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.

It's simply not. A 4 will let you do more things than a 3, a 5 or more will open up a lot more possibilities.

I think what so many posters are missing / ignoring is quite how depressing and soul destroying it is to have to resit Maths and English at college. Getting to the 4 makes all the difference.

A 4 is a pass, and is recognised as such by the government and employers.

And a 6 and a 7 will open up even more that's always been the case the higher the grade the more possibilities will be opened but the fact remains and I'm not understanding why people who think of themselves as educated can't seem to grasp is that a four is a level two pass,nobodies arguing it's the best level two pass just that it is.

DN has failed her English abd Maths resuts again. (2nd year of college).

It does seem pointless to make them keep retaking when they aren't passing. With DN... I'm going to be honest, it will partially be attitude. But even if she worked her absolute hardest, she wasn't going to be getting more than a 5.

(She thought she was going to be a famous actress or singer so wouldn't need qualifications...)

And A levels will let you do a degree and a degree will let you do a Masters and a Masters will let you do a PhD…. Which is pointless if that’s not what you want.

There are always routes to the next stage regardless of grades achieved at 16. The final aim may take a year or two longer, but so what. Don’t write these kids off with their Level 1 or grade 4 passes.

Did you misread what I wrote?
Why essentially agree with my point (that something being a pass doesn't always mean it's a good enough pass for certain situations), then swear at me?

I went from Degree (joint hons) to PhD, no need for a Masters en route. ✌️

Technically its slap bang in the middle of B & C so it’s actually a C+ / B- as was in my day.

My understanding is that a 4 is equivalent to a standard C grade.

My son took 4 goes with maths. The second attempt was a speculative November sitting- I let him go out the night before because it was fairly pointless.
The third he thought he'd cracked it but was 3 marks off. The 4th was a comfortable pass.
I'm glad he had to keep going and was willing to. I think he has learned a lot about himself in the process.
I've heard and take onboard those posters whose children were turned off further education completely however. I wish there was a better answer.

I don't think that's true though. A 4 is a pass equivalent to a C , a 5 is also a pass equivalent to a C. You might need a 5 to do A levels some places (though pp have provided examples of 6th forms only asking for 4s to get onto A level courses, so not always). And once you've got your post 16 level 3 qualification, whatever it is, who cares if you got a 4 or a 5 at GCSE? They care what you got in your level 3 qualifications. Then after that, no one cares what A level grades you got, they're looking at what you got in your degree. Etc etc.

So what lots more possibilities does a 5 in GCSE give you that a 4 doesn't? Some posters seem determined to put down DC who worked hard to achieve a 4, i.e. to pass, and it's really not a good look.

Surprises me that a 4 is a pass. So there's an awful lot of grades that are still passes then. So what do 9s count as? I know DS got mainly 7s and a couple of 8s a few years ago and he was happy with that but very average school wise

7s and 8s way above average. As I’m sure you are aware.

I'm not actually. My daughter's did gsces in the letter days ( a-e or whatever) DS wasn't in top groups in his subjects nor very studious

I assumed 8 was b and 7 was c

In direct answer to the question:

Grade 4 = level two pass.
Grade 1 = level one pass.
Grade 3 = level one distinction.

Therefore both grades 1 and 4 are both ‘passes’ just at differing levels.

For the purposes of college, grade 4 is often the minimum grade required many of their courses especially when it comes to english and maths though many require 5’s in these areas especially for level 2 and 3 courses.

Maybe actually look at the tables which have been posted here repeatedly abd available everywhere for years. 7, 8 and 9 cover the old A and A*. 6 is B and 5 and 4 are C.

On this thread?

Well done to your very average son who got marginally A's plus a few A* turns out he wasn't so average at all!

Aye. Here you go

Try again for @RubySquid

Well he obviously is as my niece and DD left him for dead As u said not even toop set in a local comp school. Most of his mates had similar grades.

I come from the old O level days where the passes were A-C. Failed my maths at grade D. Couldn't do maths a level.

Looking at that table above then why is there a need to put such a variation of numbers to cover a few letters?

All the numbers are passes. Each number is a different grade, a U is a fail.

Theres that many letters to distinguish between the pupils. It might not matter to the pupils getting 4/5s (old Cs) that they need to distinguish between the different straight 'A's but it can matter to the straight As.

Relatively few get all 9s, or mostly 9s. 23% of grades are at 7-9.

An ology?
People will always need plates...

It was to show unis etc who the most exceptional pupils are.

You know 7s and 8s are excellent grades. Why make out like you don't?