To want 9s not 7s for my child in their GCSEs?

That is what I said to my child, GCSEs are door openers, see them as the start of the journey not the destination.

Well that’s probably what they said when As were no longer rare and they added “A star” in. To avoid eventually ending up with “A* recurring”, they changed the system to numbers so they have the space to increase to 10 (11, 12…) when necessary.

(I can’t seem to include the asterisk for “A star” without making it bold 😄)

many many years ago after I got my A levels I got into uni, not one of the famous prestigious ones but I got a place which to this day I think is an achievement. My dad said to me " it is a second rate place that takes second rate people like you". That comment can still sting today decades later. Please take pride in your child for who they are rather than who you think they should be.

Why?
what are you trying to compensate for/proove?
i am sure they are doing their best.

There is an inbuilt future grade 10, to allow for grade inflation! They should simply have prevented that from happening.

Derail but I hate the system of numbers. Why can't we have letters? Everyone is mentally converting them!

My strong suggestion is to stop obsessing over grades. Your child is on track to do well. They may do even better. Who knows? You will find out on results day. No amount of expectation is going to change them. Your job is to love your child for who they are, encourage them in all they do and reassure them that their best is good enough, even if it isn't a 9.

If you put that much pressure on your child then a burnt out child is what you’ll get.

Good grief. Imagine telling your child who is achieving 6 & 7 that they’re not good enough?

Wow.

One of mine got nearly all 9s. He was absolutely driven, and determined to get them, but has a natural aptitude for some subjects.
His sibling got 5s-7s, and we were equally proud - both had tried their hardest.

We never put any pressure on them about grades, only about making sure they had prepared properly, and were taking enough breaks.

My daughters did their best, they worked hard, were relatively "bright"... not mumsnet-bright obvs. They gained a variety of grades at GCSE 6/7/8 - no nines...
They both came out of uni with firsts. (English, Pharmacology), so no, I don't think 9s matter that much in the long term scheme of things, certainly would not be putting any pressure on an already high achieving student.

Maybe they just don't have the ability to do so. Those are passes anyway aren't they?

Do you mean you think your DC is capable of 9s?

A good number of DC are capable and get 9s. For them, yes to be satisfied with 7 is to lack aspiration.

We don’t know the ability of this DC.

A lot of people do lack aspiration and have a lowest common denominator attitude. ie lots of people do well to get a 4, so everyone should be thrilled with a 7.

Thats not right. We should all hope and want our DC to fulfil their potential and achieve the best they can. For some that is 9 and for others 7 and for others 4.

The UK is beset with many parents who have limited aspirations for their kids. They say they want their kids to be happy and often this means that if they don’t want to work hard, then that’s okay and if they underachieve it doesn’t matter. They often think that any suggestion that a DC could do better is a form of abuse and to be shot down or discouraged as kids can’t cope with that. A very few can’t, but most benefit from a healthy level of aspiration and encouragement to work hard, push themselves and have high expectations.

Its unclear from OP if she is having this healthy expectation and feels the school lacks aspiration - and this is often the case where schools focus on getting people to L4 or 7 and don’t seem interested in the able who could get 9s. Or it could be a pipe dream and unrealistic for this child.

But lots 9s are achieved in state schools. In many subjects around 8-10% of kids achieve 9 in that subject. That’s thousands of kids every year. Most schools have reasonable numbers of such kids. Some are under undue pressure but lots aren’t. And some could do much better than the grades they get. Often a 9 is achieved with less than 70%.

Thisvisnt to belittle lower grades which might be a huge achievement. But 9scsre not like hens teeth.

Plenty in number, no doubt, but not as a proportion.

‘In 2024, five percent of GCSE entries in England were awarded the highest grade of 9.’

(The bold is not mine! From the original website - realise it could look pass agg.)

Totally agree with that hard work is important, though, and that all students should aspire to do as well as they can.

I also wanted to add that I know so many parents now who have a very poor relationship with the children they pressured into academic greatness. Ask yourself why YOU want them to get 9’s so much and think about whether a 9 trumps healthy mental health in your child. And finally, just in case you’re not already aware but honestly there is very little more boring than a pushy grade obsessed parent.

As above, what does your child think, or want?
I knew I had to bust a gut to get the grades for the uni course I wanted, which was incredibly competitive. Nothing less than top grades would have been OK for me, I knew what I wanted to do from age of 12, and that was a huge motivator.

To get those top grades, they either have to be exceptionally gifted, or bright with an absolute laser focus on getting the top grades, doing hours of independent study each week on top of set homework. If your child isn't motivated to do that, then they are not going to get 9's. And that's ok.

But not as much notice as predicted A level grades.

My son took 6.

He got 8,7,6,6,6,5

He’s in his first year at UCL now.

I think that 9s are given to the top 5% of the 8s, or something like that. Very few children are in the top 5% of every subject, and who cares if they are? 2 kids got straight 9s at my DC’s school. One was lovely and one was … not a nice person at all.

Also don’t forget that these poor kids have to write 20+ exams in a 2 month period with NO feedback at all. Then, they have to wait until August(!!) for all their results . In this day and age they can’t get feedback any earlier? Ridiculous. When they do get their results, they have 1 day (wtf) to confirm their college place. The whole experience is soul destroying and hasn’t been updated since the dark ages.

Don’t get me started on how they are taught to pass a test (how to answer an 8 marker, for example) instead of just being taught a subject like I was taught. You can probably tell I am not from the U.K. Everyone I know who didn’t grow up with this system thinks it is awful.

Please don’t add to your child’s stress by expecting 9s.

I guess your huband thinks that state school children can't get 9's so there is no use to even try. Where as you believe even state school children can get 9's so studying is worth it?

You're not unreasonable to believe that state school children can get 9's. But wether your kids can, impossible to say.

So we know what you think.

We also know what your DH thinks.

But what does your child think?

what are they aiming for, what do they hope for, what do they consider realistic? They are the ones at the coal face who presumably have the best idea.

This isn't correct. Alot of children do achieve 9s and if you look at or have experience in the grade boundaries it's achievable with hard work. I'm sure all parents would love all 9s so let's not be too hard on op.

What is a “ model student”?

If he's already a good student who completes homework unprompted then he is likely working to the best of his ability.

Depends which year. In year 9 this would be great. By year 11, they're supposed to be studying for the exams themselves. Like, actually revising, checking their knowledge in different areas and trying to fill in their own gaps. That doesn't happen by just completing homework, completing homework is bare minimum to prevent ending up in detention.

Your child should aim for his potential regardless what grades he gets. Not being put under pressure to perform above his ability.

What are these "extended papers" your husband is referring to?

Remember 7s at a state school are as good as a 9 at an independent school, further education establishments know this.