A pass is a pass? GCSE

[Rumplestiltz]

At GCSE, a 4 is a pass. When employers/apprenticeships/further and higher education institutes ask for a pass in maths and English, it’s a 4.

So why the fuss about “strong” passes, which is a 5? Why does the Government organise its data on the proportion who get “strong” passes in English and Maths? Bridget Phillipson saying it’s a travesty that white, working class boys aren’t getting “strong” passes in English and Maths and their life chances are affected as a result. It kind of undermines those who work very hard to get to that pass line of a 4 (teachers and students) to be told it’s not good enough.

I am sure I will be told it’s very easy to get a 4 etc etc, but for some kids in these subjects, it isn’t.

So my AIBU is - a pass is a pass.

Originally when they introduced the new GCSEs a 5 was going to be a pass.

for various reasons this turned into a 4 but it still lingers.

A proper 'pass' is a 5. A 4 is a bare scrape of a pass.

A 4 is only a pass when schools and colleges want to make their GCSE results look better than they really are. My ex employers did this all the time.

Might be a pass but the 6th forms near want at least 6's and 5's. So a 4 will feel like a fail.

A pass is pass but it’s not particularly good. Some routes post-16 need stronger candidates.

What’s it got to do with schools making it look better? We didn’t decide what a pass would be and they are externally examined.

A 4 is not a great pass. It lets you not retake English or Maths but it doesn’t even count towards minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 5 to do any A levels at a sixth form college (needing minimum 6 in the subjects themselves). You often also need a grade 5 in Maths and/or English to study some other subjects such as Economics.

They can probably do some vocational courses with 4s. They would struggle on A Levels.

A 5 is the equivalent of a previous B isn’t it? For some subjects you needed at least a B to study that subject at A level when I was at school.

A grade 1 is a pass.
A grade 4 is a level 2 pass. It was called a "standard pass" back in 2017, and a grade 5 was a "good pass".
It's not surprising that people get confused by it all.
In Maths and English, a grade 4 is the threashold at which you don't need to re-take.

5 is a C

When they introduced the number grades, a grade 6 was equivalent to a B. They split C into 4 and 5.

Sixth form entry requirements vary, both between settings and subjects within the setting.

Yes 4 is a pass.

Not everyone does Alevels 🙄

Yes a four is a pass Despite whst posters think paticularly when it comes to maths and English.

Anyone else wish it was still A B C D E grades ...

I don’t care what they call it. I have two non academic boys and for them getting 4s would be a major achievement. The eldest didn’t manage last year (not the end of the world and enjoyed a Level 1 course at college moving onto Level 2 in September) and the youngest finds out today if he’s got any 4s. We will all be thrilled if he does!

So is 4

Same here

No. I worded it badly.
inour area, this is the expected level for A'levels and alot of BTEC courses. And that seems to create a feeling of a 4 isn't good enough and courses that accept lower than a 5 are lesser courses. Not right but it's what happens.

Grade 1 is also a pass.
It's a low pass but is a pass.
I hate that so many 16 year olds are told they have "failed" their GCSEs because they got Grade 1, 2, 3 or even 4.
They have not.
They have not failed.

Not every child getting GCSEs wants to do A-levels though. A pass in English/Maths is all they want to get into their college course, apprenticeship or other vocational course. For them, a pass IS a pass, it doesn't matter if it's a top grade pass or a lower grade pass because all they have been asked for is a pass.

Also once you progress to the next stage and complete an apprenticeship, or finish your college course or whatever, nobody cares what grades your GCSEs were.

A 4 is a pass, and is equivalent to the old C grade.
A 5 is a slightly better pass and in old money is a high C / low B.

Today is not the day to denigrate those who have worked very hard to get over that 3/4 border.
Nor to denigrate those who worked hard and still did not get to the 4.

yeah me too, why they decided to change it, I'll have no idea.

When the new GCSEs were introduced back in 2017, the boundary for a 4 was set so that the same proportion of candidates would get a 4 or above as got a C or above (with it a bit of wiggle room) - and a 7 was pegged to an A. But that was a long time ago, and it isn't helpful (or accurate) to equate two different system with any kind of certainty.
It would be more helpful for everyone, I think, if we just talked in terms of grade requirements for progression instead of passes, strong or otherwise. Like Sixth forms do in fact.