AIBU to think Bs at GCSE are ok?

[catwalker]

Some issues with DS and GCSEs/6th form. He didn't get the grades he was predicted (As and As) but then I didn't expect him to as he doesn't put much effort into anything apart from his x box. He got mainly Bs, a couple of As, a couple of Cs and a couple of Ds. I was quite happy until I started reading the secondary education forum where people are tearing their hair out because their dc's didn't get straight As and may have blown their oxbridge chances. I get the impression that anything less than an A just isn't worth the paper it's written on. He could have done loads better but Bs are OK aren't they?

The Olympic medal... or lol, as the dcs would say.

Yellow, I know you do Ox admissions too, but I tend to give them points for obsessive geekiness in the PS... I LIKE obsessive geeks, especially if they are more interested in my subject than in themselves, and I don't really want people who engage with me, but with the subject. I think most of my colleagues would say the same... think my dread probably is the well-rounded lightweight who plans to coast through.

But you could ask about PS rounding at an Open Day - it would be on my most FAQ list for sure.

Well I know my old college (Oxford high in Norrington) prefers state school kids, because if they have 3 A's (probably A* now) they are bright, private school kids especially from certain schools might be just well taught/prepared. But unless you had prefect grades "extras" might worry them, as they don't want anyone slipping from their expected 1st or 2:i's because of their other activities.
Otherwise it might just be luck, eg. my old tutor might like it if you were a top class cricketer, anything else other than love/dedication to his subject would be irrelevant.

My daughter got B's and she is happy with it. She was predicted more A's and got one. I said try harder for the second lot next year and she is all B's are fine. So i just had to back down and let her be ;-(

It would be a sad day if your "education" should only be academic. Your ability to contribute to university life whether that be as stamp collector or runner and the like is pretty important and employers also look to the rounded person too. My reference to the 320 ucas pionts (ABB or whatever it was) jobs would just b e the threshold for those companies. Then they would look at the person as a whole.

If the universities now want lots of exams only and have no interest in anything else that is a great shame.

People getting into the top unis may not be judged on their other interests or achievements but that of course doesn't mean they don't have them. Far from it.

Employers of graduates seem to be keen on the other interests and achievements. An HR Director I met last week told me that he gets 35 applications per place on his graduate scheme - just from Oxbridge, London, Durham and Bristol. They've all got (or are going to get) a 2:1 or better. That's 700 applications from "top" Universities for 20 places. He tries only to interview 100 so he's looking for all sorts of evidence in applications of leadership, a well-rounded personality, initiative, teamwork etc.

Xenia, just to clarify, you can't usually count that fourth AS or A level in your points - it's based on 3 A levels.

I keep agreeing with you now Xenia! It will be very sad if universities only want exams. I think it was a shame when ASs were introduced-a year without exams was very valuable for doing other things.

IB, yes I was just rying to do it from memory. It's no simple is it? I just had a very quick look www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff/how as I thought you counted the 3 A levels but not the AS levels which you would have also taken but you did count the AS level where you didn't complete the A level (and the grades 6 7 or 8 music exams). This UCAS page says "GCE Advanced Subsidiary level and GCE Advanced level"..

Gosh they've got British horse society exams in there too - I wonder that was something my girls did.
Also higher grade dance certificates and the higher speech and drama exams.
I stillh aven't 100% convinced my self over the 4th AS issue. Not that it matters. Any decent university awards on A level grades.

And grovel is right based on what I see for my own older children. Also in terms of life in general it is wonderful to have hobbies you learned as a child and continue whatever those might be. They are an enduring gift to you really. I sing and play the piano every day. I sang some Purcell about 5 minutes ago. I think daughter 1 got her job in part because on the interview day of assessment she found a hobby in common with the senior person she was next to at lunch.

Obviously I can understand why universities to be fair might decide they will not look at whether you have Gold D of E and 2 grade 8 music exams or an advanced practical "diploma" in avoiding knife crime on your council estate.

The universities usually ask for three grades, Xenia, eg AAB. When they state the number of points they will normally say "across three A levels."

Many of my students (I work in a very poor area where most students have had a dreadful education from 11-16) will get reduced offers (eg BBB instead of AAB) because we stress how well they have done to get through secondary school and get the GCSE grades they did.

It must be incredibly hard to be in a school where half of your class won't get any GCSEs. Some students from backgrounds like that have done incredibly well and I think that's worth any music or dance or DoE qualifications.

Yes, Xenia, doubtless stamp collecting etc is all of huge value, but it's also none of my business as an admissions tutor or fellow, and I don't admit people because i like them or because they have particular temperaments. You can while away your life playing Assassin's Creed as far as I'm concerned as long as you perform well academically. It's none of my business. And lots of top academics have no hobbies, either, so they are less likely to sympathise with hobbies.

I think a lot of actually valuable contributions to college life aren't the kind being cited here, but the kind that a re hard to quantify - keeping your head under pressure, lending a sympathetic ear to people's woes, a good sense of humour about your errors and those of others. But none of that can be cved.

I still don't understand the average rating of 580 that's alot of UCAS points even with grade 8 music.

So now I have learnt that there will be more places for students with AAB or equivalent in any subject so all this BTEC and media studies being inferior theory will be blown out of the window.

So a students with BTEC distinction in business and a A grade in media and B in art will get in to the better uni's over someone with ABB or BBB in physics, maths and history?

580 would be more than 4 A*s.

It will depend on the subject studied, whether those subjects would be accepted. Each person's UCAS statement is looked at - some get a rejection because they aren't studying the subjects the university's looking for. So a BTEC in Business would probably be turned down if you wanted to study History, whereas it wouldn't for Accounting or Business Studies or ICT.

Totally not unreasonable. I got 1A, 6B's and 3C's 15 years ago. I went on to Uni (which I wouldn't do again) and I now have a great job. GCSE's don't mean much after your first job anyway! I say congrats. My brother should have got straight A's but got mainly C's and D's. He dossed around for 10 years, but now has settled down got a degree and a decent job. It is best to leave it to them to decide when they want to work rather than push it, as my parents found out the haard way!

Personal statement , better lock the wii away now and ban any future xbox. Do the schools give them advise on how their mummies they should be doing them? Aren't they all just studies in obsequious arse-kissing?

befuzzled better get writing now . They have to enthuse about the subject on the PS.

So, say my ds at 15 wants to study genetics, as I did, does he have to submit a ps going on about genetics and how great it is, referencing the interviewers research papers, state of the subject, recent advances etc? Isnt that why he is going to study it at university? How will he know all this stuff at this point ( as I didn't ) when all he will have done up to this point I basic biology, chemistry and physics?

Tell me more about these ps's! ( so I can start preparing my 6 y olds ....)

Did Fabby ever come back and explain Oxbridge being a crap uni? I got to page 11 then lost the will.

No

Oh shame [evil grin]

Befuzzled, he'll be given help at school/college with his personal statement, don't worry! But yes, the reasons why he wants to study it, but not referencing research papers etc.

I have one DS at uni and one in Lower Sixth so have done quite a lot of looking into this.

DS1 underachieved at GCSE and got 3 A grades at English Lit, Eng Lang and RS but the rest were Bs with one C and one E.

He still got four good offers and went to a Russell Group university. He was lucky though, because his course was not so popular so he 'only' needed A level grades ABB to get in. His brother would need AAA to read History at the same place.

The school tells us that the university looks first at the AS exam grades from Lower Sixth and then at the GCSEs when deciding (a) whether to make an offer at all and (b) if so what level of offer to make.

So, GCSE grades are important but not as important perhaps as AS levels.

I think it's not that you have to have all A* and A grades, more that so many pupils do have them now that the top universities are more likely to pick them, as presumably they are more likely to achieve the same at A level.

But if anyone had asked me at that stage I would have said "because I really like biology and chemistry, largely because I'm good at them and find them easy and logical, but I think biochemistry sounds a tad dull and genetics sounds way cooler in a mad scientist kinda way!"

What more would a 15y old think? They are not that self aware yet surely? I mean now I would be applying to study finance as it would be the easiest and quickest way to make a lot of cash in a relatively short time without having to abandon my feminist principles and get my tits out, but that's with the benefit of hindsight of course.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself, still no progress on the 3X table.

befuzzled speaks truth, at 15 or 16 they haven't got a clue, all they know is what are they good at, and for the time being they are sticking with it.
At some point I hope soon, things will start to crystallise for DS and he will develop real taste and panache for subjects which will intrigue him enough to pursue them further