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

Whilst deferring to your superior legal skills, I am not sure that is what the guidance says. A higher valid mock result can be used as grounds for appeal
against an algorithm grade

Can I ask your opinion on the new ofqual guidelines? DD did a mock paper and got an A. They then did a mock paper 3 and were told that they would score badly because they hadn't covered the content yet or the exam technique. The teacher wanted to do it she said because her last year's class hadn't sat one before the exam and she regretted it. Now the question is, can the school put forward the paper 1 to support their CAG of an A (downgraded to a B) or would they have to submit both?

@ClarasZoo - perhaps if students have a higher CAG they can self-declare that they recognised the questions from a previous exam paper and self-invalidate themselves, forcing the school to provide evidence instead for the CAG?

I wonder if there will be a lot of school IT updates this weekend, and mocks data will mysteriously disappear?

@honkytonkheroe

Can I ask your opinion on the new ofqual guidelines? DD did a mock paper and got an A. They then did a mock paper 3 and were told that they would score badly because they hadn't covered the content yet or the exam technique. The teacher wanted to do it she said because her last year's class hadn't sat one before the exam and she regretted it. Now the question is, can the school put forward the paper 1 to support their CAG of an A (downgraded to a B) or would they have to submit both?

What is the point of doing a paper for which the students haven't yey studied the content or technique?

I suspect all or any of these 'partial papers' may fall foul of the requirement:

3. Specification coverage: Substantial coverage of the content normally assessed, for example assessment equivalent to one paper or one non examination assessment task.

Oh ffs. Why are they faffing around with all this ridiculous and confusing nonsense?
Just give them their CAGs. Can't they just admit they got it wrong. Nicola Sturgeon has bigger bollocks than all of our government put together.

Yes, I really don't know why she would do that and the head said with hindsight she wouldn't have done. It does say it can be a single paper though in the section you quoted but what is substantial coverage?

Amen to that Snozzlemaid

So it looks like a lot of students will end up with their CAGs post appeal. Overall, this will significantly inflate grades for this cohort - where does this leave the students about to start year 13, who will be competing against some of these for 2021 uni places?

I suspect there may be special arrangements for 2021 A level students given that they have missed so much formal teaching

ClarasZoo - another lawyer here who has also had wine. In fact, I appear to have had quite a bit of wine since Thursday!

So now welsh students have been given individual right if appeal to get their highest possible grade. Be that CAG or Mock!

qualificationswales.org/english/coronavirus---covid-19/qualifications-wales-statements/statement-on-changes-to-the-appeals-process-for-summer-2020/

No i think Welsh students still can’t get higher than the CAG. But I revert to my original point. You can’t get higher than the CAG. But if you have a valid mock lower than the CAG that is what you will get. But if you don’t have a valid mock then you will get your CAG if your school has evidence you Should be awarded that CAG grade, which presumably is the very evidence they used to give you the CAG. Revert to the bloody CAGS and stop this mad nightmare!!!

Oh, and Snozzlemaid, you are so right. I wasn't a fan of Nicola Sturgeon before Coronavirus hit us, but she has impressed me so much since then.

Meanwhile, the complete and utter shambles that follow Johnson and his crew around is a complete embarrassment.

Thank you to those who have unpicked the criteria ! This is utterly bonkers.
I can’t even imagine the number of appeals that will be requested on Monday & probably the following Monday 😏

I did have a thought earlier with those talking about course work. DS did PE, he has submitted his practical ‘proof’ & was awarded high marks, so much so, his teacher said he’d be gobsmacked if he didn’t get a 9 based on the combination of the practical & standard of his written papers.

Will these practical scores be used? They were marked by external invigilators.

May I ask a question?

If your real A Level subject would have consisted of three papers, but your mock was only one or two papers, would that make it a valid or invalid as a mock for Ofqual's criteria?

@ClarasZoo

No i think Welsh students still can’t get higher than the CAG. But I revert to my original point. You can’t get higher than the CAG. But if you have a valid mock lower than the CAG that is what you will get. But if you don’t have a valid mock then you will get your CAG if your school has evidence you Should be awarded that CAG grade, which presumably is the very evidence they used to give you the CAG. Revert to the bloody CAGS and stop this mad nightmare!!!

Although there may be some schools who will perhaps struggle to find that evidence, like the ones submitting "implausibly high" grades e.g. 30% A/A in a school which has never had an A/A in any of its history?

Presumably this is why they don't just want to revert to CAGs.

And who, exactly, is going to evaluate all this 'evidence' that comes flooding in, I wonder .

@seedybird

May I ask a question?

If your real A Level subject would have consisted of three papers, but your mock was only one or two papers, would that make it a valid or invalid as a mock for Ofqual's criteria?

Seedy - I think that was covered by the clause I quoted earlier:

3. Specification coverage - Substantial coverage of the content normally assessed, for example assessment equivalent to one paper or one non examination assessment task.

Sounds like one paper would be considered 'substantial' enough.

(Source: www.gov.uk/government/news/appeals-based-on-mock-exams?utm_source=646a0823-04e2-4636-8b71-327748790b6c)

@Divoc2020 as I understand it CAGs are evidenced assessment of a pupil's likely performance on a good day, using a range of data. In reality, not everyone has a good day but they're far more than a centre just writing a wish list of grades.

I think the problem is I have not seen a definition of NEA....

The exam boards will need to clarify this....

@ClarasZoo

No i think Welsh students still can’t get higher than the CAG. But I revert to my original point. You can’t get higher than the CAG. But if you have a valid mock lower than the CAG that is what you will get. But if you don’t have a valid mock then you will get your CAG if your school has evidence you Should be awarded that CAG grade, which presumably is the very evidence they used to give you the CAG. Revert to the bloody CAGS and stop this mad nightmare!!!

I can't see where it says they can get their CAG grade if they haven't got a valid mock grade? It says non exam assessment but I thought that meant exam coursework?

I agree that it looks like Wales are saying you can have your Internal Assessment Grade which cannot be higher than the submitted CAG.

ie you can have your CAG!

The NEA is essentially the coursework component of the A level. Not all A levels have a NEA component.

Thanks @Divoc2020 - but I guess it hinges on how "substantial coverage of the content normally assessed.." is interpreted? I'm very sleep-deprived, so please excuse me on this. If mocks were taken in November or December, when there was still 3 or 4 months left of the syllabus to cover, then possibly, that's not going to constitute substantial coverage of what they'd expect to be tested on in June.

Like others on here, DD's school set incredibly hard mocks with harsh marking.

It's a farce - just use the CAG's or we'll all end up in an ever-increasing, deeper mess to disentangle.

It just reminds me of the Matt Lucas parody on Boris' lockdown announcement - "use the CAG's, don't use the CAG's, if you can use the mocks, then use the mocks but not if they're higher than the CAG's" Anyone want to ask Matt Lucas if he'll do one for this sorry situation?

Sorry, my above was on the wrong thread!