Oxbridge Aspirants 2021 - New Thread (2)

[Baaaahhhhh]

Sorry posted last message on the last thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3757768-Oxbridge-Aspirants-Sep-2021

Here is the new one......

I died for the poor kids who had done the peer-marked mocks. I can imagine that some would have been giving their mates 0% as a joke, or 100% as a kindness, or again a mean 0% to the class swot. Then again even if a teacher was marking, some teachers would be marking hard to give the kids a kick up the backside, and others would have been marking generously, or given open book exams or past papers which half the class would be familiar with.

Exams are externally marked for a reason!

I think this is why they are potentially looking of rolling out nation wide "proper" mocks.

Still it's a concern as to how much of the curriculum they'll have got through by then (whenever they happen).

I'm just fingers crossed that they keep the schools open or at least for years 10 to 13 ie the exam year groups.

I have certainly told my DS to treat every assessment as though it's his last ........ in an uncertain world we can only be sure of the present moment. He had a relaxing half term so should be able to pull his socks up.

yes, me too chopc. None of this cramming at the last minute that some of them like to do! Get the homework done to a high standard, prepare for all the tests carefully, you know - the stuff they should be doing but often don't. I am just as guilty of doing my work last minute, so I have some sympathy...

DD hasn't done any assessments or exams, or actually any homework this term at all!! Because of her subjects, they have been concentrating on coursework.

As noted before, there is now a scramble to find a suitable piece of written work for Oxford. Briefly thought she could use her EPQ equivalent, but too many words...... arrrrggggghhhh...... one essay she thought was OK, has been rejected by tutor. Now trying to find a suitable essay from the summer that wasn't manually marked, and get it re-marked, by tutor, before next week......eeeeeeekkkkkkk.

@Baaaahhhhh, can't she use an extract from her EPQ? I am relatively sure the college DS applied to said he could use an extract from a longer piece of work (though not 100%).

Tenpastseven Thanks for that, I did remember that someone had said that, probably you!, and mentioned it to her. She said no, but then I said phone college admissions and ask....... she is not keen. I am sure lots of students are finding it challenging this year to find a suitable piece of work, she won't be alone.

Goodness! DS just informed me that the local private school has had to send all 6th formers home and cancel Oxbridge admissions tests (they were a test centre) due to a number of positive covid tests.

Bloody hell Tenpasteven that's ominous. Where in the country are you?

Crikey, I have a feeling there is the potential for chaos this year. There must be some very anxious kids and parents.

In a similar vein, the school my DD will be (hopefully) sitting bmat at, was closed today following a bomb scare... all ok and it will be open again tomorrow. This is NI btw, although situations like this are very rare these days.

You just couldn't write the script for this year.

Dc’s School is a test centre for the area. This year they are doing the tests in a off site sports centre.. I presume to avoid students from other schools/ colleges coming to the school

Yorkshire @Baaaahhhhh

Apparently they have been told it won’t disadvantage them. I imagine there’s a mixture of responses.

Tbh I am surprised they are going ahead

Do you mean you are surprised tests are going ahead at all for anyone?

The DC at this particular school won’t be sitting the tests at all now, but they’ve been told by O & C that they won’t be disadvantaged by that.

Sorry if you already understood that, was worried I hadn’t been clear enough.

It must be so disappointing for them as I'm sure a lot of time and effort has been invested.

I wonder how they will decide on who to call for interviews if a significant minority can’t sit the aptitude tests.

Can't help thinking that if some can sit the tests and some can't, then there is the potential for positive discrimination benefitting those who couldn't..

Child P1, although predicted AAA, is a middling candidate when compared to Oxbridge applicants as a whole. He couldn't sit an aptitude test due to Covid.
Oxbridge admission officials have no evidence that Child P is a middling aptitude candidate.

Child P2, predicted the same AAA is an equally middling candidate applying for the same subject, but is able to sit an aptitude test thereby giving Oxbridge admissions officials evidence of their "less than top drawer" ability compared to Oxbridge applicants as a whole.

In an effort not to prejudice Child P1's chances, because allowances need to be made, it wasn't their fault they couldn't sit the aptitude test, there is the risk that they benefit from not having had to demonstrate their actual ability by comparison to their peers (aka "competitors").

So long as someone doesn't say "I know !, We'll write an algorithm to sort the situation out."

I wonder this. If someone sits the test and doesn’t do too well, it seems grossly unfair to eliminate them yet still interview someone else who didn’t sit the test at all.

If they don’t interview everyone who has missed the test then they will claim they were discriminated against, even if the rest of their application is iffy.

Sorry, cross posted there, SATSmadness!

What a nightmare. And Milly, a bomb scare to boot?!

Maybe they will cancel the tests for all? Some subjects no longer do these tests but they seem to manage?

Baaah - DS phoned his college at Cambridge and fwiw, they said they like EPQs as they show evidence of source analysis. Also, they said, don’t worry if it’s not in context as they just want to see how you write mainly.

Yes tenpast - I’m surprised tests are going ahead at all for anyone.
1.For the reasons already mentioned (how can they choose who to interview between similar students who did or did not take the tests) and 2. Because I’m surprised that the centres are happy to go ahead (particularly those in high covid + areas) given that there will be students from different places coming together into an already existing bubble.

I would think this year there will be more weight on the interviews....

@Baaaahhhhh my daughter's seemed quite comfortable with leaving sorting out her written submission to this week ... She had been talking of writing something new towards the end of the week and getting it marked in time. Though on Sunday she said she was checking the guidelines for marking her coursework in the hope that a marked first draft of that would be suitable.

I do not envy admissions tutors their decision making process on who to call for interviews this year, let alone offer making.

(DH interviews for two different medical schools usually, haven't asked him much about it yet but will be complicated I'm sure).

I think money may come into the decision whether or not to use tests - I don't think the exam board will be happy to repay the 10s of thousands who have paid up.

I agree though, the admissions teams certainly will be up against it this year.

@Tenpastseven what a nightmare. This was what I was scared about for DS and the reason I'm keeping him home this week until the test - hadn't reckoned on the whole school being closed though..!

Hope everyone is doing ok. Stressful week. DS is working extremely hard - maybe too hard - for the NSAA on Thursday.