To be struggling to take this years GCSE grades seriously

[awaywiththecircus]

It’s no the dcs fault but I do think the GCSE results this year will be taken with a pinch of salt. I do feel sorry the the students who would have actually got a bunch of 8 and 9s if they’d sat the actual tests as it seems more than ever are getting those grades this year and it does make you wonder. We’re they not meant to be for the very top percentage of students? I’ve spoken to a parent who is pleased the marks were centre assessed as he thinks his ds probably wouldn’t have passed his maths and English if he’d actually sat them,

There’s a reason this years grades are so much higher than ever before.

Not all those predicted 8s and 9s would have done that well in the test.

I think this years students are very lucky to be given teachers predicted grades which are almost always generous.

From what I know of mine and friends dc there are possibly slightly improved grades across the board, but not massively, and a bit of randomness eg a bit lower in your 'best' subject and a bit higher in a random other one. Maths and science results were strong at our school and humanities seemed harshly graded. Maybe this reflects some internal moderation?

On the whole this years results are in line with expected progress based on the national cohorts SATS results.

Where it is higher is that every year there will be some children who mess up for an impossible to predict reason like a panic attack, Mis-understanding a question, getting upset about something the night before etc.

Teachers can only predict based on the most likely outcome, not that a particular child might suddenly have a meltdown.

Two years ago dd did her GCSE’s and she got a 9 in English Lang and an 8 in English Lit. In her mocks she got a 4 in Lit because although she produced 1 top mark essay question she totally Mis-understood the other and got 0.

But it works both ways - they’ll be kids who have effectively been downgraded too. It’s a disaster, they should have found a way for the kids to sit their exams.

In fact the top grades released in our school multi academy trust press release sound typical and similar as for other years. And the algorithm graded one of dds results up.

Oh piss off. The grades DS was awarded were totally in line with the two sets of mocks he say before lockdown (Dec and March). He has spent all day having people tell him his results aren't real and is totally deflated now, he worked bloody hard all the way up to the cancellation date.

My nephew revised for and sat a GCSE last year and got a 6. This year for the remainder he was given seven 9's and and an 8. Now he's bright, but really?

I don't think it will have too much long term impact as most students go on to study other courses (A level, BTEC, apprenticeship etc.) 16-18 and people will just look at those grades.

Even when this yr 11s apply to Uni they will probably just adjust the scores required up a little when giving offers. By the time this yr10s are applying most of the yr11s will either be in Uni or will have their actual A level grades.

Pollyhampton - DD too. She did brilliantly in mocks, has consistently got these grades in class. Congrats to your DS. I hope he finds a way to enjoy his success. I suspect that doing really well at A level might be the best revenge though!

yabu - the grades kids I work with achieved where fair based on their grades so far and demonstrated ability - haven't they had enough this year without people casting doubt on their achievements - stop being unkind

I’m not sure I would describe any of the students as lucky. The substantial grade inflation could have a huge impact. As a couple of examples:

There’s a reason why most employers want a pass in maths and English. What does that mean for recruitment? Additional tests from employers? People getting jobs they are not capable of?

There’s a reason why schools/colleges want a minimum mark in a subject to study it at A level. I really feel for those students who will start a levels they are not able to complete (or go on to fail).

For lots of people GCSEs become largely irrelevant once you’ve got through A levels/further qualifications/degrees. I can’t even remember all the subjects I took. So there are opportunities for students to prove themselves in the future. But I can imagine it will quickly become tedious to be told “oh, you’re the year that didn’t actually do you exams/earn your marks”.

Polly that's the point the OP is making - that by increasing the 9s it devalues the results for the gifted and talented cohort/those who would have revised/continued to work with blood, sweat and tears.
(Sky News claimed the number of those achieving the highest available mark - a grade 9 - surged by 40%. Someone in education might be able to confirm if that source is true, it seems ridiculously high).
I do feel sorry the the students who would have actually got a bunch of 8 and 9s if they’d sat the actual tests I do, too. That said, if more go to college then that's a solution to having no offer of an apprenticeship given the labour market.

Trust the teachers.

One of the worst things to home out of this pandemic is the undermining of teachers. Everyone else thinks they know best now. It's toxic and when masses leave and there's no one to teach your child, will you feel better about slagging us off then?

I tell you what I feel sorry for the kids that come next year in Year 11. Missed 6 months of schooling and then get the exams. Then they will be compared with 2020 students whenever they go for jobs etc!

Provided they do not drop out of course, which some fear may happen if overstretched by course content.

No/one ever will.
These will be the '2020 awards' aka Mickey Mouse prizes.

Is there a reason you need to take them seriously? Are you for example, an admissions advisor for level 3 courses? If not, there’s no need to struggle is there? Just ignore them.

yorkshire yep but that said, grade boundaries might be adjusted/some Corona caveat maybe, same as for SATS - especially if there are further closures. We'll just have to wait and see. Brexit and Covid 19 - there won't be any jobs to go for.

My son got a mix of results and he actually thinks he would have got higher in 3 of them if he had sat the exam. He certainly got higher in his mocks. So who knows.
He is feeling a bit meh about the whole thing really- he’s more worried about starting his A levels having not been at school for 6 months.

A teacher on Twitter said that his/her (private) school decided to submit optimistic grades as it would keep parents happy even if they fully expected OfQual to lower them. Best ever year group now at their school.
It's the strong pupils I feel sorry for as their achievements have been devalued.
But as a society, we weren't happy with the algorithm and we aren't happy with the CAG. What other option was there?

My son did better in his mocks for 2 subjects compared to the results he got today. Its a joke. I have emailed the school but not sure if anything will be done.
Its so demotivating.

I think they are optimistic grades as a lot of schools expected to have an element of the grades being knocked down. Some schools have been a bit more optimistic than others.

I will admit to be a bit cynical with some of the results locally from schools who are very image focused and the students who have gained good grades, just all seems to be a bit staged if you see what I mean.

However I did spend the morning enrolling students into my schools sixth form and some hadn't got the grades they needed so its all a bit of a weird time.

I really really feel for the students as none of it has been within thier control and there is some chance they will be starting courses they may not be best suited for.

Yeah, what a lucky cohort, living the teenage dream.

Dd's were in line with her mocks, bar two subjects where I suspect one or the other would have been a grade lower if she'd sat exams. It is fuck all compensation for everything she has lost out on.

Dsd is August born, thus sat a-levels last year. She got a grade lower in one subject due to a crisis the night before the exam. If she'd been born a few weeks later she'd have the higher grade from predictions. But thank fuck she got the chance for a normal teen life and the start of a normal uni experience.

But fuck it, we don't need to concern ourselves with the massive price teenagers are paying, or the sacrifices they'll still be making long after life is back to normal for other generations. Or even the dc that got lower grades than they deserved. Let's just focus on the fact some might have slightly better results.

GCSE grade inflation is just as bad as what happened with A levels. What people cheering these grades don’t realize is that grade inflation makes qualifications less credible. It’s not the young people’s fault that happened but the class of 2020 will suffer as a result of these ridiculous grades.

Another point to remember is that grades don’t mean anything when you get int he real world and cannot perform at the level required. Your grades cannot help you then. It’s unfortunate that the children could not sit the exams however Mickey Mouse grade inflation was not the answer.

Do you even know how the grades where calculated. Our science teachers took the results of the TWO mock exams the students had already sat, then look at the work they did in class marks added a mark for effort then ranked them in order. SLT then internally moderated all makes, before they where sent of to the exam board as they could have been picked for external moderation where they would have had to provide evidence that the students deserved that grade.

Now maybe all schools weren't that through, but then if they had been moderated and not been able to provide the evidence for the students selected it would have effected all their students, so it wouldn't have be in their interests to submit unrealistic grades which they could provide evidence for.

I spoke to one of our more experienced teachers and she reckoned they got it pretty spot on. The odd student she thought maybe had been given a 5 where they where more likely to get 4. But nothing way outside. Although you can't predict for someone who totally fluncks on the day due to nerves or who does really well unexpectedly either. But they are generally outliers and not grades you can really predict.