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

With apologies for the delay, usual further apologies for any mistakes, and just let me know if you want to be added or removed. The next time I do this I guess I will be including lots more confirmed places, yikes!

@272Newnames / DS / Engineering / FIRM: Bath (AAA-AstarAB-AABB), INSURANCE: Nottingham (AAB)
@Alsoplayspiccolo / DD / English Lit + Film, Liberal Arts / FIRM: Birmingham (AAB), INSURANCE: RHUL (ABB)
@AnneofCleavage / DD / gap year + Primary Education / FIRM: Chichester, INSURANCE: Oxford Brookes (104 pts)
@Appuskidu / DD / Psychology / Nottingham, Birmingham
@Benjispruce4 / DD / Sociology / FIRM: York (ABB), INSURANCE: Chester
@BlueMarigold / DD / Biology / FIRM: Birmingham (AAA-AAB), INSURANCE: Lincoln (U/C)
@CaliforniaDrumming / DS / Economics / FIRM: UCL, INSURANCE: Nottingham
@Cantonet / DS / Sports Science / FIRM: Surrey (DMB), INSURANCE: Bangor
@cariadambyth / DD / History / FIRM: RHUL (BBB), INSURANCE: Bath Spa (U/C)?
Casper / Sustainability / FIRM: Oxford, INSURANCE: Nottingham (might defer to 2040)
@Chewbecca / DS / Economics / FIRM: Loughborough (AAA), INSURANCE: Strathclyde (BBB)
@ChristopherTracy / DS / Mech Eng / FIRM: Nottingham (ABB), INSURANCE: QMUL (ABB)
@CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee / DD / Music / FIRM: Southampton (BBB), INSURANCE: Cardiff (ABB)
@coffeeandbiscuittime / DD / Medicine / WAITING LIST: Liverpool / Sheffield
@collywobble / DS / apprenticeship tbc
@Comefromaway / DS / FIRM: Leeds Conservatoire, INSURANCE: Salford (U/C)
@craggyrat / DS / History / FIRM: Cambridge, INSURANCE: Lancaster (BBC)
@crazycrofter / DD / Psychology / FIRM: Nottingham (ABB), INSURANCE: Southampton (ABB)
@Decorhate / DS / Economics + Politics / FIRM: Leeds (AAA), INSURANCE: Sheffield (AAB)
@Delphigirl / DS / Oceanography / gap year + FIRM: Plymouth (112 pts), INSURANCE: Cardiff (BBC), ACCEPTED: Dalhousie (CC)
@DoggerelBank / DS / Biotechnology / Bristol (ABB), Leeds, Glasgow (AAB), Manchester
@ealingwestmum / DD / Middle Eastern & European Studies / FIRM: Durham (AAA), INSURANCE: Manchester (ABBM2), TCD
@EddieHowesBlackandWhiteArmy / DD / Digital Forensics / FIRM: LJMU (112 pts)
@EwwSprouts / DS / Biology / FIRM: Durham (AAA), INSURANCE: Sheffield (AAB)
@EquallyDivided / DS / Environmental Management / FIRM: RAU (56 pts), INSURANCE: Winchester (104 pts)
@Fiddlersgreen / DS / Journalism / FIRM: Cardiff (ABB), INSURANCE: Brighton (BCC)
@Fonty / DS / History / FIRM: Exeter (AAA), INSURANCE: Birmingham (AAB)
@Fruitygal / DD / Biology / FIRM: Durham (AAA), INSURANCE: Sheffield (AAB)
@GoldenRuby / DD / Social Anthropology + Geography / FIRM: Durham (AAB), INSURANCE: Sussex (ABB-BBB)
@HarrietDVane / DD / MFL / FIRM: Warwick (ABB), INSURANCE: Bristol (BBC)
@Hattifatteners / DD / Vet Med / FIRM: Bristol (ABB), INSURANCE: Nottingham (AAB)
@Heifer / DD / Biology / FIRM: Nottingham (AAB), INSURANCE: York (BBB)
@HibiscusIsland / DD / Biology / FIRM: Warwick (ABB), INSURANCE: Surrey (BBC)
@HoneyMobster / DD / Medicine / Oxford
@Horace123 / DS / Classics / Oxford
@icanbewhatiwant / DS / History + Philosophy / FIRM: Sussex (DBC), INSURANCE: Gloucestershire (112 pts)
@Isthisjustnormal / DS / Comp Sci / FIRM: York (AAA), INSURANCE: Bath (AAA)
@JustHereWithMyPopcorn / DS / Law / FIRM: Nottingham (AAA), INSURANCE: Birmingham (AAA)
@KingscoteStaff / DD / Medicine / FIRM: Newcastle, INSURANCE: Bristol
@kiwiandcherries / DD / Primary Education / FIRM: Winchester, INSURANCE: Gloucestershire
@Knickerthief1 / DD / Child Nursing / York
@Mango0 / DD / Maths / FIRM: Birmingham (AAA), INSURANCE: Lancaster (ABC)
@MirandaWest / DS / gap year + Geography / FIRM: Newcastle (AAB), INSURANCE: Liverpool (ABB)
@Monkey2001 / DS / Medicine / Newcastle / 2023 entry
@mummabear74 / DD / Environmental Science / FIRM: Southampton (ABB), INSURANCE: Cardiff (BBB)
@mummyinbeds / DS / Law + French Law / FIRM: Nottingham (AAA), INSURANCE: Warwick (AAB
@Nard75 / DS / Maths / Aston (BBC), Birmingham (AAA), Nottingham (AAB), Manchester, Warwick (AstarAstarA)
@NCTDN / DD / Liberal Arts / FIRM: Bristol (ABB), INSURANCE: Loughborough (ABB)
@Oblomov21 / DS / Accountancy / FIRM: PwC Nottingham (ABB), INSURANCE: PwC Reading (AAB)
@OverlySensitive / DS / Mech Eng / Nottingham
@PaddingtonPaddington / DD / Music / FIRM: RWCMD (EE)
@Pangolinfan / DD / Economics + Politics / FIRM: Edinburgh, INSURANCE: Leeds
@Piggywaspushed / DS / Social Sciences / FIRM: Birmingham (ABB), INSURANCE: York (AAB)
@Pourmeanotherwine / DD / Art / defer for Art Foundation + Cardiff, Exeter, Reading
@ProggyMat / DD / Classics / FIRM: Oxford (AAA), INSURANCE: UCL (AAB)
@Sallyingon / DS / FIRM: Lancaster (ABB), INSURANCE: Heriot Watt (ABB)
@sazzy5 / DS / Sport + Exercise Med Sci / FIRM: Exeter (AAA)
@scabby1 / DS / Economics + Politics / York (AAB), Nottingham (AAA), Leeds (AAA), Bristol (AAA)
@Seeline / DD / Liberal Arts / FIRM: UEA (AAB)
@Shadedog / DS / History / UCL, LSE, Edinburgh, Newcastle
@Shimy / DS / Management, Business + Management / Birmingham (AAB-ABB), Loughborough, Warwick (AstarAA), Bath
@singingstones / DS / Neuroscience / FIRM: Nottingham (AAB), INSURANCE: Aston (BBB)
@sofakingcool / DS / Business, Economics / FIRM: Reading, INSURANCE: Bournemouth
@Spacerace / DD / Management / FIRM: Warwick (AstarAA), INSURANCE: Bath (AAA)
@stephaniestephanie / DS / Film + TV with Innovation / FIRM: Bristol
@Takeittotheboss / DS / gap year + Economics / FIRM: Newcastle (AAB), INSURANCE: Liverpool (AAB)
@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango / DD / Politics + IR / FIRM: Bath (AAB), INSURANCE: Nottingham (ABB)
@TantrumsAndBalloons / DS / ? / FIRM: Loughborough (AstarAA)
@Tomnooktoldmeto / DD / Creative Writing and Media / FIRM: 120pts
@Tryingmybest13 / DS / Archaeology / FIRM: Bangor, INSURANCE: Lampeter
@Volterra / DS / Maths / FIRM: Bath (AstarAA), INSURANCE: Cardiff
@whatsnext2 / DD / English joint hons / FIRM: Reading (BBB), INSURANCE: Swansea
@Wheresthebeach / DD / gap year + Marine Biology / FIRM: Portsmouth (U/C), INSURANCE: Swansea
@whoamitojudge / DD / Cabin crew training completed and flying high!
@Zebracat / DD / Liberal Arts, History+ / FIRM: Exeter (BBC), INSURANCE: RHUL (CCC)
@ZittiEBuoni / DD / applying 2023 tbc

Waves to everyone 👋
Back from being away for two weeks but too much to catch up on and not surprised there's yet another new thread - thanks Orange.

Read that article @Wheresthebeach - thank you - and actually conversely DD is quite cheered by a couple of points. Namely:

• University admission isn’t always just about grades. When deciding whether to make an offer or accept a student, universities generally look at the full range of information within the UCAS application, including the personal statement and reference.


• If you don’t get the grades for your first choice, you may still be accepted by your university of choice, for example, if you are a grade lower than your offer.

Just hope it's not just lip service. It has made her feel calmer though as she's pretty het up as it gets closer to Thursday.

It's still pretty hot here but next week looks cooler and dare i say it perhaps some rain for our poor gardens and waterbutts.

Glad the move went well @Volterra and thank goodness you found the box of important paperwork.
Hope the train strikes yesterday weren't too disruptive to anyone on here and fingers crossed they lift them for next Thursday ☝but it seems unlikely🙁

I have spent some time today looking at potential clearing places, all quite confusing. Some unis (eg Nottingham) have lists of clearing courses already on their website, with nicely reduced grades eg Microbiology is down from i think AAB to BBC. And then other unis tell you to check on 18th to find out what they have in clearing, but some of their courses do appear if you search for vacancies on the UCAS website

(Also anyone looking on UCAS, take the grades with a pinch of salt as the Nottingham ones I looked at don't match - UCAS still has the original higher grade requirements.)

We are currently at the "actually I've always wanted to study archaeology" stage of preparing for results. Hoo bloody ray. We are going to have a proper conversation about plans C-Z on Wednesday.

Thank you for the well wishes for DH post stents, he is feeling a bit better, just twingey and most of that I think is because he is trying to do too much too soon.

@NCTDN all crossed for you and yours too!

Thanks @Monkey2001 - it's not the Bio Med course though, but the BSc Biology course. She hasn't even visited Sheffield let alone the Uni (she was ill during the offers holder visit) but now seems quite keen. All your comments have put my mind at ease to just let her pick what she wants to do and not give her any negative comments (unless she asks me what I think) :-)

Have your DDs/DS actually received the email from Ofqual yet? I've just checked DD school emails and she hasn't.

Hi, I was on this thread (under a different name) pre GCSE and was a bit overwhelmed with TAGs etc so dropped off. I have read it everyday since A levels and now plucked up courage to say hello again! You are all such an amazing supportive group and thought I would come back. My DS has firmed Sheffield AAB (with an A in maths) and insured Cardiff ABB for computer science. He has worked so hard as not a natural at maths but loves compsci and has an A*/A predict for that. Maths and physics predicts are BB on a good day. Sheffield is an aspiration and he loved the course but we would all be delighted with Cardiff, fingers crossed. He's at boardmasters this weekend so that's helping him be distracted from Thursday.
Good luck to all you DC's. X

Couldn’t sleep due to the heat so have been up for ages. Just read a WONKHE article which was fairly positive until I read this bit:

“And we do need to bear in mind that Ofqual reckons A level results are accurate (whatever that means) to a grade in either direction – so a B could “really” be a C, or an A depending on who marked it.”

When are the exam boards going to be made improve?

This was the article

twitter.com/jim_dickinson/status/1559042254530125826?s=21&t=eobNy3dVGNJgvcXM0iajvQ

@deuxgarcons welcome back!! Your DS seems like he’s got two great places there and we have Sheffield in the mix too and liked it!!

@singingstones glad Your DH is recovering tell me to take it easy (easier said than done) .

Grades and clearing - my knowledge to date after 2 kids through this and some knowledge through friends in academia etc

Unis like to look popular and full it increases demand for their degrees. So many middling ones will promote a course at AAB offer ABB with EPQ or contextual etc then to fill the course drop to BBB or BBC for places.

Their funding relies on two things 1) a full course 2) People who do arrive staying for the full course not dropping out

Please note many will want clearing under the radar these days as it makes them look unpopular so will ask people to register interest beforehand and then discuss grades in the day. Others just put their courses up with grades and don’t care.

Many unis will prefer the candidate who put them down as a firm or insurance over a random one who’s just appeared in clearing. If you put them down you like the course and the uni so more likely to stick on course so often missing a grade will still bag you the course.

(Please note Oxford Cambridge Durham and imperial plus top Scottish ones will not be like this unless your choice of course is their most unpopular course.)

Please also note that if you had a course in the top five and were offered but didn’t choose it - they also may give favourable grades in clearing too!

How do you know the clearing offer now?

1. Check websites of ones you are considering some have published lower grades - (others will keep grades at standard to try and attract the near misses from stronger unis first - but will drop)

2. looking the previous year on results day often courses then publish what they will take. Worth checking this year for younger siblings starting next but not helpful now for this year.

3. MY FAVOURITE! Look at discover uni ( formally uni stats) website - look at grades accepted on a course ~ this shows you the distribution by ucas points score over a three year period before pandemic so a score of 120 is BBB - you will see that some unis with high grades will accept those with much lower scores. ( I know this is not this year but is a useful guide to help manage expectation and give you an idea )

4. FOI requests - might be useful if you can find on TSR - some full on parents in the past will have requested the grade profile of accepted students for courses. Seen these on student room especially for Oxbridge etc
   We found one for a course DD liked that was AAA at Oxford and discovered only 5% got AAA the others got A* x4 or 5 so she decided not to apply 😂🤣

Be READY to ring asap with numbers for unis your child likes plus have unis with

1. Similar grades to preferred but May drop to fill

2. lower grades to preferred that might offer

IF a uni has declined you they might still be worth ringing and asking. Someone above you may have decided to give up their place.

@AnneOfCleavage mmmm the letter - I think those statements maybe true for the unis my DSs went to as many unis will be in clearing under the radar or in full sight BUT top unis are not going to need to be flexible so I think the statements are broad brush and don’t apply to some kids applying to some unis.

I am concerned they have sent a letter - why get in all these reassurances now - it makes me nervous.

They talk about 75% getting first choice in previous years and then the majority this year …….. that could mean 50.1%

They mention all the exam boards awarding like for like grades in each subject - surely that’s a given or are there going to be differences ….. who the f* knows but the letter hasn’t helped - the DfE has messed this up for two years in a row. No confidence ……

We now have a plan ABCDE…… picnic was good and DD calmer

I have been ordered to be in charge of UCAS on the day by DD last night as she says too stressful to look. She wants to focus on the A level grade pick up …..……now I’m scared 😳

@singingstones * tell him to take it easy 😂 sorry can’t text first thing

I think the bit about exam boards in the letter may be a nod in the direction of the shambles over advanced info in some subjects ( eg AQA law iirc) and leaked questions. They are preparing for protests from students who sat those papers .

I think there will be a lot of protests from people who have believe the hype that the government, ofqual and the press have been spouting all year including last week.

DS said yesterday that he doesn’t want to know what he got. I told him that was a bit silly if he doesn’t get his preferred place and he said no, he doesn’t want to know if he got in or not, he doesn’t want to look because he’s going to be on a ‘complete downer’ if he doesn’t get in. Luckily I have access to his UCAS account so we definitely will be finding out!

Morning all.

How is the heat where you all are? Feels a bit cooler here - hoping this continues!

@deuxgarcons both fab cities! good luck!

@Decorhate Thanks for the link! Ofqual has always said (even though some came from its own research!) that this is because of the tolerance level and we need to 'live with it.' For example, a 25 mark question might see three markers giving an answer 22, 23 and 24 marks - within tolerance of difference, so all correct. Of course, this can create issues for borderline students (i.e. 1 mark off a grade)- hence remarks. Urgh.

There is some right spin coming out right now. Office for students warn for students to be prepared, claiming some schools have predicted too high. They always blame the teachers! It is in a Telegraph article that is not behind a paywall!

Monday: not long now. Ds should be out and about today, then doing some cooking for us (he enjoys this). Do you all have plans? I am not at work for most of this week, though feel I would have been better at work, distracting myself!

I think marking can often be very out.
Dd1 had two of her papers remarked in 2018, as she failed to get in to Vet School. It was a massive shock for us all. Two were moved up to an A & that was sufficient for her to get a place. But it was too late as the vet places were all gone. One was a difference of 12 marks & one 8 I think. She reapplied the following year & had a fab gap year so it all worked out well for her though.
So it's well worth doing remarks if you have any doubt at all.

@Cantonet golly - so glad she went for a remark
@JustHereWithMyPopcorn It is so hard for them. It is the same very year, but this year feels worse, for sure.

I think the letter has made everyone more nervous. The only reason I can think to put it out is to prepare the ground for lower than expected grades. Be interesting to see what percentage get their first choice - if it was the same as always why say ‘most’ - they’d say ‘in line with previous years’. One of DDs friends is now thinking of a gap year, not sure if uni’s will be pro or anti requests made after offers accepted.

The silence over aqa chemistry leak is deafening. If the leak isn’t taken into account then grades boundaries will be higher - I don’t see how they are allowed to avoid explaining how they’ve dealt with it.

DD1 got two remarked and went from AAB to A*AA in2019.

We went out for the day yesterday which was lovely (went to the coast) and heard about the Ofqual letter in every radio news headline in the car.We were feeling positive about it as the headline was, reassurance that most students will get their first choice despite grades. Since coming in here I’m getting a different feeling.

From the ofqual letter ‘Over 90 per cent of this year’s applicants are happy with the offers they’ve got’. The word ‘happy’ is bothering me, how have they determined that?

@Decorhate that article you posted was helpful, thanks.

@Benjispruce4 The coast sounds great on such a hot day

It is always far better, in every way, for universities to confirm Firms and Insurances, even with not quite the offered grades: these are students who positively want to go to their choices. Normally, this is the case each year because around 74% of A level grades have higher predictions than actual grades: that’s exams for us.

This cycle has been more tricky due to last year’s grades and some uncertainty about what might happen. But there is lots of wriggle room in the system and admissions teams have been working all weekend since results went to them. Unis will do everything they can.

The pressure will be on some courses and some unis: dentistry, medicine etc, and courses at unis that took loads last year and have less space.

The Office for Students claim that some schools have over-predicted quite a lot more than usual – but in context, we need to bear in mind 'some’ schools (and I really doubt this will be massively widespread. Hoping not!. OfS say (but I actually think this rather OTT) :

"Whatever happens, I think there will be a lot of volatility and people need to be prepared for that. And I think it’s only fair to say that to students so that it’s not a shock to them.

“That will also include some of the most able [students]. We know that the most selective courses are competitive - they are always competitive - but they will be more so this year.

“There will be students who in a normal year wouldn’t dream that they would have an issue, may well find themselves needing to think through that.”

This mess started in 2020 and was always going to be shunted down the line.

Good morning.

We've had a lovely weekend in Edinburgh, saw some great shows at the Fringe. The drive up on Friday felt a bit emotional, the weather was lovely, and the scenery, dd was asleep next to me (she rarely can stay aware if the journey is longer than about 30 mins!) and I was thinking about all of our lovely past trips and that our next trip will (hopefully) be to take her to uni. I've also remembered while here that Edinburgh was the first place I bought her when she about 5 months old, and then my phone has reminded me with a photo we were also at the Fringe when she was 9, and now back again when she's 18 (there's been some trips in between too), I couldn't have planned it better really!

I'm feeling flattered by dd's plans for results day. She wants me to take her to school and wait in the car (not the flattering part), she has no intention to check emails/ucas before going in but is happy for me to look while I'm waiting. She'll see her friends and boyfriend in school and then wants to go home for a special breakfast, no plans for the middle part of the days other than a vague 'do something nice (maybe the beach)', and then she wants us to go to her favourite local restaurant for tea. I suggested that she might want her friends to come forbreakfast but she said 'no, that's an us thing', or do something with them after but she said she'd see them again on Friday. 🥰

We're both working Tuesday and Wednesday and aren't talking about results anymore now. Dd's offer for Birmingham in AAA, which she is definitely capable of but I still feel very very nervous. I have been taking a bit of reassurance from a comment on the offer holder day about how they'd never accept less than and A for Maths, which made me think they might accept B for one of the others. Thanks for link to discover uni @Decorhate , I wasnt aware of the site and it has given me further reassurance. It says 24% of students on the course have 128-143 Ucas points, which is less than AAA. Some of those will have had contextual offers but surely not all? Birmingham is the only place dd didn't qualify for a contextual offer which makes me think they can't give that many out.

I'm trying not to think about grade boundaries etc.

@Wheresthebeach the Education Select Committee (cross-Party) hammered AQA and other's errors in July, recommending regulatory action, upfront explanations of how AQA were dealing with the leak and so on. The Committee wrote to the Ed Sec and got back some rather weasel words!

committees.parliament.uk/publications/23285/documents/169820/default/

AQA appears to be in shambles right now. Tech difficulties meant many markers were not paid on time. They need to get their act together.

On a totally different subject yesterday I ordered 3 different mattress toppers from Dunelm and 2 from Costco, for comparison purposes. Although not a RL Influencer, blogger or reviewer, I will report back on my findings. At your service.

They are just making stuff up now…they have no way of knowing that