Anyone else's DC still working for GCSEs?

Thanks @paddingtonpaddington

@catspyjamas123 this is what a Ofqual said about coursework:

What does this mean for non-exam assessment?
In some subjects students will have completed, or nearly completed, non-exam assessment. This will be helpful to schools and colleges in deciding each student’s grade and rank order. Where there are several subject teachers within a school or college, this work might also be helpful in standardising teachers’ approach to determining the rank order and awarding grades. Schools and colleges do not need to ask students to complete any unfinished non-exam assessment work for the purposes of grading.

What about coursework? We have been told to complete art? Anyone know if that will be counted?

Yr 11 & a Yr13 here both done nothing although told to take a week off and then to spend some time reviewing previous work in case was opportunity put in more evidence. Now the guidance come out been told will continue teaching current subjects to half term and will collect evidence for another month as not prevented from doing this. I don’t think this is about boosting or changing grades or ranking but about collecting more evidence to support the teacher assessment which will be based on expected grade at date school closed. The teachers know the children well so I think this is more belt and braces for school to have even more written evidence if they have to justify the grade down the line. And because they have to teach something and it’s easier to keep going than magic up a new curriculum over Easter. DS1 does A level economics and I would be surprised if he doesn’t get an essay set on the current situation for homework when he goes back. But I can’t see teachers giving any weight to a dramatic change in quality of work. And not all students will be able or well enough to do more work and they won’t be disadvantaged.

Yes, but working ‘at’ ticking over her GCSE subjects not ‘for’ grades as her school is not asking for any more work that may/may not be assessed.
Reasons being:
a) To keep a structure to her day.
Having said that, the work being done is a fraction of what she would have done if the exams were going ahead.
b) As above, so that her Yr11 comes to, for her, a natural end rather than an enforced one.
c) Whilst she won’t ‘fail’, for want of a better word, she will resit any subject that she feels she would have graded higher in should she have been able to sit the exam

@kendem87 that sounds appalling. I would be complaining to the school in that situation (and I’m not one ever given to complaining!). Not so much for your own dc necessarily but how on earth are the school going to justify that approach when they will presumably have a whole range of differing personal circumstances to deal with?

I know Ofqual haven’t spelt it out as clearly as they could have done - but they have been clear that no student can be disadvantaged by not being able to complete work at home. So those tutor threats are in direct defiance of that at the very least.

My son has been working solid for years, totally dedicated to doing well in his exams. He hasn’t picked up a book since Boris made the announcement. I don’t blame him. I’m giving him a few weeks off and starting A level prep after Easter - or he might turn into a PS4! Not even been on it since summer hols, now it’s morning, noon and night!
He won’t be doing any exams in the autumn I doubt, unless he’s not happy with hi English language grade. I guess if your child might be doing exams in autumn makes sense not to take too long off. But no extra work will be asked for. It can’t be anyway, they can’t be sure who did it.

Dd will do any work set but they aren't using it to rank them. She had second set of mocks the last week of school then they are being given couple of weeks off

Sounds like Ofqual should have been clearer with their guidence if some are not doing any work and others are being told the work done now will impact their grades.

Ds did his mocks in November last year but some schools will use work completed 5 or 6 months later to decide grades.

How long will the work continue? The exams would have started in just over a months time anyway.

Year 11 and a Year 13 here. State school. Both still being set work that "must" be done. Year 13 has had email threats from tutor saying it will affect your grades, you have been warned etc. They've both been given loads to do over the 2 week holiday as well!

Di you want the teachers to write whole new schemes of work as well as teaching the children of essential workers. They will still be following the same course. They can resit them in the autumn term if the grades aren't what they expected so yes they should be following the GCSE course

That's probably why a lot of GCSEs are fully exam based now. It says in the guidance "no student should be
disadvantaged if they are unable to complete any work set after schools were
closed" and ". Where additional work has been completed after schools and colleges were
closed on 20 March, Heads of Centre should exercise caution where that evidence
suggests a change in performance"
So the school wouldn't be able to justify work done since the closure leapfrogging their ranking over another child.
Not that it'll affect my dd as her school has plenty of evidence from before the closure.

My son's school is setting a lot of GCSE work. They're compiling portfolios for each subject, and planning various exams/tests next term, including MFL orals by video.
Our school's interpretation of the Ofqual announcement was that it did not explicitly preclude work done after lockdown. Their view (rightly or wrongly) is that it will help the teachers decide on grades and allows students, who perhaps underperformed in their mocks, to demonstrate improvement. It's been made clear that this work isn't compulsory but essentially pupils would be very wise to do it (unless they are ill).
By the same token, some of my friends with kids at other schools have been told no further GCSE work is needed.

@Callo I assume that could also be said for any coursework they have done prior to schools closing if they did it at home

If they took into account tests that were done after the closures they wouldn't even know the child had done the test themselves.

Yes, mine did awful in a couple of mocks no doubt he would have put a huge push in and improved in real exams, so now improving any coursework and working towards an school exam in couple of subjects

No. Having two weeks off for Easter holiday. When term starts school have said they will provide pre A level reading/tasks/online sessions.

DD’s school still setting work for 4 weeks! Then onto A level pre courses so a lot of work. While it seems pointless I think its good to keep them thinking and working, as hard as it is. I doubt the work will be used to support grades as they’ve lots of that already.

I hope after few months of being very bored and having to spend all the time with me, my teenagers will welcome and appreciate school. I won't 'there are so many children in the world who don't have any access to education', I'll say 'remember 2020?'

My dd received this from school this morning

Ds last did Gcse work on the 18th March, he's not touched any since. His school have advised to keep revising if you think you may want to retake any subjects otherwise it's not necessary to do any. They are sending out some A level bridging work after Easter.

Ds has looked at some A level maths work a few times but I'm not going to push that too much over the next couple of weeks.

The Ofqual did not actually say that. It said no pupil would be disadvantaged if they did no more work now, although not sure how they can guarantee that.

What others have said above- schools were told last week that no further work is to be taken into account. No Yr11 should be doing work towards GCSE'S now. I would raise this with the school if they are. ofqual were very clear about this.

No! Wasn't the guidance last week that came out of DOE that no further work will be taken into account at this stage?
Yes, only work completed before the school closures is to be taken into account.