Page 9 | To be struggling to take this years GCSE grades seriously

awaywiththecircus · 2020-08-20T19:08:58+00:00

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,

RaspberryRuff · 21/08/2020 01:03

Jeez, have these poor kids not been through enough without people now pissing on their exam awards? Ok so maybe there is some grade inflation, so what, what does it matter to most of us? There’s no perfect solution, but I think grade inflation is the least worst option compared to a random algorithm or grades based on postcodes.

I agree with PP who said it shows exams shouldn’t have been cancelled and it must never be allowed to happen again.

ZombieFan · 21/08/2020 01:15

Jeez, have these poor kids not been through enough without people now pissing on their exam awards?
What have they been through? They have got to lie in bed for 3 months, playing on their phones/computers and avoiding any studying/exams. Its been absolute heaven for them.

No one is pissing on their grades, everyone is just being honest that they have been devalued. Sit the exams in Oct/Nov if you feel hard done-by.

Chocoholic1972 · 21/08/2020 01:24

My daughter has taken her exams at a college because she couldn't attend school due to mental health issues . Her results are lower than were predicted and she is devastated. She got a 7 in her psychology mock, got 8s and 9s in subsequent work and has been awarded a 5. In two other subjects she was given a 3 and a 2 and was predicted 4s. Apparently there is no appeal process other than for an administrative error. To say these results cannot be taken seriously is insensitive to say the least. There will have been many losers in this process. My daughter has been failed on something she wasn't even allowed to sit. Seeing all these stories of inflated grades, I am genuinely worried about her.

9PointsOnMyLicence · 21/08/2020 01:33

I'm amazed that they couldn't have sat an exam of sorts.
3pm Friday, 2 hours, 150 multiple choice questions. Log on and log in. Instant results.
Yes, it's imperfect. Yes, there could have been cheating. Yes there will be no essays or practical tests. But it must be better than what they did.

No one will take the 2020 results seriously, whether good or bad. And if everyone qualifies, then in reality no one qualifies.

Greenandcabbagelooking · 21/08/2020 03:30

@9PointsOnMyLicence

I'm amazed that they couldn't have sat an exam of sorts. 3pm Friday, 2 hours, 150 multiple choice questions. Log on and log in. Instant results. Yes, it's imperfect. Yes, there could have been cheating. Yes there will be no essays or practical tests. But it must be better than what they did.

No one will take the 2020 results seriously, whether good or bad. And if everyone qualifies, then in reality no one qualifies.

And what if you have no tech at home to log on for this exam? What if your only phone is your dad’s and he’s at work? You are stuck in a two bed flat with 3 siblings and it’s noisy? You are caring for your baby sibling whilst your parents work? You had coronavirus last week and couldn’t revise?

It would not have worked, and would only amplify disparity between rich and poor students.

Marnie76 · 21/08/2020 03:38

@RunningFromInsanity

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.

If you think this years GCSE students were “lucky” you must have been living under a rock.

Marnie76 · 21/08/2020 03:44

@ZombieFan

Jeez, have these poor kids not been through enough without people now pissing on their exam awards? What have they been through? They have got to lie in bed for 3 months, playing on their phones/computers and avoiding any studying/exams. Its been absolute heaven for them. No one is pissing on their grades, everyone is just being honest that they have been devalued. Sit the exams in Oct/Nov if you feel hard done-by.

They’re missed out on sitting the exams they’ve spent the Last 11 years working towards. Idiots belittling and questioning their grades for evermore. No big last day right of passage that every other year has enjoyed. If you think their mental health hasn’t been affected by the pointlessness of their years of study then you have no insite. But yeah I’m sure laying in bed with nothing to do has made them feel amazing and so lucky.

Marnie76 · 21/08/2020 03:48

And yes how “easy” for them to sit exams in October/November when they’ve had no teaching for for the last six months. Never mind the fact that it wouldn’t help them if they are starting college in September

ZombieFan · 21/08/2020 03:58

No big last day right of passage that every other year has enjoyed. If you think their mental health hasn’t been affected by the pointlessness of their years of study then you have no insite.
Seriously, they have mental 'issues' because they didn't have an American Prom party?

And yes how “easy” for them to sit exams in October/November when they’ve had no teaching for for the last six months
If its that important to them, then why haven't they been revising for those 6 months? Their courses were all but finished, how entitled do you have to be to claim you cant perform because you have chose to spend 6 months doing nothing!

downwardspiral1 · 21/08/2020 05:34

I have three teens and I would say that there was a definite slump in morale for them months ago which then persisted. They are coming out of the woods now because there is light at the end of the tunnel. The past months have been traumatic for the whole country, and that includes school children.

Personally I give zero fucks that anyone might take my dcs’ results less seriously. I have a son who is keeping two A Level predicted grades, and “resitting“ a third in October. He is lucky though because he was always going to come back for a Year 14 to do a 4th A Level, so doesn’t have to worry about university this year.

My dd in Year 11 has OCD which impacted her attendance hugely in Year 10. In Year 11 she worked very hard to improve and catch up, and I know that effort and ability wise her predicted GCSE grades and entry into 6th form are deserved. For the algorithm to have negatively impacted her after everything she has been through would have been devastating. Not saying it wouldn’t have been devastating for everyone else as well.

The fact that some randoms can’t take my kids’ results “seriously” is neither here nor there and of no interest. Ability wise I know that both of them are where they should be. What matters is their next step, and that’s what future employers will be looking at.

Next year’s exam cohort should be helped because they have missed so much of their exam curriculum. Whether the shower of fools in government are able to get to grips with this or even want to is another matter.

Charleyhorses · 21/08/2020 05:51

Does it actually feckin matter?
In the overall scheme of things?
What will be interesting is whether kids that have been the magic English and maths grades to go on to start level 3 courses cope and pass them. I bet they do.
With any luck, there will be an end to endless obsession with making examd harder every year to prove some point

rwalker · 21/08/2020 06:11

I have no faith ad both our kids left school now had ridiculous predicted grade all through high school.
The whole class in middle set had predicted 7's and 8's practically all of them got no where near .
I can only go off my own personal experience .

HPFA · 21/08/2020 06:30

@chomalungma

Presumably you're not the parent of a child who worked their fucking arse off over the last few years only to not sit their exams and show what they can do

Having worked with many teenagers over the years, I know that for some of them exams don't show what they can do - maybe this will spark a debate?

It seems far fairer to grade a student on their work in class and an assessment compared to a few weeks in May on high pressure, remembering lots of content, written exams.

But then again - that does come with its own difficulties.

That's a great point. If the exams had been sat there would probably have been other injustices we would never see,

Maybe some of those who got 7s got them because they worked really hard all year. Perhaps they'll even be more valuable employees than the ones who were relying on working very hard the night before.

Marnie76 · 21/08/2020 06:37

@ZombieFan

No big last day right of passage that every other year has enjoyed. If you think their mental health hasn’t been affected by the pointlessness of their years of study then you have no insite. Seriously, they have mental 'issues' because they didn't have an American Prom party?

And yes how “easy” for them to sit exams in October/November when they’ve had no teaching for for the last six months
If its that important to them, then why haven't they been revising for those 6 months? Their courses were all but finished, how entitled do you have to be to claim you cant perform because you have chose to spend 6 months doing nothing!

If you bothered to read, my point about was about wasted years of study not a fucking prom.

FippertyGibbett · 21/08/2020 06:49

When my DD was at college she was asked what predicted grades she wanted them to put down for her Uni applications !!

Piggywaspushed · 21/08/2020 07:00

How is that even relevant? Those are not the same as CAGs. You might want to look at a whole Facbeook protest group of parents who are upset because their children's CAGs are not , in fact, the same as the UCAS grades.

SmileEachDay · 21/08/2020 07:03

What have they been through? They have got to lie in bed for 3 months, playing on their phones/computers and avoiding any studying/exams. Its been absolute heaven for them
What a nasty, narrow minded, blinded by privilege comment.

No one is pissing on their grades, everyone is just being honest that they have been devalued
There absolutely posters who are. See my previous post.

Graciebobcat · 21/08/2020 07:11

What a nasty thread to start.

If results this year are to be "taken with a pinch of salt" WTF can young people do about it? They haven't chosen for any of this to happen.

It sounds like the OP wants to write off this cohort of 16 and 18 year olds before they have even started their lives.

Graciebobcat · 21/08/2020 07:13

No one is pissing on their grades, everyone is just being honest that they have been devalued

That is pissing on their grades, as is saying they should be "taken with a pinch of salt". Perhaps you should go back and study GCSE English yourself if you are unsure of the meaning of words.

Twiningalldaylong · 21/08/2020 07:24

My son's grades were near identical to his predicted grades and his mocks. We were.so happy for him in the morning but we did start to feel more and more deflated as the day went on
and the news came.ouy

LimitIsUp · 21/08/2020 07:25

Guys - don't get angry with the naysayers. They are just a bit dim, what can you do?

YouokHun · 21/08/2020 07:29

@YorkshireTeaIsTheBest

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!

I agree @YorkshireTeaIsTheBest. I’ve got a DS just going in to Y11 and a DD just going into Y13. My DD has struggled over lockdown and the term just gone has been very patchy. I think her chances and those of her whole year are really compromised even if there is no more Covid disruption. The upcoming year 13s will have to sit the exams next summer and compete for university places with all those that defer this year too.

As for GCSE, there is a lot of anxiety, My DS is worried about mocks as he just doesn’t think he can catch up; he’s lost confidence and a lot of us are wondering if the difficulties for the upcoming exam takers will be accounted for next summer.

Of course it’s been so hard on this year’s Y13 and Y11, but I do wonder if might not be worse next academic year, especially if winter brings more virus shutdown.

Pikachubaby · 21/08/2020 07:31

Kids have been through a lot of crap, let them enjoy the grades

Am slightly worried about kids, like my niece, who got a 7 in maths (usually struggles with it a lot and was hoping for a 4/5 at best) and now is going to do maths at a level... I did not say anything negative, but think this may be a mistake. My sister says the 7 proves she can do it. But am not sure it’s a good idea.

chubbyhotchoc · 21/08/2020 07:31

It really doesn't matter. The ones that genuinely deserved their grades will do well in their A levels or in whatever their next choices are. The ones that didn't will fall at the next hurdle.

boredboredboredboredbored · 21/08/2020 07:40

@LimitIsUp

Guys - don't get angry with the naysayers. They are just a bit dim, what can you do?

Definitely!