A level results day 2021 support thread

Thank you @MadameMinimes. The wording about the grade needing to be judged “unreasonable” is the issue isn’t it? That sets the bar for a change to be made really high. Either a B or a C could be reasonable with that mix of grades so I agree it’s probably unlikely to change. :-(. Good to know you feel it unlikely to go down though if we did appeal. Thanks for that.

I really feel for him to be so close.

@boys3 I know - i feel your concern about the perception that everyone has A*s and As and how does a C look in comparison. But I know that’s probably not the reality - media hype is not helpful and just makes them feel rubbish. I’m glad your son still has his preferred Uni place too.

DS is likely to be at Uni for at least 4 years with a placement year and potentially 5 if he does the integrated masters. So after 5 years I’m fairly sure his degree will be way more important than A-levels.

I do think the system is set up to discourage appeals as that flow chart shows. Thanks @Georgie8

It’s also horrible how this year it feels like it’s pitting students against teachers. Previously the school would have been fighting your corner. This year it feels like you’re on your own with it all. Although there’s no charge at our school to appeal as far as I know.

@pistachioicecream You could appeal. Personally, I think it’s unlikely to succeed though. The awarding body need to decide that the grade given was unreasonable based on the evidence, not just that they would have been more generous. As a head of sixth form, I would have expected that collection of grades (with the caveat that I’m presuming that they are roughly equally weighted bits of evidence) to result in a TAG of a B. I think if a B had been given, then the exam board would not have judged it to be unreasonably high. I doubt they would judge a C to be unreasonably low though.

You don’t have much to lose. I can’t see that they would judge the school to be too generous, so it seems unlikely that they would reduce his grade.

@pistachioicecream, similar here - C grade in a subject where the evidence profile somewhat disconnected - only C in the initial "mocks" from last September.

But like your DS mine has a place (and accommodation) at his preferred course and Uni, and so in one sense the result has achieved the right immediate outcome.

The concern is a bit more medium term, having a C on your CV in the year where a lot got As or A*s and the perception that everyone got these grades. Whether that concern is justified I'm not wholly sure.

There is a JCQ Student Guide Summer 2021 on jcq.org.uk re the appeals process (sorry, not sufficiently computer literate to copy/paste it).
There’s a flow chart for deciding what to do after you’ve received your results:
“Do my grades affect my decisions about what to do next in education, training or work?”
If the answer is “no”, then the flow chart stops, suggesting that the student should be “happy”, as the grades awarded have allowed the student to progress as intended.
Our school has told us that there’s no fee for stage 1, but that a stage 2 appeal will cost circa £100 -the exact fee only confirmed once an appeal request form has been submitted as each board charges a different amount.

We said to our daughter that if she got her first choice then the grades didn’t matter.

Is anyone considering appealing any of their grades?

DS is really upset about his C in maths, feels like he's failed (!) and it was really unfair based on the overall evidence used. He had CCAABC - the last C was 1 mark off a B. Obviously I've told him he absolutely has not failed but that's what's in his head.

He has got into his first place Uni choice, despite dropping a grade for maths, so he's lucky in that respect. Am torn between advising him to challenge it or just encouraging him to leave it behind and move on. From everything I've read the appeals the process seems to be set up to make it very unlikely grades will be amended. So maybe he's better off trying to get over it. But on the other hand will he always wonder what if?

Anyone else grappling with this?

Call the Uni & explain he can’t see the course on UCAS?

Help please!

DS got the grades he needed to do German at Bangor, deferred till 2022. Bangor rang him on results day to say they'd changed the name of the course, to Modern Languages, and that he'd need to reapply through UCAS. But that he'd still got a place.

DS can't see the course on UCAS though.

Help! What does he do now?

marlene DS's physics teacher was off a lot shielding because his little boy has a heart condition. DS had extra time off both years too with his broken collarbone. They've had a rough couple of years. DD got her GCSE results today and has done really well, again considering both years have been so badly disrupted. Hopefully things will calm down from now on.

marlene

Because of the ranking ds2 got a grade lower than he should have done based on teacher assessment

Of course this could have worked in reverse, in his case anyway 🙂

@shewalkslikerihanna same here, DS got aaa in mocks and working grades, and left with AAB

Maths, further maths, Physics. He said Physics was hard as he had to figure out a lot for himself as his teacher was CEV and has not taught in person since March last year. And to think we chose the college because of the awesome labs and hands on experience for sciences

I told him he did extremely well under difficult circumstances, like your DGS , in subjects that are proper difficult (in my opinion!)

curledup you've summed it up perfectly!!

@shewalkslikerihanna. Well done to your son .. those are great results. So glad your ds is going on to his first choice. . Edinburgh is a fantastic city!

[quote shewalkslikerihanna]@MadameMinimes
Thank you
Yes I’m delighted for him absolutely and he will be well rewarded before he goes
He’s got the best A level results In The family ever and in such difficult subjects too
I just wonder if he has stopped to think
What happened ?
We aren’t a very academic family so the success is all down to him[/quote]
I hope he doesn't stop to think what happened. He did it - he got what he needed to progress to where he wanted to go - onwards and upwards. His A level results will not hold him back - only what he continues to will have that effect. Doing A levels with very little teaching is bloody hard especially in Maths Physics and Chemistry - those whose schools stepped up in Lockdown One were very lucky! Doing A levels with minimal support will equip him well for independent study at Uni. Hope he has a blast and does some work too!

@MadameMinimes
Thank you
Yes I’m delighted for him absolutely and he will be well rewarded before he goes
He’s got the best A level results In The family ever and in such difficult subjects too
I just wonder if he has stopped to think
What happened ?
We aren’t a very academic family so the success is all down to him

O think it is assumed to be accepted if not declined iyswim

For kids who got their first choice - do they need to accept the offer formally or is it assumed to be accepted?

Accommodation meant to come through today but still waiting. Am a bit nervous!

Dd has had her accommodation offer, they asked for 10 and she received choice number 10. Luckily she’s not the bothered other than it took ages going through the accommodation options (she made a chart). Her college took ages getting ucas up and running, so offers late. She still applied for accommodation in March.

Curledup

Tell me about it. We were helping DS1 pack as he was going down to Uni sports training yesterday - cue much eye rolling and “I don’t need that” etc. Clearly DH and I know nothing about packing, travelling, Uni etc.

Once he was on the train I think reality hit him and suddenly he was happier to bounce ideas off us. They like the idea of independence but in practice is a bit of a shock.

Following on from accepting offers we're in the midst of...
I'm an adult let me do it myself/you're my parents you're supposed to help me with this shit.
I know everything don't tell me anything/I don't know anything I haven't been to uni before - you need to help me.

And one of them might defer (I have twins)! You get over one hurdle...

Also she told me that they are 30% oversubscribed - surely that can't mean they are admitting 30% more students as that would really damage their experience I think.

They won't have done it on purpose - it's the result of the grade inflation this year meaning more students will meet their offers. Lots of universities will have this problem.

Sorry to hear that shewalks. Try to be happy for him though. ABB in Maths, Chemistry and Physics is not to be sniffed at. Most people doing that combination of subjects will have A*-A grades at GCSE and a lot of them will come away with less than ABB. It’s been a difficult time to do A Levels and he should be proud of what he has achieved.

Actually it feels like being predicted a first class degree and coming away with a 2:2

Well my dgs didn’t get his handed on a plate
Despite working consistently and often with very little in the way of tuition from his 6th form tutors and based on the brilliant GCSEs results of A and As I thought he would get A A and A in maths physics and chemistry
He got A in maths and 2Bs
He’s still going to his first choice of Edinburgh and I know it won’t matter in September,he’s happy but I feel he’s been let down badly

I think he’s lucky to sail straight into his first choice to be honest