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Original poster

Would you get told if you got 100% in maths GCSE?

25 replies

Neolara · 17/02/2020 15:37

Dd is doing her GCSEs this summer. She's quite good at maths. In a recent maths test/ mock at school, she dropped 1 mark out of 160 (or something like this) and that was only because she made a silly mistake. Her teacher has now challenged her to get 100% in her real exam. Got me wondering how we would ever find out if she achieved this or not. I'd assumed she'd just get the level and Dd seems to think you don't need to get anything like full marks to get a 9.

OP posts:
Elbeagle · 17/02/2020 15:38

It was a while ago now but I got 100% in my English a-level and I got told. I got a letter but I can’t remember who it came from!

AlphaHotelFoxtrot · 17/02/2020 15:41

I got 100%many years ago in a chemistry module. We were always told our % marks as well as the grades. It might have changed, and it might depend on the examining body, but quite likely she will find out. Good luck!

LolaSmiles · 17/02/2020 15:41

You don't need full marks to get a 9. The boundaries are lower to reflect the more difficult topics on the higher tier now.

Schools would see marks for all papers so would know.

I got a student's permission to recall their paper this summer because they got full marks and I wanted to use for CPD with staff and as an example of top marks.

GrammarTeacher · 17/02/2020 15:43

Yes, you would know. One of my students got full marks on a Literature paper and he told me before I had access to data.

lumpy76 · 17/02/2020 15:43

The number of marks needed to get a 9 will depend on how the distribution marks is altered. Ie how we'll all the other students do! So one yr it might be 150/160 another year it could be 145/160 or 155/163 just depends. (Nb I've chosen completely arbitrary numbers!!) Obviously getting 100% or all the available marks will indeed get the 9!

The school do get the marks breakdown of each paper sat and know where the boundaries lie so that they can send papers very close to the boundaries for a remark.

BeyondMyWits · 17/02/2020 15:46

My girls both got a printed sheet when they picked up their results - one sheet with grades, another with actual marks on it like 48/50 - for some subjects - not all subjects - don't know if it depended on the exam board?

goingoverground · 17/02/2020 15:48

My DC are at uni now but their GCSE results had their marks for each paper as a percentage as well as the overall grade.

exexpat · 17/02/2020 15:51

DD did GCSEs last summer, and the school sent a table with her official grades, UMS (uniform mark scale) percentage, and marks out of the total for each subject, but no breakdown for individual papers. I am not sure if that is all that they get from the exam boards, or just a summary they produce for students/parents.

From what I remember with DS at GCSE and A-level a few years ago, it is possible to get 100% UMS without actually scoring 100% in the exam(s), due to the way things are worked out.

Malmontar · 17/02/2020 16:10

I got 100% in my English GCSE and was told by my teacher.

LizziesTwin · 17/02/2020 16:11

Dd1 got 100% in maths, biology & chemistry GCSEs.

mumsneedwine · 17/02/2020 17:01

You can ask your exam officer for your maths marks as they get them. Certain exam boards teachers can see the papers on line too.

LIZS · 17/02/2020 17:05

The paperwork often shows ums achieved on each paper, although as these are usually over 100 you could drop a mark or two and still be rounded to 100%.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 17/02/2020 17:13

If the maths teacher has challenged her, they’ll probably tell her.

I’d assume the school must know because the head of maths told me.

Original poster
Neolara · 18/02/2020 09:03

Thanks all. Sounds like she'll find out the mark then.

OP posts:
IceCreamFace · 18/02/2020 14:12

I have known people get informed that they got 100% - not sure if it's consistent though - if you're interested just request your papers and see your exact marks. Honestly though it's not something that I would focus on. Lots of students are very confident with GCSE material some of them will make a minor error and drop a mark some won't. If you actually want to push DD to improve her maths she should select more challenging material. Maths challenge and maths Olympiad are good. Worrying about whether she gets 99% or 100% is pointless and distracting.

Panicmode1 · 18/02/2020 14:24

My son got a 9 in his maths this year (took it early). He was given the % as well as his grade. He got a mark in the high 90s, but weirdly came out knowing exactly what number of marks he'd dropped, and was almost exactly spot on! He's taking Ad maths this year and then doing Maths and Further Maths for A level. Madness. Was my absolute worst subject at school, but he has a fabulous maths teacher. Good luck to your DD!

Beautyoftheirdreams · 18/02/2020 14:26

I got 95% in an A Level exam and got told and received a letter for having one of the highest scores in the country in that particular exam. It was a long time ago though

MiniMum97 · 18/02/2020 14:35

My son was definitely told his paper % marks in his GCSEs a few years ago. He got 100% in some of his science papers.

user1471525753 · 18/02/2020 14:58

I'm an exam officer, we can see all the marks the students get for individual papers & as a whole grade per subject the day before the students get their results. Head of Departments & teachers would see the grades/marks the same day as the students. It depends on the school if they routinely pass that information to the students but if a student ask they have to tell them.

LynetteScavo · 18/02/2020 18:49

DS got 100% on one of his exam papers and I only knew when I was looking round the school on an open evening with DD and his teacher dripped it into conversation. I wouldn't have know from the innig the school gave me on results day without checking the grade boundaries, which I hadn't done for that subject because I was quite happy with the grade.

More annoyingly the school didn't tell me about marks which were one off the next grade up, and I might have wanted to ask for a remark.

AtMyDesk · 19/02/2020 15:37

I have a friend who many years ago got 100% in maths O level

AtMyDesk · 19/02/2020 15:40

"I got 100% in my English GCSE"

That is seriously good - it is easier I would have thought to get 100% in maths where there is a clear right or wrong answer

AlpineSnow · 19/02/2020 16:39

In the late 80s i remember looking at a portrait in the school entrance hall and the Art teacher saying that the girl who did it got 100% in her O level but that her parents hadn't allowed her to do Art A level as they wanted her to do Sciences and become a Doctor. Hopefully she still got to continue her Art in some way!
I wasn't aware of my own or anyone else's % in their O or A levels

LynetteScavo · 19/02/2020 22:00

I have a friend who many years ago got 100% in maths O level

@AtMyDesk - I hope you manage to drop that into conversation as often as I manage to drop into conversation about my DSs 100% WinkGrin I don't mention he got an A not an A star because he was too lazy to bother with the course work

Malmontar · 19/02/2020 23:13

Haha yea I got a C due to lack of coursework. Back in my day we had 8 pieces. I only passed because I got 100% on the exam.

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