To want 9s not 7s for my child in their GCSEs?

[ZeldaFighter]

Child is a model student and no problems with behaviour or attendance. Definitely seems intelligent and diligently completes homework, often without prompting.

Report is 6s and 7s. Husband is pleased and says they're As and Bs. He thinks only kids in private schools doing extended papers get 9s.

I got As, Bs and Cs many years ago but I always strived for As. AIBU to think they should be getting 9s or at least striving for them?

I'd be more than happy with the 'model student ' part of this regardless of grades. If she's trying hard and is happy you are really lucky.

The OP hasn't said any of this. They said child was a model pupil who works hard and no issues with attendance and behaviour. What more does she want? They may not be a grade 9 student. They haven't mentioned what their target grades are and whether they are under achieving.

A 9 is for exceptional achievement. Not all children are capable of a string of 9s, or even any at all. My DC2 got one for English Lang, the rest were 8s and 7s. They worked their absolute backside off for everything - except for that 9 which came naturally. All children are different and have different talents. If a strong of 7s is the maximum of what your child can achieve with hard work, good behaviour and good attendance then you should be deeply proud of their achievement.

Mine went to state school and got 9’s but there was no pressure from us.

I just wanted my dses to do their best. I did my best and scraped 5 C’s back in the day! My parents probably wanted me to get A’s like my brother but it was never achievable for me!

It's wonderful that your DC is such a model student, would they all were, but the grade achieved is sadly not a reward for industriousness or effort.

9s are not easy to come by, and not easily predictable - a small wobble on the day can be very costly when you're not playing with many marks. As a teacher, I very rarely predict 9s unless I have concrete, exam-conditions grade 9 evidence.

That said, plenty of state school kids are getting 8s (and 9s). But if your child is already working diligently both in class and at home, then your expectations might be unfair/unjustified.

It's worth spending some time at home really watching what they're doing. Are they wasting time on "busy work" that doesn't have much impact? Can you support them with working more effectively/efficiently?

If he’s a model student, surely that means he’s working and worked very hard to achieve those 7s. That kind of attitude is going to be very helpful when dealing with the big jump to A-level.

Unless child is entirely focussed on medicine or dentistry at uni I wouldn't encourage that extra stress on themselves.
Main thing is they're happy and can progress to A levels or whatever they want to do next. Pushing for a string of top grades for the sake of it is miserable stress and pointless

Only about 5% get 9 each year.

Just hope that they're happy in life , 9's mean bugger all otherwise.

They should be encouraged, supported and mentored by their parents to do the best of their ability.

For some kids tops marks will never be possible regardless of how much "striving" they do.

I think grades at GCSE are certainly a reflection of effort to a large extent. Thanks to Gove, they are largely a memory test.

Skills like critical thinking and analysis come into it more at A level, but success at GCSE is largely about regurgitation.

There are also so many resources available now for those who want to do better. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube alone from students who have achieved a 9 in specific subjects with tips and advice.

Your child is a "model student" obviously working hard towards very reasonable grades in exams that will in all likelihood be considerably more difficult and cover a great depth of material than the ones you took years ago. I very much hope that they are unaware of your dissatisfaction with their projected grades as they really need support rather than extra pressure and having their confidence undermined during this time.

As a secondary school teacher who sees this scenario play out every year, the only thing that matters is that they get the grades that enable them to do what they want to do next.

Any wishes for them beyond that are just ego.

Well husband is wrong, but 9s and 8s are hard to get - think it's 5% and 7% each or thereabouts

Don't think there's anything wrong with being aspirational but if your child is working to the best of their ability and getting 7s then great. If they're model ie passive and get it done without fuss but also without really bothering them then a chat?

Just praying for four 4s for my DD. She is really clever but finds school hard. As a high achiever myself at school it has been a big adjustment for me in terms of mindset. I think you should be openly happy with 7 and above whilst secretly hoping for some 9s (without letting them know that!)

This.

You can help them reach their potential by providing a calm, supportive and non pressured atmosphere.

Seek advice at school as to how you can help your child - both for results and their mental health.

One way to help their understanding and revision is to get your child to explain things they have learnt, processes, history, maths etc etc.

Coursework - many waste time and effort on fancy borders etc. Obtain the mark scheme and address the aspects of the project that pull in points.

In a few years whether they got 7s or 9s will be immaterial. Even A level grades won’t matter that much.

Totally disagree- that attitude of mediocrity doesn’t serve anyone well in any aspect of life.

My super bright, got into a super selective state grammar school DS got 7’s, 8’s and a couple of 9’s and I was fucking delighted with him.

Do not push her to the 9’s just support her revision as best you can and be damned proud of the results she does get.

DN got predicted mostly 7s and ended up getting a good few 9s. Maybe teachers are just reluctant to predict them to avoid disappointment? A small wobble on the day is all it takes. Please do not express to your child that you’re disappointed they aren’t predicted all 9s…

My child got 9’s in every subject from a state school- naturally smart we didn’t it push them at all- then left school during year 12 as was undiagnosed ADHD and life overwhelmed them. You are being totally unreasonable - I am not sure whether your post is tongue in cheek you are being so unreasonable. Wish for a happy healthy child- yours is working hard and you still want more

What on earth is wrong with this comment?

Unless you are talking about iGCSEs being different from GCSEs, is that what you mean?

Also, what year did you do your GCSEs? I did well, but they are so much harder now, no more waffling on and pontificating about a simile in English lit to get an A/B 😂 My year 8 DS is top set for maths and they’re covering now what we did in late year 9/10 back in the 90s. So bear that in mind - you might not have done as well nowadays!

No idea either but manners and politeness are just as important as grades!

Please don't put this amount of pressure on your child. Every year you read trafic stories of children who had too much pressure from their parents.

Help him to do as well he can and make sure he knows its important.

But also make sure he knows that if it all goes wrong, it's OK and it will just mean a different route to where he wants to be.