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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

October A levels anyone?

356 replies

Skerryberry · 13/08/2020 20:44

With so many getting results they were disappointed with, are any DS/DD's choosing to take the October A levels ?

Are they taking all their A levels or just one or two?

How are they planning to motivate themselves with exams only 50 days away? DC has not opened a book since March... eek!

I may need some hand holding!!

OP posts:
kitnkaboodle · 19/10/2020 18:14

Edexcel - Statistics and Mechanics today. DS interested in engineering so enjoys Mechanics, but was worried about Stats as they hadn't quite finished the syllabus in March. He was happy with it today though

Original poster
Skerryberry · 21/10/2020 11:42

Yeh! Exams are over. Now the wait for 17th December.

Hope the last few days of exams went well for everyone.

OP posts:
mushroom3 · 21/10/2020 11:52

I really don't know how the exam boards will set grade boundaries for these exams as the numbers sitting them are so low and also the spread of candidates is likely to be far from typical (from the student room there seem to be a high proportion of candidates who didn't have a CAG as they were home educating or needed a very high grade for medicine or law. There are a few on the D/E level who want to pull up. The average B/C student who would usually make up the largest numbers seem to be under-represented! This suggests you wouldn't expect to see the typical bell curve of results. I wonder if they will look at the spread of the CAGs for those candidates they have these for and be mindful that these candidates are all sitting them as they expected a grade or so higher?

kitnkaboodle · 21/10/2020 11:54

How was Physics this a.m. @Skerryberry? I think it was a different paper to the one my DS sat. He had another wobble last night and one this morning, but got himself in there and came out happy. Thank God they're over. It's no exaggeration to say that this has been an ordeal for the whole family. It might well have been the same ordeal had these exams happened 'normally' in the summer, but I doubt it would have been quite so stressy.
If anyone gets any other relevant news/gossip between now and Dec 17th, suggest we post it on here. I'm happy to post results when they come out - for better or worse - but quite understand that not everyone will feel comfortable doing that. Have a good half term!!

kitnkaboodle · 21/10/2020 11:55

@mushroom3 Have a look at the Ofqual links that we posted a few days ago. It says the grade boundaries ought to be 'generous' and aligned with the summer CAGs for the whole cohort.

Original poster
Skerryberry · 21/10/2020 12:43

DS said physics went well. I am glad he finished on a positive note.

OP posts:
Original poster
Skerryberry · 21/10/2020 20:06

@kitnkaboodle will your DS put a UCAS application in this year? What subject does he want to study?

DS will wait until results day then send his UCAS off.

OP posts:
kitnkaboodle · 22/10/2020 08:55

@Skerryberry Yes, for Engineering. Results days is going to be another rollercoaster, I can see. We have absolutely no idea how he will have done. And then, presumably, unis will be closed for Christmas holidays, so actually we'd only have a couple of weeks (or less!) before the deadline.
What he'll have to do after he's had a little break now is to start looking at a spread of potential unis that have different entrance requirements and plan for a worst case and best case scenario. We may well make a couple of trips in November/early December to visit a few towns that he's unfamiliar with. I think all you can do at this point is look at the various courses and visit the actual towns to get a feel. Tbh, I don't think the actual facilities and accommodation of most modern universities vary all that much.

ClarasZoo · 22/10/2020 19:39

Does anyone know if you find out your actual grade. So for example if I have a child who got a C who is resitting and hopes to get a B. If, in the exam they actually get a D will they ever know that or will the result just come through as a C.

kitnkaboodle · 23/10/2020 08:44

@ClarasZoo As far as I know they will get a new set of grades on Dec 17th - for better or worse. Then, according to Gavin in the summer you 'get to choose' which grade to keep for which subject. But I don't know what that means in practice. Those kids who are doing UCAS applications at the moment had to enter their CAGs on the form, so they are there for all to see. Somewhere amid the Ofqual bumf it says that if you improve your grades in these 'resits' you can request a new certificate with the amended grades - but you have to request it specially and, as far as I know, nobody has had any sort of certificate anyway!

SeasonFinale · 23/10/2020 08:52

Some certificates are arriving at schools from some of the boards. As a school We don't distribute them to ex-pupils or current pupils until they have all arrived.

goldendog · 23/10/2020 10:34

Well done to all the DC who soldiered on through the autumn exams. My DC sat the biology A level and hopes to raise his grade from the CAG by 1 grade at least. The Ofqal paper sounds positive - but how on earth can they issue grades that really reflect the "generosity" of the summer CAG's? The autumn cohort will not be representative of the spectrum of a normal exam year. If the profile is mainly a mixture of super high achievers striving for A* alongside those at the other end of the spectrum (D/E) I can't see how they will go about setting fair grade boundaries.
What's the general feeling about how this will impact upon grade boundaries in reality? Is it realistic to expect a 5-10% drop on the 2019 grade boundaries for example or is it just impossible to predict?

ClarasZoo · 23/10/2020 15:49

[quote kitnkaboodle]@ClarasZoo As far as I know they will get a new set of grades on Dec 17th - for better or worse. Then, according to Gavin in the summer you 'get to choose' which grade to keep for which subject. But I don't know what that means in practice. Those kids who are doing UCAS applications at the moment had to enter their CAGs on the form, so they are there for all to see. Somewhere amid the Ofqual bumf it says that if you improve your grades in these 'resits' you can request a new certificate with the amended grades - but you have to request it specially and, as far as I know, nobody has had any sort of certificate anyway![/quote]
Thank you- very useful info...

Ellmau · 23/10/2020 17:50

I fear a fair number of those sitting will be disappointed in the results, maybe more than they would have been if they had been able to sit at the normal time.

noblecause · 23/10/2020 18:39

I do agree @Ellmau going through exams DD realised how much more prepared she could have been if she wasn't doing this all alone and had had support from school. If the CAGs don't improve she will always have that sense and yes it is very possible there may be much disappointment across this cohort.

mushroom3 · 23/10/2020 23:00

Hi Goldendog, I had the same thoughts. As Unis except for for Oxbridge and medicine have a deadline of 15th January, this leaves enough time to wait for the results in December. It shouldn't make a difference if you apply now or on the 14th January. I am wondering how the 2020 cohort will be treated applying with grades in hand. Usually Universities accept those applying with grades in had with 1-2 grades lower than those published for the course.

AKissAndASmile · 12/12/2020 00:35

Just resurrecting this thread in anticipation of next Thursday. So scared 😬

For the maths bods on the thread, what are your predictions for grade boundaries for A and A in Further Maths? We know that 42% will get A and 30% will get A seeing as they will align them with the CAGs.

Specifically AQA if possible.

Revengeofthepangolins · 12/12/2020 06:12

Good luck to you all

kitnkaboodle · 12/12/2020 23:08

Ah - here you are! I was looking for this old thread. I need someone to hold my hand til Thursday as I am sick with worry for DS' results Sad The more he's thought about it, the more he thinks he hasn't done well. And he's then got a UCAS form to complete by Jan 15th. Lots of stress in this house atm. I'm currently thinking they were a horrible dream - or at least a mistake! We were thinking that there's always the possibility of summer re-sits, but now even that's looking wobbly ...

Ellmau · 13/12/2020 00:29

We know that 42% will get A and 30% will get A seeing as they will align them with the CAGs.*

Really??

Original poster
Skerryberry · 13/12/2020 08:57

www.bstubbs.co.uk/a-lev.htm

This is how generous the CAGs were in August 2020.

OP posts:
AKissAndASmile · 13/12/2020 16:53

@kitnkaboodle yes I feel sick and stressed too. DS keeps telling me not to worry ' my grades are on a computer database somewhere already. Worrying about them won't change them' Confused😂

At least we know the grades can't go down (they can choose the CAGs or the autum series grades (or has the govt U-turned on this?) so why do you think it was a mistake? Why is a summer resit looking wobbly?

kitnkaboodle · 13/12/2020 21:57

@AKissAndASmile I worry that he should have enrolled himself in September at a school or college willing to take him, and registered to take the exams in summer 2021, so a full year to prepare. As it was, he had to prepare himself for the October exams with no help from anyone and it was a huge stress. We have a contingency plan now if his results are iffy on Dec 17th to sign him up with a local private college who do a re-sit course that runs Jan-June . But as Scotland and Wales have now cancelled all June exams, I worry that England will follow suit - maybe before we have had the chance to sign him up with this college over Christmas - then he'd be stuck in limbo with no possibility of improving his grades again. I'm just paranoid about it now - but it's out of our hands, as you say ...

noblecause · 13/12/2020 22:38

Have been thinking of you all too. Have been on edge for the last few weeks as the day approaches. I feel like we have all lost a sense of perspective around how she did and a feeling that she will get close to the grade boundary but just won't make it. It will be so disheartening not to change even one of the grades after all the work that she put in without anybody's help. Just want it all done now. How are you all getting the results? I think DD's school is going to email them - hope they remember.

kitnkaboodle · 13/12/2020 23:23

We have to go and get the grades from the school reception - as 'normal'. There were precisely two students from DS's school who did the October exams, so they may even bump into each other again!