'.

The actual solution would have been to have urged the next step of the DC's education journey 'providers', be they 6th form colleges, FE colleges or apprentice providers to look at those DC's mock and predicted results in conjunction with the actual result; in fact, a lot of such providers, with their need to fill places would probably be accepting those lower marks, any way.

It will also have some influence on what the Welsh are able to do with the Eng Bacc exams that'll replace GCSEs in 3 core subjects in 2017. The Welsh education authorities have to be a bit careful how they handle that as, unless they accept the Eng Bacc, the assumption might be that the Welsh have maintained the 'easier' exams to make their DC's results look better, whereas the nation may regard the remaining core GCSEs as now being worth a CSE and the EBaccs as being 'O' levels, BUT I can't see any Welsh politician accepting an exam with 'English' in its name!

[creamteas]

I don't think it will disadvantage Welsh students. I have never seen a CV with the Exam Board on, and in 12 months time this fiasco will fade from public memory. So in 5 years time, students in Wales with their C grades will be much better of than English ones without.

I should imagine a significant proportion of D grade students will never resit, given that they are the least likely to have stayed at the same school.

[LapsedPacifist]

My DS's school (in England) take the WJEC Eng Lang exam. DS was one of 16 boys selected by the school to have his final English paper re-marked - he got a D and all his other marks were As. (He got A* for Eng Lit ). DS has NEVER in his entire life failed an English exam before. I spoke to his school examinations officer today and she told me that WJEC have refuse to re-mark the papers of English candidates but will do so for the Welsh ones. She described this as 'pure racism'.

[creamteas]

Yes it is extremely unfair, but as far as I know it is not the WJEC's fault. If the paper was taken at an English school, it is Ofqual and Gove that have said no.

[mysteryfairy]

Can they actually refuse to remark your son's exam if you just pay yourself? The impression I have had through 2 children doing gcses is that you can always get a remark if you pay the fee.

[BringBack1996]

Does every DC in Wales do the WJEC exam board? If some do other boards, will they be re-marked or is it just the WJEC papers?

[LittenTree]

Lapsed- good point about 'racism', actually!

It goes to show what a complete fiasco all this is. But imo it goes to show, in the bigger picture, what a mockery semi-devolution is. They're either in or out, which, bearing in mind at 'the vote' on it, whereas the Scots voted 'out', the Welsh voted 'in'- yet they can still be allowed to do this.....

[noblegiraffe]

He should be able to get it remarked to check that his original score was correct even if he doesn't get it regraded under the new grade boundaries. Otherwise they are breaking the rules!

[Syrupent]

Well, as an English person living in Wales whose DS has just done his GCSEs, I can see how unfair this is to students in England. Can't agree it is racism however_ the Welsh are not really a 'race' and many English/ half English kids live here, in this area at least. Some students living in Wales will have done non WJEC exams, there was one school on the local news last night complaining how unfair they felt it was as they had done the dreaded AQA.
Now they are saying AQA science might be affected?

[ReallyTired]

Ofcourse its racism. I hope the English students take it to the European court of justice. Surely all EU students should be treated equally.

[Syrupent]

Certainly they should all be treated equally. The whole thing is a mess, feel sorry for the kids caught uo in this.

[prh47bridge]

No it is not racism. An English student living in Wales will get the Welsh grade boundaries. A Welsh student living in England will get the English grade boundaries. It depends on where you live, not what race you are. All EU students in Wales are being treated equally with each other. Similarly all EU students in England are being treated equally with each other, just differently to EU students in Wales. The European courts would not interfere.

[creamteas]

The European courts would not interfere.

You're right, but I could see it going to a Judicial Review

[MisForMumNotMaid]

It's just been on the Welsh news and not all kids have been up graded. So some have had a double disappointment.