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Original poster

English GCSE round 3???!!

38 replies

HookedOnHooking · 02/06/2015 08:15

D2 has English GCSE today. For the third time. Has missed passing by 4 or 5 marks twice already. As a last resort she's had some tutoring over the last 6 weeks (£50 an hour). She has AS and really does not cope with exams at all well but she needs to get a C to stay on at college next term.
If anyone has a few good vibes to spare could you send them her way please.
Cake Brew

OP posts:
Mitzi50 · 02/06/2015 08:18

Good luck to your DD. Hopefully the tutoring will pay off Brew Cake while you wait

RedHelenB · 02/06/2015 08:20

Sure she'll be fine. my dd just set off to do hers too¬

EllenJanethickerknickers · 02/06/2015 08:23

Good vibes coming her way. ~~~~~~

fascicle · 02/06/2015 08:31

All the very best to your daughter. Sounds like she has a very good chance of getting the grade she needs.

MoonriseKingdom · 02/06/2015 08:32

Fingers crossed for her.

Exams can be so confidence sapping. My lovely artistic cousin battled against GCSE maths several times and got there in the end.

Cake and Wine to celebrate!

nokidshere · 02/06/2015 08:42

Aww good luck vibes from here! DS1 taking it this morning too.

Original poster
HookedOnHooking · 02/06/2015 09:05

Thanks.
What on earth happens if she never passes it?

OP posts:
NobodyLivesHere · 02/06/2015 09:16

Good luck to her!
If it helps any my sister still doesn't have gcse maths and works as a police officer and is doing really well in life.

Mellifera · 02/06/2015 09:20

Good luck! My DD is doing it as well. Brew while you wait.

BaronessEllaSaturday · 02/06/2015 09:26

My dd is on third attempt today as well and really needs it to go to Uni in September, I'm hopeful, the college are hopeful, she has extra time and use of a laptop due to her dyslexia which was missed all through high school so lets hope for both of them it is third time lucky.

Good luck to everyone else too.

Cake lots of cake here as it is also her birthday

Leeds2 · 02/06/2015 09:41

Good Luck!

Original poster
HookedOnHooking · 02/06/2015 09:46

Happy Birthday JuniorBaroness. Cake

OP posts:
Mitzi50 · 02/06/2015 10:11

What on earth happens if she never passes it?

I'm sure all will be well this time but I think there are other approved options e.g. Functional skills

worridmum · 02/06/2015 11:06

I really feel for your DD I also have dyslexia and took 3 attempts to pass english. Without a C in maths english and science or equvialent qualification you will not get into university even if you A level results are all A* sadly and thanks to gove its even harder for dyslexics to pass gcse english now since he has completely changed english GCSEs

MrsGentlyBenevolent · 02/06/2015 11:18

Good luck to your daughter! I gave up on my maths after the second try, it wasn't the end of the world but I do understand how disheartening it can be.

Worridmum, I never achieved a C in GCSE but easily found a place in university. Of course you need maths and science for certain subjects, but not all. If you start uni as a mature student, GCSE grades matter far less as well. It's important to try in this stage of education, but it does not ruin future education if you do not have high grades in all subjects.

MrsGentlyBenevolent · 02/06/2015 11:21

That should read 'never achieved a C in GCSE maths'.

LazyLouLou · 02/06/2015 12:38

If she has a D grade already then she will HAVE to gain a C, Functional Skills will no longer be 'enough' for the government, this applies to anyone staring a new course as of September this year.

Also Universities have started to insist that a C grade is in place before any post graduate course can be started. This means that they are putting on 'catch up' lessons for anyone on a degree.

But your daughter must have the gcse for A levels, Functional Skills is not acceptable, this is to do with the funding, not the quality of the certificate. It has been very kind of the school to allow her to continue her 1st year when she did not pass in the earlier re-take slot. They usually ask students to leave if the January result is not a C. They will not be able to claim her funding for the A level teaching if she does not pass.

But chances are she will get that C, though the wait until August is going to feel interminable!

Good luck.

Sallystyle · 02/06/2015 12:40

Good luck to your daughter.

My son with SN is doing his GCSES and it is a horrible time. I hope she gets the grades she needs this time.

Sallystyle · 02/06/2015 12:46

I don't think my son will get the C. He is doing amazingly well in every other subject considering his special needs, but I don't think he will get a C for English.

He is off to college in Sept and he is worried that he might never pass either. I am not entirely sure how it works though? He is doing a catering course then plans to either get an apprenticeship or a job as a chef. Will he not be able to pass his catering course without a C in English then? He is doing a level 3 Diploma at college.

Soduthen116 · 02/06/2015 12:54

Op my dd doing it too and just texted that it was ok she thinks.

If she gets a c in maths she will be over the moon. That's her bug bear.

Hope he does ok op. Good luck to all our children. Hard times.

LazyLouLou · 02/06/2015 13:00

U2,

If he has a D grade already then he will HAVE to continue re-taking the GCSE until he achieves a C. That change comes into effect this September, most schools and colleges are 'practising' this change this year, so some of this years students with a D grade will still be taking Functional Skills.

However, if he starts on an apprenticeship without a C grade then the framework still has Functional Skills in it (until 2020, as far as can be told, as that is when the framework will be re-revised).

So, he will be able to start a L3 catering BTEC and college will automatically enrol him on a GCSE course to run alongside his main course.

He MUST pass in 2016 though... the exam changes and the one he has been studying will no longer be examined.

If he has E or below, then college should assess him, have a chat and then decide whether he does L2 Functional Skills or GCSE. He should find out the week he registers, but you can ring and ask them now, so you know what the options are.

Original poster
HookedOnHooking · 02/06/2015 14:15

There surely can't be a MUST or HAVE to pass?

some people simply can't or won't ever get a C. Then what?

OP posts:
LazyLouLou · 02/06/2015 14:39

Hooked, you'll have to take that up with Gove, Morgan et al.

The rules are that they must continue studying GCSE or other allowable certificate. The details are as in my last post:

GCSE if they have a D grade
GCSE if they want to do A levels (usually prior to starting, can be wiggled a bit)
GCSE if they want to go on to some post grad studies

Functional Skills if an an apprenticeship
Functional Skills if the institution does them if they have E or below

The rules say nothing about passing just must continue to study.

LazyLouLou · 02/06/2015 14:41

Sorry, posted too soon.

When I said U2s son MUST pass next year, that is purely because of the change on the exams. He would have to start from scratch if he still has not got a C before the last sitting of the current exams (2017).

tiedtwo · 02/06/2015 14:51

I hope it all went well OP. My DS has Aspergers and he took his English GCSE exam this morning. I really hope he will manage to get a C as it's the only GCSE he's been entered for.

Lazy are the rules about re-takes the same for students with SN? DS is at a special school, statemented, so not sure what applies to him. Of course I will be encouraging him to do re-takes if he doesn't manage it this time regardless, but many students at his school are much weaker than him (doing Entry levels rather than full GCSEs) and I don't see how it will make sense to force them to continue when they're really struggling with the basics.

And are these rules the same for GCSE maths grade C as well? (he wasn't entered for maths this year but hopefully doing it next year)