Thread 36 - Covid Cohort from GCSE 2020 - The Final Countdown to Results Day for Some?

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

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. It's all relative!
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 continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will find a thread within the Further Ed board.
Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future? Post Results?

Previous Thread

ChristopherTracy & Sofakingcool, same here. Ds1 won't talk about any back up plan. Saying that I had a look at Clearing for his subject and there were worryingly only 4 choices from very small unusual Uni's.

DS applied to RHUL but didn't accept them as firm or insurance, I don't think they've chased him (I have access to the email account he is using for unis). Some of the others have including ones he went to open days at but didn't make the final 5.

@Monkey2001 its gone back ti the old way so not so straightforward.

@Monkey2001 @JustHereWithMyPopcorn
Morning!

Thanks for the Guardian heads up!

The Guardian uses Prof Alan Smither’s report alansmithers.com/reports/AL2022.pdf

– this looks across 70 years of A levels and how every policy decision was and is about keeping grade profiles at a certain amount. He asks if Ofqual will deliver policy from the DfE? Is so, he states:

‘The Government has asked the regulators to set boundaries so that the grades will be about half way between those of 2019 and 2021. If this is delivered the pass rates will be 13.5% A, 35% A/A, 82% A-C and 98.5% A- E compared with last year’s grades of 19.1% A, 44.8 A/A, 88.5% A-C and 99.5% A- E Keeping entries at the 2021 level, in 2022, there will be about 80,000 of the exam entries not awarded the top grade they would have received last year. In fact, entries rose by 4%, so the shortfall becomes 82,50’

Differences in subjects and how that then affects the curve overall is key: he wonders if the exams will shift things about, noting that in 2021:

‘ there was a major redistribution across the subjects. Generally speaking, the performing arts and practical subjects were the gainers and traditional examination subjects the losers were in the hands of the teachers, which they perhaps do not get in written exams. The main beneficiaries were music and drama, with performing/expressive arts also in the top ten

English was the least ‘inflated’ and maths dropped down the table of higher grades.

Caveat here: maths normally gets a higher percentage of top grades, so I can see why it would not rise as much!

I think per subject and overall rise pass rates will be how it will look on the day?

Smithers talks about the UK but does not, oddly, mention Scotland, which was a mid point for pass rates

Wonk HE analysis of SQA states
‘In Scotland, students taking Higher or Advanced Higher qualifications have seen their results scaled to an arbitrary level below the 2021 results but above 2019 results – around, it turns out, 4.2 percentage points higher than 2019 for grades A-C’
wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/sqa-results-day-2022/

A very basic but reliable site for what has happened to A level distributions over the years is

www.bstubbs.co.uk/a-lev.htm

That Guardian article: . “This year will be the hardest admissions round in living memory for many applicants.”

Terrific!

@Oblomov22 Not a nice read! There is loads of wriggle room in the sector, though it does so depend on course/uni. Most should get their choices! But the mess around admissions last year has just shifted the problem to unis (and our DCs) this year. Sigh

@tryingmybest13 thanks for this saw this chap Prof Smithers in the guardian but your summary of everything is soooo helpful!!!

i think considering A levels as a whole is misleading on that Scottish graph. As you say some subjects will drop more than others. I know classic civ and some drama ones went up by 40% ++ in 2020/2021 but others went up only 8% so for each child the change will be different dependent on what subjects they have taken.

heaven knows what will happen !?!

@Oblomov22 i think in less poplar degrees there will be wriggle room - languages are not popular degrees so wriggle room there potentially.

In popular degrees - currently economics and psychology at good to excellent unis this will be super tough.

Top unis have less places this year on many of those courses due to deferrals so tricky for the kids.

@Fruitygal I agree. I think we might see a pass rate curve that looks a bit like SQA overall, but the per subject is so, so key, as you say! Maths A level has always tended around 25% As - the A* went up more in 2021. Ofqual met uni bosses this week to explain how they had awarded grades!

What will be will be, but again, I think there have been so many variables - advanced info )of varying usefulness?) , each child affected differently, that the whole thing has become really complicated!

DD has friends doing A level subjects where 35-40% of content was removed. She did Biology where realistically you needed 97% content to enable you to get A/A*

She had covid during exams and a teacher who was off for 6months with serious covid. But she had online school that wasn’t awful unlike friends at another school.

So swings and roundabouts

@tryingmybest13 what are your DCs doing ?

Yep! Goodness knows how they are setting performance standards with so many variables! Hope your DD gets what she needs. This cohort has done an amazing job of getting through it all.

@Fruitygal archaeology - been keen since year 10. This was a shift, as earlier DS had been keen on science. Your DD?

DD is biological science

which unis ?

I've checked ds's original 5 choices before it was narrowed to 2, and those dismissed 3 aren't even in clearing now, so that's bad, I fear my open day visits to those original 5 are now irrelevant.

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s all a bit unclear with only a few days to go, it just follows the pattern of the last couple of years. DS looked a bit down last night but I think not surprising with heat, not much in the way of WiFi and a new house covered in boxes. We are picking up results at 10am and now only have a 1.25 hr drive instead of 2 hours so am grateful for that. Hoping he will be able to view Track on the drive but know it has a tendency to crash.

A few years ago my friend’s DD ended up in clearing and I learned a bit from it and am going to post on the off chance it helps someone. We could have done with all devices fully charged before hand and a couple of extension leads. Supply of snacks and drinks and paracetamol. We had 3 of us on phones around the table, 1 on landline and 2 on mobiles ringing places as was taking ages to get through then when somewhere answered she took the phone. Mobile phone reception was a PITA and a couple of calls dropped midway so with hindsight we might have moved to somewhere else in the house where it was better and set up camp there. We ended up getting really hungry and dehydrated with headaches which I think wouldn’t have happened if we had been prepared.

She had a mini interview with Head of department in place she ended up in so they do need to be potentially ready for that just in case so copy of personal statement and maybe some thoughts as to why went a bit wrong with the grades. They need to keep as calm and focused as possible which is difficult for some when emotions running high. She needed lots of reassurance it would come good in the end.

Her case was complicated by exam board error which I think would be really rare, so ended up taking some time to sort as the university had to get UCAS to reverse a rejection and she ended up going around in circles. Anything out of the ordinary like that (really really unlucky and am sure no one will be dealing with as was to do with a resit) then the clearing staff who are on phones struggle with a bit as were only equipped with straight forward enquiries. Conventional wisdom is it has to be them who does the talking but sometimes there potentially comes a time when intervention by a parent needed. After hours of going around in circles on day 2 I took over the call as she was exhausted and getting nowhere, asked to speak to a manager. Did get through to a lovely guy, pretended to be her Mum, apologised that it was me but her and explained she was just being passed in circles and what could we do to get it sorted. 30 mins later he called back, all done and she could move onto sorting her accommodation.

We were ready next year for her sibling. She also missed grades but was accepted by insurance so nothing to do. All came good for the one who went through clearing. I’ve mentioned before but will repeat as think it is really important to remember that if it does all go wrong it can come good. She got a first at a non RG university then walked straight into a job with Microsoft a couple of years ago where she has been promoted a couple of times.

I think this was a really really unusual situation and am sure no one will be in that situation but hope there are a few bits in there helpful for clearing generally. Apologies for length of post.

Brill! He has firmed Bangor. He wants to get away from city life and loves Wales. He did think about Cardiff, but got hooked on Bangor after the Open day. He has a good offer, too. Most of his friends have contextual offers, too. His best mate is hoping Warwick for Economics has AAB offer..hoping they will all get those grades!

@Volterra thanks for such a great post. Sorry you had such a faff before! The UCAS Hub is meant to open at 8.15? Why do they push it later every year? Keep nagging DS to put UCAS on his phone (with correct password!) in case he in transit when it stops crashing!

@tryingmybest13 we need to add you and anyone else new to the list on here - not sure which unis you are looking at? How is your DS holding out?

My bestie went to Birmingham uni to do ancient history and archaeology back in the day.

Nottingham cohort - I was just looking online to check re bed size when I found this info re moving in. I knew I had seen it before somewhere but don't think it mentioned 1 hr arrival slot previously.

When will I be able to move in?
Due to the Nottingham marathon on Sunday 25th September 2022 the University hall arrivals will be available from Thursday 22nd September to Saturday 24th 2022. In late August you will be given access to an online induction whereby you book a 1 hour arrival slot during this window.

@Fruitygal Bangor Firm and Lampeter Insurance. He missed a lot of school (complicated!) but was ok with the exams overall. He only cares about getting in, not grades, which is grand. In his mocks he got As and a B but his prediction was BBC (scanty evidence, so fair dues)

Great post @Volterra would never have thought re needing to fuel up etc. Really nice to read some positives thought too.

I'm glad DD is away until late Monday to distract her. I'm getting more and nervous tbh. Having learned no resists until May/June and seeing some of the dooming headlines is worrying. I have decided not to read the posts/info re grading as what will be will be and too late now.

I am worried if DD goes into clearing (or if even offered Insurance) she will decide to go for the Biology course at Sheffield which isn't accredited without really understanding the impact (if any). I've tried to read info but still don't really understand if it really matters, I just think it could do later down the line (limit her options).

@Oblomov22 Your visits to the original 3 won't be irrelevant as it would have helped make the final 2 decision? Sorry to hear they aren't in clearing though.

I am going to look at the local 6th form website to see if she can do resits there (and go to lectures ideally).. She really won't want to stay on at her school - even if she can (no idea)

I only logged onto the pc to buy some sheets for myself and then thought I would get DDs for uni too, then got distracted :-)

UCAS hub opens around 8am we need to leave at that point to get to school so have got everything on laptops and phones in case need in transit.

I am banned from going to Sixth Form on results day, though DS still angling for a lift rather than bus!

Welcome to the thread @tryingmybest13. I've another who's put down Bangor after falling in love with it on open day. The view of the Menai straits out of his lecture theatre was just stunning. Bangor is his insurance & Surrey is ds's first choice.
I'm trying not to worry too much about Thursday. But I am concerned that Ds is in Canada and it will be the middle of the night there. So little chance of sorting anything out if things go awry. Plus Ds has gone increasingly pessimistic re. his results, along with many others it seems.