Oxford and Cambridge - do they allow candidates who have re-sat GCSEs

[fimac1]

DD has just heard not - could someone confirm or deny for me please as she is going mad! Her school is making Year 11's sit their English and Maths GCSE's early (in a week) unless they get A*'s they have to resit in June

Thanks

Agree with UnquietDad (a) ring and find out (b) do stop making assumptions that those of us who did go to Oxford only did so with the leg-up of posh schools. I for one am deeply insulted by the insinuation that I went to a posh school.

The GCSEs 'early' fiasco is out of our children's hands. Dd2 and her cohort (now year 11) sat many modules in year 10 and now are EXPECTED to re-take any that were below an 'A. If they took them in year 11 they may not have had this problem. It seems to me that they learn a bite-size chunk of information then take a GSCE module in it. It's hard to get information out of the school as to why they do it (and dd2).

The school are making everyone take their Maths and English GCSE's early on in Year 11, (unlike last year when it was just the top set in Year 11, when they started this early exam scheme) they get their results in about January, if its an A* then they don't have to resit, its nothing to do with not anything to do with not getting a decent mark first time of trying, larrygrylls! the school have put everyone forward for it, if they don't sit it she will get a 'U', but from the helpful comments it looks as if we don't need to worry too much!

Thanks!!!

PS I actually thought LucindaCarlisle was joking when she mentioned which school and contacts you have as to whether or not you would get in?! obviously not -LucindaCarlisle sounds delightful!

UnquietDad, I made no such accusations about admission to Uxbridge.

This is GCSEs? She is going to do the exam that other schools might do in June, then get a mark (not final grade) about March time?

The GCSE is made up of several modules. The examinations that are taken and the coursework that is completed are part of the modules. When the required number of modules are completed (or about to be) the school can request a final grade and certificate.

What the school will do is have most of the science modules done, a lot of the maths modules, and will be wanting to know the likely results from English too. This will help intervention.

This exam is likely to be a module, will not be cashed in until the summer and will not appear on the information that the universities receive. The university will "see" a final grade.

It will not look like your child has "re-sat" a GCSE.

Don't try and ring a university, ring the head of key stage 4 English and ask if they will be certifcating immediately or in the summer. It is the certificate you need to aviod.

Thanks Particle

PS it's not a module it's the full English Lang, English Lit papers, plus two Maths papers (she is in the top set) I think they are certificating ? apparently its to help their results (league table) as she is at a local comp with a 'Satisfactory' Ofsted,

(Despite her school she is scheduled for A or A* in all GCSEs). whereas it may pull up other pupils results I can't see this is any advantage to her and may be a disadvantage at her Uni applications?.....)

Phone/email the head of English/head of Year/Form teacher/head of maths/curriculum deputy head.

Ask them to explain what they are doing and if they are certificating. Explain your concerns and ask them to promise that this will not be a disadvantage to your daughter if she applies for medicine/law/oxbridge/etc in the future.

If you are strong enough in your email then at least that should force them to consider the impact of what they are doing on their students.

If they are not certificating then it's useful because it means your daughter will have less exams in the summer and be able to concentrate on the subjects she has exams in then.

Ask your daughter if she's finished all her coursework yet. If not then she can't get a final grade anyway.

This wouldn't be classed as a resit though. It's a module and it just means that if she gets a B and can do better she won't cash it in and do the exam again in June exam, so if she gets and A* in June that is her result.

A resit would be a low grade in June and redoing the exam in yr 12.

At least that is how I understand it.

OK can see it's not a module. Still applies, I think.

Have already emailed head of maths and english (ccd head of school) with almost exactly you suggested, particle, sorry just read you comments, thanks. Believe they will be certificating - they only don't resit next June, (end of Year 11) if they get A*'s. Not modular, full exams (she has sat modular in Pure Sciences)

Interesting thread.
Can someone confirm: when you say "certificating" is that the same as "cashing in"?
thanks!

Update: spoke to UCAS admissions dept, they didn't know. Apparently would have to speak to each University individually, even Oxford and Cambridge, differ, apparently on admissions criteria. Will phone a selection today and post results

fimac, thanks for starting this thread, it is something I think needs scrutinising - and not just for Oxbridge admissions.

From what I have heard, more & more universities are looking at GCSEs to differentiate as they often have too many applicants with top A level grades.

I too am concerned about the implications of schools getting pupils to sit their GCSEs early if this is the case...

norflondoner when I say "certificate", I mean the same as you might understand by "cashing in".

fimac1, as a head of key stage 4 all of my students have completed all of the exams and coursework for Core science, by the end of year 10. However, I do not certificate until the end of year 11, this means that I can look at the total scores and if a student is below a grade C in core science I can get them to re-sit a paper or re-do their coursework and therefore boost the results overall. They do not get two different certificates.

Find out which exam board your daughter is following and the centre number of the school and phone the exam board. This might be a bit naughty as you aren't a member of staff, but the exam boards understand this stuff the best. Maybe try as a mum and then pretend to be a teacher?

Good luck - you are right in not wanting it to appear your daughter has re-sat. A*s are also extremely difficult to get in English, so what happens if the grades are the same?

hi no apparently according to UCAS and Head of school this does not make any difference whatsoever to her applications for Uni, good job as they are all next week! She has A* and A's in her GCSE modular exams (didn't realise these would be used)

Very reassuring to read about the difference between taking modules and cashing in. I had been worrying about this as dd is in poor health and has missed a lot of school, yet because she is bright and in top set school will expect her to do some GCSEs early.