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Original poster

Exam diet 2021.

325 replies

wingingitwithgin · 25/03/2021 17:56

So we were told no National 5s or Highers last term.
My child has been continually assessed and tested week after week. Prelims in school before Christmas and online after Christmas.

Online learning better than 2020 but not great. No live lessons. Lots and lots of new material given but not taught.
Today announced exams to go ahead start of May as planned. Prelims disregarded as some done online so all prelims even school sat ones won't count.
Exam in May will determine grade. If pupil is self isolating /COVID they will use other evidence.

My child is burnt out by the switching of goalposts. Another month doing new material, no study leave then exams like normal (only the poor teachers marking them)

Ok this would seem fair if all schools doing this but their friends at 2 different high schools say they are just continuing with mini class tests like autumn term. Madness the difference in approach.

What are your schools doing?

OP posts:
dancemom · 16/06/2021 21:09

Dd doesn't get results till Monday. However she knows she hasn't failed anything as those who did fail got pulled out and sat the Nat 4 exam so they at least have some kind of grade

aurea · 16/06/2021 22:19

Next Wednesday for us. Good luck everyone!

nomorelockdowns · 16/06/2021 23:13

@dancemom that's hopefully takes the pressure off a wee bit.
Great the school are trying to get kids nat4 as well instead of saying no grade

poochiemaloochie · 18/06/2021 08:00

Good luck to all those with kids receiving their grades today! Fingers crossed for them all and let us know how the news was delivered!!!(so I can prepare myself!)

AdvancedHigher · 18/06/2021 08:13

Thanks Poochie am keeping everything crossed for my DS and his Higher results which he won’t be getting till after lunch. Good luck to everyone else - I shall report back later.

AdvancedHigher · 18/06/2021 14:01

DS just texted me an official letter showing his Higher results - 5 As!!!! Am so chuffed for him but he’s still in class so can’t speak to him!

WeAllHaveWings · 18/06/2021 14:05

Great news @AdvancedHigher 👍

AdvancedHigher · 18/06/2021 20:56

They had a presentation about the appeal process that went on for about 20 mins then they handed out their envelopes. Most opened them there and then but some just put them away to take home and open. My DS said it was unbearable opening his envelope and then such a relief.

aurea · 19/06/2021 11:17

Congrats Advanced Higher. That's fantastic news.

Did the school give the percentage breakdown in the letter or simply the provisional grades?

applesandpears33 · 19/06/2021 11:23

Our school hasn't said anything about when they will give out the

grades. My bet is that they will send them by email at 16.55 on Friday.

WeAllHaveWings · 19/06/2021 12:51

As far as I can see/have heard most east ayrshire schools gave out results yesterday. Ds was told his percentage and grade last week but got a provisional results letter with them yesterday with grades A(1), A(2) etc.

@applesandpears33 not knowing when they will be told when there is only a week to go before the school breaks up must be frustrating!

nomorelockdowns · 19/06/2021 14:32

@AdvancedHigher that's amazing! You will all be celebrating this weekend.

Our school gave them envelopes with list of subjects and grade only. No breakdown of level or percentage.

My daughter did very well so she was ok but said loads of kids upset. I think they should have been emailed or posted. She assured me she wouldn't open till she got home but was put under a lot of pressure to open from peers.

AdvancedHigher · 19/06/2021 15:44

We didn’t get any indication of percentages or bands (which I’d love to know) just the Grades. I asked him if he enquired about the bands but he said that they weren’t allowed to give them out. I didn’t fuss about it because I’m just delighted he’s done so well after a lot of hard work and some hit and miss online learning. He filled a lot of the gaps himself but the school have been great since they went back face to face. I will possibly enquire about the bands by email next week - along with a big thank you to the school for getting through another year of compromised teaching.

Haudyourwheesht · 19/06/2021 16:04

Were your son's papers not returned to him @AdvancedHigher? We showed the kids their marked papers and discussed how they could improve. That meant they were able to add up their scores themselves.

AdvancedHigher · 19/06/2021 17:18

Haudyourwheest No, their final papers weren’t returned and he has no idea how he did other than obviously meeting an agreed threshold for an A grade. The Prelims were discussed with and shown to them but all the exam papers were marked by teachers within the school and then cross-checked by other teachers and also marked by teachers in other schools within the authority (I think they had some sort of system set up with a total of 3 schools where they shared out the marking of each other’s papers in some way but am not entirely sure)

It all sounds very arduous but ultimately fair.

Is this not how it’s been done in all schools? Have some schools just marked their own and given a mark?

I’m in Glasgow BTW.

applesandpears33 · 19/06/2021 17:24

I have no idea how it has been done in our local school. They have not been very forthcoming with any information.

AdvancedHigher · 19/06/2021 17:26

Sorry HaudyourWheesht I think I may have misunderstood you. You said you ‘showed the kids their marked papers and discussed how they could improve’ I don’t quite understand - are you talking about their final ‘exams’? How can you improve on them? They’re the final thing that gets you your Grade - you don’t get another chance to improve on that do you? Sorry if I’ve misunderstood your post (Saturday afternoon after a bit of a ‘celebratory’ Friday night and all that Grin)

aurea · 22/06/2021 18:55

Just heard what's happening in school regarding arrangements for my DS's exam results tomorrow, in case anyone else is still waiting and wondering.

All the kids go and collect an envelope of results last period and can leave the premises. The grades will include bands.

The following afternoon, senior subject staff will be available to field queries and provide module breakdowns to advise suitability of appeals.

WeAllHaveWings · 22/06/2021 19:40

It is going to be a long day for you tomorrow @aurea, hope he gets what he is hoping for 🤞🏼

Haudyourwheesht · 22/06/2021 20:31

@AdvancedHigher

Sorry HaudyourWheesht I think I may have misunderstood you. You said you ‘showed the kids their marked papers and discussed how they could improve’ I don’t quite understand - are you talking about their final ‘exams’? How can you improve on them? They’re the final thing that gets you your Grade - you don’t get another chance to improve on that do you? Sorry if I’ve misunderstood your post (Saturday afternoon after a bit of a ‘celebratory’ Friday night and all that Grin)
Sorry, this is not appearing in my threads I'm on so I've only seen this. The idea is that we give feedback so pupils will know how to improve from N5 - Higher or Higher to Advanced Higher. Or, in some cases for higher resits. They have the chance to see where they've done well and where they've done badly. A bit of a nonsense really but I think it's to make the 'learner conversations' seems less pointless.

Our papers were marked by us but moderated by our partner schools.

applesandpears33 · 23/06/2021 12:04

How do people feel about the exam results? My DS is getting them later today and I am like a cat on a hot tin roof. I have spoken to a friend who has a DC at another school and she thinks her DC has been given an unfairly low mark in one subject. Do other people feel the results are representative?

poochiemaloochie · 23/06/2021 12:25

I'm pacing the floor the envelope is here and she's at school I feel quite sick and just want it over with! She's Nat 5 and we are thinking she has probably failed maths but are keeping everything crossed. Haven't heard much at all from others yet wonder if most schools are doing results today? Best of luck to all your kids they have achieved a lot under such awful stress this year Smile

WeAllHaveWings · 23/06/2021 13:02

@applesandpears33

How do people feel about the exam results? My DS is getting them later today and I am like a cat on a hot tin roof. I have spoken to a friend who has a DC at another school and she thinks her DC has been given an unfairly low mark in one subject. Do other people feel the results are representative?
In our LA we've had the results for over a week now so everyone has had time for them to sink in/talk about it.

They were mostly done from the final assessment marks done in exam conditions, unless there were exceptional circumstance (not sure what they would allow), triple marked and also by teachers at different schools, so they were a "fair" representation of how they performed in that assessment. Anything I have heard from friends with children in exam years or from what ds has said is the grades have been accepted as representative. Obviously with the caveat anyone with higher grades isn't going to be complaining about it!

There has been some, but not much, talk of how the whole year was "unfair" to some and might have negatively impacted learning overall for a pupil who didn't adapt well, but not the actual demonstrated and awarded grade.

Did you friend say why she thought the grade was unfairly low?

WeAllHaveWings · 23/06/2021 13:19

@poochiemaloochie

I'm pacing the floor the envelope is here and she's at school I feel quite sick and just want it over with! She's Nat 5 and we are thinking she has probably failed maths but are keeping everything crossed. Haven't heard much at all from others yet wonder if most schools are doing results today? Best of luck to all your kids they have achieved a lot under such awful stress this year Smile
Have you held it up to the light yet?
poochiemaloochie · 23/06/2021 13:31

Hahahaha YES!!! Of course!!! Every available light in the house including the LEDs!! Damn them for using super thick envelopes!!