GCSE Spanish - need help understanding her grade!

[Helpmechooseausername]

Hi all, my DD generally did really well in her GCSEs - mostly 9/8/7s, so she's thrilled and I'm very proud!

However, she got a U in Spanish. We were expecting at least a 4, so to get a U was unexpected.

What I don't understand is that on her print out with the grades on it, it says 97 in the 'equiv' column and 0 on the 'points' column. What does the 97 mean?

Thanks

A U used to mean a fail. I just googled, and it stands for "ungraded", so a fail I'm afraid. Have you asked her teachers?

You can request the papers, and have a look and see what happened. Her teacher might be willing to have a look through as well, and give their view.

If AQA then the lowest grade on Higher tier is a 3 for which 101 marks out of 240 were needed. If she got 97 then she didn't get enough marks and so was ungraded.

She needed 101 on the higher paper to get a grade 3. She's unfortunately dropped off the bottom of the Higher and got a U.

Oh I see! So if she'd done the foundation level she'd have got a grade? That's unfortunate, but it doesn't make any difference to her, we just wanted to understand it!
Thanks

OH @Helpmechooseausername what a shame that she was put in for the higher paper. Not helpful now of course, but it’s poor of the school, unless she was scoring grade 6s in mocks? If you were expecting a grade 4 she should definitely have been put in for the F paper. It’s not your fault at all – how would you know? but it’s on the school or more accurately, her Spanish teacher.

Not much you can do about it now and I guess the school is aware. Well done to her on the rest of her grades – they are excellent.

Thanks! I didn't even know she'd been put onto the higher paper! Never mind, it really doesn't matter, I just didn't understand how she could get 97 marks but 0 points. I get it now!