Headteacher: Exams should be postponed till next year.

www.gov.uk/government/news/further-details-on-exams-and-grades-announced

However much you claim to use "professional judgement", you have an emotional connection to those that you are grading and this will affect your score. It just will. And you will want to feel good about yourself and avoid any awkward discussions with disgruntled parents/ students so it cant be an accurate reflection.

Sit in may - june as planned. It's the best way.

Exams are CANCELLED. ALL OF THEM.

This thread needs a big disclaimer at the top to avoid reading through the pointless discussion.

DT1 has an offer with a "bribe" of £1k if they make the grades asked for and is not sure if they should go for them or a more local uni that has a lower offer. Who's going to make the first move?

DT2 has an offer from Cambridge, how will we know if they have a place?

Both of them have gone into their shells as they realise that Friday will now be their last day at school.

Yes, we need to know the alternative asap. And so do the unis. DS has an offer at a uni that often over-offers because they ask for very high grades. If everyone gets their predicted high grades, who gets the places at uni?

We need more info

Fuck, I have twins due to take A levels this year. I'm not sure they or I can take this

They need info, waffle, waffle.

He’s so upset, what is going to happen?

Wales GCSEs and A levels have been cancelled this summer.

Universities will fold without a new cohort. This is a stupid plan.

What about the kids with mental health issues, under CAMHs. I could cry. My ds had awful mocks, just starting to pick up as counselling has started. Being away from school over Easter would have helped hugely.

Thanks - that's reassuring. I'm really hoping that they perhaps say they'll be postponed til early-mid June (rather than cancel them now) and make a decision then.

@GU24Mum we definitely didn't base our predictions only on full paper mocks. In my subject students do mini mocks every fortnight, so we had plenty of evidence of their ability. As I said though, there are students every year who do considerably better in real exams because they don't revise for mini mocks but do for the real thing, but even if we suspect that, we can't reward their poor work ethic with a higher grade than we have evidence for. But if your DC has shown evidence of a higher ability recently that will definitely be taken into account.

& I doubt any of us will be told anything official before May. It will be better to have students believe exams are still happening so that they continue learning from home and aren't just out on the streets causing trouble.

ClassicallyConditioned - I'm sure you are right but I'm really hoping not as DD had "mixed" mocks which were back in early Nov but has knuckled down massively since then and is doing so much better. Hope the teachers will bear that in mind when they do predictions! On the plus side, it's GCSEs rather than A Levels.

If they do make the call to scrap the exams, does that mean that the Y11s will have 5 months of doing absolutely nothing - clearly by no means a problem considering everything else but that will feel very long............

I'm a teacher. We were all told to set predicted grades yesterday and are expecting that exams will not take place.

It was a surreal experience, knowing that for some students, the letters we typed in would determine whether they got their preferred university place.

There were some interesting discussions, such as whether to predict a higher grade to the "bright but lazy" students who hadn't put in any effort all year but may pull it out of the bag with revision. But at the end of the day we just had to base our decisions on evidence and professional judgement.

Ds has GCSE coursework and music performances to record. Dd still has A level material to cover and coursework to submit. Ds's music teacher had cancer and only one kidney so was sent home.

They really haven't genevieva! I teach and two of my exam groups had not finished. Coursework submission deadlines are in May, too.

Even if schools close, it should be possible to host exams. Desks are spread out. We will have been social-distancing for a considerable period by then. Lots of students will be using this enforced quiet time to revise at home. It would be far worse for them to delay at this point.

Agreed. It's inevitable that a larger number of kids than usual won't be able to sit all the papers for some GCSEs, but the existing arrangements will cover this.

Piggywaspushed

Dd is going A levels. Her final drama performance with the external invigilator should have been this coming Monday. Dd is in isolation due to a cough and cold. 3 out of 4 in their group are now in isolation. Their drama teacher has a lung condition so in an 'at risk' group so can't be in school. The drama teacher is trying to sort something.
It's tough going.

@champagneandfromage50 November is very early for mocks. I think it is too early. Every year I have students who do badly in February mocks and then pull their socks up.

I disagree. Most Y11 and Y13 students have competed their courses and are now revising old material with their teachers. Even if schools close, it should be possible to host exams. Desks are spread out. We will have been social-distancing for a considerable period by then. Lots of students will be using this enforced quiet time to revise at home. It would be far worse for them to delay at this point.

In the whole exam discussion, no attention has been paid to what happens about practical elements of any subjects - eg MFL speaking tests, music practicals, subjects with coursework which won't be submitted.

My DS is home ed and due to sit his first GCSE this year.
We have no predicted grades.

How would going by predicted grades work for him?