GCSEs and A levels may be delayed next year

[Orangeblossom78]

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4 weeks wont catch up on 12 plus already missed though
And we don't know if back in full time in sept yet or if we could have another lockdown
I don't think this is the solution , it just makes it look like they are doing something and i cant see benefit overall

Private schools will have to change their holidays for next year if this goes ahead

Well I was on an just been on an AQA A Level 'looking ahead to 2021' course and they said they were looking at cutting content at the back end of unit. Not sure yet but it was being considered.

Part of the issue will be the availability of markers. Most markers are teachers with at least a couple of years experience of delivering the syllabus.

As others have said a big issue would be examiners are teachers who take on the marking.

They have to plan with the possibility of further disruption and local lockdowns next year. It’s not like we can yet say, September will be full time and there will definitely be no further disruption.

Not all subject topics are progressive in difficulty and in some subjects topics are complete in themselves. At DD's school the science teachers rotate to cover their preferred modules so some DCs will already have covered the final modules but not the earlier ones. Removing the back end of the syllabus will disadvantage any pupil who covered these first and there will be immediate complaints to the exam boards if they are removed.

I think the only fair way is exams as normal but the percentages at each grade is normalised to previous years by adjusting the grade boundaries. It happens anyway if an exam has been set which is too difficult. Next year's students will have had a difficult 2 years of study and an extended school year is the last thing they need. A long summer is a well-earned rest after public exams and I think that the current Y10& 12 will need this because of the huge impact this lost term has had on their MH.

It's a complete mess. Take my year 12.

So, last years GCSE's ran as normal, but only the second cohort to do them. She got a bunch of 9's/8's and a couple of 7's and 6's. If she had been this year, she would've got a string of 9's (potentially), as she was working at that level, but screwed up a couple of exams.

This year's ALevel students, will have assessed grades, and arguably will be given the benefit of the doubt, and will "potentially" get better grades that might have got doing the exams.

So DD will do exams again next year, she is currently predicted three A*'s, she might screw up again. So, she will then be competing with this year's cohort, who have deferred, with no exams and better grades, than next year's cohort who will have to do exams, but not have the benefit of assessment.

I am making a lot of assumptions, and nothing is set I know, but it is just what I fear.