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Original poster

GCSE new levels 1-9

32 replies

var123 · 22/10/2015 11:42

I found this online about the new GCSE levels and thought others might be interested:-
grade 9 will be highest, at a standard equivalent to the current top half of A*
grade 7 will be equivalent to the current grade A
grade 5 will be linked to international Pisa tests
grade 4 will be equivalent to the current C grade
grade 1 will roughly cover current F and G grades

Here's the link:www.aqa.org.uk/resources/mathematics/gcse/mathematics-8300/plan/changes-to-grades

OP posts:
blueemerald · 24/10/2015 14:37

I had to give my "working at" grades for this half term yesterday. I work in an SEN school where nearly all of our students will get grades between D-G for my subject (English). My year 10s are currently all F-G level (normal for them after one half term of GCSE work) but having to go through and put 1, 1, 1 for all of them was really disheartening because some of them are more able/working harder than the others (hence some being F and some G) and also because those G grade students will effectively have to go up two "old style" GCSE grades (G-E) before they show progress on the new scale. That could take some of them two years, which (selfishly) doesn't make me look good but it also damaging for their already fragile self-esteem.

That's before you even get to the fact that I don't even really know what a 1, 2, etc even looks like.

noblegiraffe · 24/10/2015 14:28

Grade 5 being linked to some nebulous international standard is just bizarre. How are they going to decide the grade boundary for that, when the grade boundary for a 4 is set by achievement of a particular percentage of students?

Original poster
var123 · 24/10/2015 14:25

The part that interests me most if the grade 5 being linked to the international exams that the UK govt has no influence over. It seems a genuine attempt to prevent grade inflation.

So, if students do well going forward its because they are getting better, not because the exams got easier, and no one can say otherwise.

OP posts:
Racundra · 24/10/2015 08:49

Dfe have said that 5 will be a 'good pass' rather than the old C. 5 is the very top of the old C and a B really.

OddBoots · 24/10/2015 08:27

Interesting that they are directly comparing a letter with a number as everything else I have read suggests it isn't that simple, the letters fall between numbers rather than being equal to them.

For example this tweeted image from ofqual link

popuptent · 24/10/2015 08:20

I saw something that had only a high 4 being equivalent to a C and a pass being considered as more of a 5. There didn't seem to be a direct link between any individual number and the current grades.

Needanadulttotalkto · 24/10/2015 02:13

Goodness, really!? Sounds like this will create a lot of confusion. I predict this will get changed back in a few years time! Interesting that they are trying to further differentiate grades at the top end, and the reverse at the bottom, but then I suppose nobody really gives a crap if your grade is an F vs a G!