Why did my son get these results?

[WishfulThinking123]

Hi,

My son got his GCSE results, like everyone else! He was predicted an A in English (both language and literature), B in Maths, C for all 3 Sciences, an A in PE, an A* for art, a B for music, a B for German and a merit for ICT. He had reached these targets in his last mocks, which is why these were his predicted.

He got a D in English language and a C in literature. He got a D in maths, D for chemistry and biology, C for physics, a B in PE, a B for art, a C for music, a D for German and the merit for ICT. Some are fair enough as of course you may well get lower but I think some of these are shockingly low. I'm not, not proud of him, I'm just incredibly upset for him. He had a place at sixth form (depending on results) which is out of the question. He did have a place at college as a last resort for an art course (he isn't even sure if art is what he wants to do, as he'd prefer to do something with English in it) but he needed at least a B in art, and that's still only after a proper meeting (you need an A really) we even phoned today and they asked about his other results and said they just wouldn't be able to take him on. So we are completely lost.

Is it me or isn't it really odd that his results are like that? He worked really bloody hard. Would always stop off at the library to do extra work after school, etc.

We have had a few tears today and not sure what to say to him other than we will sort something out but Honestly I don't know what, as he had his whole heart set on a levels as he'd like to continue a couple of subjects, instead of just one.

[gincamelbak]

Did he work as hard as he says he did? It's disappointing when results are poorer than predicted.
What are you expecting to happen now?

[WishfulThinking123]

Gah! He got a C in Art, not a B sorry that was a mistake

[EarthboundMisfit]

It's probably way off the mark...but how certain are you that he was actually at the library and working?

[adagio]

Didn't want to read and run, but my two are tiny so no current experience.

First, sincere sympathies it must be crap :( wine for you, pizza/commiseratory take out for him.

This is not the end of the world. In a few years this won't matter. Meanwhile, either resit or (in my view better?) do an access course for a course which gets him where he want to be in terms of career or degree.

It might feel like it now, but it's not the end of the world

[WishfulThinking123]

Gin, absolutely. Parents eve wasn't that long before his exams and all teachers said that he was stilling doing just as well in class tests as he did in his main mocks. I don't know what we're going to do was hoping for some advice here really

[WishfulThinking123]

Earth, he was at the library, he'd always come home and read me out bits of revision, etc.

[knittingwithnettles]

could the coursework have pulled it all down, if teachers had been overgenerous/negligent in explaining what was required?

We didn't have anything like those predictions for ds1, all B's but his mocks all predicted Cs so I was quite glad he got at least 3 Bs as well as C's.

It sounds like something was going very very wrong with the target grades and the supervision, not necessarily with your son's working habits. Which would have been reflected in other students' grades perhaps?

[WishfulThinking123]

Adagio, he really wanted to take Art, PE and English for Alevels as he wasn't 100% which one he would like to pursue, so wanted to get an even better insight, IYSWIM? So not sure how useful an access course would be! With regards to resist, can't you only do the main ones?

[yodachronicles]

Hubby is a teacher and he said this morning nationally marks have been low but I'm not sure why that is.

How does he feel he did - does he think he worked as hard as he could?

Is he willing to retake them next year? Does he have a particular career path in mind and is there a different way around to it?

[Jynxed]

I share your pain. My DS was forecast mostly As, a couple of A* and 1 B. He has Cs and Bs. Supposed to be going out celebrating tonight but I just want to sit down and ask him why he couldn't be bothered to work and does he regret it now. He will be accepted into 6th form but not to do the A levels he wanted to.

[Horehound]

Well I don't know what you can do but I just wanted to say I didn't even get to sit these exams because my mocks were so crap. I did fine, I went to college then joined an agency and worked my way up from there and have a good job now. I'm sure he will manage to get into college on those results, hell..I did and I had nothing.
He will be fine, absolutely fine.

[Horehound]

Oh an colleges do offer the exams so he could take another year and re-do?

[hobobulate]

Have you looked at the actual marks? Are any close to the grade boundary? Is do it may be worth getting some remarked.
My DD was quite shocked with unexpectedly lie English language and literature results. (Although still OK to what she wants)

[EarthboundMisfit]

Do you know how any of his classmates did?

[harridan50]

Sometimes you can work really hard but not revise in the right way. Results depend on quality smart revision. Look at your local college, find courses he may be interested in and hit the phones, maybe a btec with maths and english retakes. All is not lost he is young, can work hard and is a smart hardworking young man. Good luck

[WishfulThinking123]

He can get into PE at college, but he isn't keen on the idea as he will have to do the 3 year course, the 2 year one needed better grades so he isn't keen because it's not even something he's sure he wants to do, he loves PE but doesn't want to be a teacher/trainer etc. So isn't sure on the idea.

He's mortified, very upset and just keeps going through all his work and crying basically. He has worked really bloody hard. It's so sad

[PirateFairy45]

Can't he re sit them?

[knittingwithnettles]

I do know someone's son who this happened to. He went off to a (state) retake centre for a year and re-took the ones he cared about, got B's across the board (having got D's previously) and THEN started his A levels, a year later. If he has failed Maths and English, he will have to retake them anyway in November. Would it be both leaving the establishment he is at, writing them all off, and starting afresh? After all you have an extra year paid for by gov, up till 19 years. Why not do it at this end rather than adding an access course at the other end or year's delay going to uni at the other?

[WishfulThinking123]

I have his marks but I wasn't sure on the grade boundaries? How do we see how close he was?

Yes, I'm thinking he would prefer to resit them, he may leave a couple, but go for the basics and then the ones he wants to do for a levels. I'm just not sure where he can do these.

[Scarydinosaurs]

hore sadly it's a very different world now and there isn't the same second chances that there used to be.

wish did you speak to his head of year today? Roughly where are you based- there are some colleges that offer a foundation year to retake in exceptional circumstances.

Does your son suffer from anxiety? Was it exam nerves/stress? If it is across different exam boards and subjects this doesn't sound like a blip, rather a melt down at the exams? Or terrible over marking on behalf of the school.

Do you have the breakdowns of the marking in front of you? Can you see which exams were the ones that suffered the most? Was coursework disproportionately high in comparison to the exams in English, for example?

[ajandjjmum]

I would try and get in to see someone (who knows him) in school - see if they can offer any pointers.

[timeforabrewnow]

My DS also did worse than he was expecting to and is having to do non-academic type A levels as he didn't make B grades for biology and chemistry.

The key thing a lot of courses/apprenticeships seem to require is 5 GCSEs A-C grade including Maths and English so maybe your son could concentrate on Maths/English resits this year to help him get those 2, maybe a longside a level 2 Btech course?

Then he could move onto to different courses the following year.

I think that GCSEs are hard for teens who struggle with the pressure of exams and is not always a reflection of their intelligence or how hard they have worked.

[knittingwithnettles]

For a start I would query why the school put him in for three sciences instead of combined. At least next year's students will not have the same heartache is someone is held to account for setting inflated target grades. Was he put in for Foundation or Higher? My ds got Cs in his science but that is because he was put in for Foundation half way through the course, I'm sure if he had set Higher Triple he would have got D's. Same with Spanish,Foundation secured Ds his C.

I feel more grateful having read your story that Ds was put in for Foundation in some subjects; I felt he was being shortchanged at the time but maybe it helps.

[ihatethecold]

We had the same situation op.
My son had a few definite A's but got 2 b's and a few C's
His 6th form won't let him do his choice of A levels so he's going down the Btec route now.
We are not really sure what happened.

[WishfulThinking123]

I don't know why they didn't put him for combined. Basically, they are all in sets, the 2 top sets get out in for triple science, unless the completely mess up their Yr 9 tests.

Thank you all