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?

Warwick's got a lovely castle.
Leamington Spa's quite nice, too.

to suggest that a B is not a good grade is ridiculous. Those are good results and better than the vast majority of candidates got. remember, 3/ 4 of results were a B or below. FWIW I scraped 5 gcses - a c, 2bs and 2 a's. I have a very good job - and it has literally never ever been of any relevance what my GCSEs were. possibly relevant re. oxbridge, but the point is, if he isnt working hard enough to get the very top results now he is extermely unlikely to get into Oxbridge. Yes, you need top grades, but he can still have a fulfilling and interesting life without going there! its for an elite who work incredibly hard and are also incredibly bright - that doesnt mean that bright kids cant do well elsewhere.

It is so ridiculous to obsess about A's at GCSE - quite obviously most kids dont get them, they are meant to be for really top achievers - so you can be good/ have a perfectly fair grasp of the subject / bright etc and not get top marks. I find it sickening the way our education system obsesses with kids who get top grades, all children are different.

I was the top of my class in one subject and near the bottom in others - I was not an all rounder as some kids are, but that doesnt make me thick. I have done very well in life in a competitive industry - also - I went on to do better at A-level and then really loved uni, because I was treated like an adult - - children are individuals and there are many, many people who have been succesful in life who did badly at school.

Xenia - interesting to hear your balanced response.

DandyLioness - apologies if I came across as harsh. I am genuinely interested in the motivation question. In many ways i would be delighted if my 16 year old was devoted to her studies, but there are so many other interesting things going on in her life, I can see why school work doesn't always take first place.

If you have any helpful suggestions re the cotton socks, I would be very glad to hear them

OP YANBU. Yes B's are ok. I get really fed up that a lit of people think that they aren't.

he may need to down grade his university choices.

What are his 'university choices' (if any)?

... catwalker ...?

People keep referring to the grades they achieved but the ballpark shifts

When I did my O'Levels (some 30 years ago) only 20% of students achieved C or better

This year 21% of students achieved A or A* in Maths at GCSE and the same in English Language

Does anyone else wonder if Xenia and Fabby are alter egos of the same poster?

There's a certain bluntness and refusal to engage that's very similar.

Excellent work from Fabby on this thread.

(I refuse to believe she's actually real.)

I think something like 25% got As and A*. It follows that somebody with Bs would get into university if the stated government target of 50% going to university were to be achieved.

Whether 50% of pupils should be going to university is another matter entirely I suppose.

Similar, but different. Nothing wrong with bluntness, but accuracy is helpful.

Oh, and in the real world, yes, Bs are good.

I work at a sixth form college. A student with a B average at GCSE would be one of our stronger students, though obviously not the strongest.

Assuming fees don't go up again, it might be worth him waiting til he has his actual A level results before he applies, if he works hard and has his heart set on university.

I'm sure I read on another thread that Fabbychic's dc was at Warwick, hence that line of interest perhaps. Slightly odd, all the same.

I have no small children DandyL - will have to enlist assistance from 16yo. Oh no! Back to motivation problem again - laundry ranks below school work!

Well, Xenia has said some totally mad/inaccurate stuff in her time, too, but you're probably right.

And yes, Fabby does claim her son was at Warwick, as shall be the next one. Who will no doubt also go on to his mysterious £50k job with £5000 bonuses every five minutes.

There are times when, even for universities other than Oxford and Cambridge, GCSE results are important.

DC1 achieved a string of As at GCSE. 15 if memory serves me correctly. And was predicted to be an A grade A level student. Then, totally out of the blue, was very poorly and missed a whole chunk of school during A2 year. We are talking about a chunk of time that was in excess of a whole half term. DC1 WHLCSO and got reasonable, but not outstanding passes at A level. Took a gap year before applying to university. The subject is one that is recognised as challenging ( think maths/physics/chemistry type subject). All made offers but not all interviewed. Those that did, made it very clear that whilst the personal statement and reference had played a very big part in their offers, it was in fact,the GCSEs that had been the reason why they had invited DC1 for interview in the first place, since they felt those were a good indication of ability, given the rather special circumstances regarding the A levels.

So, is b a good grade at GCSE? yes, of course it is. Is it enough for entry to university? Well, yes, but not all.

The grades MNers achieved decades ago or even a decade ago are irrelevant in proving any point because a B grade then doesn't equate to a B grade now.

GCSE grades are probably the single most important factor determining the outcome of uni applications except perhaps for those applying post A Level or to Cambridge where AS module grades seem to carry more weight. Hence the term 'GCSE Nazi' to refer to a uni which dismisses all applications which don't have the requisite minimum number of A*'s (Birmingham Medicine/ Durham History etc.).

OP is right about the MN obsession with Oxbridge though. Mercifully we don't live in NW London because even on an Oxbridge obsessed MN that's where the fever is worst. Awful. Don't know why these mums can't give their kids a break.

mountaingirl the top state schools (which are grammars) are just as likely to get straight A*/A's as the top independents.

Definitely agree that the media has skewed the whole results thing.
Pictures of pretty girls jumping for joy holding their certificates with 10 A*s make it seem like their results are the norm. They are not.
Bs and Cs are fine. If your son is superbright, they may give him a bit of a shock which is no bad thing for lots of 16 year olds - cos A Levels get much harder but the student's maturity often means that they apply themselves much better during the 16-18 period than they did in Years 10 and 11.

Goodness what a lot of responses! I don't know if ds wants to go to university or not. He doesn't really have any ambitions in any direction unfortunately. Not that he's letting on anyway.

I sometimes think it would have been better if he'd been able to focus on a smaller number of gcses rather than the ridiculous number he had to do (4.5 in year 10 and 10.5 in year 11)

Agree Nonno only a weeny percentage get 10 A*'s. 2%.

FIFTEEN GCSE'S cat?

NO SCHOOL DOES FIFTEEN GCSE'S AS STANDARD.

He doesn't really have any ambitions in any direction unfortunately.

Sounds perfectly healthy for an intelligent 16 y.o.
What do you think of the idea of young people taking some time out of education at this point, bearing in mind that there seems to be this emphasis on pushing 6th formers towards degrees that might not be right for them?
I wonder sometimes if it would benefit a lot of young people to take their A levels a bit later, when they have more idea of what they'd like to try and pursue as a career. AIBU?

I'd be more bothered about lack of effort than actual results tbh especially if you think he could have done better!

Dd knows she has to try her best and I'm always proud of that, as long as it is her best.

Enjoy your holiday DandyL - don't forget the socks

'GCSE Nazi'..........what?? That is a very unfortunate phrase and one I'm happy never to have heard before. I think i need to go to bed. Goodnight everyone.

Hi, I go to a sixth form college doing A levels.

I mainly got B's for my GCSE's and no one thought any less of me. I am not intending to go into Oxbridge (obviously, but wasn't intending too anyway). Just because I got B's for my GCSE's does not mean I cannot get into uni. It's the A levels that count. Uni's ask for grades such as AAB/ABB/AAA (for top ones) and that is just for A levels. They require you to get A- C in your GCSE's, so obviously a B is fine. There is nothing wrong with B's and don't let anyone tell you that there is. Unless your DS wants to get into Oxbridge, then I don't think he will get in with B's but you never know, it depends what course he goes into. Most employers don't care much for GCSE's.