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Original poster

to think thank fuck we don't live in England with this stupid results system going on?

193 replies

ssd · 24/08/2017 22:11

by christ Michael Gove has really fucked up with this, it seems to be a change for the worst and is very confusing

why was this introduced, it doesn't seem to be clear to anyone, this is an awful system for the kids to get their heads around, this gov should be ashamed of themselves.

OP posts:
treaclesoda · 25/08/2017 08:07

Really, how many adults over the age of 25ish list their GCSE grades on a CV?

I'm in my 40s and every job I've ever applied for has asked for my GCSE results. Every job I've ever been successful in obtaining has asked to see my certificates. The most recent one was within the past month.

IroningMountain · 25/08/2017 08:07

Cookie if you're a large global multinational surely you are adept at dealing with different systems in different countries and handling change.

Your HR dep can't be that great if it is unable to decipher a change that will be here for good and one which parents and kids up and down the land manage to comprehend just fine.Confused

EdithWeston · 25/08/2017 08:09

I think HR depts (and just about everyone else) will get confused about this years 4s being a 'good' pass when in all future years it won't be.

IroningMountain · 25/08/2017 08:09

I was out of work for a long time. Went back 3 years ago. They never asked for O level grades or certificates or even A level grades or certificates. Didn't even ask to see my degree certificate.

nathaliewithanaitch · 25/08/2017 08:10

You're in Scotland then. You must have missed the utter shambles on several occasions over recent years.

Too many people are very complacent about education standards in Scotland. They've been going downhill for a long time.

JetBoyJetGirl · 25/08/2017 08:10

The kid is severely learning disabled and autistic,cannot write but was told if he used a scribe he would lose even more marks that he couldn't have any extra time because that would also mean more marks lost, so he sat it under the exact same conditions as a child without the same disabilities as him

Is this correct?!! My son has extra time awarded to him for exams due to disability. No one has ever said anything about losing marks as a result..?

Well done to your son by the way!

tinytemper66 · 25/08/2017 08:12

Wales has had new GCSEs but in English Language, it is not the same as England.

IroningMountain · 25/08/2017 08:12

Why Edith?Can't they read around and make a note which year the exam was taken. Isn't that their job? Surely they differentiate between Olevels,CSEs,good O level equivalent CSE passes,GCSEs and European qualifications already.

BeyondThePage · 25/08/2017 08:14

DD got a 9 for Eng lit with 89% - grade boundary for Edexcel was 87.5%

for a 9 in maths it was 79.2%
and a 9 in eng lang 83.75%

This year the A grade and above were pegged to the same percentage of people as the previous year in order to stop kids feeling like failures in comparison.

Showandtell · 25/08/2017 08:14

The kid is severely learning disabled and autistic,cannot write but was told if he used a scribe he would lose even more marks that he couldn't have any extra time because that would also mean more marks lost, so he sat it under the exact same conditions as a child without the same disabilities as him.

Huh? Are you in the UK? That's not right

Sofabitch · 25/08/2017 08:16

Cookie dough kids..but the minimum grade is a 4. Which is a C grade equivalent.

This was uncertain for a while. But was firmed up some months ago.

StillDrivingMeBonkers · 25/08/2017 08:20

Really, how many adults over the age of 25ish list their GCSE grades on a CV?

I'm afraid every employer I've worked for has wanted GCSE C or O level C grade and above in English and maths. I'm still asked for my O level grades despite having an A level in English (combined Language and literature as it was back then).

I've also worked with a teacher from Australia , with a degree in English who had to sit GCSE English because his high school qualifications in Australia are not comparable in the UK.

Other than E&M, the others are reasonably superfluous other than to demonstrate you have a broad educational background.

confusedat23 · 25/08/2017 08:22

When I was in Secondary school all of our marks up until GCSE were graded with number levels anyway, as this is how all SATS were graded for us. Unless they have changed the way these are graded I wouldn't imagine it will make much of a difference to the children.

StillDrivingMeBonkers · 25/08/2017 08:22

The kid is severely learning disabled and autistic, cannot write but was told if he used a scribe he would lose even more marks that he couldn't have any extra time because that would also mean more marks lost, so he sat it under the exact same conditions as a child without the same disabilities as him.

Honestly people just make this up as they go along. It's not difficult to look up before perpetuating playground gossip.

www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration

Whatsername17 · 25/08/2017 08:23

That's the other issue, Beyond - the pass mark is different for every exam board. When choosing which board to go with for the new spec the subject content was very similar. So, how can the grade boundaries be so different?

TheNaze73 · 25/08/2017 08:26

I think the system needed an overhaul. I fully support it. The only news outlet that was negative was the BBC but, we all know their agenda.

IroningMountain · 25/08/2017 08:28

But a C was a pass. My job just asked for passed Olevels not grades.

I thought there were separate Lit and Lang O levels. Pretty sure mine is just Lit. I seem to remember that Lang wasn't deemed that worthy( typical 80s mindset) so I didn't do it. Did 8 in total.

StillDrivingMeBonkers · 25/08/2017 08:31

TheNaze I agree, the whole system had become corrupt. Now course work is all but gone, it stops teachers cheating tinkering, excessive helping. I've worked in a school where the teachers were called into the DH ic/curriculum and told to rewrite certain pupils course work. I've seen it myself, I've been told to do it. I have been physically present where an entire English department has bulldozed its way into a live GCSE and dictated answers to the pupils.

I could type for hours on certain academy chains and their devious practices. And the exam boards won't do anything about it because of the loss of revenue and bad publicity

StillDrivingMeBonkers · 25/08/2017 08:32

A level English (back in the 80's) was combined lang and lit.

IroningMountain · 25/08/2017 08:35

Mine definitely wasn't.87. I did an Eng Lit degree. English Literature A level.

TheHandmaidsTale · 25/08/2017 08:36

@SpaghettiandMeatballs

But grading has always been like this. The grade boundaries are never the same year upon year (or not for English anyway!) and always fluctuate depending on the actual paper sat. The paper is always different every year so they wont be giving the same answers to the same paper.

All the new system has done is change letters to numbers and it has taken away a lower grade and added a higher. I.e. there used to be GFED now there is only 123 but higher candidates now can get a 9 which shows they are the top 2/3% of the country.

Nuttynoo · 25/08/2017 08:36

It's there to differentiate between those students who scraped a pass in English/Maths and those who got a comfortable pass, as it's well known that often those who scrape one aren't generally as great as applying their skills immediately in the real world. My organisation has already amended GCSE requirements accordingly - so now require a 5 as a minimum but realistically a 6 due to the numbers of applications.

Nuttynoo · 25/08/2017 08:37

It's there to differentiate between those students who scraped a pass in English/Maths and those who got a comfortable pass, as it's well known that often those who scrape one aren't generally as great as applying their skills immediately in the real world. My organisation has already amended GCSE requirements accordingly - so now require a 5 as a minimum but realistically a 6 due to the numbers of applications.

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 08:38

What's not to understand?

Lucysky2017 · 25/08/2017 08:39

Constant change makes it confusing.
I have my parents' school certs. for the age 16 year. My father's (1945) says there is Pass, Credit and Very Good and English Language is first and separate as if it were compulsory.
He got:-

English Lang Credit
English lit Very Good
British and European History Very Good
Geography Very Good
History Credit
Elementary Mathematics Very Good (I bet it was not that "elementary" but quite hard)
Chemistry Credit
Physics Very Good

Interestingly I and my 5 children have all done similar subjects for level (me), GCSE or iGCSE them since geog, history, maths, english, French, sciences at least 2. We also did something extra like music to brijng us more up to 9 than just 8. My mother did RE in addition and instead of science Botany.

It is interesting how the core GCSE subjects it remains wise to do have not really changed since 1945. The very good, credit and pass (and presumably fail) is probably along the lines of what we always need to know - are they good, did they do fine but not that good or did they just pass or did they fail.