To still feel angry about GCSEs 2021

[Stillfeelcross]

I’ll start by saying I know it’s not the teachers fault.
I’m so angry about the way GCSEs were graded this year and need to get over it. It’s the massive discrepancies between schools, some of who gave their pupils a much easier time than others. Some did mini assessments and then had the chance to take the test again if the pupils didn’t get the grades they wanted. In some schools the dc were told exactly what they were going to be tested on. Some schools did no assessments at all. Some poor dc did full on GCSE exams in exam conditions. It seems the JCQ basically agreed with whatever approach the school chose and exam boards barely moderated any work at all. In the future nobody will know which pupils went to a school with a tougher, more rigorous approach and all grades will be seen as equal even though they’re really not.

@jgw1
I don't know what he's doing. But if he had an ounce of integrity he would have resigned last year. But this government just seem to wait until everyone has forgotten about it - talking about you Raab, Patel, Jenrick... could be here all day.

I think it’s harder on more able kids to shine

My ds got couple of 9s, mainly 8s and two 7s but I think he would have probably got all 9s in real GCSEs

He doesn’t care though

every year people complain about the GCSE grades, so yes, youre being unfair.

@newnortherner111

Direct your anger towards the worst Prime Minister and worst Education Secretary in UK history. Remember when it is time to vote.

Inaction in September and December 2020 and a possible trip to India led to exams being cancelled. Children would have had at least eight weeks more time in school if we had a competent government, and at least say GCSE Maths and English could have been an exam.

Yes, absolutely this

you are not being unreasonable and GCSE grades do matter for some courses like medicine. Those kids with high GCSE grades will get interviews. Many medical schools specify at least a 7 in Eng Lang and do not allow resits so schools that were not generous will have disadvantaged their pupils. Not sure what Oxford will do, as they have traditionally looked at GCSEs. Would expect Cambridge to ignore GCSEs and rely on their own admissions tests... Or Step...

@Branleuse
every year people complain about the GCSE grades
This is totally different. The teachers at DDs school weren’t even involved in what was supposed to be Teacher Assessed Grades. It was all based on GCSE format exams and prehistoric grade boundaries at a selective school. This compared to other schools who invited their pupils to retake their half hour mini test if they felt they hadn’t done well enough. It’s really hard not to see the injustice.

To the person complaining about her daughter's potential application to Cambridge, you need to read up on the process. Whilst Oxbridge take GCSE grades into account, they are painfully aware of the shitshow that is this pathetic government's ineptitude. If your DD wants to apply to Oxbridge, she will need to sit their entrance tests and/or provide marked examples of her work, then go through the interview process. There may end up being more interviews to take account of the spread of GCSE grades, but they have another 15 months to plan and prepare for that.

To the OP, how do you know the teachers were not involved? They most certainly should have been. In my department (of 2) we both marked 5 separate pieces of work for each candidate, all of which had been completed under exam conditions, we used the exam board's marking criteria, then moderated them before submitting our final grades to our senior leadership team. My Head of Department then had to justify each element of each grade and they were checked against targets and projected grades from across their GCSE/A level courses to ensure that we hadn't "just given everyone a 9". It was not ideal; it caused me personally hours of extra work that I would not normally have to do during the summer term, but under the circumstances, it was the best I could manage. I should also point out that the DfE guidance to schools came out in our last week of term before Easter, after many private schools had already broken up (approximately 31st March 2021). It didn't exactly give us long to sort out assessments or marking before grades had to be submitted. For all this, the exam boards still charged us £32 per candidate even though we did the vast majority of the work for no extra money. As a final slap in the face, we haven't even been given a pay rise, so in effect, I've done more work for less money as inflation has eroded my pay.

@Malbecfan how do you know the teachers were not involved

DDs teachers told us. Pupils had an exam number and so were marked anonymous then grade boundaries applied. Just like any other GCSE year in fact except they were pitted against each other (selective school) instead of the whole country as normal years.

2020 and 2021 results will always be viewed as having been from a very unusual year. Very frustrating, yes, but I don't think your child will be judged

@ClarasZoo

you are not being unreasonable and GCSE grades do matter for some courses like medicine. Those kids with high GCSE grades will get interviews. Many medical schools specify at least a 7 in Eng Lang and do not allow resits so schools that were not generous will have disadvantaged their pupils. Not sure what Oxford will do, as they have traditionally looked at GCSEs. Would expect Cambridge to ignore GCSEs and rely on their own admissions tests... Or Step...

DS applied for Oxford in Sep 2019, with "mediocre" (99888776B) GCSE grades but great A level predictions from his state school and a shit-hot personal statement (I helped write it!). He passed the TSA and got an interview....but no offer, sadly. And he's just done his first year of PPE at Durham. So perhaps not a write-off just yet

GCSE grades don't have to be the be all and end all of life! In our neck of the woods, the boys seem to do not very well in them but totally pull their fingers out for A levels.

*DS applied for Oxford in Sep 2019, with "mediocre" (99888776B) GCSE grades but great A level predictions from his state school and a shit-hot personal statement (I helped write it!). He passed the TSA and got an interview....but no offer, sadly. And he's just done his first year of PPE at Durham. So perhaps not a write-off just yet grin

GCSE grades don't have to be the be all and end all of life! In our neck of the woods, the boys seem to do not very well in them but totally pull their fingers out for A levels.*

Oxford use a combination of ranking GCSE results (best 8 or 9 depending on subject) together with the ranking on the entrance test to decide who to interview. The weighting of the two parts varies by subject. They then use the interview and entrance test rankings to decide who to offer a place to, again the weighting of the two parts varies by subject. Which suggests your DS's GCSEs were perfectly good enough, but interview perhaps did not go as well as the entrance test.

@Stillfeelcross

Why hasn’t there been more of an uproar this year? It’s really surprised me.

Probably because in state schools the increase in grades was about 2%, the level at which it normally rises and was something like 20% in independent and private schools.

Stillfeelcross

It won't make you feel any better but they still haven't told teachers what format the system will be for this coming year.

@imacuddler

I agree with you op. I blame the government entirely. My DS school had a really bad policy and lots of people complained. Kids I know at private school all did well . It's easy for people to say deal with it and move on but what about the kids that failed and have to do resits or a lower level course? Do ANY schools get checked on their markings? Have any schools had any repercussions?

All schools were moderated by the exam boards in some way.

OCR/AQA took a random sample of pupils from our school. English, Maths and 2/3 other random subjects from those pupils.

All pupils grades had to have evidence to support the grades given and any extenuating circumstances where needed.

@jgw1

*DS applied for Oxford in Sep 2019, with "mediocre" (99888776B) GCSE grades but great A level predictions from his state school and a shit-hot personal statement (I helped write it!). He passed the TSA and got an interview....but no offer, sadly. And he's just done his first year of PPE at Durham. So perhaps not a write-off just yet grin

GCSE grades don't have to be the be all and end all of life! In our neck of the woods, the boys seem to do not very well in them but totally pull their fingers out for A levels.*

Oxford use a combination of ranking GCSE results (best 8 or 9 depending on subject) together with the ranking on the entrance test to decide who to interview. The weighting of the two parts varies by subject. They then use the interview and entrance test rankings to decide who to offer a place to, again the weighting of the two parts varies by subject. Which suggests your DS's GCSEs were perfectly good enough, but interview perhaps did not go as well as the entrance test.

Yep just quoting what his tutors at school said (and how he himself felt about his GCSE grades) - they were not judged by his school to be sufficient for interview invitation, but his TSA score was very high and he scored the interview. (The college offered to 14 out of 29 interviewees so he was never very hopeful!) I was trying to reassure the PP who was concerned about Oxford using GCSE grades as a definite indicator of suitability. As it happens, he is in retrospect quite glad he didn't go (pandemic and all)

I think it is very unlikely that Oxford will use this and last year's GCSE s in rhe same way they usually do.

I haven’t read the whole thread but the school must justify and evidence all marks. I can’t believe any school would award a mark based on 1 or 2 tests. Every teacher I know keeps a record of all tests throughout courses and many record every single exam question taken in written subjects like English. That is very important in forming a picture of the students’ capabilities. I would also put little stock in hearing how schools involved in the process operated unless you’re involved in their processes as an employee. I found government requirements implemented by my school complex. Finally, at the end of the day your child can take the exam if they wish. Hope that helps.

I get it, we have young adults 2 of which missed their predicted grades in 2019 so had to go to lower universities. If it had been the following year they would have been awarded their predicted grades so got into the elite universities they had offers for (for reasons that are outing they didn't perform well that summer)

Well said @84wood - some people are peeved and trying to claim that their DC were more rigorously tested which wasn't the case at all.

@Godwits how can a a couple half hour tests in the classroom on a known topic be as rigorous as a 2 x 2 hour tests under exam conditions on the entire syllabus? You’re kidding yourself if you think there weren’t massive discrepancies between the rigour of schools approaches.

OP. I agree some tests would be more rigorous. That doesn't necessarily mean that results from lesser tests would be unfair, as schools may have taken how the tests were conducted into account when setting grades (ie demanded higher standards than for full on exams).
Of course it won't be exactly fair and equal across all schools. Conditions for the year beforehand weren't fair and equal either.
But
There is no point continuing to be cross. It won't get you anywhere at all. Focus on what is not what could have been. You'll be happier.

[quote Stillfeelcross]@Godwits how can a a couple half hour tests in the classroom on a known topic be as rigorous as a 2 x 2 hour tests under exam conditions on the entire syllabus? You’re kidding yourself if you think there weren’t massive discrepancies between the rigour of schools approaches.[/quote]
No school would award grades on a couple of half hour tests. Likewise your DC's school didn't award grades on the basis of the exams they set.

That wasn't in the guidance.

Probably because in state schools the increase in grades was about 2%, the level at which it normally rises and was something like 20% in independent and private schools

Not surprised by this ^^

I work in apprenticeship sales, we are carrying out diagnostic tests on all applicants this year due to the massive discrepancies in grade versus ability. The trend is that high grades given by school don't match the diagnostic results, many who have grades 5 and above come out much lower via our tests which are cross referenced to the core curriculum. We are having to refuse applicants because of this. It's heartbreaking.

^^Absolute nonsense.

@freeandfierce - which subjects? I'm guessing just Maths?