A level grade boundaries - any A level teachers /parent can answer my Q?

[ROZ12]

Hi all

So I’ve read a press release on TES explaining due to pandemic the grade boundaries will be lower this year compared to 2019. My Dd is doing her exams at the moment and will be mostly judged on these.My question is will teachers be given grade boundaries prior to grade submission to the boards in June? For example an A in Aqa psychology was 65% in 2019 so will they go with that or make it lower or even look at how the year group have performed and create their own grade boundaries?

Someone also said they can only Award certain amount of As so the boards don’t get suspicious ? Is that fair, when most of the students are academic at my dds school ?

Appreciate some insight .

Thanks

The grade boundaries are already published. They are the 2019 ones as these are the last available unless the subject had a series in November 2020.

Also, there are not limited numbers of grades exactly, just statsical adjustments. Ofqual will look at usual grade distributions for your school from the 2019 cohort and for trends before that. If your school suddenly awards A*to everyone they'll ask for the evidence that fair processes were used straight after the results are submitted. Folders of evidence will need to be available too in case investigations into marking need to happen after grades are awarded.

@Barkleyspaubles thank you for the reply. So they will be using 2019 even thou ofqual say they will be more generous This year? Are you are A level teacher ?

A level teacher here - we haven’t been given any new grade boundaries. Results will be compared to last year’s (which will be interesting as we didn’t offer my subject last year so no previous results at my centre). The grades will have to be adjusted from what teacher submit anyway as a year’s grade boundaries are determined after the exams have been marked and apply only to that cohort so are not accurate when applied to a new year group especially after a year like this. We’re supposed to be relying more on grade descriptors but they’re...woolly to say the least.

@GravityFalls thank you for the reply so teh article I read on TES is not correct then? That the boundaries will be more generous than 2019?

@GravityFalls sorry what are grade descriptors?

Yes, I teach A Level. Can you link to the TES article? They are not wildly inaccurate asa rule. Grade descriptors means characteristics of a grade. English mark schemes for each paper have bands (levels) with indicators of standards to be met for that grade. E.g Band 5 "perceptive evaluation". Teachers need to interpret mark schemes. Even maths Has an interpretation element I believe.

schoolsweek.co.uk/unions-allow-grade-inflation-next-year-but-not-as-much-as-2020/

Apologies was schools week.

@Barkleyspaubles@GravityFalls

Not strictly applicable to 2021 but did so in www.tes.com/news/covid-summer-grading-generosity-autumn-A-levels