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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Applying for Uni 2019 Part 7: IB and A Levels are but a memory, we're relaxing and let's not even think about the 15 August yet!

970 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 26/06/2019 19:51

Carrying on from the previous thread which filled up very quickly.

Gin, Wine and Cake for everyone Wink

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Ragwort · 14/08/2019 07:47

^^ Agree LaBelle. I was an au pair in the South of France when my A level results came out, I didn’t quite get the grades required for my First Choice but my mother rang the Uni up and it was agreed I could have the place Blush, wouldn’t happen like that today would it?

Piggywaspushed · 14/08/2019 07:48

I think I just saw that instead of getting razors as a gift from UCAS, girls are getting tampons! Ermmmm....

errorofjudgement · 14/08/2019 07:48

I woke up after a very restless night and thought well thank goodness it’s finally Thursday,

......to realise it’s only Wednesday

HostessTrolley · 14/08/2019 08:09

The boys in my daughters group chat were wondering if razors just before results are the best idea....

Mustbetimeforachange · 14/08/2019 08:10

I saw that piggy Shock. DS hasn't received a razor so I presume he ticked the box not to receive marketing mail.
Does anyone know the answer to my question above: DS says he will check Track when he gets an email (do they ALWAYS email when track changes?)

kalkem72 · 14/08/2019 08:12

I'm joining you again after a long break, my goodness the time has dragged, despite us being away on holiday too. I've had some restless nights too and keep going over each scenario. I'm also thinking the schools know now and are busy sorting the envelopes out and we are still in the dark !

Dunlurking · 14/08/2019 08:12

Morning. Came on here at 3am wondering if anyone else was around but felt too shy to post. Did someone say grade boundaries might be leaked today? Anyone know where? Obsessing - me? Nah!

boys3 · 14/08/2019 08:13

Good luck for your DC's driving test today @minesawine

Witchend · 14/08/2019 08:14

+Hostess* I thought exactly that too. I have a dd who self harms (not the one doing exams) and it would not be a good idea for her.

Piggywaspushed · 14/08/2019 08:16

There are some Edexcel boundaries on TSR for those of you who are interested. DS doesn't dot he kind of subjects where that kind of info is useful (I think he is Edexcel for Politics) but I know the maths ones have been long awaited. A quick look shows the standard %s for Eng Lit but all the other subjects I dipped into look really low. I suspect this is because Eng Lit has been 'reformed' (I shall never desist from using those speech marks) for several years now. Maths seems to be 14% for an E!

Danglingmod · 14/08/2019 08:20

Grade boundaries are absolutely meaningless in advance for essay subjects. No chance in hell you could begin to mark or judge your own papers (after the fact, without them in front of you). Honestly, out of the eight essays ds will have written for English and six for History, he came away saying one of each were "not his best work ever" and one for English "rushed" but there's no way you could guess "oh, I think I got 62/75 on that paper!" No way.

Cherryblossomandcornflakes · 14/08/2019 08:23

I wouldn't necessarily wait for an email saying track has updated. From what I've read, track updates at 8am but it's all a bit frantic because of the huge volume of emails and activity so honestly I'd just check at 8am or before. Emails and messages could well get delayed My DDs university updates it's own portal from 7am so we will know from then. And there's always welcome emails from universities that can arrive any time from 6am.

Restless night for me too. Trying to keep busy today! 23 hours to go ...

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 14/08/2019 08:24

Good luck from here too for your DC's driving test @minesawine. Hope it's not stormy where you are?

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sluj · 14/08/2019 08:25

DS1, 4 years ago, got his email later in the day but Track updated about 7am. DN got her results through Track about 6.30am.
That's interesting (if true) about Edexcel maths boundaries thanks for posting that. I cant work out if that's good or bad for DS2 though, as it will still mean the same proportion of people get an E and so on. Can anyone see anything good about it for a DS who was never going to get an A? 😲

Piggywaspushed · 14/08/2019 08:25

No, true. Same for DS's subjects. Still interesting to know that in some subjects A* is under 70%. It does suggests students didn't perform all that well and that a LOT of adjustment was going on to maintain usual standards. There are so many different options in history , it is hardly worth looking!

I know it is a false comparison but there are issues with uptake to A Level Eng at the moment and hearing that you need 70% for an A in Eng Lit A Level and about 60% for politics or psychology isn't exactly persuasive.

Mustbetimeforachange · 14/08/2019 08:26

I've looked at the grade boundaries but don't really understand them! I need to study them again on my laptop rather than phone. Not sure whether to show DS or not.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 14/08/2019 08:26

Very good point from the boys @HostessTrolley. Tampons for the girls. Wow how underwhelming...

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Piggywaspushed · 14/08/2019 08:28

I may have misunderstood but it seemed to be ONE tampon. Surely not!

It rather feeds into that misogynist debate I occasionally have with DH where I point out that women have to pay to have their periods and he says men have to pay to shave....

FrameyMcFrame · 14/08/2019 08:29

I think it's just seeing where the boundaries are comparatively to previous years...

In AQA English lit there has only been two years of the new specification to base grade predictions on, one year the grade boundaries were very high indeed so to get a B you needed average 17 marks per essay, the other year 14 would've got you in the B territory!

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 14/08/2019 08:30

Anyone got a link to the Edexcel grade boundaries please?

One tampon is even worse than a box @Piggywaspushed. Why couldn't they give out some type of gender neutral 'goody' - a memory stick might have been more appropriate or chocolate!

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Danglingmod · 14/08/2019 08:32

Oh, the number of combinations for History is insane! (And rather peeving that, last year, the grade boundary for ds's combination for a B was higher than the boundary for an A on a different combination! And a History colleague of mine claimed ds's school had picked the hardest topics and he wouldn't teach them as they were too difficult!)

LaBelleSauvage123 · 14/08/2019 08:32

I can’t find anything bona fide about grade boundaries on TSR - just a lot of posts saying they’re fake. Can someone point me in the right direction? DS did all essay based subjects ( and would be utterly scornful of me for looking 😳) but it passes the time...

Piggywaspushed · 14/08/2019 08:33

I couldn't copy the link but it definitely looks bon fide when you open the attachment. It is on the A Level results day countdown thread.

Danglingmod · 14/08/2019 08:34

That's a good point, Framey.

Ds is AQA so I've never looked at Edexcel boundaries.

We looked at last year's AQA and assumed they'd go up again this year. Assuming 22/25 per question for A star.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 14/08/2019 08:35

@Danglingmod I know what you mean about the number of combinations for History. DS seemed to do several papers that did not seem to be at all commonly taken.

Although I don't feel really stressed I have slept really badly over the last couple of nights. I need my sharp brain on for tomorrow which isn't going to happen at this rate.

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