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Original poster

A in mock exam. E in A level

98 replies

Ceci03 · 18/08/2023 22:18

So we are querying DDs result in drama. The coursework was 60% and she got A*. In the mock exam she got an A. She got a C overall in A Level and it turns out she got an E in the exam. She was brought up to a C by her coursework.

I work in a Uni and come from a family of teachers and I have never heard of a student going from an A to an E ??? She didn't have a panic attack. She answered all the questions that has been confirmed.

Grateful for anyone going through so then g similar... I feel that her teacher needs to explain himself? Was he using a different masking scheme? The CW mark be awarded was confirmed by the external tho so hd Aug know what he is doing. Am so puzzled. I would accept she could drop a grade to a B but to drop to an E? She worked so so hard.

OP posts:
Wowzel · 18/08/2023 22:20

I went from a predicted A in A level maths to an E many years ago.

Scarydinosaurs · 18/08/2023 22:21

First step get a look at the paper to check no admin error/missing pages. That is free.

Then ask for a review of marking.

Quartz2208 · 18/08/2023 22:22

Did she answer the right questions, there can be quite strict rules where you answer questions from each section and about which questions to answer

TeleTropes · 18/08/2023 22:22

I went from full marks in one maths module at A level to a low D in another. Nobody saw the D coming. It happens.

From other threads it sounds possible to get a copy of the script, so you could try that?

mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 18/08/2023 22:24

I would ask for a review of marking, but it does happen. I got an A in two history papers and an E for the other many years ago. Luckily for me it translated into a B and I got my university place.

Notellinganyone · 18/08/2023 22:26

If I were the school I would be seeking permission from your daughter to call for the script or going for a priority review. It’s most likely to be some kind of mistake with that kind of discrepancy unless she made some kind of colossal rubric infringement. Either way it clearly needs investigation.

Original poster
Ceci03 · 18/08/2023 22:28

Yeh the school sent the script. Seems like she answered all the questions and that kind of thing . The head of A level is very discouraging of applying for a recheck saying it would only ever go up a couple of marks or could go down . It's just the difference from A to E that u can't get my head around. She's never gotten lower than A for the last 2 years

OP posts:
cansu · 18/08/2023 22:29

I am not sure that instantly saying the teacher needs to explain himself is the right approach. Get a review of the marking but it is possible that she did not do as well as she thought.

LadyHester · 18/08/2023 22:32

Can you ask for a more detailed explanation of what went wrong? It sounds as though she got herself in a mess over one or more questions and didn’t hit the points they were looking for, but it would certainly be worth asking the school to spell it out for you.

Runnerinthenight · 18/08/2023 22:41

I think there are always massive discrepancies. My eldest DC ended up with a C in Music, because apparently she got a U in one of her papers!! She re-sat but still didn't get the grade up and I still don't understand it. Didn't matter in the end.

It can go the the other way too. DC2 was (sadly!) predicted a C/D in Music but came out with an A!

GlitteryGreen · 18/08/2023 22:43

In one of my AS Levels, I went from predicted A to a U (!!) in the exam. It was just a misinterpretation of the question, and therefore my answer was completely wrong. I retook.

TomWambsgansSwans · 18/08/2023 22:47

Check to see whether there have been issues with the paper - my BF at school got a D in Geography having been predicted an A, and when it was checked, the entire paper had not been marked, alongside half a dozen others.

Fipfop · 19/08/2023 08:00

Many years ago I was predicted an A but got an e on the exam. School actually paid to get it remarked because they were surprised and it came back as a c.

LadyHester · 19/08/2023 08:18

As a former senior teacher and examiner , I would say always always check it out. There could be a straightforward explanation, or there could be a massive balls-up by the exam board.

cathyandclare · 19/08/2023 08:44

This happened in both my DD's drama A level classes, at different schools. I think the marking is unreliable and inconsistent in drama. We didn't ask for a remark because they both scraped an A because of coursework and practical ( they got C/D in the exam - which they've never done before) but some people gained 20-30 marks on remarking- it's madness!

Original poster
Ceci03 · 19/08/2023 09:09

I feel like we will ask for a recheck. DD says she feels like she's been living in a dream world the last 2 years thinking she is an A student but is really a dunce - her word the same thing happened in her English. She's never gotten less than an A she even got As in primary and all thru secondary and for the last 2 years. She got A* in coursework but got C on paper 1 and E on paper 2. Have asked for the scripts but they haven't sent them yet. She doesn't even want to go to uni . Says she thought she was a good student but obvs was wrong and she is really an E student. The fact it happened in 2 subjiexts does make me question the school. How could they have gotten it so wrong not just once but twice?

OP posts:
gogomoto · 19/08/2023 09:12

My dd got an a* in her mock in French and an e in the exam. It does happen. Typically they have misunderstood the question or simply didn't write adequately enough, sometimes the school hasn't taught the syllabus correctly. Schools also can be optimistic in marking mocks, but this sounds too dramatic for this. In my DD's cast she just went blank and broke down (she has asd)

OVienna · 19/08/2023 09:13

Get a remark.

Candleabra · 19/08/2023 09:18

My DD went from an A star to a C in biology. She has no idea why as she thought the papers went ok.
I can only assume the school marking over two years was misaligned with examination marking and so she thought she was answering the questions properly but she wasn’t. They also only finished the syllabus the week before the exams. I was testing her on content so her understanding of the topics seemed fine but maybe exam technique was completely wrong.

LadyHester · 19/08/2023 09:23

It absolutely does happen, but your DD deserves to know whether the screw up is hers, the school’s, or the exam board’s. Exam technique is key, as is application of the mark scheme. I will never forget one A* student of mine who was marked down to an E on one paper because of a very rigid application of the mark scheme. We got it changed, but only after a big fight.

Dotcheck · 19/08/2023 09:47

Seriously, get a remark. You may also be able to apply for priority marking

Trusttheprocess1 · 19/08/2023 09:58

This depends a lot on the exam board
and the breakdown of marks. Did the moderator agree with the CW grades; practical and written? Was the final performance externally marked? Was there CW attached to this as well and was this externally marked? In most Drama A level final written exams, students are writing about 3 different plays plus historical context and live theatre- there’s a lot to go wrong! It’s very unusual to do that well in a written mock and then drop in the final exam, but if for example, a student failed to use quotation effectively, didn’t reference the historical context and also didn’t use examples of live theatre, they would automatically be in a far lower band. The grade boundaries will have been different as well, so it may be that the mock mark was generous.
It is such a horrible situation and I hope it’s just a clerical error or poor marking. This article sets out the process for different exam boards;
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/how-to-apply-for-re-marks-and-appeal-a-level-results/

How to apply for re-marks and appeal A-level results

The Schools Week guide to dealing with unexpected A-level results, and how much it's going to cost.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/how-to-apply-for-re-marks-and-appeal-a-level-results/

Wouldyouguess · 19/08/2023 11:05

This year has been a sh!t show with the marks I gotta say, across board I think many of our students got lower (and a LOT lower) than we expected, A*/A students getting Cs and Ds, not even Bs.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 19/08/2023 11:14

Has the coursework been knocked down at all? In quite a few cases I've heard of this year, the coursework has been moderated down (in some cases for the first time ever, although really there's only 2/3 prior years to go on). If that's the case, then that will also impact her overall results.

I think you need to wait for the scripts and see what the school think then. Occasionally mistakes do get made.

Callmemummynotmaaa · 19/08/2023 11:15

OP is it possible with anxiety she misread questions? I’ve some experience marking papers (at uni level) and it’s not that unusual that occasionally we get a great answer - but it’s not applicable to the question that was asked, and hence can’t be marked on the marking scheme.