GCSE’s summer 2020 thread 5 - And then there were none..

We have minimum target grades. We will see how similar the marks awarded are. Its tricky for sure.

No predicted grades here either, and “working at” had always been based on 1-5 (5 being outstanding, 4 excellent, 3 working well) before end of year 10 exams.

@namechangenumber2 no prom here for us either-just cancelled. I suspect most will be-the way things are going, I can’t imagine any large party type gatherings being permitted before 2021, if then.

Have to say my DS could not care less about prom but I really feel for the DC who were so looking forward to it, planning/buying outfits etc. Like all the sport stuff it’s perhaps a small matter in the grand scheme of things but it’s something else they miss out on all the same.

@FoolsAssassin yup we get something similar to that although it doesn’t have an ‘official’ predicted grade on. I think I have a reasonable idea of what DS’s teachers would be predicting for him based on mock results and feedback at most recent parents evening but don’t have the actual predictions written on any formal documentation.

Thanks for that most recent link @HPFA - more interesting reading!

DS1 informs me he is going to do some maths and history work this evening. I might fall off the chair in shock!

We have predicted grades, most DS was on target to achieve higher though

No predicted grades done at our school either. Makes this time quite stressful!

He applied pre coronavirus @Shimy

@namechangenumber2 If he’s got asthma isn’t he meant to be self isolating? What in the world is he doing applying for a job at the Co-op?

@FoolsAssassin How interesting! I’d be staring at the last two columns as well. So when in the year do you get this? Is after or before mocks, do they send in an envelope to you at home?

Just checking in so this thread appears in my list!

DS is still festering in his bed/ texting / gaming.

He had applied for a job in the local coop , was turned down via email , but I've just heard he may be able to get an interview. I'm now not keen due to the way coronavirus is ramping up ( he's asthmatic), so think we'll put that plan on the back burner.

This may have already been asked on here, but what have your schools said about proms? I know they aren't a big deal but DS's school have refunded tickets and aren't planning on holding it at a later date. He's gutted.

Yup, we have 'target grades' which are based purely on attainment at SATs - officially these targets are assessed and adjusted, but in reality DS's have never been, but his attainment (since moving to laptop working - dyslexic dx) has shot up at secondary, and I don't think it even took his (excellent) MIDYAS scores into account). I am hoping (school are usually VERY into their number crunching!) that the proof that ds has exceeded nearly all of his target grades consistently for years will mean that they aren't taken too seriously... His teachers have in a number of instances informally told him/us at parents evening his 'real' target is way above his on paper one...

@sandybayley my DDs state primary shared her SATs results with her current independent school.
DD also did CEM MidYis in Yr7 and Yellis in Yr10.
@HPFA- thanks for the link. I’ve noticed there isn’t any info on how L6 at SATs played out at GCSE?

Cross posted with @Nolan yes, ours is very similar.

We don’t get given predicted grades either. However, at parents meeting I got told, DS got x in biology so they would expect x in the real exam......and so on and so forth for every subject. Those who get ‘given’ predicted grades how does it actually work? Do you formally get given a slip with the predicteds on it?

Ive had three do/doing gcses at Eton the most weve ever had is the housemaster saying something like "should be all A* but a bit of work needed for (say) Biology" and at parents meetings with the beaks they might say"definite 9,Oxbridge def possibity if he does this subject for Pre U or A level"

Academics are taken as read,not worth fretting about for us.

Don’t envy your job right now @piggy

Our school doesn’t give predicted grades either, or at least we hadn’t received any yet. The last week the kids were in school we were receiving their latest mock results (taken end of Feb) so perhaps we would have been given predicted grades after that.
We were given a table of “target” grades way back at the beginning of year 10 but they were very low and my lazy, disinterested DS had already surpassed most of them in his first mocks back in November.

This was supposed to be the schools first set of GCSE results having only opened in 2015 so no previous years results to look upon.

I cannot imagine a school where parents put up with not being given tracking and predicted grades. that is an eye opener! Personally, objectively, I kind of approve ,compared to schools which gather them with statitically meaningless frequency!

However, I am sure those schools do indeed track internally and have target grades generated form things like KS2 (if done) or CATs as benchmarks at least. Plus, the prior performance of the school will be very telling .

I have a very personal dilemma which is that , on a good day, 4 of my GCSE class (mixed ability class in a comp) might get a 9. I know there is nothing wrong with an 8 but it feels like Sophie's Choice deciding which ones to give them to. I am sure I'll be counselled that 4 is unrealistic... two of them got 9s in mocks (based on probably very tenuous grade boundaries) . But the two who didn't have superior coursework!

Gah! Too much anxiety!!

@mominatrix and @piggywaspushed we are in a similar situation. The school don't really do predicted grades - at least not to parents. They work on the basis that everyone is aiming for 7-9, mostly 8-9 and all are capable of that. I guess for the one or two exceptions, they must be aware that they're on a different trajectory. However, for the last few years well over 90% of grades have been 7-9 or A/A*.

On the other hand, they clearly do keep predicted grades in their system as dd accidentally saw hers when they were being given their reports before Christmas. I think they did CATS or something similar in year 7 too, so that would be evidence of prior ability/starting point - do your school do those? And I guess the school's usual spread of GCSE grades would also be used as a reference point.

Never had any predicted grades? Really??

Thank you for the link. However, what happens when a student has never taken any national assessments prior to this due to being at an independent school, never had any predicted grades given, and they are at a super selective school to boot?

@sandybayly

Yes, that was the bit that stood out for me too. It seems unfair to judge pupils on how they did at age 11 but clearly there are strong links.