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.

Announcement on how grades will be awarded is out: www.gov.uk/government/news/further-details-on-exams-and-grades-announced

I will post news on STEP when I have some!

Hmm. Well, I guess this is the fairest way, in the circumstances. My nephew needs AAA for his Cambridge course. I guess if the July results give him AAA, he could take an exam in the Autumn term to try and get the A, but then he’s missed his place anyway.

I guess some students will feel under a lot if pressure to prove themselves to their teachers over the next term, even if they are working remotely from home.

At my DS's school, all Year 13s were sent home yesterday with no prior warning and told that was the end of their school year. They have not been told to continue working and there is no further teaching being done it seems.

So I really don't see how any grades can be based on work done from now on?

That doesn’t sound right then because I’ve DC in three different secondary schools and the teaching timetable will be delivered remotely for next term. They even have to get up for assemblies! Some of it will be work set to send through in google classroom within the normal lesson time; some lessons will be via group chats with the teachers. One DD is already doing this and seems ok so far.

Would the Year 13s be going on study leave anyway though, straight after Easter? Maybe this is why?

My dd will take the A level exams in Autumn if she doesn’t get A’s for her predicted grades. She was going to take a gap year anyway so she doesn’t have to worry about missing out on a university place.

It's very early to end Y13 now and many will be continuing online working virtually next term. Usually they go on study leave mid May ish.
It says guidelines will be provided so again not totally clear.

@GinWorksForMe that's exactly what happened to my DS yesterday. They were told if they had any outstanding work due for Friday it should be done, but nothing else. It seems that different schools are handling it very differently!

DD has come home with the strong impression that there will be no more work set by school. She's spent a bittersweet day chatting to her favourite teachers and trying to get her head round not seeing them again.

But there is an email to parents that suggests work will be set up to and including year 13. It's confusing. More information from her school on Monday, apparently.

In the meantime, she's lying on her bed muttering "but what am I meant to dooooo?!"

I think independent schools have to offer a full online curriculum, otherwise people would simply refuse to pay the fees for next term.

DS's state sixth form college closed yesterday so the teachers could build the action plan today. Have just had an email saying that teachers will still set work and provide resources for further work towards university courses, as well as online tutorial sessions.

DS was also sent home unexpectedly on Thursday but the school sent round plans for the next 2 weeks, on line lessons/tasks as close to normal timetable as possible. Then Easter break.
He is pretty upset at not being able to take his exams but trying to be hopeful as both sets of mocks exceeded his Oxford offer. The challenge will be maintaining some normality in the forthcoming months with none of the usual things a post A level student might be looking forward to. He has bought himself a coding course and I'm hoping some piano might get resurrected!

DS's (state) school has not mentioned setting or assessing any further work for Y13s. Presumably they will be calculating grades using data they already have.

He plans to finish the courses, but is under the impression that this will be done without any further input from school.

At DD’s state school they finished yesterday. An emotional day for both the teachers and the pupils. There is no work being set though for the year 13’s, that’s it. She is very upset at not being able to sit her exams. She has very good predictions/mock exam results from her hard work. But, she wants them from actually sitting the exams. She became upset tonight as has no work to complete, no structure and feels a bit lost. On top of not being to socialise with friends as normal it’s going to be tough. I’m going to encourage her to get some reading material around her subject.

D1 is inconsolable. The last two days have been very emotional at school. She's desperately sad about leaving. Suddenly all their focus has gone, no more school, no exams, no post exam party and leavers prom, summer plans in disarray, such uncertainty over university... I really feel for them all.
I think she'll be OK for grades as her GCSEs /NEAs/grade predictions and mock results were all very good - but it's all out of her hands. She's convinced her offer will be changed or rescinded somehow if they have too many students meeting their offers.
They were talking at school about having a leavers do for them either at Christmas or next summer, and we've told her it's a good idea to get lots of reading done. I don't think there's any work being set by her teachers although they will be putting some resources online.

DS is utterly disorientated. The lack of focus, the abrupt end of the school routine and seeing friends (he travels an hour to school each way from our village). He desperately wants the "evidence" of exam results despite having great GCSEs, predictions, mock results. In his words, he wants the "real thing" so that his offer isn't in doubt.

It's tough enough supporting our teens through the ups and downs of their uni applications but this takes it to another level. Sending best wishes to all.

We’re going through this in my house too. DS has an Oxford offer and when we thought it was A levels as usual he felt pretty confident. But what happens if everyone gets their offer? All unis make more offers than they have spaces. I feel sick to the stomach about him being rejected after all the hard work. Does anyone know for sure if Oxbridge are honouring their offers? The college hasn’t been in touch.

Welcome to the thread, @Flyonawalk. It's good that we can support each other as we continue to support our sons and daughters. "Does anyone know for sure..." - I think the blanket response is no-one knows a lot of key details for sure yet, not even those working in qualifications or in the universities! They still seems to be working things out.

That said, all the reassurance seems to be that they are going to be as fair as possible and I suspect in the circumstances the outcomes will err on the generous side. DS has had an email from his college which didn't say a lot but was hopeful that they would see all their offer-holders taking up places in the autumn.

I'm taking comfort that with an offer of AAA, his teachers are likely to focus on the evidence that shows he's capable of that and assess him to be at least at those grades. The shame could be where he might have been able to pull off some A-stars in actual exams, he might miss the chance to prove that via his work to date - but he's still working away to give himself the best shot.

Hello DadDadDad, good to read your calm good sense. Thank you. My boy needs A*AA (scientist) and with mocks and other evidence I’m pretty sure will be given at least that. My doubts are whether students get moderated down (will the assessors believe that teachers have been too generous?) and what happens if all the offer holders make their grades? That gives Oxford too many first years. Though I suppose overseas students are likely to defer in these times of limited travel...

Oxford offer holders are probably in the best situation of all the over subscribed unis.

Moderation is a concern, because over the years I've certainly seen it to be fairly arbitrary and the exam boards hold to first round moderation like glue.

The fact that tracking data is going into the mix is a help for anyone except those students who've suddenly blossomed in sixth form, where it could be the reverse, especially if they've had wobbly mocks.

Hi there GoodbyeStranger... By tracking data, does that mean track record at school, GCSEs and work in sixth form? So steady workers will be judged better than the ones who pull it out last minute? I think we all feel so sorry for all the students, regardless of working style. No one expected this!

By tracking data Ofqual really seems to mean GCSE data, for the Y13s. Schools track secondary pupils from KS2 right through their school career and it's become increasingly techy and sophisticated. But for calculating A level grades it sounds as though achieved GCSE marks are what will be used. Pretty dodgy for those who get on to a fast upwards trajectory in sixth form - on the other hand you'd expect them to get fab mocks and have written fab essays etc which teachers can wave as evidence.

It sounds pretty fair overall, except for those odd flurries of incomprehensible moderation which spring up here and there in the system - those can be savage, and for policy reasons the exam boards don't like to overturn moderators even when the evidence to do so is stark.

Thank you - I see what you mean. And yes I agree about original marks being stuck to even when grounds for appeal are solid! Let’s hope they get it right first time with our lot. Could I ask, when you said Oxford offer holders are in a better position than lots of popular unis - is that because they don’t make too many extra offers or because they have produced other evidence like interviews, MAT/HAT scores etc..?

Because of the former Flyonawalk.