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

Having got through this week with two others - it’s definitely one of the hardest times you have with them as the emotions of leaving home for them and you are mixed with the uncertainty.

looked back on my notes and can see I checked Lancaster, Nottingham and Exeter Penryn plus Leicester and all had places in clearing. Didn’t check Birmingham sorry @BlueMarigold however still have my list for clearing 2021 and they were in clearing then x

@coffeeandbiscuittime One of my DDs besties is doing her UKCAT on Wednesday ( day before results). She’s hoping for good grades and then applying again for 2023. So tough for the medicines ones this year.

Thank you @Volterra @tryingmybest13 and others for your useful insights and links. We've been on holiday with iffy WiFi access so I haven't been able to keep up properly or post much this week. Now we are home I'll take the time to digest the various reports etc.

DD is refusing to discuss anything to do with results day whatsoever, which isn't ideal. Her firm choice want ABB which seemed achievable all those months ago. Now I don't really know what to think. She has worked so hard for the full two years; I just hope that she and all our DC get the results they need.

A friend sent me this...first ever letter to student apparently. www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-ofqual-and-ucas-letter-to-students/a-letter-to-students-from-ofqual-and-ucas
They appear to be trying to reassure students, somehow I don't think it's 'hitting the mark' if you'll excuse the pun.

@HarrietDVane lots are just shutting down from it, bless them! I am sure your DD will do really well -and all will be well. All fingers crossed

@Wheresthebeach thanks for this! Oh dearie me! Yes, we know many grades are 'over-predicted' - that is the randomness of exams, but do they really want to see that right now!? Crikey

That was drafted by a professional expectation manager.

translation: it’s going to be a shitshow; we are working with unis but only just over 50% of you will get into your first choice; loads of you won’t get your insurance either; there is stuff in clearing but maybe not at the unis you thought you would be going to; are you sure you wouldn’t like to get a job or an apprenticeship instead?

Nice translation @Delphigirl

Ok. Asking for a friend. So Universities are not allowed to give any information about grades, but if they sent you a letter saying we know all about your extenuating circumstances and we can’t make any promises, but dont worry about a dropped grade or 2. But if it’s more, we might not be able to. Would that be encouraging. Or is it more a let you down gently in stages. Sort of thing.

So difficult to know zebra. I would like to think it was encouraging, otherwise why send it?

@Delphigirl you are precisely the person I wanted to answer, your translation is not this is going to be a shitshow. Phew

I mean if they knew she had tanked so badly they didn’t want her at all, why send a letter saying don’t worry about a missed grade or two? So either it isn’t hugely personalised, and they had very written to everyone with ex circs saying we will take a couple of dropped grades don’t worry, in which case you can’t read too much into it but it is a bit of comfort, or it is personalised and they are saying don’t freak out immediately, we will take even more than one missed grade In Your case.

They have written…

@Zebracat given that your friend's letter must have been sent before the university have grades (Friday night), it can't really be sinister as they would not have known her results!

@Heifer I know a bit about Sheffield biomedical sciences as DS1's GF was going to go there and DS1 had it as his 5th option. The Sheffield Uni course is great and if you are interested in human side it was the only one other than Oxford which we know if which offered for body dissection. The Sheffield Hallam course is more focused on accreditation, I think it might be more of a "new university" thing. It seemed during it dipping in that accreditation is useful for hospital jobs, but not so much for research.

Re Guardian article, I thought it was a bit "glass half empty". As the mum of a 2019 A level taker, I think a 40% increase in A/A* (25% to 35% is. 40% increase) is still a big increase. The number of top grades in 2021 devalued those grades.

Re subjects, I am really pleased for DS that they will be doing grade boundaries at a subject level as he is very worried about PE. I have friends who are music teachers and they have generally felt in the past that it is ridiculously hard to get an A*. I think that re-calibration of some subjects is overdue.

It does appear to be personalised. They are saying they will take everything into account, in the students circs, alongside other prospective students, but they can’t make any guarantees. But yeah, why write.

@Monkey2001 . It was an email. Came on Friday

Dated 11/08 tho. Mmm

@Zebracat I think the universities got the results at 7:30pm on Friday. It is VERY unlikely that the person writing that email knew her results!

@Monkey2001 Thank you. I think I am getting overwrought. Need to calm down. I’ll be waking down the road saying ooh black cat it’s a sign!

Walking

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn missing Law grades and doing History instead may be dodging a bullet! A friend's DD did languages at Nottingham, now working at Evershed's in Nottingham (on £60k, aged 25) after a conversation course. Law degrees can be very dull compared with history!

Thank you to everyone who is posting such well informed and useful information. It is much appreciated. I am passing information on to DS' girlfriend who has a very high offer firmed at Cardiff for Psychology.

DS himself is fairly calm with a reasonable offer from Bristol (contextual) which I am hoping is achievable. He is the first in our family to go to Uni so this thread which I have lurked on since end of year 11 has been very useful.

This has definitely been a long weekend and I will be glad to go to work tomorrow to occupy my mind. I send my very best wishes to everyone on this thread and their dcs.

@Monkey2001 no guarantees on the History either but it’s definitely something to consider. £60k is not to be sniffed at! 😄

That Ofqual letter is a patronising pile of twaddle <tries to be polite>. Delphi’s translation is spot on. Arrgggh!

@stephaniestephanie what's your ds hoping to study?

mArts Film and TV with Innovation - keeping everything crossed as he is really dead set on it.

@stephaniestephanie Best of luck! Sure it will al be fine!

My dd is hoping for Bristol too I'm a lot more nervous than she is