Y8 Spanish level in school report (March) is 4.8. How does that compare?

[LittenTree]

You'd've thought I would have got my head around this 4.8, 5.2 etc stuff by the middle of Y8, wouldn't you?!

DS1 is reasonably clever and has turned in a generally good report.

He's been doing Spanish as his only MFL from Y7. His last report (Oct'11) gave him 4.2, so there's progress BUT is 4.8 any good? Is this 'heading towards a GCSE pass' level?

We get an in-school 'expected levels' chart but it says 'These are the expected levels for this school', not nationally. I don't have an issue with this as, tbf, the school in question is, academically, the best performing comp in the county so you would expect their 'expected levels' to be reasonably high. They have put 'upper 4 to lower 6' as the end of Y8 'expected level' in MFL (all subjects are different) so it is a fairly broad sweep.

Like all parents, I am keen to encourage DS to work harder in his more ropey subjects, and obvs. a MFL is important for Eng Bacc and uni, but should I be gently pushing this one?

Secondly, he got 5.8 for Science. Am I right in thinking science is being marked differently as of this year? That the GCSE(s) have been recalibrated? There was a next to last year's Y7 'Expected attainment levels for this school' sheet saying as much, so I guess this 5.8 reflects this.

Finally- his best subject? RE! 6.8 . I just wonder if this partly reflects the fact that on parents eve, as we were near the end and it was thinning out, after talking to DS's RE teacher about DS's progress, I mentioned that I think (genuinely) that it's a travesty that RE isn't an Eng Bacc subject, and the teacher and the unoccupied one next to her leapt up in vehement agreement!

A high level 4 at the middle of year 8 is a good level in MFL especially if it was only started in year 7. A high achiever in a top set with good teaching might be on level 5 already, or someone who had had some actual decent language teaching in KS2.

If he can achieve his level 5 by the end of year 8, he should be able to get a level 6 by the end of year 9. This would definitely put him on track for a C or above at GCSE - more likely a B or above if he continues to work well in the subject. The main thing in helping him to get from level 4 to level 5 is making sure he can use verbs in at least 2 different tenses so perhaps he hasn't quite got the hang of the endings yet, or they haven't yet covered this in his class.

Any changes to Science GCSE won't make any difference to the NC levels as far as I am aware. But a high 5 at this point in year 8 is a good result.

Thanks. That's really useful. Interestingly the Spanish teacher's remark says 'knowledge of verbs and tenses is improving'!

Purely for interest, this was the re Y7 science levels:

"Those of you who were able to attend the Year 7 Science information evening at the start of the year will be aware of the recent changes in Science assessment at KS3. I am writing this letter to coincide with the Year 7 reports so that any concerns that you have with your child?s current Science level are addressed.

The Science level that your child achieved at the end of KS2 was based on their performance in a terminal assessment (SAT), together with a teacher assessment. Indeed, the main assessment at the end of KS3 has been the SAT exam for many years. However, the assessment criteria at KS3 now places a particular emphasis on a pupil?s ability to ?think like a scientist? as well as their ability to apply scientific concepts to explain their observations. This has indeed ?raised the bar? from thinking through a more closed question in an exam to independently making choices in lessons to solve a problem. This shift in emphasis supports the changes at GCSE made several years ago.

We therefore (together with all other schools in Hampshire) expect initial Year 7 Science levels to be lower than, or indeed similar to the level assigned at KS2."

Ah right, you mean they have changed the level descriptions. That is relevant and would make it harder to achieve the higher levels. Although that is not necessarily a bad thing if it means they have to think in a more scientific way.

Oh no, I don't have a problem with it, in fact I'd agree with the thinking, more I was looking for 'an explanation' as to why DS's Science grade appeared to have remained static, or at least, did between 2 reports at the end of Y7, start of Y8 yet there was no comment to indicate he hadn't made progress.

I am keen for DS1 to get the option of triple science if poss. He is capable and my thinking is that, whilst it's possible to leave school with a level 1 NVQ in pot plant protection then go on to attain the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge, it's not probable... so, if DS1 is capable of triple science now rather than doing some 'running to catch up' in uni (if that's where he ends up) because he 'only' did double science at school, I shall apply my gentle pressure! Tbf, he said to me last week he wants to do triple so at least he knows it's to his benefit!

I confess I harboured hopes he'd be offered a second language in Y9 (it'd be French) but that doesn't seem likely, and he tells me he 'hates' Spanish and is 'rubbish' at it...! Oh well, better let him lead his own life, then!

He should be able to do triple. They are supposed to offer it to pupils who achieve level 6 or above by the end of year 9. If your DS is on a high 5 in the middle of year 8, even with the new harder criteria, he is likely to be an A grade GCSE candidate for science and just the right sort of pupil to be doing the triple. If he is in an academic type of school it is likely to be expected of him if he is in top sets for science and he will probably be steered in that direction anyway.

I do tend to overthink this stuff!

I would like to see a list of all the grades all the Y8s (all 270 of them!) got in all their subjects, actually, maybe helpfully presented in bar graph form, please, just to get a 'feel' for where DS1 is among his peers at this quite high attaining school (as mentioned, a comp but in a very 'leafy' area). Whilst obvs I'm joking, there is no doubt I know we'd feel a bit more 'secure' if I didn't need to find helpful people like you on MN to help me decipher how well/badly my DC is doing at school! I know there are expected NC levels but frankly, and here I risk sounding like an absolute academic snob- the ability needed to attain a level 4 in KS2 English SATS, for instance was, imho, alarmingly 'mediocre'. DS2, Y6, is a 'level 4' candidate but I believe his reading standard, for instance, to be that of a 8 1/2 year old, not nearly 11, and I don't mix in terrible erudite circles!