GCSE Support - the results are in

DD going for remarks (on advice of school) in music as 1 point off an 8 and also history as 4 marks off a 9. I don't think she can drop enough marks to lower the grades so worth a punt.

English was a bit lower than expected but DDs school are asking for lots of the scripts because the whole cohort got lower than expected apparently. She got 6s so not a disaster although wants to do it for A level so will have to up her exam essay game.

Thank you, the college has an open day tomorrow so we are going to go to that to give her a backup option, just worried she will be forced into going with a backup option because the school will be uncontactable until after the college course already starts.

Just feeling annoyed as I have since found out that other students were able to sort out their options there and then with staff but it was luck of the draw as to what staff member was helping you.

Still, we are going out to celebrate DD1 starting University and DD2's results and will have a good time, and she is off with friends tomorrow night so plenty to distract her from the uncertainties.

It's worth speaking to the college and finding out what options are available there- even if she's holding a place for the college, it doesn't commit her to actually turning up in September. If it's a viable option, then it might take the pressure off.

Whereas if she leaves it until September, they may have less/no spaces available on the courses she wants to do.

My DD got all 8's and 9's but a 6 in English Lit, which she has never got below an 8 in before. So strange, school want it re-marked so we'll see.

Very proud of DC but they got lower than expected/predicted and lower than what they were working to at the end of Year 11. Art ended up miles lower than the teacher thought 2-3 grades lower.
DC still coming to terms with the grades which are still very good, but not expected.

DD has a fantastic set of results as expected, all apart from English Lit. Her teachers were shocked at her 6 (she's been getting 8s and 9s in mocks and got a 9 for English language) so had a look - paper 2 she scored 70 and paper 1 was only 34! They checked with her to make sure she hadn't missed out a question and she hadn't so they're asking for a review as it looks like maybe a question hasn't been included in the marks. She's only 1 mark off a 7 too, so it's got to be worth looking at again. Poor kid was so upset, even though everything else was amazing.

It's so stressful when these errors are made and from this thread it seems like English is particularly bad this year.

Same! DD predicted 9, got a 6. She thought the exam had gone fine and is usually v accurate about how she's done

We have had no luck with contacting the school. DD emailed, and I have as well as she was given very little information on what happens next when she collected her results. She is less upset than when she came home but is feeling so in limbo at the moment. She could apply to college but doesn't want to commit to them if she can stay on and is happy with her choices at 6th Form but the paperwork says that after tomorrow you can not contact staff until the 4th September which is also when the college courses starts.

For anything to do with reviews, you need the exams office because they have to do all the processing.
I've picked up a few queries from my own class this afternoon but exams are focusing on the last of the A level priority reviews today (the deadline is today)

We have weird English too. Both 7s, but DD was comfortably on for 8s and predicted nines. Leaving it as there's no need for her to have higher but she's pissed off. Music was 7 too when we might have expected higher - but she hasn't had a teacher for two of the three years so it was a scramble to get it done.

On the other hand she's done super well in the sciences and only just off an 8 in maths which is a real shock. Swings and roundabouts I guess. It doesn't affect A-Level choices and I hope it won't affect her confidence as she's actually really good at Eng Lit...

When did you contact them? They may have gone home after lunchtime.

I'd suggest, if you can, contacting a general email address- there will very likely be some SLT members in tomorrow, who will hopefully be able to help, but individual teachers may not be picking up emails.

Or could you work out the email addresses for SLT or the exams officer?

Interestingly I dug out his report from last Oct and his KS4 predictions there which I think are based on the yr 6 SATs are fairly accurate. Eng Lit on that is a predicted 5.

It's his internal school marks that have been 7s and 8s so I'm actually wondering if it's a case of overly generous teacher grades giving a false impression? Bar art and history that he's got top grades in the rest are roughly where you would predict from his SATs.

Thanks for the new thread be good to keep up with everyone ad dc move forward!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/24/gcse-results-day-private-schools-grammar-record-drop-grades/

It was bedlam at DS2s school, I had to go back there and arranged to discuss once they'd officially shut the hall etc. They weren't prepared for the volumes that needed to discuss their options, so I guess DS2 wasn't alone in his situation. (Good enough results for A Levels generally but missed the grade on 1 subject he wanted to do).

Overall very happy with DS1s result. All 5s and 6s which is as hoped.
Except for maths (excedel) he didn't get the 7 he needed and can't do A-level maths now so we are mulling over alternatives.
He got his only 7 in English lit (aqa) which was a surprise as we were expecting lower.
He managed a 5 in history when we expected a 3.

For those missing a mark for AQA Lang, it's likely because the information management system can't cope with the Spoken Lang grade as well. It will exist but you'll need to ask your exams office for it

Yes. They're a bit busy with the kids in there.

His maths was EdExcel

Just from what I've read in various places, but nothing official. I'm the same, don't know whether to push for a remark as it doesn't actually affect any a level choices.

DS2's English was AQA, he got a 5 in Language and a 4 in Lit. His school had given him a MLG of a 3. So better than expected here. His maths is lower than expected as he'd been 9s in everything throughout school. He said he had struggled with the exams and wasn't surprised.

Has that been said anywhere official or just your opinion?

I'm wondering about bringing it up with the school but it doesn't affect his next steps so I don't know whether to chalk it up to one of those things and just move on.

Is anyone else having trouble contacting the school? I don't know what else to do. I have contacted teachers, SSO, but heard nothing. Is this radio silence normal on results day? I'm at a completely loss. I have so many questions.

I think we're going to appeal the drama result, as it's so far off what she was predicted and will stop her from applying to sixth form.

There's some anomaly with aqa English it seems. I'm really hoping DS can have his reviewed.

We had a couple of surprises. For us english is really high at a 6 predicted a 4/5 at most. Lang is 5 when hoping for a 6. And she got a 5 in history when expecting a 3/4. She does enjoy it so I am glad she got what she deserved. Science and maths were good. So overall quite happy and no where near as bad as I thought it might have been.