MOCK GCSEs

I'm a teacher and would never give harsh marks to shock. I use the published exam board boundaries. There is time to turn it around.

School should be putting intervention for him in place immediately. If he is missing his predicted grades by so much then they need to find out why and what he needs to do to get better. Don't panic though as I've seen it happen, especially with boys. Mocks of Es magically turn into Bs - it's called revision and hard work.

it doesn't make the kids complacent, if they understand what predictions are, it is the grade they are most likely to get if they keep working.

We have prediction grades too and imo it makes the kids complacent and think they don't have to put the effort in.

My DD's school give us teachers predicted grade and also one based on their SATs levels in Year 6. The later on higher and to be honest I think are too high.

What are his school doing to help and support them? All of ours are being given further maths, english, science and music mocks. DD also has to resit one of her biology papers in the hope she can learn from it. Also, there are after school sessions for three of her subjects (unfortunately the same night for her so she has to choose). They also have compulsory invention sessions where if they are two grades or more lower than the prediction based on SATs levels, they have to attend. My DD hit teachers prediction for maths but is two grades lower so has to go back.

They also had pre mocks too at least the kids are getting used to exams!

It's an academy if that makes any difference- they seem to have their own rules. But yes, they are doing mocks AGAIN in March and yes some of them did two papers higher and foundation so they have an idea what to put them in for the real thing.

DS got a D in Maths for the higher but a B in foundation. Do they get to do all papers in mocks? Up here we have prelims but they only do one level :/

DS reckons that his teachers say most kids get 2 grades above their mock grades at GCSE. I think he is kidding himself if he thinks that will miraculously happen without any input from him

I think this is possible but WITH a lot of work. It seems to have been the case with friends' kids. The danger is kids won't work.

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For clarity

Yes they are numbers. I've used the 'old money' equivalent.

Sorry- cross post. But 5 isn't really a B- more a high C.

"No,it changed this year along with new exam grading. Foundation now goes to a B and higher paper has been made REALLY hard. It's all been a bit of a shock at just how hard the maths exam was."

Are you sure? I thought all the new GCSEs had number grades not letters.

B=5

The teachers are still using A,B,C etc for ease. So DS got a 3 (D) in maths higher and a B equiliviant in foundation.

No,it changed this year along with new exam grading. Foundation now goes to a B and higher paper has been made REALLY hard. It's all been a bit of a shock at just how hard the maths exam was.

DS got a D in Maths for the higher but a B in foundation - so he'll be doing the foundation!
Are you sure this is the correct way round - the highest grade you can obtain on a Foundation paper is a C!
Is he taking iGCSE Maths - for this year group the GCSE is grades 9-1 and the iGCSE still has letter grades. The iGCSE isn't tiered!
Did he definitely take Higher level papers for his mocks? If he had done Foundation papers instead that may account for the lower than expected grades?

DS managed to go from D and C in mock results to As and Bs- in fact went from CD to A*A in science. He'd done a reasonable amount of work, but it was the wrong kind of work! With some school support and a Herculean effort on his part he got the grades he needed. Together we worked out a really regimented but realistic timetable which ensured he had covered all the syllabus well before exam period- all skewed towards doing every single exam question he could find!
He had a big incentive though which was that he needed high grades to move to another school for sixth form which he really wanted.

Does he have the revision books?

He's also doing revision classes during lunch or after school.

WRT maths ,was he put in for the higher paper or the foundation? DS got a D in Maths for the higher but a B in foundation - so he'll be doing the foundation!

Is getting him a tutor an option? Some people just struggle to sit and study, a little bit of external input can make the world of difference. I can't read a text book and learn, I need to be taught iykwim. It could be costly over a range of subject. But it is literally y for a few weeks and could bring him right up to the level he is capable of.

Wont get into 6th Form with this (needs 2 As and 3 bs)
Which subjects does he need the As and Bs in?
If it helps my dd went up from an E in one subject in mocks to a B and from U to C in another. Most other subjects either stayed the same or only went up by one grade and that was with hard work, revision and exam practice. Other points:

1. You need a back-up plan to apply for another sixth form/college just in case he doesn't achieve the As and Bs at the end of the year. There are lots of other options that accept students with Bs and Cs. This will save a last minute scramble on results day as popular courses may already be filled.
2. What type of mock paper was it - was it last year's complete exam paper with questions on topics they may not have covered in depth or was it just questions on topics they have been taught thoroughly?
3. How did the rest of the cohort perform? Questions that weren't well answered by most of the class would probably indicate that more teaching time needs to be given to some areas.