Thread 31 Covid Cohort - Hopping through Easter and Revision

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

previous Thread 30

I've made this one a little bit earlier as things are so busy, at home and on thread, so please feel free to use up previous thread first

I've made a new thread , carry on , as you were we have about 23 posts left on this one.

New Baby, New Thread

Thank you Orange.

Congratulations Granny Zebra. I notice Oxford has already made Casper an unconditional offer for this Sept 22, based on his cuteness incredible IQ and predictions, but it might be best if he defers.

@Oblomov22 Nice one! and yes to @OrangeCinnamonCroissant's degree in Sustainability, sounds very appropriate. Who knows what degrees might be on offer in 18yrs time.

I just received the school's newsletter and it mentions results day..as 18th of August. I read somewhere else that it was the 9th of August and had entered it into my calendar have been planning things around it all year. Feeling a bit silly now.

@Zebracat congratulations 🥳 on being a granny - love the name x

@Shimy don’t worry - with my first child I thought the gcse day was A level results day and we ended up thousands of miles away on hols - I did bring A level subject info and college stuff with me on the hols as I had a feeling DS1 would change his mind about subjects?!?

revision here today and last week at school next week ….DD calmer and has been looking at grade boundaries from 2019 etc to figure out where she is …. Didn’t someone calculate the maths on here before ?

Just a heads up for first timers on results day - don’t let them plan a holiday or whole day out etc for day after results. If it goes tits up you’ll need to take 2nd choice or clearing then they need to be available the following day during office hours to sort out accommodation or course etc

Yes good point it not just one day @Fruitygal

I read into the grade boundaries thing and worked out the following but noted that on the govt guidance it used some kind of cautious language, can't remember exactly what, but made me suspicious... anyhow below is what have worked out, I rounded ungenerously as I suspect they might. The last figure is my estimated boundary. I worked out curative too (not even sure if that was right to do ).

Cumulative percentage Grade B and above

English 2021= 68.1, 2019=52.7 59% ?

Sociology 2021 = 59.2, 2019 = 48.3 54% ?
Music 2021= 71.3, 2019 = 46.0 58.5% ?

Cumulative percentage Grade A and above

English 2021=37.7 , 2019=23.8 32% ?

Sociology 2021 = 27.9, 2019 =18.2 22% ?
Music 2021= 41.1, 2019 = 20 29%?

As we are on the last page, before it gets lost, I'm reposting the link to the New Thread again

www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/4544700-thread-32-corona-cohort-may-the-mumsnet-force-be-with-them-for-their-venture-to-exams

@Fruitygal I don’t think it wise to try to ‘second guess’ how our 2022 cohort will do .
I’d be more inclined to look at the 2019 cohort , which were the last to sit public exams.
At that time the A star/ A boundary was circa 25% and as we know the 2022 A star/ A grades given will be pegged back to ‘ 35% to mitigate against the ‘grade inflation’ of 2020 and 2021.
I guess , what I’m trying to say, is is aim for the amount of marks needed in 2019?

Yes you are right Proggy. I don't trust thus give as far as can throw them tbh.
Wasn't 2019 a tougher year too, was it first year of linear ?

@ProggyMat DD looked at 2019 to give her confidence with maths her 4th and extra A level which is not easy for her …

• this not thus

• gov not give 🙄

@Zebracat Welcome Caspar! I love the name.

All that essential sailing kit sounds very expensive. Is it an absolute adventure of a lifetme?

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant I haven’t a clue which year the first Linear A levels were sat but work colleague reckoned it was 2017?
@Fruitygal if Maths is your DD’s 4th A level and it doesn’t feature in any of her firm or insured offers would it not be best to say that the 2919 grade boundaries would be ‘the worse case scenario’ given we know the percentage of grades awarded will be higher than that year?

@ProggyMat that’s what she’s done - it’s a 4th extra A level she never dropped as was unclear about direction in year 12 ….she’s at a school where everyone gets AA in maths so needed to look at the boundaries to give her confidence… she worked out a couple of years 2018,2019,2020 before I got home from work …looks like B/C which is fab as an extra …. Aiming for A/A in the others … she calmed down when she realised B/C was achievable - thought she was going to fail

Yes I reckon it was 2017 for the first linear exams.
As dd1 was in that Cohort.
It was also the year that Biology A level became much more difficult as you were tested in application & understanding not just knowledge. I remember Dd's school ( Gdst) did really badly that year.

Start of linear exams varied by subject. Maths was 2019, some were 2017 or 2018. DS1 did it in 2019 and his school did very well, but schools which had trained students to answer the expected questions had disappointing results. Lots of tears during the exams at my niece's high performing indie.

@Fruitygal this has just given me the shivers. It's DDs 18th the day after results and there's not much revision being done at the moment!! We were planning 18th celebrations on 19th and leaving for holidays on 20th

Hooray, I thought, DD is going to do the ironing as she revises!

No - apparently this is her new ‘standing desk’!

My Dad's latest revision technique is multicoloured chalkboard pen notes all over her full height mirrored wardrobe door 😆
She's asking if she can use the windows too....

Wow @KingscoteStaff look at all those notes!

You should see the laminated ones inside the shower!!!

Oh my word! That’s brilliant!

How is everyone feeling now the exams are so close? I am probably more nervous than my DD. Any tips to keep us calm?

This is the old thread @BlueMarigold

New one here

www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/4544700-thread-32-corona-cohort-may-the-mumsnet-force-be-with-them-for-their-venture-to-exams?