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.

That's brilliant and well done to him.
Sadly "working class white boys" are the group often let down.
It's awful really.
Again....well done to your boy 🙂

That's fabulous and I hope he is really proud of himself. It doesn't change the fact that overall this cohort of students underachieves and that isn't right.

Seen as passing aka widely accepted as passing. It's not always seen as a good enough pass in some situations though, unfortunately. HTH

And a pass at grade 7 isn’t always seen as good enough in some situations either. Does that therefore mean it isn’t a pass? Of course it fucking doesn’t.

If a ‘pass is a pass’ then there would only be pass or fail. instead there are grade boundaries

someone who gets a 9 is far more able at the subject than someone who gets a 1 - you can call them both passes - but they are nowhere near the same - a pass is not a pass - there is no point trying to kid yourselves that ‘a pass is a pass’

a grade 1 pass in English is showing someone with minimal literacy skills - - a grade 9 in English is someone who is professions and ready for a level or higher level studies

grade boundaries are there for a reason and help people make their next steps choices.

people getting all their GCSE’s at level 1 ‘pass’ are not (unless they resit and improve considerably their academic profile) going to be applying for medicine. It’s a simple fact of life .

a pass is not a pass

Yes thanks I think we can all work thst out out we don't need your patronising explanation
But not everyone is planning on applying for medicine, so yes anything from a 1 to a 9 is in fact a pass even though a 9 is a far better pass than 1 and anything from 4 up is a level two pass ,that is a fact again 4,s probably won't get someone on to do Alevels at an elite sixth form, but they are good enough for most level three courses this is also a fact

4

We live in a deprived area on a council estate and I'm sure a few of the boys in my son's year may have slipped through the cracks.
They'll be the ones I'll see over the coming years riding the illegal motorbikes with the balaclavas on causing trouble, sadly.

There is no way of fiddling it though. That standard was set by the government. External assessments can’t be fiddled be schools either. The analysis after will look at 4+, 5+ and 7+. It’s true that what they choose to share on their socials may be carefully chosen, but the pass grade was not chosen by schools.

Did I say everyone wanted to or should?

That’s what I am saying, the person I quoted said sixth forms don’t let people do A levels with a 4, but I know some round my area that do

Often seems like this new system is designed to make certain grades not good enough, and opening a can of ‘betterment’ that wasn’t needed.

C was a pass - good, solid, scraped by pass whatever. It was a pass and it was understood what it meant
B - you’d done well in that subject
A - you’d done especially well
A* - exceptional, working above all expectations.

Now?
4 - I suppose you technically passed, but not great
5 - you passed, could have done better
6 - you did well
7 - you did especially well.
8 - you did exceptionally well, but why didn’t you get a 9
9 - now you can lord over everyone

I don't know why medicine is even being brought up! A teen with mainly 6's and a few 7's isn't getting in to study undergraduate medicine either. No one is saying that grade 4's at gcse= being able to pursue absolutely any career you fancy. What people are saying is that grade 4 is a pass, which for various next step option's, is enough.

In my day, an A grade at O'level was the highest mark you could get, full stop. It was awarded to the students gaining the very highest marks, including anyone who got 100%. You can't score better than 100%, so why bring in A*?

Now we go up to 9. What's the betting that in a few years' time it will go all the way up to number 11?

No idea I did my GCSE,s in 1990,and a few resits in 91 ,the highest grade you could get was an A so does that mean a grade A in 1990 was less than an A** in later years or however stars they went up to?

My DS (now in his 20s) never got a C in maths or English despite trying several times. He dropped out of college after level 1 as he couldn't face doing it again and they were going to have to force him to if he went on to level 2. I get the need for basic skills but there are lots of people who are so demoralised by this rule and end up achieving way below their potential as a result.

Tell me about it my son is the same we are both fed up with it
Can I ask what your son is doing now?

Why can we not go back to A b c d e U ?? This new system causes nothing but aggravation and confusion

I am absolutely confident the people on this thread painstakingly arguing that a 4 is not a pass or a poor pass etc are clearly are very academically able but at the same time painstakingly pedantic and superior.

What a cheery bunch of happy campers you all are .

No matter what you say a 4 is a pass, even though you all live in the world of straight 9’s. So there.

It doesn't really it only causes confusion to those who refuse to accept a four is a pass .

Absolute reductive rubbish.

All those grades denote is how well a child can take an exam/write an essay. It absolutely speaks to nothing to do with how much they know/what they've learned and if they're any good at the subject.

But why have 3 numbers for an A A*Its much much simpler the old way. Too much variation and you wouldn't have the issue around a pass

Thank you I will let my child know they have a minimum standard of functional capability.

Ummm , I think they have actually managed to do quite well in the real world despite getting a 4 in only one subject!!!

Grades only matter in that they open or close the door to the next step, with the exception of English & Maths, everyone needs to have a pass in them.

GCSEs lead to A levels or vocational qualifications, which lead to a job, apprenticeship, college or University, which leads to first/ next job etc.

Now they are the be all and end all, but in 5 years* time most people struggle to remember what the took at GCSE, never mind the grades.

(* 5 years, ie the time spent in Y7-Y11 at secondary school.)

There isn't an issue around a pass apart from some dogmatic mumsnetters insisting thst a grade four isn't a pass when it is, that's their problem not those who have a grade four.