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

Daisy I don't think that's fair on @sandybayley
This is a thread to post results, and why shouldn't good ones be celebrated as well as commiserations for bad results? They posted 40 minutes later so it wasn't as though it was directly afterwards.

These As going to a C. Absolutely shocking. Just not logical.

It’s difficult to know what to post as we want to celebrate our great news while being sensitive to others.....

Don't worry @sandybayley - I'm so happy to hear about your DS having followed his progress for so long!
Just because it hasn't worked out for DD doesn't mean I'm any less pleased for other DC getting what they need and deserve.

@Daisyway with respect this is a very long running set of threads where regular posters have generally been supportive of each other, and also celebrate each others’s DC’s successes as well as commiserate. On a day like today there will be both, and we will continue to look after each other.

Congratulations to @sandybayley’s DS.

I like it that this is a place where we can feel safe to share good news as well as bad. Almost everyone on here is very gracious, even if they've had disappointing news themselves, which is so refreshing.

I'm sure we all feel awful for those who have had huge downgrades today.

It is ok to say ‘all good here delighted with grades’ without quite the detail!

I hope the appeals work and we hear some positive outcomes soon

Well DS was awarded the same grades as his CAG scores, but was still one grade short for his first choice. (AAB vs offer of AAA) so no grounds for appeal (he got a B in the mock too).

I think that had he been able to take the actual exams, he was in with a good chance of an A* in his best subject which would have offset the B - and also would have had a better chance of scraping an A in his 3rd subject (we were already going down the extra tuition route).

He's gutted as he's not keen on his insurance choice. Lots of his cohort were downgraded in rather mystifying ways & missed their offers. (Private school with a good reputation, for those who are interested in these things.)

Lots of countries managed to hold exams, don't know why ours didn't.

Wisteria can he go and visit his insurance? Might all look more interesting in the sunshine

Thanks Newgirls. He couldn't go before because of Covid. It's in Scotland ... a long way from here .. but we have suggested it!

@Daisyway If you had been on this thread over the past 2-4 years, you would know that we have all been supportive in each other’s successes and disappointments over the years.

If you had been on the thread over the past few days, you would know that we all agreed that the whole range of results should be discussed, so that we would get an idea of the overall picture, rather than just our corner of it.

Sandybay has been an incredibly supportive member of this community when things have gone wrong for other people. We have been following her boy for a long time and his results are of interest to lots of us.

@sandybayley huge congratulations and i echo the sentiments of the previous poster- you were not in the wrong and i hope you are able to celebrate your child's success today ( and well done you for getting him through it!)

Lots of countries managed to hold exams, don't know why ours didn't.

While with hindsight, we could say that it might have been possible to organise safe sitting of the exams, that was uncertain back in March as went into lockdown.

But more fundamentally, once schools were partly shutdown and pupils were studying at home, it would have just created more unfairness to expect every student to continue to be taught and be equally prepared between March and June for their exams. I'm sure the social inequality would have been even worse.

Dad3 most had finished their syllabuses by then.

There is inequality and unfairness in education between every school.

I still think it would have been fairer to have held the exams in a socially distanced way.

Many boys, for example, don't really start to work hard until just before the exams.

Good news here anyway my son has been accepted by Bristol onto a very similar course. So whatevs. At least he's still going there. What a stressful day 😪 He is still unhappy with the grades and apparently the school will appeal as Chemistry and maths have been very much marked down. He would have got A* in Chemistry and got a B. Bloody disappointing.

Well done to all those with the grades they wanted. Our poor kids. What a time to live through.

DD's were AAB and they downgraded her to BBB. She thinks at exam she would have got A star AA or A star AB minimum. The school went in v cautiously trying not to get them down but they got knocked down anyway.

downgraded here as well - A* A B to BBB - got 1st choice uni so sort of good news.

The reports say 40% downgraded but in DS's friend circle all were downgraded, lots here and on fb downgraded - feels higher than 40%

@Ant1966 That would have been the total per subject. We can only dream of needing more than one class per subject! Maybe in 10 years time.

And this email extract from dd’s school ( SFC) is why the whole system is a farce .....

And we also know that our overall average of A*-B grades is lower than the 3 year average on which we understood it would be based. Indeed it is 1% lower than we have ever received in any given year. It is difficult to accept that this has come from a valid statistical model or from a process that is a fair reflection of your capabilities

Lots of countries managed to hold exams, don't know why ours didn't.

Hindsight is a great thing.

We had no idea what was going to happen at that point. Numbers could have gotten out of hand. We didn't know hw many students and invigilators, and school staff would have been ill and not available. Invigilators in particular are often older people, and often over 60s who are retired. In March we already had schools with reduced numbers for both pupils and staff.

The children were already missing chunks of time - the syllabus now means that there was probably at least a months worth of material to go through. Many courses still teach right up to the end, with lessons for students going up to May half term, even though exams have started. Coursework elements weren't complete. DD's final drama piece wasn't performed at that time as first the staff member was self isolating, and then 2 out of 5 students were.

If we'd had lots of staff and students off school ill or with symptoms its have become a big problem to sort. Any form of remote learning for the rest of the school would have most likely had to be stopped to cover exams in several rooms as it was.

There was never going to be the right solution and unfortunately what we have ended up with has been pretty much a disaster. But who was to know what would have happened if they'd tried to have exams - I know of a number of students and teachers who would have been ill or self isolating with symptoms over the exam period.

Thanks lovely people. I'm hurt to be described as insensitive
@Daisyway. The regular posters know me well.

If you had invested as long as I have in these threads (back to pre GCSE) you'll know that these are really supportive threads where we share news, good and bad. It's important to list all news to ensure that anyone reading through gets a sense of what is happening across the country.

@HesMyLobster is a regular poster and a valued contributor to many threads. I have nothing but respect for her.

Ds has gone with his insurance, he feels better knowing he secured it as an unconditional via a scholarship exam rather than his clearing offer which felt like 'bums on seats' offer. School are appealing grades.

Congratulations to all those getting into first choices/insurances . So hard for the others , I also find the 40% difficult to believe as do many have fallen down. We won’t get the CAGs until tomorrow I actually wish we weren’t getting them as ds into first choice and it will just feed a fire so to speak.

@UntamedWisteria has your ds looked at clearing? Or if he is keen on Scotland looking at the same university but a different starting subject as so many change honours subject he could probably swop after the first year.

Ah well, sandybayley, you actually got more supportive comments than the negative one or two from new posters. I’m well pleased for your DS and gutted for Lobster.

I hope those disappointed by the shit show today can get something sorted for their DC, whether by appeal or clearing etc. The basic premise of the moderation is correct, IMO, but the way it was applied seems to have given some very unjust results. There should have been some oversight to pick up on some of the excessive downgrading as well as a more robust and efficient appeal system.

I hope everyone gets some sleep tonight, fresh for new battles tomorrow. Hopefully the majority have exciting times ahead.

This was on University of Exeter Facebook page - hoping it might help some (and that other unis might do the same) 🤞

Update Amended Grades (13.08.2020)

We are sorry if you are disappointed with the results you have received this year. We understand that schools and colleges are carefully considering what to do overall and how to advise individually affected students. In light of this, we guarantee to confirm an applicant’s place where amended grades result in the conditions of their original offer being met as long as results are received no later than 7th September.

We will consider amended grades after that, up until 2nd October, if spaces are available.

After 2nd October, where we have no capacity, we will honour a place for deferred entry. If you defer, you will need to apply through UCAS (if the 2020 cycle has closed) and your application must be in time for the relevant deadline (15th October or 15th January).

2021 applicants for Medicine who also applied in 2020 and received an offer will not need to resit UCAT or attend interview. Applicants should send confirmation of regrades to [email protected] as soon as they receive them.