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.

This is nonsense. There are thousands of jobs you can do without a 4 in English and maths. I never use any maths in my job whatsoever and I have a post grad degree. There are lots of jobs you won't meet the minimum criteria to apply for without a pass in maths and English, but that's not the same as not being able to do those jobs.

My current admin doesn't have GCSE English, she's severely dyslexic, but with spellcheck she's more than capable of doing her job. My previous admin didn't have maths GCSE, she's now a cancer tracker in the NHS, making sure cancer patients are treated within the specified timeframes required by the government, doing more maths every day than I do in a month despite her having a GCSE grade D to my B.

I wonder how many posters waxing lyrical about how a 4 at GCSE is barely scraping through have any idea of the sheer volume of memorisation required of GCSE students these days? A test of memory isn't a test of intelligence or of understanding, but today's GCSE students are expected to memorise huge chunks of quotations, maths equations, historical dates, pages and pages of dull rote learning for every one of their 35+ exam papers.

Every 16 year old getting their results today deserves to be celebrated because whatever they got they've come through a stupid, rigid, politically motivated exam system which has very little to do with intelligence, aptitude or effort.

OK, I misspoke, I meant there are very few jobs you can GET without a 4 in English and maths.

Whether the current GCSE system and educational system as a whole is fit for purpose is another question, but I think it's disingenuous to pretend that the results children get won't matter to them and to their futures.

It is an ongoing problem that white, working class boys are getting worse grades and thus have less choices open to them than all other demographics and the government should be looking at what is going on there.

I have my own theories on that but Bridget Phillipson is right to be concerned.

https://barton-peveril.ac.uk/courses/

Well regarded college in my area. English Language, Geography, Politics all require grade 4 GCSEs.

Great post.
Today's GCSEs have changed immeasurably since I sat them.
They no longer provide many formulas for maths and science but students are expected to memorise them. I don't know know why they now rely so much on memorisation when we have powerful computers in our pockets.

My maths exam was purely calculator based, now students have a paper that they cannot use a calculator for - despite literally everyone now carrying around a calculator on their phone. They have moved some subjects into GCSE maths that we didn't see until A level.

Also QMC in Basingstoke and Peter Symonds in Winchester will accept kids on to 3 A-levels with 5 or more grade 4 GCSEs. All of the Hampshire 6th form colleges get excellent results despite being very inclusive on their entrance expectations. It must be very difficult for kids in areas where school 6th forms are competitive. We are very lucky with FE in Hants.

I don't know know why they now rely so much on memorisation when we have powerful computers in our pockets.

I've always wonder why as well.

Agree, we are lucky in Hants.
We are also lucky that pupils have to make an active choice where to go next - no sitting back and just doing whatever school deigns to offer even if it is not suitable.

Because Michael Gove had a nostalgic idea of ‘rigorous education system’ based on private/grammar schools of the 1960s and was given the power to enact regressive reforms across GCSEs, in fact the whole of KS4 as he effectively stopped lots of non GCSEs which were good alternative options. It’s incredible the power our education secretary has, especially given that they normally have a very narrow experience of the education sector. I really believe the SEN crisis has been made immeasurably worse due to his reforms. The focus was entirely on stretching the most able, no thought about kids with learning difficulties. UK is a complete outlier in giving high stakes exams at 16 and 18 (or 15 and 17 if you’re summer born in England or Wales). The amount of content is crazy, the focus on so many exams is also ridiculous and making so much a memory test in the era of internet in your pocket seems bonkers too.

Not to mention how dull so many subjects become, I really don’t know where we are going to find English teachers now we’ve made English at KS4 so unattractive that few children want to continue at A-level. I suspect we will either have non-graduates or teachers trained abroad. Which is a crazy situation?

My ds got all 2s and 3s today. He has a place at college for September doing the level 2 course in games design and animation. If he passes that then he goes onto the level 3. After that he could go on to uni if he chose, or into the work place. All his results today have shown that he needs to spend an extra year in college (and we will also be able to claim child benefit for that extra year as well). And tbh, and extra year to refine his skills and mature is no bad thing really.
not getting a 4 is really not the end of the world (although he does need to resit but then maybe he should have revised the first time round instead of assuming he would be fine. Lazy teenage boy who has hopefully learnt his lesson)

Clearly a lot depends on the school. Schools and 6th forms near me will let you do A-levels with a 4 in maths as long as you’re not planning on doing maths, physics, economics etc - my dd got a 4 in maths last year but is taking a levels in humanities subjects so the maths mark is fine. She will be off to uni next year on what looks like a good set of a levels so the 4 in maths has been fine for her. All depends on the school.

Ex-teacher here.
Michael Gove changed it because more and more students were getting As and As and they couldn’t just keep adding on stars (A? A**?) so they changed it to the 9-1 grading knowing that in the future, if they needed to add another grade at the top they can add a 10, and then an 11, and maybe a 12 and so on….. that is why 9 is the top grade as opposed to a 1 (because you can’t exactly extend it to a 0).

Hope he got the 4s he's after.

Not everyone wants to do A Levels.
Plus there are many uni courses you can get onto with the vocational equivalent qualification rather than the A Levels.

@ducksinarow123 Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear that your DC has been accepted for college and has some options.

I wish that at options time they had the children look at their local colleges/sixth form so they have an idea what is available. It really is so different by region.

The secondary my DDs went to did just that. They had a session in y9 that all the local colleges came to in the hall and you could see the different courses and chat about requirements etc. This included stands on the armed forces and apprenticeships as well as vocational and A level providers.

Well my working class white boy did well today and I'm proud of him.

My DS was delighted today with his 5 in Maths and 4 in English Language. He got 4s/5s across the board plus one 6. He has no SEN but just isn’t particularly academic (kind of middling really). However he worked so hard for these exams and now has a place on a level 3 course. He got his 5 in maths by a mile (probably should have done the higher paper) but only really scraped the 4 in English Language. I don’t think he’ll be losing any sleep over only getting a basic pass in English (he’s just very relieved not to be resitting it next year).

@TeenToTwenties That is fantastic and should be rolled out by default across all schools.

If children are more aware of what is out there and available for them. It should make Years 9/10/11 more purposeful.

I do think that some careers education is mandatory. Surely there aren’t schools that don’t have careers programs? All the schools I’ve worked in have had either assemblies or careers fairs with local colleges and 1:1 careers advice in Y10 as well.

Why would he have SEN those grades are average ?

Oh I didn’t mean any offence. I was just trying to accurately describe his situation. He’s an average student, that’s all. I was just making the point that they do exist and we should celebrate their results as well as the high achievers.

Well.of course we should and those with less than average resuults ,students who also don't have any SEN just not academically minded

Some of the admission requirements for Level 2 courses locally really annoy me, they ask for 4 or 5 GCSEs all at 5+ to do a course which is the same level as GCSEs. If it's the same level, why can't they just do it at age 14/16 then everyone goes up to a level 3 qualification, whether that's A Levels or vocational, or a mixture. Instead we jemmy them into one size fits all education up to 16. So glad we are out the other side now and never have to darken the doors of a massive grey shoebox draconian academy school again nor look at another dull GCSE textbook.

I agree it's a frustrating system.

And experience trumps the GCSEs so lower grades but with relevant work experience or a reference from a hobby will be picked over top grades.