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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 25/08/2017 10:08

Oh and it should be one exam board

There is probably a good reason why this wouldn't work...

LuLuuuuuuu · 25/08/2017 10:11

No, stilldrivingmebonkers, it has NOT been drummed into the kids, they do not understand , My DS does not for example .

Don't speak for all of us as you are talking shite.

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 10:16

My DD understands the new system. Maybe her school are doing a better job.

orlantina · 25/08/2017 10:23

What does an A look like? A 9 look like?

It seems that we haven't made our minds up about what being 'ok' at maths looks like? And what being brilliant at maths looks like?

Surely it should be less about grade boundaries and more on what a pupil can do?

You can do percentages, ratio and money problems? Great - we'll call that a PASS.

You can do complex algebra, simultaneous quadratic equations, calculus and complex trigonometry. Wow - we'll call that a 9. Outstanding score.

We just seem to be mucking around with what we think a Pass looks like every year.

Oscha · 25/08/2017 11:10

The thing that is driving me crazy is the lack of clarity about which is the passing grade. It's supposed to be a 4, but several of my tutees have been told by their colleges that they'll have to resit to get a 5. It needs to be one or the other.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2017 11:13

Oh and it should be one exam board - There is probably a good reason why this wouldn't work...

I guess the people who work on exam boards have a vested interest in coming up with reasons why it wouldn't work, but it is ridiculous to have multiple boards for the same subject. This year, some of the A level papers for some boards had mistakes and leaks - one competent board would be ideal.

Northernmum100 · 25/08/2017 11:20

Dd got results yesterday and we went straight over to college to enrol. The tutor booking her onto the courses she wanted had to ask for help deciphering the results so all is definately not clear...

BackieJerkhart · 25/08/2017 11:20

This all seems so confusing and upsetting.

Why don't they just give them their actual percentage as their grade and make X% a pass. I did an access course a couple of years ago and this was how it was graded. 40% was a pass and the universities gave us a required overall % and depending on the course applied for they required a minimum % in one or two of the subjects in our offers.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 25/08/2017 11:22

errol

And some exams in some boards seem to be easier

We cant compare and standardise if exams are being cherry picked, some children are doing 10+ exams and others are doing 8

orlantina · 25/08/2017 11:26

Why don't they just give them their actual percentage as their grade and make X% a pass

Pupil A got 40% in 2017 and pupil B got 42% in 2018. Which pupil is better at maths? Both did maths exams but in different years.

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 11:53

That is what they do, BJ

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 11:55

I like that there is competition between exam boards. The standard of the exams should be the same as they are governed by Ofqual. Competition means working towards a higher standard of service to schools.

If we had one exam board, I can imagine that they could become very indifferent.

ZanyMobster · 25/08/2017 11:58

Edith I think the issue was that many published in their original info that 5 would be the acceptable grade but when more info was released then it became an issue that it may be a 4 or a 5. Presumably by now they will have sorted this but there is still an issue that apparently a 4 = low C/high D and a 5 = low B/high C. Last year a C was ok for college.

ZanyMobster · 25/08/2017 11:58

One of the exam boards required 96% for a 9, 79% seems very low

BackieJerkhart · 25/08/2017 11:58

That is what they do, BJ

So why are they given numbers up to 9? Why not just maths 57%, English 62% etc?

Not sure of your point orlantina. The exams are different every year.

orlantina · 25/08/2017 12:03

So why are they given numbers up to 9? Why not just maths 57%, English 62% etc

Not sure of your point orlantina. The exams are different every year

Yes - so if you are applying for college and someone says we can't let you in because you only got 41% on this exam and this person got 42% in the same subject but in a different year so they are better, wouldn't you think that was unfair?

Compared to: you got 41% so that was a C back then and they got 42% and that was the same as C.

If 2 people took 2 different tests in the same subject, how do you know who is better?

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 12:05

A grade or a number gives context to whomever using the results.

If, as has been intimated here, that employers have no idea how to handle numbers vs letters, how on earth would they deal with percentages? They'd have to look up grade boundaries for every subject in that given year.

BackieJerkhart · 25/08/2017 12:10

so if you are applying for college and someone says we can't let you in because you only got 41% on this exam and this person got 42% in the same subject but in a different year so they are better, wouldn't you think that was unfair?

How is that different than you getting one mark short of an A last year and someone else getting that extra mark and getting an A this year? (Or an 8 and a 9?)

If, as has been intimated here, that employers have no idea how to handle numbers vs letters, how on earth would they deal with percentages?

Well they're having to learn how to deal with numbers V letters, they could learn how to deal with percentages just the same. Like I said, universities are able to cope with percentages perfectly well.

sashh · 25/08/2017 12:14

9 is 90% and over not true, you have no idea how it works.

Not really helpful but if someone had got 11 A's at O level in (say) 1982, they would have practically been the next Einstein. It would have been extremely unusual even for a super bright kid.

Not quite. The fact 50% of children left school with no qualifications made it rare but not that rare. A girl in the year above me got 10 A grades and one B. I took most of mine in 1983.

The old O Level system did link to other student's grades though, so your grade was a bit more of a surprise.

Why don't they just give them their actual percentage as their grade and make X% a pass.

Because universities have complained they can't distinguish between top candidates. And because exams are slightly different each year.

If you looked at something like the Olympics, who gets a medal depends on who was good in that race / event. In Rio 6 men ran 100m in the final below seconds, if 10 seconds was a grade A or a grade 9 then 6 people would have got that grade.

With an access course you are looking at a course to get you on to another course, eg if it is nursing you will do physiology and psychology you won't do drama.

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 12:16

I got straight As in 1981 and I am no Einstein.

IroningMountain · 25/08/2017 12:17

Of course it's fair. The students competing on that given year all have the same percentage and cut off to deal with.The exams differ every year and from board to board. How is that any more fair?

Showandtell · 25/08/2017 12:18

I don't understand why they have exam boards. Why not one standard exam with a percentage pass?

BizzyFizzy · 25/08/2017 12:21

RTT, S&T

BackieJerkhart · 25/08/2017 12:24

With an access course you are looking at a course to get you on to another course, eg if it is nursing you will do physiology and psychology you won't do drama.

Confused what?

who gets a medal depends on who was good in that race / event. In Rio 6 men ran 100m in the final below seconds, if 10 seconds was a grade A or a grade 9 then 6 people would have got that grade.

It's not very difficult to look at their times and say "ok, mr A ran in 9.27 seconds, man B ran in 9.34 and man C in 9.77 so that's first second and third place." I'm not sure why that means GCSEs need letter or number grades. Confused if someone gets 99% in a test then they get 99. There is no confusion there about how well they did.

GavelRavel · 25/08/2017 12:24

I think the percentages this is a bloody good idea (as they do in other countries and at universities/professional exams) - just list the subject and the percentage achieved. Then everybody can see what's what. The employer can see, these people got 90% and 89% of the exam right, , they know their stuff, lets hire them, rather than one got an A one got a B. This person only knew 30% of the answers on an exam that someone in a professional capacity deemed as being a suitable test of the material covered, they're not expert enough at it for us.

Ok exams might be harder or easier from year to year (but really shouldn''t be should they with proper QC) - so you could have A (90%), A (89%) to indicate the position on the curve.