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

@Benjispruce4 @Monkey2001 thanks, we'll see how she gets on over the next month. Part of the problem is that we're (hopefully) moving on 31st August and whilst me, dh and ds will be staying with friends after that until our new house is complete, dd will be elsewhere, about 45 mins away, so practice will be more difficult in September.

@Zebracat that is appalling. I hope you get somewhere once she has a confirmed place, but it sounds like a totally inflexible system.😖

Zebracat that is ridiculous. What a terrible unfairness to your girl when she has already been through so much. It is great that you are fighting for her. I hope they see sense.

Just noticed some very prestigious unis in Clearing for history. Grades look the same but may drop but the Oxbridge/ Durham/ York unsuccessful historians on Thursday could pick from eg Lancaster, Exeter, Newcastle...

Nottingham , Sheffield.

These are some of the best institutions for history!

Blimey! And Warwick!

Do you think that not many people want to do that course or not enough people got the grades ?

I suspect that less are applying @horrificbiology 😕 I could be wrong though. I know you didn't direct the question at me , sorry

Humanities subjects = fewer applicants. English subjects are the hardest hit: a 17% drop in applications this year. Depts are closing or shrinking.

Fewer take Eng Lit and Lang at A level. It is deeply worrying for us in the English community.

Gosh: that’s really interesting (as ex eng lit student, whose daughter has chosen eng lit & Lang course….

I was just wondering as I have a child doing GCSEs next year and he excels in humanities so good to know.

How disgusting Zebra. Hope you can get it sorted asap.

Yehey for those choosing Lit or History! :)

Zebra have you spoken to the Head at dd's school. Head may not know herself, because of the special circumstances re dd - may be a slightly unusual case, but one school in the borough must have had this before, surely?

Gosh, that’s interesting re history.
@Zebracat really hope you can sort something out for her. V stressful I’m sure.

Course closures or shrinkages this year in History and English include Roehampton, Dundee, Sheffield Hallam (one of the top performing for research), Wolverhampton, Huddersfield, and on it goes. Other hums subjects under the axe include, languages, archaeology, classics, philosophy.

@tryingmybest13 DD1 took Eng Lit and DD2 Eng Lang at A level.

@Benjispruce4 Fab!

But also in this very weird year, the most popular universities have made fewer offers (mixture of places held by people deferred from 2021 and universities expecting more offer holders to meet offer conditions) so there may have been a small number of applicants holding all the offers.

For example, a university might make 500 offers for 150 places in a normal year. 300 of the strongest 400 might choose somewhere else, and for the other 100 it may be an aspirational choice.

• if 75% of the strongest applicants get the grades, that would be 75 students


• 25% of the aspirational applicants would be another 25 students


• 50 places are left to be flexibly allocated to the remaining 100 students who only just missed their offer conditions.

If the university is nervous about over-recruitment and grade inflation and only has 120 places left because 30 went to deferred applicants, they might only make 240 offers, and they would all be to the strongest applicants, so if like previous years 75% choose other options, they would only have 60 offer holders for their 120 places.

Lots of ifs in there, but it happens a lot for medicine like that.

Just to clarify - that is an explanation of why popular courses with plenty of applicants in the normal cycle can end up in Clearing.

It's so sad.

What do you mean by “ students in Wales are fully funded”, Monkey? Do you mean the fact that they get the entire amount upfront and the loan part is on the same terms as the fees loan?
I understand it would cost more, but it makes no sense to offer student loans for fees but then prevent students in zebra’s girl’s position from taking up places because they can’t afford to live.

tryingmybest13*, DD has applied for English lit and film courses.
She needs AAB but knows she won’t have got that, so is hoping the sad reduction in demand for places might work in her favour. 🤞🏻

Where has she got down for her top choice @Alsoplayspiccolo ?

@Alsoplayspiccolo Fab! Good luck and, she might well get that. Lots of spaces in those subjects across the sector but unis prefer, where they can, to confirm those who have made positive choices to go there, so all is very hopeful.