Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

New GCSE levels - what should a top student be aiming for?

57 replies

RhodaBull · 15/04/2016 16:51

Under old (current) system, the benchmark was at least 6A*s for Oxford for humanities, rising to ten or more for Medicine (extenuating circumstances excepted).

But now how is a pupil to know what is good or not? Ten 9s? Five 9s? What if, say, Westminster pupils all get ten 9s but someone from a comprehensive gets 8s (when they would previously both have got all/mostly A*s)?

Is 9 even achievable? Obviously in Maths it is easily done for a very able person, but what about English/History? How is one to know if a 7 is decent or a disaster?

Confused
OP posts:
VagueButlmportant · 15/04/2016 21:57

I have a Y9 DD so she will be the first cohort to do all her GCSEs under the new system. She goes to a comp with just below the average 5 A*-C grades.

I had a chat to her maths teacher at the options evening last month. She told me that she has predicted 2 grade 9s for this year's Y10 but that they had a meeting with someone from an exam board recently and they were advising all non-selective comps not to predict grade 9 at all!

She was quite angry about it, and she's determined she has a couple of kids in the current Y10 and definitely one (not DD sadly!) in the current Y9 who she thinks should be able to get a 9.

I think it's going to be very difficult for kids at non-selective comps to achieve a 9. They will struggle to teach to that level when their focus will be bringing the rest of the class up to 6/7/8 etc.

Muskey · 15/04/2016 19:16

I have been reading many threads about the new GCSEs and the total lack of clarity on these is totally unreasonable. My dd is 12 so she has missed the new sats levels and hopefully the new GCSEs will have bedded in somewhat by the time she gets there. I do however really feel sorry for both dc and parents who have to deal with this. This is no way to treat dc who are stressed out enough as it is without the added stress of worrying what is a good mark.

NewLife4Me · 15/04/2016 19:08

Stupid question but what will a B be?
I must admit it's a bit confusing now.
Why can't they just have had numbers instead of letters, so it equates easier

tiggytape · 15/04/2016 17:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MedSchoolRat · 15/04/2016 17:12

What PP said.

7 on new GCSE will be very good, unless you think anything below A/A* is a disaster, too (shrug).

I work in a medical school. We usually keep it simple by focusing on just the 8 best GCSEs. People on TSR say they get into medical school with less than 8xA* at GCSE.

NewLife4Me · 15/04/2016 17:10

I don't understand why somebody from a comp would all of a sudden get an 8 or not reach the A* they would before.

Am I missing something vital her.
Surely a 9 is a 9 and an 8 is an 8 whatever school you go to.

BackforGood · 15/04/2016 17:02

Surely you just aim to do your best across the board ? Confused

Until the first cohort actually get their marks, then no-one will have any benchmark to compare against. When the first cohort are applying to universities then the admissions people will be comparing like with like - everyone that year having taken under the new system.