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Higher education

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

Original poster

What a shitshow A level marking and university admissions are this year

185 replies

IheartNiles · 17/08/2023 10:52

We’re in England. Loads of students at high performing school have missed their grades. The Oxbridge shoe-in students didn’t get a single A star.

The concessions made to students in 3/4 UK countries is not a level playing field.

International clearing is offering competitive courses at BCC at Russell groups.

it’s a mess.

OP posts:
JanetheObscure · 18/08/2023 15:08

I'm finding the discussions on this and the other A level thread really interesting. I've been looking at the Mumsnet A level threads for years and there do seem to be more posts about DC who didn't get their grades than usual.

But, over the years my three DC respectively: outperformed predictions (quite surprisingly, I have to say), met expectations and dropped a grade in their A levels; the last DC in 2019. There were huge surprises (good and bad) amongst their friends, examples of higher/ squeezed grade boundaries and university acceptances which seemed to be all over the place.

I suppose my point is that (excluding the past two years, which we know were anomalous) A level results were ever thus.

CremeEggThief · 18/08/2023 15:20

So your dc gets 4 A* and you still have the time to come on Mumsnet, moaning and complaining and making it sound like EVERY A Level student this year has been treated unfairly from your thread title???
Unbelievable! 🙄😲

Nevermay · 18/08/2023 16:20

LifeIsShitJustNow · 18/08/2023 10:19

I have to say, I still don’t understand who A levels works.
Coming from another country and looking at boundaries that keep changing from one year to the next (why and under which criteria?), grades that vary depending in results (eg you might need 50% to get a B in one subject and 70% in another subject to get the same B) and the sometimes very tight squeeze at the top leaving few points to differentiate between an A*, A or B. None of that makes sense.

If it’s an exam, treat it’s like an exam at Uni for example.
Set criteria (you need 40% min to pass, a first is over 70% etc…), no variation of boundaries so people always know where they stand and a spread in criteria that actually allows to really differentiate between the top students.
It should be about evaluating the knowledge and understanding of pupils. Not ending up feeling like a game to understand the system and which school will be the best at passing on that information.

Obviously because the difficulty varies.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 18/08/2023 16:33

Obviously because the difficulty varies.

There's no reason why the difficulty should have to vary wildly unless it's set by incompetent organisations. Plus the difficulty is obviously too high when people are routinely awarded A grades for little over half marks. There is so much wrong with the education system in this country, including (but not limited to) the whole process of examining, the marking of exams (which is notoriously inaccurate), the timescale for getting ex results and the process of being accepted onto university courses.

Nevermay · 18/08/2023 16:40

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 18/08/2023 16:33

Obviously because the difficulty varies.

There's no reason why the difficulty should have to vary wildly unless it's set by incompetent organisations. Plus the difficulty is obviously too high when people are routinely awarded A grades for little over half marks. There is so much wrong with the education system in this country, including (but not limited to) the whole process of examining, the marking of exams (which is notoriously inaccurate), the timescale for getting ex results and the process of being accepted onto university courses.

Its hard to assess how difficult students are going to find it until they take the exam though, so the grade boundaries are set after marking

noblegiraffe · 18/08/2023 16:43

There's no reason why the difficulty should have to vary wildly unless it's set by incompetent organisations.

How much exam setting experience do you have?

Alphabetica · 18/08/2023 17:10

Why are there multiple exam boards in England? I was really surprised by this when I moved here from Scotland.

Nevermay · 18/08/2023 17:14

Alphabetica · 18/08/2023 17:10

Why are there multiple exam boards in England? I was really surprised by this when I moved here from Scotland.

Why wouldn't there be? And they are not confined to England, but operate world wide

PrivateSchoolTeacherParent · 18/08/2023 17:15

Alphabetica · 18/08/2023 17:10

Why are there multiple exam boards in England? I was really surprised by this when I moved here from Scotland.

Mainly history. There used to be many, many, more boards but they all merged or were taken over. In theory they provide some competition and teachers can choose which spec is best, but I think the negatives outweigh that. My subject is only offered by one board!

Alphabetica · 19/08/2023 14:13

Nevermay · 18/08/2023 17:14

Why wouldn't there be? And they are not confined to England, but operate world wide

Show quote history

It's just interesting if you come from somewhere with one board. I know everyone who sat Higher English the year I sat it was faced with the same questions as me. I just find it stange that two people can both have an A in A level English from the same year but sat different papers.

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