GCSE grades

[UndertheCedartree]

My DS is studying GCSE Maths and English at college. I'm just trying to figure out if he is doing ok as we haven't had much feedback. In the latest mock tests he got a level 4. He only started in September but will be taking the exams this Summer. What kind of grade could he be expected to get in his GCSE exams?

@LIZS

That is true but adjustments are to level the playing field, not to give advantage. There would be more opportunity to improve over two years but thought you said he was due to sit this summer?

Well, yes but the playing field isn't level as he has motor skill and processing difficulty due to his ASD. Yes, I had initially said about him sitting the exam this summer but many posters felt it would be better to wait til Y11.

@Isaw3ships

If he’s able and gives it his all he could waltz out with two 9s - it’s a bit of a how long is a piece of string question. The best people to tell you how he could do in the summer are his teachers.

Ok, thanks

@LIZS

Also you need to establish whether the level of teaching is geared towards the students passing, to get onto their next stage of education, or achieving each one's potential. The mark scheme for English is structured towards rewarding answers showing greater depth of analysis and language which needs demonstrating in class.

Right, I'll query this.

@MrsAvocet

I would think that there's definitely scope for improvement given the circumstances, but I am a bit concerned for you regarding timescales if he is doing the exam this year. Admittedly my experience is only of my children sitting their GCSEs in the conventional 2 year way, having always been in mainstream school, so I'm not sure what to expect from a one year course, but I would be concerned that there's been no discussion around adjustments by now. The exams are only 4 months away. My youngest is in year 11 now and the syllabus teaching is finished in pretty much all his subjects (one or two a little behind due to Covid) and between now and May the bulk of what they are doing is revision and exam practice. Obviously as he's doing more subjects he will have less time for each one, but all the same, I'd expect your DS to be well into the syllabus by now if he is to have a good shot at the exams in May/June. My DS doesn't have any adjustments made, but his elder brother was entitled to extra time. I can't remember exactly when that was finalised but if I recall rightly it was quite a long time before his exams and he definitely did his mocks under those circumstances, to give the most accurate predictions possible. I know my youngest's year group have been having more assessments under exam conditions than usual in case there have to be teacher assessments again, and one of his friends who has extra time has definitely been granted it for the in school assessments. I'd be a bit worried about your DS's current grades potentially being used as evidence, if he is entitled to extra time or different arrangements that are currently not in place. I would definitely talk to the college about it. Obviously I don't know the exact circumstances but this all just sounds a bit rushed and pressured to me. For a pupil who has additional needs, isn't used to the environment or the exam system and doesn't yet seem to have had the proper input for adjustments, getting the grades up significantly in only 4 months does sound quite a challenge, no matter how bright they are. Does he have to sit exams this year? In further or higher education terms there's no advantage to sitting GCSEs early but disappointing results could certainly be a disadvantage. As I say, I'm no expert, just a mum of a similarly aged boy, but I think I'd probably be looking to slow things down, make sure he us getting any support and adjustments he is entitled to, and do the exams next year.

The college has not been forthcoming with information. We were told it was a 2 year course. No mention of taking the exams early. And yes, I really should have chased this up earlier re: adjustments. We were told this would happen at the interview but it appears nothing has been done. I've just sent another email asking for the name of the person responsible for reasonable adjustments. I have also asked the question if it would not be better to wait til Y11 to do the exams and have the chance of better grades - are they interested in them just passing or in achieving their potential? Your advice is very much appreciated.

Taking the exam early is usually for the most able students in a subject where the teachers are sure that they will still achieve a high grade, and the highest grade they are capable of.
I wouldn’t encourage a student getting grade 4 in a mock at this stage to do the exam this year.a

@Isaw3ships

Taking the exam early is usually for the most able students in a subject where the teachers are sure that they will still achieve a high grade, and the highest grade they are capable of. I wouldn’t encourage a student getting grade 4 in a mock at this stage to do the exam this year.a

Yes, it doesn:t seem quite right

What results do their gcse students typically achieve?

Some schools have a deliberate tactic of entering their less able pupils for some exams in year 10 and others in year 11. The idea is that they focus fully on a few subjects for a year, do the exams, drop those subjects then study a few more the next year, hoping that those pupils who would probably fail everything if studying the full range of subjects at once, will be able to pass the core subjects this way. Nothing wrong with that in some circumstances, and for some pupils a 4 will be as big an achievement as a 9 is for someone else. But it's not right for the OP's son needs by the sound of things, so if that'sthe College's aim it is a problem.
UndertheCedartree I think you really need to talk to your son's tutors and find out exactly what is happening, what their aims are, and whether they understand his needs and aspirations. As it is a College they might be more set up to dealing with adult learners rather than talking to parents, so you might have to make a bit of a nuisance of yourself. That happened to a friend of mine when her 16 year old was on a course mainly populated by 18 year olds somewhere. She had to keep reminding them that her DD wasn't an adult and that they did need to tell her stuff!
Good luck, you've obviously got your son's best interests at heart.

@MrsAvocet

Some schools have a deliberate tactic of entering their less able pupils for some exams in year 10 and others in year 11. The idea is that they focus fully on a few subjects for a year, do the exams, drop those subjects then study a few more the next year, hoping that those pupils who would probably fail everything if studying the full range of subjects at once, will be able to pass the core subjects this way. Nothing wrong with that in some circumstances, and for some pupils a 4 will be as big an achievement as a 9 is for someone else. But it's not right for the OP's son needs by the sound of things, so if that'sthe College's aim it is a problem. UndertheCedartree I think you really need to talk to your son's tutors and find out exactly what is happening, what their aims are, and whether they understand his needs and aspirations. As it is a College they might be more set up to dealing with adult learners rather than talking to parents, so you might have to make a bit of a nuisance of yourself. That happened to a friend of mine when her 16 year old was on a course mainly populated by 18 year olds somewhere. She had to keep reminding them that her DD wasn't an adult and that they did need to tell her stuff! Good luck, you've obviously got your son's best interests at heart.

Thank you so much.

So, I've had a response to my emails. It appears we have been mislead as to what this course really is and I'm not very happy. Apparently, as some posters suspected they are working on the basis of students getting at least a 4 this year but to only repeat the exam in Y11 if they don't achieve a 4! Completely ridiculous as by making them take the exam early they will get lower grades and this may then have an impact on their options at 16+. They have also said there is not a guarantee that they will be allowed to continue to the 2nd year of the course. We were told none of this when applying for the course.

Wow, it's a good job you queried things on here. It's like they are assuming all home educated children are low ability only wanting the minimum.

Just another thought. You keep asserting that he was only two weeks into the course, so the Grade 4 (which is a low grade) doesn’t count. He has presumably been studying Maths at home for years though? I’d expect a higher ability student at the start of Year 10 to be scoring much more highly than that. It suggests he may have some fundamental gaps which need addressing.

@Comefromaway

Wow, it's a good job you queried things on here. It's like they are assuming all home educated children are low ability only wanting the minimum.

I have the feeling this is all about exploiting a pot of funding rather than caring about the student's achievement.

@Stormyseasallround

Just another thought. You keep asserting that he was only two weeks into the course, so the Grade 4 (which is a low grade) doesn’t count. He has presumably been studying Maths at home for years though? I’d expect a higher ability student at the start of Year 10 to be scoring much more highly than that. It suggests he may have some fundamental gaps which need addressing.

I'm not saying the grade 4 doesn't count but I suppose it is more of a baseline. I know my OP was a bit confusing but the information from the college is confusing! I clarified some things with my DS.

This is all new to us. Maths is not his strongest subject but I have no idea what the norm would be for a DC starting Y10. He has some memory problems due to his ASD as well as motor skill issues. Again I don't know what kind of affect this could have in terms of grades. It is definitely possible that there are some gaps.

It just sounds to me like it's the wrong place for him to be to be honest.
They obviously don't share the same aspirations for their students as you'd hoped and don't seem to be supporting him with his additional needs either.
It's difficult, but I might be inclined to pull him out and find somewhere more suitable for next year. There does seem to be a fundamental disconnect between what your DS needs and what this college provides and now you're going to have problems trusting them too.
I know it would make him a year "too old" if he began a 2 year course next year, but I have come to the conclusion over time that we put too much focus in our society on children having to do things by some arbitrary age, whereas in reality it isn't anywhere near as important as their overall well being.

What maths had he learned before starting? It might be that topics he had covered were not in that initial assessment or he had yet to learn the technique to fully answer the questions, in which case those can be addressed. I doubt they will have all been at the same starting point. Bear in mind a laptop may not applicable for maths exams.

Or science gcses

I haven't read every single post so I apologise if this has been said before...

I am secondary maths teacher. In order to take A level maths you must have studied higher tier and it's recommended to have achieved a grade 7 (old grade A). The A level maths syllabus is a big jump from gcse and the scheme of work would not take into account only covering foundation tier. State sixth forms near me require a grade 7 in order to study A level and an 8or9 if you want to do further maths too. The sixth form near you may say they only need a grade 5, but realistically if a child can only achieve a 5 then they are unlikely to be able to access the A level maths content.

@MrsAvocet

It just sounds to me like it's the wrong place for him to be to be honest. They obviously don't share the same aspirations for their students as you'd hoped and don't seem to be supporting him with his additional needs either. It's difficult, but I might be inclined to pull him out and find somewhere more suitable for next year. There does seem to be a fundamental disconnect between what your DS needs and what this college provides and now you're going to have problems trusting them too. I know it would make him a year "too old" if he began a 2 year course next year, but I have come to the conclusion over time that we put too much focus in our society on children having to do things by some arbitrary age, whereas in reality it isn't anywhere near as important as their overall well being.

Absolutely. Ultimately, this is not the be all and end all. There's always Access courses to get into Uni. And being in the home ed community people take all sorts of different paths at different ages.

I have spoken to my DS and we've agreed he will stay at college this year - I wouldn't want to pull him out as he enjoys it and has made friends. I'll support him with his revision for the Maths & English GCSEs and then next year he'll continue studying GCSEs at home and can always retake Maths/English if he needs/wants to.

He feels he'll get a 5 in Maths (max he can get) and probably a 6 in English. So if nothing else they will enable him to get into the 6th form college he wants to go to.