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AIBU?

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Original poster

If they f***ING delay the GCSE results I will not be accountable for my actions

204 replies

ScrapThatThen · 17/08/2020 08:08

They need to sort it out before Thursday or allow centre assessed grades.

I work in children's mental health. Stop heaping unfairness on unfairness and uncertainty on uncertainty. Give them 2 weeks notice of where their life goes next fgs.

OP posts:
SmileEachDay · 17/08/2020 08:11

They need to sort it out before Thursday

They need to do it before then. Schools and colleges allocate the places the day before.

It’s shambolic.

lifecouldbeadream · 17/08/2020 08:15

I had a thread in April where I had expressed some concern this might happen. I was roundly told IWBU.

NI have now said CAG for GCSE’s- let’s hope the powers that be in England read the room a bit better than they currently are. This summer should have been exciting for A level and GCSE students, instead they were cast aside in March
no support, 6 months to worry about it and the arrival of the Scottish highest should have lead the other Govs to have a rethink. Our young adults need support and the promise that they would be able to move on with the next stage of their lives. This does NOT represent that.

Bridecilla · 17/08/2020 08:16

Have they said delay is possible?

ShinyRuby · 17/08/2020 08:19

Totally agree & was horrified when I heard about this possibility.
Dd is stressed enough about her place at Sixth form, if this went ahead she would start on the same day as results.
She's prepared for the results to be disappointing but just wants to know now.
Just been through all this with dd1's A Level results, it's all an absolute fuck up & so so unfair.

cricketballs3 · 17/08/2020 08:23

I agree op, a delay would not benefit and it could cause great mental health issues. We need to follow NI and Scotland and go with CAGs.

When we were working on CAG we had to have the evidence to back up our judgments, these were moderated at department level then moderated at SLT level.

orangejuicer · 17/08/2020 08:26

Given the actions of this shambolic mess of a government, surely a delay to get it right is better than a re run of the A-level problems?

Honeybobbin · 17/08/2020 08:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GuyFawkesDay · 17/08/2020 08:37

The CAGs were submitted months ago
They've had the data since. Their algorithm hasn't been stress tested enough, it's not fair or accurate.

A levels debacle has shown us that.

Morfin · 17/08/2020 08:40

@Honeybobbin

I would agree with you *@orangejuicer* if they hadn't already had 5 months to get it right.
And considering lots of people who are in education were predicting this months ago.
Sunnydayhere · 17/08/2020 08:40

Northern Ireland has just announced that they will release grades based on teachers’ assessments.

This came out on Sky online news at about 8.00am

cologne4711 · 17/08/2020 08:43

I heard that suggestion last night and just thought WHAT?

And I see as a pp says that in Northern Ireland they're going to award teacher assessed grades. So the kids could have had their results weeks ago!

LimitIsUp · 17/08/2020 08:46

CAGS all the way.

Also I thought we were still a United Kingdom? It is not reasonable that in Scotland A levels were awarded on CAGs and in Northern Ireland GCSE's will be awarded on CAGs but not in other parts of the Union.

Having had dd downgraded in A levels I am basically not now sleeping at night in anticipation of GCSE results for ds on Thursday

GisAFag · 17/08/2020 08:51

OP you mean if they delay you'll come on here and complain.

Dohorseseatapples · 17/08/2020 08:57

They need to forget about their f’ing data and statistics for once and stop using bloody algorithms.

Give the students the grades their teachers have submitted. These are based on ACTUAL assessments.

Who the hell would let a computer change actual assessment grades based on fuck all to do with the student?

It’s just unbelievable.

Dohorseseatapples · 17/08/2020 08:59

Given the actions of this shambolic mess of a government, surely a delay to get it right is better than a re run of the A-level problems?

They have had 5 months. 😡

MaybeIDidMaybeIDidnt · 17/08/2020 09:00

It's as though England is the testing ground for all the fuck up's you could possibly think of and Scotland and NI are able to read the mood and deal with it accordingly! I didn't think I could get any more appalled by this shambolic shit show but I never fail to be surprised.

Loveden · 17/08/2020 09:01

@orangejuicer

Given the actions of this shambolic mess of a government, surely a delay to get it right is better than a re run of the A-level problems?
But where does this leave schools and colleges who need to finalise class lists for the start of term c.3rd Sept?! It's a very short window for centres and students to get organised at the best of times. I don't know what the answer is. They should have released the results back in July to ensure there was time to smooth out appeals etc. And organised things properly in the first place of course. As the parent of an A-level student who got badly stung by downgrading, I am fuming.
Enoughnowstop · 17/08/2020 09:03

Given the actions of this shambolic mess of a government, surely a delay to get it right is better than a re run of the A-level problems?

What can we done? Unprecedented circumstances. A system was put in place. An algorithm is not able to understand the nuance of individual students. Teacher assessed grades for the most part will be fair. Sure, some schools will have tried it on - but more fool them when we return to normal and normal Ofsted.p, Progress 8 etc all kicks back in.

Can someone link to where a delay has been mooted? I can’t see anything on BBC website.

JockTamsonsBairns · 17/08/2020 09:04

@LimitIsUp Education is devolved in Scotland, so nothing to do with the Union. Also, outside of some private schools, there are no A Levels in Scottish schools.

WelshMoth · 17/08/2020 09:05

The whole situation is incredibly frustrating for the teaching profession and incredibly distressing for all pupils involved.

Their whole system is undermining the integrity of all staff involved and undermining the integrity of the senior team and head who signed these predictions off. Schools have tracking data to support their predictions as well as results of internal and external assessments, not to mention coursework grades. These grades aren't plucked out of thin air by well-meaning maternal-feeling staff. It's a kick in the teeth to treat it as such.

Thousands and thousands of anxious pupils are are going to be let-down by the very people who should be supporting them.

Wheresthesanitygone · 17/08/2020 09:08

Now both Scotland and NI are using CAGs ( I’m assuming Scotland are/did for GCSEs as well as A level, I’ve not heard anything on that) it would be impossible for England to stick to the algorithm surely?
Three students, one in Scotland, one in NI and the third in England going for the same college space/ apprentice/ job. Two have correct grades the other is 2 grades down on everything thanks to computer generated shit. Even more unequal than just the current system was.

TheSandman · 17/08/2020 09:13

@LimitIsUp

CAGS all the way.

Also I thought we were still a United Kingdom? It is not reasonable that in Scotland A levels were awarded on CAGs and in Northern Ireland GCSE's will be awarded on CAGs but not in other parts of the Union.

Having had dd downgraded in A levels I am basically not now sleeping at night in anticipation of GCSE results for ds on Thursday

Also I thought we were still a United Kingdom?

Hahahahahaha! Dream on.

morning17 · 17/08/2020 09:13

Indecision is almost worse than a bad one. I think they should come out on Thursday alongside details of the appeals process.

TunnocksOrDeath · 17/08/2020 09:14

Honestly, after the heartache this week caused by policy being rushed out at the last minute, it would be better if Ofqual announced a delay and reviewed the way they are allocating grades, while the schools were simultaneously lining up the admin etc to hit 'Go' when its announced, and possibly roping-in some help from somewhere.
Looked at as a whole, the A-Level assessments delivered by schools were significantly higher than the usual results - do we honestly believe that this year's group were materially brainier than all classes that have gone before? Or do we believe that some teachers have submitted assessments that were a bit "optimistic" in order to give their pupils a better chance, which meant that Ofqual had to find a way of moderating them? I would not be at all surprised if Ofqual have got the same problem with GCSEs.
By the way I do NOT believe Ofqual's solution was right. It's an unfair model that locks in inequality and should never have got past the test phase.

Grandmi · 17/08/2020 09:15

This government has ignored warnings over everything to do with Covid right from day 1 !!People were warning that this wasn’t gonna work months ago and Boris and friends ignored the warnings ...so what’s new there ?!!