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Original poster

is this legal? AQA scrapping DDs result and forcing a resit for the whole year

56 replies

ThatVikRinA22 · 12/10/2012 15:09

has anyone else got this predicament? im very very Angry right now.

DD is 15 and in year 11.
In year 10, she took several GCSEs, including all the science GCSEs. She got top Cs in them all, she was working at an E a year ago, her improvement has been epic and the work she put in was superhuman, she revised, revised and revised for the exams and was ecstatic with her Cs for all of them, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

so why the actual fuck is she having to resit one i asked?

so i rang the school to ask this, and ask what happens if she then gets a D on the resit.....

answer
AQA "misinformed" the school, something to do with percentages claimed during the year, blah blah blah < head of science felt i was clearly too thick to have it all explained properly>.....school say its completely the exam boards fault, theyve complained etc but upshot is that she has to resit her weakest subject.

im so so pissed off, it makes the hard work mean nothing, it means that if she then gets a lower grade that lower grade stands....

ive complained and got no where. Head of Science says he has complained, and many other schools are in the same predicament due to the exam board giving them "duff information"

why is no one held accountable for this "duff information" and why does my child and many others have to suffer for it?

whats the point of me telling DD to work hard, revise, if the grade she got is simply pulled from under her in this way?

OP posts:
Original poster
ThatVikRinA22 · 12/10/2012 18:34

thank you.
she sat physics, chemistry and biology this summer just gone and got Cs in all three. she was overjoyed when she got her results in August because the work she put in was over and above the call of duty - she really did work for it, and the head of science acknowledged this today in saying it is a very rare student who does what she did in terms of improvement.

i feel so sorry for her that it was for nothing. He is putting her in for the resit for chemistry - but he said she could have resat any one of them as her marks were all roughly the same in all 3 subject with a strong C in all of them.

OP posts:
NoSelfControl · 12/10/2012 18:32

Oooops sorry - cross post! I am a Head of Science and this is the first I have heard of it (nothing from other HoDs at other schools either). I will have an ask around though

NoSelfControl · 12/10/2012 18:30

How annoying for you both - it must be very soul destroying for your DD after all of her hard work. You may get more sense out of the exams office - they should be able to tell you whether the Core GCSE was cashed in or not. If not it was a cock up by the school - AQA won't automatically do it. Your DD should already have a single GCSE in the bag at this point and be focussing on Additional Science. Unfortunately exam rules and regs are changing all of the time but that doesn't help you. I need to phone AQA on Monday so will ask them about the resits for you and report back!

Original poster
ThatVikRinA22 · 12/10/2012 18:30

i posted in here hoping for someone with some knowledge because the head of science told me that DDs school is in no way alone in this

i posted in AIBU but decided to post here in the hope that someone in the education system could advise.

she will not be able to use the grade she got - the grade is scrapped and the resit grade is the one that will count. i have checked and triple checked on this point (obviously)

OP posts:
Original poster
ThatVikRinA22 · 12/10/2012 18:18

ive been categorically told by the head of science today that the better grade will not count.

ive check and double checked.

she only sat the exam in the summer and got the result in August this year.

OP posts:
NoSelfControl · 12/10/2012 18:16

It sounds like the school may not have cashed in the Core GCSE modules. If you don't do this the students have to resit at least one module to satisfy the new terminal exam requirements (at least 40% completed in the year they certificate - probably one module plus the controlled assessment.) From what I understand from AQA, if the students have not cashed in (like your DD) the better grade will count. This was the case with our separate scientists who completed resits. Hope that helps!