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

I don't think it's about the moderation (or lack of)? - after all Mocks are not moderated

Most likely to be to do with Valid mock /NEA higher than the CAG cannot be used as CAG will trump the mock - this undermines triple lock

Actually cancel my last. I don't know why I made the assumption that coursework had been looked at and moderated for Btec students. Their work and predicted grades will have been ignored by the algorithm just as it was for A level and grades issued on rank order alone. It's early!

@LimitIsUp

I don't think it's about the moderation (or lack of)? - after all Mocks are not moderated

Most likely to be to do with Valid mock /NEA higher than the CAG cannot be used as CAG will trump the mock - this undermines triple lock

Yes I think you are right although technically I think they could argue it doesn't as CAG isn't part of the triple lock. It's the higher of awarded grade, mock or resit. The press are inaccurately reporting this today for some reason. I hope they are rethinking and the inaccurate reporting is actually what is going to happen!

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/14/do-the-maths-why-englands-a-level-grading-system-is-unfair
This is a clear explanation of the algorithm process for anyone interested.

Hmm, new thread needed very soon.

How about, ‘Where do we go from here? Is it down to the lake I fear?’

Millicent

Dd would have affected by the coursework issue too in both computer science and drama

Her CS coursework wasn't finished as it wasn't due in until after Easter. She was working on it during lockdown but once the exams issue was announced school said they wouldn't be able to respond any further to coursework etc. So that remain incomplete as school wouldn't accept more, so I assume not counted.

Her drama which was worth even more was incomplete too. She'd done one assessed performance in year 12 but the award was unknown to students. Her portfolio was already at a high grade but unconfirmed as not completed and not moderated. Again she was working on it still as due in after Easter. And the final performance was due to be done the week after lockdown occurred, so it was all prepared and rehearsed but they were prevented from performing it for their assessment. So again wouldn't have been counted.

Her mocks in January didn't take either of these subjects coursework into account. The grades for mocks were entirely based on a written paper done on the first day back after Christmas. Neither paper was a full official paper. Due to clashes down did the papers in different days with no way of preventing the kids from talking to one another about them.

DD's other a levels mock was a 'messed up on the day' type one but knowing Dd she always performs much better on the real thing if her GCSEs were anything to go by. So even though it was her lower grade and she'd likely have done better in May - it's annoying but could be classed as one of those things.

The CS and drama though, esp drama, just feel more unfair when we know the NEA or coursework is definitely the part she would have done best by far on and none of it was to count. And that feels so wrong and unfair.

To be fair to Dd now she just wants to move on and forget it. We'd had a dreadful year already and this was the final straw (well actually the cancelled trip for her and her mates to France which happened that evening probably was but ...) but at least she had an unconditional insurance after her first choice was lost. After the long list of horrible events for Dd this year she's the one out of our family is wanting to forget it all and move forward. Me, Dh and our families just still feel so cross for her and her friends, and for their teachers too.

We do have the issue of trying to secure half decent accommodation now as we know it's now very limited in uni owned ones. But couldn't apply for that type before as it was her insurance.

MillicentMartha

I ya ya ya ya ya!!!

Yes, Aragog bad enough for CS, but worse for those subjects where the NEA was more significant, as Divoc stated earlier.

Another problem I’ve seen is where schools have closely followed the guidance and only awarded as many eg A as they believed the algorithm would allow, looking at their school’s past data, therefore downgrading some potential A students to A on the CAG, while they got A* on mocks etc. So unless the triple lock debacle is sorted out, they can’t appeal. That may well be why Ofqual have taken the guidance down because restricting mock appeals to a maximum of the CAG goes against the triple lock promise. This could easily have happened at any grade.

@thesunwillout

MillicentMartha

I ya ya ya ya ya!!!

I thought it might appeal to ladies of a certain age!

@ShaunaTheSheep love your thread title suggestion! 😂

I was sort of hoping the next thread would go on into actually starting uni, and might slow down a bit, so the CAGs title might not be so relevant. Only 5 weeks or there about until drop offs to wherever.

😄 indeed a certain age.

He became very fit with age

@MillicentMartha

I was sort of hoping the next thread would go on into actually starting uni, and might slow down a bit, so the CAGs title might not be so relevant. Only 5 weeks or there about until drop offs to wherever.

I was reading the admissions info on DD’s university place last night-due to covid rules, only one parent/person will be able to go into the student’s room to help them unpack and set up. Made me feel quite weepy.

Amazing really as the schools will all be back 1000s to a building by then!

OK, new thread because I’m going out and it’ll be finished before I come back!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3996883-University-2020-8-Use-the-CAGs-don-t-use-the-CAGs?watched=1

@Letseatgrandma
Same rule for DDs halls moving in and we only have a one hour slot to get her in.

DS lost all his uni places; despite having high grades and the right points needed for his course, he was awarded one A level on the basis of the schools CAG in one subject for which their evidence is so so questionable. He was not helped I think by Scottish grades being issued first and top uni places filling near there which may be a linked issue. While I realise this is the minority, it's the school who have made the error in our case, for which there is no real appeal, and they are desperately trying to cover it up. A long letter listing all the reasons why their CAG is wrong (two grades below their prediction, for which no alert has ever been given that he was going to miss it) and an internal mock that was internally developed and was much harder than the real papers and then had the boards grade boundaries applied. Each department made up their own way of awarding grades apparently. It's so sad that such chaos is the end of an otherwise excellent school career with top GCSE grades beforehand. So it looks like he's at home another year and has to go through it all again. 🙁

@marly11 really sorry to hear this. Might be worth reposting on the new thread that Millicent has linked to two posts above. Ohers there may have wisdom

If the algorithm shows that a grade U needs to be awarded then it will be awarded to the lowest ranking student. It doesn't matter if they were predicated an A. If they are at the bottom of the rankings then they are awarded the U if the system says so.

Also - I read an explanation of the algorithm which said that if it works out that 0.9 students should receive an A star, nobody will get one, the top grade will be an A. But if it says that 0.1 students should receive a U, someone will have to be given one. There's a sort of bias downwards in the application of the algorithm. If your A star - E percentage is less than 100%, even if it's 99.9%, someone will have to get a U.

Oh just realised that @Gymntonic has already posted the very article I read 🤦‍♀️

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