How were your DC's year 12 mocks?

[lifeturnsonadime]

What grades did they get and what will their predicted A Levels be? Do those match their planned universities?

There's a lot to be said for taking A/S levels in the lower 6th.

Being formal exams, kids are more likely to take them more seriously than end of year exams, and schools can use the gradings and scores to derive predictions.

People doing the predicting have seen students move through the full 6th Form. They know likely trajectories and amounts of improvement that are possible. They also know if they have set full A Level standard papers or marked to full A Level standard and used full A Level grade boundaries or not.

It’s not a perfect science. Far more students achieve less than predicted than more than predicted. Many feel their predictions are a bit mean and many are convinced that next year they will work much harder/make huge progress etc etc. More often, the predicted grades were a little too generous. But few people think this applies to them at this stage of Yr12.

Regarding University, if you had 2 students with similar A level predictions and one offer (assuming no mitigation or contextual info) but one demonstrated GCSEs all 9s and the other was patchy GCSEs who is more likely to get the offer?

I don't know that this is as easy as picking the one who got all 9s. I'm not sure getting a 9 rather than a 6 in physics (for example) is an indicator of anything if the student is applying for a humanities degree. And arguably a student who had a patchy GCSE profile but picked themselves up and really improved through A levels is actually a stronger candidate (or at least as strong) as the steady worker. My DD is hoping to turn a lower GCSE grade in one subject into an A Level A*. I think that's impressive (if she pulls it off!)

Yes, AS grades did provide concrete evidence. However, AS grades in recent times didn’t count towards A Levels and many people didn’t push themselves very hard for those either. And when they did count towards the overall A Level, re-sits were possible meaning again many didn’t work very hard in yr12.

I suppose many want one more chance, one more chance to prove themselves. Well, in terms of actual grades they get that until the final grade itself. But applications have to work to a deadline and unis have to work to deadlines and schools and colleges have to draw the line somewhere as a cut-off for evidencing and supporting predicted grades.

Lots of colleges and schools do a session where an older student ir one one who’s just gone to uni comes in and talks to the new Yr12 d about things they wish they knew when starting out. They often mention that they woukd emphasise how every piece of work counts and that predicted grades come round pretty quick, along with wishing they’d got going on wider reading sooner. Sometimes teens will listen to another teen more than they will be teachers or parents, who seem like old nags.

I'm not sure getting a 9 rather than a 6 in physics (for example) is an indicator of anything if the student is applying for a humanities degree

I think for the ultra competitive applications all 9s at GCSE (plus all Astars) might help to downselect. What I find crazy is the amount of top grades which must make applications/offers decisions difficult. In my day B/Cs were good or that's what I tell myself 😉

BBC, hoping for AAB eventually, school not overly concerned, clearly a different world to mumsnet. People really tutor in the sixth form ?

DS didn’t do very well in his mocks but got quite generous predictions based on GCSE grades, aptitude tests and class work. I am hoping that he turned things around this year - we will see in August. It would be so much better to apply based on achieved grades. It is so dependent on the school what your predictions are and where you can apply and stand a chance of an offer. I have seen some people on here say that their school never predicts A stars so some courses will be unobtainable for all their students.

No point in the school over predicting or the students just won’t make their offers. But so many sixth formers only really knuckle down to work at the end of year 13 so basing predictions only in year 12 mock results will be under predicting for lots of people.

DS’S school gave predicted grades on Friday, largely from yr 12 exams pre half term, with some reflection on performance so far; no oppportunity at all to appeal them or to retake! Draft PSs have to be in on tuesday. I am aware of other schools who follow the same - DS is ok, by chance, but really does seem wrong to set to early and not have a transparent way of appealing/taking a test paper in sept or something. Also to have PS largely done four days post predicted grades given - again seems to not allow much time for discussions if things are not as expected. DS’S school will be optimistic but not generous and is v sparing with A*s in STEM subjects which is making the medics (amongst others) v nervous

This is very helpful and, the more I read about it, once you start Y12 you really have to hit the ground running. I'm sure they'll tell them the importance of working hard and the time scales once they start in Y12, but they certainly haven't 'warned' the Y11s. Perhaps it would be helpful if the way uni applications are done with predictions (and timelines, i.e. mostly based on Y12 stuff), would be better shared at some point in Y11, or even before?

This is very helpful and, the more I read about it, once you start Y12 you really have to hit the ground running. I'm sure they'll tell them the importance of working hard and the time scales once they start in Y12, but they certainly haven't 'warned' the Y11s. Perhaps it would be helpful if the way uni applications are done with predictions (and timelines, i.e. mostly based on Y12 stuff), would be better shared at some point in Y11, or even before?

I think Year 11s are mostly worried about GCSEs and probably not receptive to information about future workloads in Year 12.

It should also be pointed out that you don't have to apply for university in Year 13. My DS chose not to as he didn't want an additional stress in his A Level years and wanted the extra time to evaluate what he wanted to do. He planned to take a gap year and apply the year later with grades in hand. In the event, he'd decided by then that university was not for him, spent a few months working at a local supermarket and then started an apprenticeship.

Dd didn't do mocks in Year 12. She did an AS level in one subject and got a B and she did an end of year exam based on only the content taught so far. I think she was given predicted/target grades of A's.

She did mocks in the January of Year 13 but then covid struck and she was given TAGS of Astar A. Her teacher told her she was borderline A/Astar for the one subject but they scrutinised her most recent essays and decided on the A star.

Nowadays it seems all exams that are not actual GCSEs/A-levels are called mocks. Like all holidays are half term. I just roll with it.

Have to say I do think "mocks" should be kept for the internal exams just before public exams. Otherwise every test you sit at school ever could be called a mock.

Yes I do agree, it's just that's what school call them.

They are not really mocks in the sense I've ever known mocks just end of year exams.

People really tutor in the sixth form ?

Yes some do. My DS doesn't have one now but he did have 2 one of psychology sessions last October when he was panicking that he wasn't ever going to do well as he was getting Ds in homework etc. They weren't on content just on study skills and technique for A Levels from a teacher at the school who we know socially. They did the trick and gave him confidence to continue.

It obviously helped as he got an A* in the year 12 mock.

People really tutor in the sixth form ?

I'm amazed at the number of people on the WIWIKAU boards who discuss tutoring in year 13 - mainly related to DC year 12 results being B/C grade predictions and they want them getting an A*.

I'm unaware of anyone from DS's cohort having had tutoring since AQA (11+) times in primary school

I'm unaware of anyone from DS's cohort having had tutoring since AQA (11+) times in primary school

Probably because it's not something that people talk about particularly.

I know the teacher who gave my DS a couple of confidence boosting sessions when he was thinking of dropping psychology is often fully booked.

DS had tutoring in one subject because his end of Year 12 result was a U.
In retrospect he would have been better giving it up.

But agree that tutoring to get a B/C to an A star does seem to be more of a thing.
Ironically the Astar universities are likely to have less individual teaching that the B/C ones, so you do wonder if they have their priorities right.

Absolutely yes. most kids I know had tutors for at least 1 A level subject and many for all 3 of them.

Also lots of tutoring at secondary. Mine have all had maths tutors. Eldest also had english and science.

A * AA here with another set of prediction exams straight after the holidays. Despite my tutor posts above this child has had no tutoring. I do think they're rather high results, so will be interested in seeing what the next set bring. If they're similar she's a lot smarter than any of us ever thought.

Predicted 4A*s

A A A A in mocks and same predicted. She has not got below a grade A in any test this year yet she's still only got the 2 A* predicted!

Should be 2 A stars and 2 A's

It's not a rule that teachers have to automatically predict a grade above what they're scoring in exams, tests etc