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,

Oh please, the generation in question are going to have fuck all opportunities available to them unless they're already stinking rich and even for those nothing will be as guaranteed as it was in the recent past. Maybe look at doing a little less intergenerational punching down.

Sky News are not wrong in reporting it being a 40% percentage increase though. It's 40.42 (1.9/4.7 x 100 do I pass my maths now?). It has been a while since I was taught percentage increases

Well yes - a small change in a small number can be a very big percentage change.

(With Covid when the number of cases goes from 1 to 3 and that'sa 200% increase and must be reported as such)

DD got exactly what she was capable of, I am immensely proud of her and you can all just fuck off frankly!

Thanks for clarifying. I get it .... now!

These are the figures from Ofqual broken down by subject - last year's figure are there as well but not immediately visible.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/results-tables-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-results-in-england-2020

What do people suggest that should have been done instead? The algorithm clearly wasn't fair.

These grades will have been tarnished. The jump in passes just isn't plausible and the biggest losers will be both the brightest who have their hard work undermined and those that end up on courses they have no ability to complete (causing extra debt and stress later). The government needed to just make each learner sit the exams the schools were all locked down at the same time so no schools will have had an advantage. This years cohort 100% exam assessed on tables in the playing field/gym/classrooms (2 meters apart with masks on). The government had to find a way to do it no teachers assessment no silly algorithm.

Personally i would like to see the top x percent sitting an exam each year getting each grade thereby ensuring no grade inflation or deflation which would resolve this exams getting easier guff you get each year.

The grades given today will be taken as seriously as GCSE grades in every other year - as in, no one will give a shiny shite what they were once kids complete their next stage of education.

Yes. Exactly.

No pleasing some is there. Downgraded: how unfair! Upgraded: Overinflated, how can we take them seriously!

What a monumental cock up of the highest order. Give the kids passes and move on.

Kids next year will suffer even more, with many months missing and then taking the exams. There should be lower grade boundaries for next year.

My son did two early entry GCSEs in yr 10, religious studies and computer science ,he got 7&9 respectively.
This yr in both his mock exams he got full marks in all sciences, maths and dt, and between 75& 87 percent in all the other subjects.
His grades today reflect exactly that. 9 in the 3 sciences, in maths and dt. 8 s in all the others besides citizenship in which he got a 7.
All in all 12 GCSEs, 999999, 8888,77

My dd's school are harsh. Algorithm likely to be higher. They have a great reputation and couldn't be seen to raise anything. I'm sure dd's (admittedly fine) 7s and 8s would have been 8s and 9s had she sat the tests.

So it works both ways. To be honest, even though dd would have done better, I'd rather that this year the children who have the fewest opportunities in life got the breaks.

The way we see it, he proved himself in a very difficult subject last yr, plus in both his mocks and that's the end of it.

Kids next year will suffer even more, with many months missing and then taking the exams. There should be lower grade boundaries for next year

Given the Government's and OFQUALs record, I have no faith in what they are going to do next year.

I don't know how they are going to take into account the different levels of learning each pupil will have had

YABU. My sister got 8s and 7s. She was predicated a full run of 8s and this was what she was working at in her mocks. She’s worked very hard and we’re very proud of her.

I've just written my brightest and most insightful post ever. Then the dog snapped a fly and knocked me and my carefully worded post was lost forever. You'll just have to take my word for it. But this doesn't mean the deleted words are any less valid or marvellous!! A bit like the GCSE grades this year.
Most underrated comment!
@Dontfuckingsaycheese

It would be an interesting experiment if we ditched final exams altogether and just took teacher assessment with supporting evidence to get a final grade

This is what happens with the mittlere Reife in Germany (not the Abi) - the stress of continuous assessment all year has put me off that system for life - the pressure is intense. Aside from the three tier system there in any case, which can disadvantage pupils from a migration or poor background, you have those who can afford a tutor and those that can't (similar to private vs state/extra tutors here I guess).
Some of the cohort are two years older than their peers, because of voluntary or mandatory resitting.
Add to that the lack of external moderation and the fact that some teachers are more strict in marking than others, it ends up being a nightmare. Especially as the continuous assessment is not the same type or paper for all classes. Has worked for and against DD in the past so it all balances out in the end but objective it ain't.

Doing teacher assessment in the UK would not be dissimilar to the old GCSE courses with heavy element of assessed coursework - even with cross-moderation departmentally, to minimise differences between teachers, you will still end up with differences between centres and random pieces being asked for for external moderation won't necessarily curb one centre being less rigorous than another: as is what has happened this Summer with the CAG: some rigorous, some generous, some in between, some teachers overruled/undermined by their SLT.

@Rhubardandcustard

Tbh unless you have a child that was due to sit their gcse or a levels then you can’t possible comment.

Not these kids fault they couldn’t sit the exams that they’ve worked hard for last 5 years.

Fed up with parents like you belittling the results that these kids had no control over.

My dd didn’t get top grades and actually felt hers were fair reflection some maybe she could have for higher on and some lower if she had sat actual exams.

Parents commenting they are meaningless are mean and spiteful and jealous in my opinion.

Been a crap year for lots people, last thing these kids need is adults around telling them their grades mean shite.

This exactly.

DS got good grades but none of them were higher than he had previously achieved in mocks. His friends got varying results but all in line with expectations or slightly lower.

These kids could really do with not being kicked yet again. I wish people would just stop putting them and their achievements down.

I actually think DS has been given really fair grades, he was predicted 7s & 8s but having made little effort the last 2 years ended up with mostly 6’s across the board, he would have got more had he sat the GCSE’s, he only started working hard after he sat his mocks, it’s a bad year for DC who would have pulled it out the bag, I’m hoping it’s a lesson learnt and he will work consistently hard for his A-levels.

‘These kids could really do with not being kicked yet again. I wish people would just stop putting them and their achievements down.’

I suspect the OP and the like are the type of parent who post ‘You’re so much more than exam grades’ type memes in results day every year

I’m hoping it’s a lesson learnt and he will work consistently hard for his A-levels

That's basically what I am trying to get DS in Yr 10 going to Y11 to understand.

Interesting fluffy. When I started teaching we had 100% coursework and I loved it. It also led to me as an NQT learning so much more than they do now about standardisation, rank ordering , grade boundaries and seeing more pieces of work and more styles and approaches to teaching and marking. It was the making of me and the kids had to learn to refine, edit, redraft and select their best pieces.
But what you describe sounds like a treadmill. Other countries do it better.

They aren't choma. their response to extensive consultation for virtually every subject reads 'as you were'...

@Paddy1234

My son 'did' GCSE's this year So far I have heard of someone who failed the mocks completely and now getting 7 7's and 2 6's I know of many students who have gone up across the board 2 or 3 grades from mocks These instances have made a complete mockery Whether anyone likes it they are not worth the paper they are written on and some students will think they are equipped for A levels when they are not And anyone asking - my son got 7,8,9's and must be one of the few that got exactly his mock grade with no uplift

It's devastating that we can't even enjoy them with him as he knows they are worthless

Two years ago my Dd got 4-6’s for her mocks.

In the real thing she got two 9’s, 5 8’s & a 7

This post, and some of the comments on it, are really mean spirited.

They got their results today. The Alevel students are still reeling from the mess made of their grades.

But there are posters here mocking the grades they have. “Micky Mouse grades. “But that doesn’t make my grades less valid or marvellous” - what a load of smug nonsense.

My dc took gcse last year, he was predicted 8s and 7s but totally messed up the exams and came out with 4s and 5s. He was unable to do his first choice at college but is doing exceptional in his second choice course but he can now not do his ‘dream career’. If this years exam fiasco means not as many students are chucked on the scrap heap at 16 and are given a second chance then I am all for it!

I actually approve of grade inflation in my subject. last year, only 1.5% of A Level students were awarded A* . this year it was 5% which seems fairer to me.