To think A levels might be cancelled?

[MrsMiaWallis]

Dd2 is in year 13 and working hard for A levels. Do we think they'll be cancelled?
YABU - No, A levels will go ahead
YANBU - Yes, A levels will be cancelled

Think whatever you like, why would that be unreasonable?

For traffic mainly! I don't feel strongly either way - think dd is torn too.

I think any student in years 11 or 13 should be working very, very hard at the moment...just in case...

Strong case for centre assessed grades

Equivalent already cancelled in Scotland, NI and Wales.

I have a son in year 13 so I'm following this closely.

I don't have a clue to be honest but I'm hoping they'll go on predicted grades because he's received very little in the way of teaching since September, including online learning.

@WorraLiberty both my older two were awarded their grades in GCSE and A levels last year - it was surreal to go from working towards them to nothing!

I’ve got a year 11 so GCSE rather than A level - no idea what’s going to happen but I feel these 2 year groups have been particularly shafted by this whole fiasco. I don’t see how they can do exams, some of the kids we know have had to isolate 4 times last term - that’s an extra 8 weeks of school that they’ve missed.

DD definitely doesn't want them cancelled. Her predicted grades would get her into anywhere likely to make an offer, but she wants to feel she has earned them. Online provision at her school has been pretty much 'look and see what work we've set you', so it's very much her own drive that's helping her progress. But it's hard to be fair about awarding grades when teaching provision is so uneven.
Pffft, I don't know, but whatever they decide, it's bound to be some kind of catastrofuck.

Dds predicted grades are good and she will get her uni offers with them, but she wants a chance to do even better (she likes exams). I think she's underestimated the toll this year has taken and the stress of exams on top might be too much (she can get very anxious)

I don't see that there will be any remotely "fair" solution. I too have a yr 11 and yr 13 working hard, and with the "luxury" of independent schooling that has been able to deliver a reasonable approximation of the teaching they would normally have had. Both are due mocks shortly, I'm hoping they'll be back at school and able to do them properly. I think both would prefer to sit summer exams.

But if CAGS have to be used, what evidence will schools be allowed to use? Will they be moderated this year, and if so how? If not - after last year's fiasco how can anyone expect schools to submit grades that are anything other than overoptimistic throughout?

I firmly believe that something that can be properly externally moderated is essential to the assessment process whatever ends up happening. And that for significant numbers, the opportunity to repeat a year and actually master subjects will also be important. For yr 11s perhaps the most as I worry for those students who won't have got the grounding they should have had to be ready for A levels or any other next step.

It was really stupid and selfish of schools to leave mocks this late and risk them bit happening.

*not

Dd doesn't have mocks until March

I don't know the answer but not happy with algorithm and not happy with teacher assessment grades for GCSE or A levels. I know as early retired teacher and teaching GCSE and A levels in a number of schools many teachers get predicted grades wrong year after year. I honestly think best option is to redo this year. Yes they have worked some of academic year since September even though some have self isolated 3 or 4 times but most missed several months from April to July of last year and looks like they will now be home for another month. The online learning is very variable at best with some getting superb teaching for 5 hours a day and others only 1 1/2 hours teaching a day. These grades will live with kids forever. If given a GCSE in a subject then when moving on to A levels they won't have base to learn and many gaps to fill in. If given A level they will have same issue in degree with much of first year spend learning what should have been learned at A level. How many at Uni this year have had full teaching either? I know it is problematic but would prefer government to just scrap this year and all students resit year. It would mean making more provision in primary schools for extra reception classes but better option than pushing the problem at exam years.

@Thedarknightsaredrawingin the exams in NI haven't been cancelled yet.

@caringcarer

I don't know the answer but not happy with algorithm and not happy with teacher assessment grades for GCSE or A levels. I know as early retired teacher and teaching GCSE and A levels in a number of schools many teachers get predicted grades wrong year after year. I honestly think best option is to redo this year. Yes they have worked some of academic year since September even though some have self isolated 3 or 4 times but most missed several months from April to July of last year and looks like they will now be home for another month. The online learning is very variable at best with some getting superb teaching for 5 hours a day and others only 1 1/2 hours teaching a day. These grades will live with kids forever. If given a GCSE in a subject then when moving on to A levels they won't have base to learn and many gaps to fill in. If given A level they will have same issue in degree with much of first year spend learning what should have been learned at A level. How many at Uni this year have had full teaching either? I know it is problematic but would prefer government to just scrap this year and all students resit year. It would mean making more provision in primary schools for extra reception classes but better option than pushing the problem at exam years.

Not sure how that would work with independent schools as most parents won't be able to afford an extra year's fees.

From my pov with a year 11 and 13 last year: DS1 got better grades than expected, now doing a uni course he loves; DS2 now in sixth form, doing A levels he is really enjoying also.

In actual fact, not doing the exams was far, far less stressful for us because DS1 had an unconditional uni place and DS2 went into his school's sixth form.

It has not affected how they are now working. I do wonder if DS2, now year 12, will even do exams next year at this rate 🙄

I must say not having the stress of exams would be quite nice from a selfish pov.

DD is in Y13 and really hoping that they go ahead. Her mocks are annoyingly at the end of Jan (the boy's school did theirs before Christmas) so we have fingers crossed that they will go ahead too. Her school haven't sent many pupils home and online teaching has been really good.

Plus as is appropriate at her age she has been doing extra work / self teaching to fill in gaps that she's found.

As others have said her predicted grades are good but it's not the same as actually earning them.

[quote CoRhona]@WorraLiberty both my older two were awarded their grades in GCSE and A levels last year - it was surreal to go from working towards them to nothing![/quote]
Yes that must have been surreal.

From a selfish POV I hope my son gets awarded his predicted grades for his A Levels because they're all top marks.

But I'd really feel for students who would've done much much better in exams.

There's never going to be a solution that suits everyone.

@WorraLiberty I agree but at least this year's cohort have had advance warning, despite what this shit show of a government says it has been on the cards from the start of the academic year.

Good luck to your DS, hope he gets to go where he wants whatever the final decisions on the situation are 👍

Last year when kids were awarded Centre Assessed Grades (I had an A level dd and a GCSE final year ds at the time), many of the current Year 13 parents on here (year 12 parents then) were utter C**nts about how they believed that the 2020 crop of A level students were being grossly unfairly advantaged with worthless inflated grades. Apparently it was super unfair to the Year 12's (now Year 13's) following in their wake. These attitudes were vented even after the algorithm trauma, and the protagonists used to cheer themselves up by declaring 'don't worry, employers will remember and consider these grades meaningless'. Just reflecting ...

[quote CoRhona]@WorraLiberty I agree but at least this year's cohort have had advance warning, despite what this shit show of a government says it has been on the cards from the start of the academic year.

Good luck to your DS, hope he gets to go where he wants whatever the final decisions on the situation are 👍[/quote]
Wouldn’t disagree

But some of them have lost masses of schooling

Ds2 is pretty happy with his politics and economics, but he is struggling with the maths online

@AldiAisleofCrap

It was really stupid and selfish of schools to leave mocks this late and risk them bit happening.

We have had to isolate the whole of Y11 twice last term, plus individuals SI several times...it's a bit difficult to conduct assessment under exam conditions when we can't even see the pupils That's before we even address how much syllabus they haven't yet covered... There are some of our Y11s we haven't physically seen since march.