GCSE '18s (19) - New Beginnings?

[whistl]

Following on from the GCSE 2018 threads as our DC enter year 12.
This the first thread in our new home in further education

Aargh that's dreadful that AQA do that! Money for old rope for them
And the cost is ridiculous.

We just requested the edexcel history papers today and got them emailed an hour ago. We can see there's no point in a review! And DS is a bit appalled by his handwriting...so that's a positive!

It is so wrong. At the very least copies of the scripts should be made available by all the boards. I can’t see why they aren’t. They shouldn’t have anything to hide.

I think I’d go for it Jufus but I know £200 is a lot of money and you’d have to be prepared to lose it if the grade didn’t change.

I'd also be letting the school now that their exam admin isn't fit for purpose if you can only get the raw marks after term has started, and then only by being quite tenacious, what chance have kids got whose parents aren't aware of remarks etc? I am disgusted with our school for the same reasons

I think under the new system of review rather than a remark they are most likely to stay the same.

Hello all

I'm a gcse lurker but thought I'd post on the remarks issue.

We've had a lot of experience with remarks under the old system and now under the new(ish) review of marking scheme.

I know this probably wasn't usual, but under the old scheme, all remarks that my older DC had done were returned with either the same mark or more marks (even if the grade itself didn't change.)

Results have been much more mixed, however, under the new review of marking. At one extreme, DD at A Level went up 20 UMS (yes 20!) on one paper. At the other extreme, we have just had 3 gcse papers back for DS (two OCS and one Edexcel). In one paper the mark stayed the same and in the other two papers the mark went down - both by one mark. (No change in overall grade though.) I've heard of some others that have gone down fractionally as well, though nothing that had a detrimental effect on overall grade.

I guess the advice is as it's always been - remarks probably aren't worth the risk if you are anywhere near the lower grade boundary as there is always a chance you could drop below!

I really think it’s scandalous. I know we disagree on this Oratory but when I read articles like the two below and think about the examples of grade changes I know of personally, I have very little faith in the system. And now to top it off they’ve made it impossible to get a proper remark from scratch. And it’s so expensive that parents (and schools) are bound to be put off.

I’m very surprised that there hasn’t been more of an outcry about the new ‘review’ system.

www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/aug/13/a-levels-gcses-examiner-exam-results-wrong

www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2017/oct/21/secret-teacher-we-need-to-look-at-the-lack-of-rigour-in-exam-marking

What board(s) is it eaglefly? If Edexcel it would be worth looking at the papers first. If not and you or a teacher can’t look at them, then it’s a gamble. Especially as they won’t be remarked, only reviewed.

Exam boards, academy trusts, etc...all privatised in order to profit from our children's education. It's a total scandal but no one in power will do anything because they're all tied up in the private companies profiting!

It's Cie so you can't see the papers beforehand. That's the dilemma

@eaglefly

I probably wouldn't risk it if the mark was only 4-5 above the lower boundary unless it was a very important exam - e.g. needs a certain grade to do the subject for A level or needs a 4 for English/Maths.

I definitely think there is more room for movement with essay type subjects. However, even when our DC think they've done well, that won't necessarily translate to the mark they think they should have received. That said, we had my DD's English A Level paper "remarked" because she categorically would not believe that she had done as badly in that paper as the first mark suggested. She was proved very right - how does one examiner think the same paper is worth 20 UMS less than another examiner ?

My DS is actually in a similar position to you in relation to his one of his other gcse papers. He's 5 marks or so off the next grade but a similar number away from the lower grade. We're not risking the remark (despite his exclamations of having been robbed ) as he needs the grade he got to do the A level and there's no point in him risking dropping below that.

I think AQA are acting very cynically. There is no reason why they can't make the scripts available online free to teachers just as Edexcel does. It would give teachers a chance to give informed advice about whether to seek a review in the first place and would probably cut the number of reviews as a result. As an exam marker, I am more than happy for my scripts to be reviewed and I think that would be most people's view. I think it's very odd that it's not standard across the boards.

Thanks @legallady. I do see your point and it helps to know your experience. Think we are going to have a family meeting to discuss this and make a decision one way or another. And then draw a line under it. I guess we are leaning towards not doing the review.

I’m not an expert but edexcel s example of making papers available sounds like a huge step forward as presumably teachers etc can judge if they think an error has been made in marking or indeed if a student has received an anomalous mark through maybe misinterpreting a question. The latter won’t help the student but I’m sure most would rather know if that’s the case.

On a lighter note I’m very proud of myself as, spurred on by yesterday’s chat, I managed a swim on my way home. I need you to keep me at it now 😂

Oratory you are a star! I have yet to get in the gym this week! (Looking like Friday afternoon now...)

Well done Oratory1 👍 keep at it! I have Pilates tonight, which I find really hard anyway, and my gym buddy has talked me into going early and doing 20mins in the gym first My knee is still recovering from a skiing accident in February and I am supposed to be doing gentle treadmill jogging but it hurts! (Well, aches, because the muscles are weak) I shall channel my inner-oratory

😂😂

Edexcel reviews - we were one mark off next grade in one (a 7 up to an 8) and 4 marks in the other. So we had the remark done for the one that one off and it stayed the same. The 4 marks off is 4 marks off next but only 5 marks above lower so we aren't bothering (especially as that was an 8 to a 9 anyway). Neither affected A level choices.

My understanding is that they are looking to see whether they are marked within the right band.

Eg for an 8 mark question as follows:

0-2 , 3-4 , 5-6, 7-8

So if eg. someone got a 4/8 and it was found to be a 3/8 it would stay the same or conversely if they got a 3/8 and it went up to a 4 it would still stay the same because it was in the correct band even though that one mark would have given the higher grade if only one mark off.

However if they had got a 5/8 ie. the band up the marks would be given.

so on a review eg. if they had been given loads of 5s and adjudged as 4s then each one would go down so it is easier to go down.

That is what I read somewhere and I have been frantically trying to find where so I can post it - because my explanation is crap!

Shalomjackie that's about it!
The marking bands don't equate to grade boundaries. But say on a particular question band 2 is 4-6 marks and band 3 is 7-9 and the original marker put 4. The reviewing examiner may think bottom of band 2 is a bit harsh but that it's in the right band so no change will be made. However if the reviewer believes the answer is band 3 then it will have to go up at least to 7 and that could affect the overall grade.

So this is my new exercise equipment....she arrived home today and I am already knackered. Suspect it's going to be a while before long walks are on the cards though

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. No marks worth putting in for a check here, but useful to understand how it works nonetheless.

DD cleared out all her revision guides yesterday ready for start of lessons tomorrow. I put them on our local facebook selling site, and have sold nearly all of them...will go towards the new graphical calculator school recommend!

Re university...we live in a university city, and as a family we are involved with the student work at our church. DD has made friends with a number of current students, and really likes the sound of the course one of them is doing, so she may well apply to stay close to home, though if she got a place would move out for first year for the full student experience.

bpisok she's such a cutie!

While we're thinking about new beginnings, I decided it was time I joined the name change trend. I don't think regulars will struggle to recognise me

I'm happy to say DD had a much better day today. And when I got in from work she was at the kitchen table doing further maths. So far so good!

Well that didn't work!!! Ha ha - I'll try again another day!