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Original poster

Year 9 and Year 10 GCSE students - unfairly treated by Ofqual?

187 replies

barbosska · 04/04/2020 17:27

Students in our school sit GCSE exams in Years 9,10,11. Each of these year groups has lessons in Math, English, Science plus 2-3 GCSE courses of their choice. Each GCSE course runs for a year instead of two, and students from Year 9,10 and 11 all sit together in the same lessons and then sit GCSEs together. They do not study any other subjects except for the above.

Yesterday's Ofqual indicated that Year 9 and 10 students will not be awarded the GCSE grades because they can do these exams in Year 11. This would however put them in a highly disadvantageous position next Year, as not only they would need to do remaining GCSEs in one year instead of two, but also to keep on top of the subjects they have learnt this year and for which they were ready to sit exams.

There are not many schools in the country who organise GCSEs this way and I would very much appreciate to hear from people in the same situation as us: what are you and your schools planning to do?

All these children have sat in one class listening to the same teacher, did the same job, had the same teacher and now Year 11 will get the grades and the rest of students will not - how is that fair? Ofqual should have at least left to the discretion of the schools whether to , but not just pull them all out from the exam registers. Ofqual said they will run a consultation soon, but who are they going to consult - just their internal departments? The fact they they have come up with the proposition already indicates that they have no idea how some schools structure their courses.

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Original poster
barbosska · 16/04/2020 12:55

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

My understanding is that all students regardless of age who sit the same GCSE will be treated the same, as this is the question of qualification. But by all means please write to the consultation to highlight this point.

OP posts:
DinkyDaisy · 16/04/2020 06:43

I have a year 10 who was being put in early for English Language slightly against my wishes. Lowest predicted grade and had been liaising with teacher about wisdom of early entry. [Not great relationship with new English teacher either].
If my child or I unhappy with predicted grade hope can take in November...

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 16/04/2020 01:17

I don’t think it is quite as simple as have covered the course and sat the same exam so grade distribution among year 9/10s will look the same. I’ve got a feeling that nationally early entry has in the past led to lower grades although it’s probably not equally true for all subjects and there are probably instances where it skews in the other direction.

SE13Mummy · 16/04/2020 00:54

@drumblebumble I've just seen the news - it's looking much more positive for early entrants now.
@RafaIsTheKingOfClay I would imagine grade standardisation should work in the same way regardless of the age of the candidate; they should have covered the entire course and would have been subject to the same exam had they not been cancelled. I suppose the ranking for some schools might now need to happen for two year groups simultaneously instead of the Y10 and Y11 being treated as two separate cohorts for any subject that both are sitting although that then begs questions about which year group's prior data is considered - that may be less of an issue for selective schools but comprehensive schools are likely to have greater variance between year groups.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 15/04/2020 23:05

How is the grade standardisation going to work for the year 9/10s? Presumably the national distribution looks a bit different for year 9s/year 10 than the whole cohort or just year 11. Is that likely to have a knock on effect for the reliability of grades in yr 9/10?

drumblebumble · 15/04/2020 18:31

Presumably you have all seen the news that Ofqual have u-turned and are now minded to award grades to younger students? .. schoolsweek.co.uk/coronavirus-ofqual-launches-consultation-on-2020-calculated-grade-proposals/

Original poster
barbosska · 15/04/2020 17:37

@Easilyanxious
I've sent you a PM

OP posts:
Easilyanxious · 14/04/2020 00:15

Signed and shared

OP posts:
Original poster
barbosska · 13/04/2020 17:46

@Harpmum12345

thank you for your message. I have created a new thread (see link below) with practical information which I update on a regular basis. I will also send you a PM now with more info

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3873200-ONLY-for-parents-of-Year-9-and-10-students-doing-GCSEs-this-year?watched=1&msgid=95526775#95526775

OP posts:
Harpmum12345 · 13/04/2020 11:48

I am in the same position with my son so genuinely Interested in constructive help x

Original poster
barbosska · 06/04/2020 21:35

AprilFloundering

chocolatviennois

PeppaisaBitch

Easilyanxious

SE13Mummy

SpringUnsprung

I have sent you a PM.

OP posts:
Original poster
barbosska · 06/04/2020 20:17

JustHereWithMyPopcorn

thank you very much for your suggestion, this is exactly what I was thinking today and I will start a new post now for people affected by the situation and not others who have not got another place to vent their anger and negativity to young children in these difficult times.

By the way I have made some progress today, I will share it in my new thread.

OP posts:
Easilyanxious · 06/04/2020 20:15

it’s not cheating if it was it wouldn’t be allowed. Op ignore some of the comments on here as they aren’t helpful and it doesn’t affect there child . I don’t have a year 11 child but I so feel for them and situation they have been out in as well as any other child in same position with exams regardless of age / school year

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 06/04/2020 15:57

Christ on a bike, give it a rest with the ‘cheating’ BS.

SpringUnsprung · 06/04/2020 15:33

Whatever the school does, how is that my son’s fault?

Curiousmum69 · 06/04/2020 15:32

Your school has tried to cheat the system and it has back fired.

SpringUnsprung · 06/04/2020 15:27

I have already said above, it’s not either/or. No one is suggesting that Y11s and Y13s shouldn’t be given the grades they need to move on and no one is suggesting they haven’t worked hard.

However, they are not the only ones who have worked hard and they are not the only ones who deserve recognition for that. All kids who have been affected need to be considered. Can you not see that? Can you honestly say that if your child were in that position and was going to be at a big disadvantage next year because of it, you would be OK with that? I very much doubt it.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 06/04/2020 15:21

I am watching this as a poster with a Yr11 DS who is sitting all his exams this year. I am finding the lack of empathy for kids who are being penalised through no fault of their own quite amazing. This isn’t a game of top trumps, there’s not a cake with only enough to go around the Yr11s and 13s. Anyone who has been hit by the consequences of exam cancellation has a right to feel as aggrieved as anyone else.

I’ve seen this board as a place of support and help and recommended it to others but this thread really doesn’t feel like a nice place to be. It’s not AIBU! OP I would recommend you start a new thread for people going through the same thing (because I suspect they will have been scared off by the comments through this thread) and perhaps the posters who only have negative comments can leave you to it.

TacoLover · 06/04/2020 15:11

Believe it or not, but Y9 and 10 students worked as hard as your son to prepare for these exams.

Well seeing as they haven't had to balance 10 other subjects at the same time, have they really worked as hard as the Y11 students??

TacoLover · 06/04/2020 15:09

If there were 11 exams for 11 subjects, then it would have been OK, but when each exam has 2-4 separate modules, it is hard. And then for Art for example, the practical exam runs for ten hours ( five hours a day for two days), and then the student is expected to do Physics the following morning, for example.

Yes we all know it is hard. Most children get on with it and learn these important time management and how to deal with stress because these are needed at A level. If you did GCSEs in year 9 and 10 and therefore had a much less stressful time compared to the rest of the country, you ate not going to be nearly as prepared for A levels as other students.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 06/04/2020 12:50

voddiekeepsmesane Sun 05-Apr-20 20:57:05
FFS the fact that year 11 and 13 are being dealt with as priority by Ofqual is seen as "unfair" on other years is beyond me. Get your priorities straight IMO. Year 9s and 10s have time, boo hoo they may have to do what a majority have to do and have exams at the end of year 11! What a nasty, unnecessary comment.

Easilyanxious · 06/04/2020 01:26

I will write as well can’t hurt , my son not so bad as just one exam he was taking early but they have focussed more on this as English lit with the plan being more on language this year ( although have obviously studied both )so that’s why will be more awkward plus bearing in mind year 10’a are going to have huge catch up with time of school as it is. As for selecting gcse earlier and not having such a broad curriculum if they have this from primary to year 8 i don’t seem a problem and my son hated drama and music and art so wasted hours a week doing , yet he’s very sporty but ofsted don’t seem to account for sporty kids and lots of schools doing less sport/pe lessons etc but that’s a different subject . Hopefully op we will know soon as aporeciate year 11 etc lot more are affected and they need results ASAP for next level of learning

voddiekeepsmesane · 05/04/2020 21:31

Ok 👌

SpringUnsprung · 05/04/2020 21:30

Haven’t missed the point at all. However, I think you have.