Oxbridge 2020 (8th thread)

[DadDadDad]

A thread to continue discussing entry to Oxbridge in October 2020 (less than nine months away ). All welcome, although this obviously will be of most interest to those with DS or DD holding an offer, and wanting to find a bit of support.

All too soon, 13 August will come over the horizon. Until then, ask questions... share experiences... discuss news and stats... write a poem... (we did briefly have some poetry on a previous thread).

With huge thanks to @HugoSpritz and predecessors for previous threads.

What was actually said in the House of Commons:

In a statement to the House of Commons, education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “I can confirm that we will not go ahead with assessments or exams and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year. We will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications that they need.”

Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said there was widespread concern about exams.

She added: “Clarity is required about children who were due to sit their Sats, GCSEs and A levels and now will not do so. Can he tell us how decisions will be made and how they will be communicated?”

Mr Williamson responded to say he was working with Ofqual to have a detailed set of measures to ensure every child got the recognition they need for the work they have done towards GCSEs, A levels and other qualifications.

Oh my.... DD is in the middle of her final pieces. Art exam period starts end of Feb and finishes 5th May. We are going into pick them and supplies for her to finish up tomorrow. How the assessment gets done is anyone's guess.

She firmed Oxford the day she got the offer b/c plan B was to do an foundation year and reapply to Oxford if she doesn't get in this year.

Best of luck to all of your babies x

DS has taken the news better than I was expecting. He plans to complete the A-level courses by himself, do a few past papers, then move on to preparatory work for hopefully starting university.

Both his predicted grades and his mock grades exceeded the Cambridge offer, so hopefully he'll be awarded the grades he needs.

Well this is going to be awkward. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Cambridge Maths Department this morning.

Although DS has good mocks and adequate predicted grades he's feeling a bit vulnerable as his Oxford offer is an open offer. His first thought was that he might email Oxford and suggest he defers entry, but we'll wait and see how Oxford wants to play it first.

Sit tight Gizmo.

Gizmo, if it is any comfort, Oxford open offer holders are deemed to be strong candidates whom any college would be happy to accept.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Cambridge Maths Department this morning.

It'd be pretty dull, there's probably no one in it by now. Online, I would expect that the immediate concern of staff (except for admissions tutors) is working out how to do online teaching and exams for their existing students, especially the final year. And for some of the staff with collegiate responsibilities, supporting the students stuck there with nowhere else to go - it's unclear at the moment what is happening re college accommodation.

I'm so sorry for all the year 11s and 13s, it must be gutting. Presumably whatever certification is worked out for them (and final year uni students) there may be a 'COVID 19 special endorsement of some sort.

Errol what do you mean by a special endorsement? Just a blanket grade? That would be appalling. Gavin Williamson has just said there will be a decent appeals process for those who don't feel their awarded grades are a fair reflection, so that signals differentiated grades.

Surely they can do an online STEP?

Without STEP, I wonder how Cambridge will decide which of their maths offer-holders to accept? They don't have capacity for all of them.

I wouldn't have thought a 'blanket grade', more like something which made it clear that these results can't be directly compared with other years, exceptional circumstances sort of thing?

I would have thought that that would undermine the validity of the grade though Errol.

I hope teachers can be relied on to assess properly, knowing that exam boards can challenge their evidence if necessary, and leave the grades awarded untainted.

So tomorrow we find out the plans for our A level students. I suspect it will be a combination of mock exam results, coursework where relevant and go with the grades that they think they would get on their best day. What an unsettling time we are living in. It’s going to be very interesting to see how they work round the university offers.

Without STEP, I wonder how Cambridge will decide which of their maths offer-holders to accept? They don't have capacity for all of them.

Maybe they (or whoever organises STEP) can work out an online version?

If they admit all their offer holders (assuming fewer overseas students including existing ones unable to return) then the reality is that more will find its too challenging and change course, either to a different subject within the university or move elsewhere.

CATs website now has a statement saying they will advise what's happening with STEP by end of March.

DD (Y12) also freaking out over what will happen now that they can't sit the exams upon which UCAS predicted grades would usually be based. She sat exams at the start of this term which didn't go brilliantly. Since then, she has been working SO hard to pull those grades up a bit ready for the summer exams which will not now take place.

It's such an uncertain time for them all.

DS has also now pressed the firm/insurance button. His predicted grades and likely teacher assessment grades would exceed requirements for both, apart from STEP which is, of course, up in the air.

Gin does that mean he has taken the plunge and firmed Cambridge? I remember he was uncertain.

DD planning to press the UCAS button later today and feeling a bit nervous about accepting St Andrews as insurance when she was hoping for an offer holder's visit to resolve some things. But it's a very attractive offer and a good university, so i think she's as ready as she can be. At this point, we really want to make sure both universities know that she wants to come.

Yes @AChickenCalledDaal. Perhaps they will meet and fall in love after all .

Given the uncertainties over STEP and his self-preparation for it, I'm assuming it's most likely he will end up at his insurance or somewhere through clearing but who knows!

An online version of STEP is very hard to imagine. They scribble and scribble when they're doing those questions, if my DS is typical, making marks that make no sense to most of the population - it's not something they can do on a keyboard is it?

Maybe they will, @GinWorksForMe . Although he has competition from a very tall lanky chap who she has now met and chatted to at a couple of different offer holder events.

On the other hand, maybe the task lanky chap is your DS

DD is doing an online STEP course, which involves using a graphics tablet to share mathematical scribbles over the internet. She's a complete technophobe so I'm quite surprised how well it's working. She's taking the view that she will continue doing whatever she can to prepare for STEP, since even if the exam doesn't happen, it will still help her be ready for university level maths whenever and wherever that eventually happens.

DS pressed the button last night, firming Oxford and having Durham as insurance, despite never having been there. All seems very unreal with a sudden end to school and not knowing how A levels will be decided. Hope everyone is staying healthy and coping ok!

I came up with a rough idea how to do exams that need to be handwritten. It assumes they all have some sort of camera, but I can't imagine many students nowadays can't get hold of a phone or tablet. In short, it's to take photos of the finished work, which will be time stamped. The actual manuscripts would be sent back by snail mail, cross checked against the photos. The exam could be timed from download time or from a photo of an envelope containing a mailed copy being opened.

Apparently Italian students have already been doing online exams, with webcams on as an anti cheating measure but I doubt many STEP candidates will have anyone available who would be a help rather than a hinderance. 'Open book' is probably ok if the questions are set on that basis - do they get formulae sheets anyway?

I'm sure the STEP/Cambridge maths dept can come up with something better but it's not impossible.

Wow graphics tablet and scribbles online @AChickenCalledDaal sounds cool. We don't have that, though, so wouldn't work for us!

Actually he IS tall and lanky...is your daughter incredibly beautiful? He says it was the 'incredibly beautiful' girl at the Cambridge offer holder day that swung it for him to firm Cambridge, in the end. I believe they are 'chatting'.

LOL - I'd love to say yes Gin but there has been no sign of ongoing 'chatting' . And she's incredibly beautiful to me, but if I'm honest probably a bit too androgynous to attract that kind of comment.

The tablet was originally bought when DD2 went through a phase of being heavily into anime art and we were trying to encourage her to do practically anything other than moon over Korean boy bands!

Late return as dd got pooled for Cambridge but not picked and dependant on results was going to reapply. Now who knows. And due to general dithering she hasn’t yet firmed other offers. She is still hoping she will somehow sit exams, which means she is still working.
Am wondering what the impact will be on 2021 applicants?

Are people’s DC studying? DS is in the slough of despond and unmotivated to do anything. He’s even growing a depression beard “but it’s even more depressing because it doesn’t grow properly”...