University 2020 :7: Results tombola, roll up, roll up, pick a prize!

[MillicentMartha]

Well, it’s been a crazy few days.

Old thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3962422-University-2020-6-The-one-with-the-results-at-the-end?watched=1&msgid=99082625#99082625

can I just pop in to handhold, but , also, to say it is not just large places that have had issues. My own small subject had 50% downgrades because of some lower results from 2017 .

Those of you who have DCs who had NEAs in their course are absolutely right to feel aggrieved. There is no space at all for subjects such as music, graphics, media etc. to reflect brilliant coursework in any appeals process. you might want to raise this one with your MP!

Well done to those who were successful!

AAA here and got his place at Loughborough. 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Anyone else going to Loughborough?

Gutted for those who have been downgraded .

The system is shocking.

After the months of waiting why was not every scenario ready and planned for? Why did Ofqual not have an appeals process ready in case needed. Etc. Good luck with all the appeals stay strong lots to play for still.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/909035/6656-2_-_Executive_summary.pdf

Very useful background as to what they did and why, although as ever leaves some questions unanswered.

e.g.

Is the 15 student cutoff for 'model' vs 'CAG' 15 students per year, or 15 total across 4 years? If the former then a lot of grades will have just used CAGs (we should ask what %) if the latter then your children's results could have been based on what 4 other children did in each of the last 3 years, which is statistically ridiculous.

"put more weight on the CAGs" or "used the CAGs". Which is it?

Collision - my DS is going to Loughborough (luckily didn't A levels last year so has avoided this debacle!)
Has your ds got the golden envelope yet?

Happy house here as 3 x A*

Deferred place at Bristol.

Had a job and now has a second one and will travel as and when parts of the world open.

Been to a nice lunch with champagne flowing.

Haven't read thread - so many posts to catch up on. Will do later

@MillicentMartha

If track hasn’t updated, it means you are borderline and they are still considering you.

They've had the results since Friday though, what takes so long? I feel so bad for my DD's friend. It took her ages to even get onto track but then to see nothing is shocking. The uni are not answering and she's being given the runaround by everyone she contacts. I wouldn't mind but this is the girl who was predicted A for chemistry A-level but has been downgraded to C because of the rubbish college they attend - she got a 9 at gcse chemistry from a failing school fgs .

My Dd can't celebrate her Warwick offer with her friend going through this

Dd is now really stressing about accommodation. To the point that she actually called another university clearing to see if they had places on their course - unfortunately they were now full - as she is so worried. She's also been looking at foundation years at other places too.

The university is a campus and its site is now saying they can't guarantee accommodation to all those applying through clearing - it was DD's insurance offer so accommodation not applied for - and there are only a small number of rooms available. She's had a really tough year and we really wanted her in halls. The nearest town doesn't have any of their hall style flats left either, just small old type houses.

Just wish the email would arrive to be able to at least apply and see what came back!

@pasanda

Golden envelope?

What’s he studying?

So proud, DD has got into first choice Cardiff University.

A B C, was a reduced offer of BBB.

Is appealing the B. Got A in mock and CAG was A.

But she's over the moon, and has battled long term mental health.

It wasn't looking at all viable 2 yrs ago.

The harsh slashing of CAGs by the exam boards is everywhere it seems. DS goes to a well known central London independent with a strong track record. He and many of his cohort have been marked down from the school's CAGs. Head is clearly frustrated and sent the CAGs out to all pupils this morning. DS was marked down in two of his subjects so has lost his first choice. He was doing pre Us and the mark downs were each two grades below the CAG. His insurance (Lancaster) had made him an unconditional offer so he has a great place to take up but he's been upset and muttering about being "shafted". It's taken all the sweetness out of what should have felt like a very positive day. We hear similar from others.

So bloody proud of DD 2x A(star) 1x A and 1xB - she's off to her first choice, The University of Sheffield to study law.

The school are appealing the entire cohorts biology grades - all were marked down, so let's see what happens next.

We are so relieved, but equally angry and sad for those who've missed placed. This has been (and continues to be) an absolute shit show.

Collision - ds got one last year on results day to say congratulations and another one today, saying what a tough year it had been etc (even though he did them last year!). So I presume it's the same for all of them.
Just a golden envelope with a golden ticket in saying what to do next, welcome to the Loughborough family etc.
Cute really!

Another one with a gutted dd. Predicted & needed AAB, awarded ABC. Has been accepted by insurance but wants firm of Exeter. They are holding her place open if she appeals & gets her grades up. How can a GCSE Physics 9 end up being a C?

DD predicted A*AA
Realistic result would have been AAB
Got BBC
Missed firm choice, accepted by insurance but her heart isn't in it.
School won't release CAGS until they've had further guidance next week.
Mocks were due end of March so didn't happen.
Hoping for appeal but without mocks school not sure if they can.
Most of her friends in similar situation - big comp, recently marked unsatisfactory.
Total clusterfuck

Sorry to all those who have been marked down. My theory is that the model was weighted to ensure no bias to ordinary state schools so they had to use very little of a school's "value added". This means that elite private schools and sixth form centres, which often have larger value added, are the ones who are suffering most from the algorithm. If I am right, the heads of the elite private schools should be about to make a lot of noise..

The flaw there Clara is that the elite schools will generally have classes less than 15 - and therefore teacher grades are used. There had been a 4.7 rise
In A* in independent schools

Forgot to add this

Purple. Thats true, Independant schools have gone up the most! (although as with all averages, there are plenty of exceptions) Just to be clear though, its isn't Class Size of 15 thats the cut off, but subject cohort size in year. So an independent school withe 3 classes of 12 each in 1 subject would still be 'modelled' rather than CAGs used. I suspect that the main reason independant schools have fared best is that many (not all) ARE smaller and they do a wider range of more niche A Levels.

I’m a bit sceptical about smaller class sizes not being marked down. We had a very small cohort due mainly to having been in special measures around the time they started in Y7. So most 6th form classes were literally 6-10 pupils. We still got marked down by around 30% overall. And we had been very rigorous about being realistic & not inflating the predictions.

Decor, is 6-10 class size or total subject entry (see above)? Its also not clear from the Govt doc whether 15 threshold is for one year, or in total across 3/4 years.

3 x A star and an A so DS1 has made his Oxford offer. School results in line with previous years, they should have hot more as were a strong cohort but broadly OK from what I can make out.

Oh the relief. Waiting for the proud grandparents to arrive for cake and champagne.

Really sorry to hear of disappointing news for others. I'm hearing of good options in clearing from friends so hopeful for everyone.

@sandybayley what a totally incentive post following on from @HesMyLobster post.

@HesMyLobster that sounds very similar to my dd’s situation. She’s happy with her insurance, it was down to a coin toss which one she firmed originally but we’re still just shocked by the results. They make no sense at all.