Applying for Uni 2019 Part 6: exams, leaving school/college (the end of an era), a long summer holiday and Results Day on the horizon

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Just when exam season gets fully underway our previous thread has almost filled up. Everyone welcome .

My son needs A, B, B for Warwick but given how awful the AQA chemistry paper two was and his general up and down performance over the last two years I think we could be looking at anywhere from A, A, B to B, C, D. Will be keeping everything tightly crossed for the next two months!

It seems like the worry continues for all of us! Scary times.

Just over 2 weeks until results day for DS. From what I have heard from DS and his friends, the IB papers (although hard) seem to throw less 'odd' questions or curve balls. Having said that, I know that English teachers often say that the questions asked can be easily misinterpreted and then students go down the wrong path completely. So, maybe DS did that and didn't even realise

DS is a month into his summer break now. Has survived a lads holiday, and is working hard to save some money. He is always out and about which is lovely. He has also learnt how to use the washing machine - hopefully he will be somewhat prepared for university!

She did say they will be looking at individual performance however, although how they will do this for 60,000 pupils I'm not sure.

It's clear that many of the posters in this thread aren't aware of the high level of statistical analysis that can be carried out on large data sets. (And 60,000 isn't a particularly large data set.) Nor are they aware of how straightforward it is to track the spread of information via social media & correlate this with performance of pupils in specific exam centres. They are not going to be handling this by collecting up scraps of information and analysing scripts one by one.....

Dd thinks she’ll be somewhere in the range A*AB-BCD which that’s reassuring

Soton would take her with ABB & I think she’s got a decent chance with ABC or even BBB ... lower than that would not be good.

It's clear that many of the posters in this thread aren't aware of the high level of statistical analysis that can be carried out on large data sets. (And 60,000 isn't a particularly large data set.) Nor are they aware of how straightforward it is to track the spread of information via social media & correlate this with performance of pupils in specific exam centres. They are not going to be handling this by collecting up scraps of information and analysing scripts one by one.....

Spot on, uzfrdiop. It will be relatively easy and quick to flush this out. Certainly easier than forecasting tomorrow's weather. The worst part of it will be trying to persuade parents that no innocent party was disadvantaged, because they can't see how they could work it out themselves (despite continually exposing themselves to completely trackable media to get through the day).

That's really interesting, uzfrdiop and maryso - thank you!

Thanks, I'd really like to feel reassured, but is it really possible to track the spread of info via whatsapp, snap and insta, plus others I don't know about?

Shimy Thank you very much for the UEA link. That is so interesting.

Well it looks as if they've still got places on DS's fall-back UEA course...

is it really possible to track the spread of info via whatsapp, snap and insta, plus others I don't know about?

This is what many people do for a living. (Don't you think those trying to meddle with referenda and elections like to track the effectiveness of what they are doing on social media...?) For some media one would indeed need data to be handed over as it is not in the public domain. For other media such as Twitter almost all of what one needs is already in the public domain anyhow.

The Edexcel maths fiasco is a...fiasco! So relieved it doesn't affect ds.

I'm not making any predictions - his results could range from AstarAA to BBC I think. He has an unconditional though so it's not a worry: he just wants to have done really well.

Good luck to all those with papers left to sit, especially further maths.

I typed a reply to some comments 3 times and my iPad crashed, so got fed up. That was about 3 hrs ago. So I’ll try again,

Too many ‘so’s’ in that last post. Anyway, glad I’m not the only with no idea what ds’s grades might be. Could be anything from ABC - DDE. He hasn’t seemed bothered by all the Maths furore, infact has been sleeping since Friday.

@Serin you’re welcome.

@ifonly4 & @juicy0 I swear this iPad is jinxed. Every time I type a reply to you it crashes. I bet this message will post okay.

Pearson/Edexcel can hardly be responsible for a school leaking the papers and criminals taking this further. These situations are why all boards have replacement papers and investigative procedures. The fiasco is one for the school involved and the individuals who have sold or bought papers, and not Edexcel. Edexcel is taking steps to protect candidates so they are not affected. They are the main party capable of doing anything constructive for the candidates, despite being vilified.

This is separate from whether a paper is difficult. Every year there are some papers that are deemed devastating. All this means is that the paper is capable of distinguishing between the full range of aptitudes taking the test. No subject should be a soft option, and if the A* threshold is in the 60%s (or A threshold in the 50%s) the test is more likely to tell the difference between candidates who have taken the trouble to investigate the subject in depth, and therefore able to apply their learnings, and those taught to the test. Candidates tend to be far more resilient and savvy about difficult papers, and rightly worry more about easier ones.

Uzfr - you wrote - For some media one would indeed need data to be handed over as it is not in the public domain. - indeed! This is hardly going to be able to be done for 60000 pupils! Imagine taking in all those mobile phones! Hardly as easy as looking at the isobars on a weather map!!!!!

shimy thank you for the clearing links. This is my first experience of UCAS and I was surprised to see how many courses are listed. Has anyone been through clearing and had a successful outcome who would be prepared to share their tips/experience?

If weather forecasts were about map reading, who writes the map? It is like saying predicting the stock market is about reading price charts, except the maps and charts haven't been written... yet the rogue school has been found already, and the FM leak neutralised before the exam. It must be those lovely Edexcel elves scurrying about vetting the 60000 mobile phones. Just like all the Hwawei elves scurrying about carrying messages and mimicking voices when we use our phones. Edexcel definitely needs fewer elves than the Met Office, though.

Yes thanks for that shimy Ds firm & insurance are both showing that they still have spaces so perhaps they will be lenient if Maths really is a fiasco

@decorhate @juicy0 @ifonly4 you’re welcome.

Happy to see DS’s firm & Insurance in clearing too. Fingers crossed everyone. It’s such a tense time, after all the upheaval of exam prep, then exams and now justthis uncertainty stretching on for the next few months. I know, I know! i’ve Got other things to do, but it keeps niggling.

“Fingers crossed for everyone”.

Further maths tomorrow (chemistry today) and then finally done - last if his friends so this last week has been difficult for him

Not going to mention the replacement paper - he needs an A* in maths for his preferred uni so all this distraction really isn’t helping