New GCSE'S

[fayeso]

Hi
My eldest is 13 this academic year, therefore due to sit GCSE's in 2017. Am I correct in thinking that her English and maths will be the new exams.....graded from 1-9, and her other subjects will be the old style GCSE...graded a-g?
Feeling slightly annoyed if this the case (which I think it is!!)
Can anyone confirm?

the current year 8s will be the first ones to sit the new exams in maths, english language and english literature

dd is year 8 and is among that tranche although her school does igcses in many subjects including English and Maths so may not affect her.

What has made you annoyed?

I think the grading system should be done in percentage. Eg : the student's grade would look like 76% etc.... So it basically means that the student passed or knows 76% of the material tested.
Neither the new 1-9 grading nor the letters gradings are accurate enough in my own opinion.

Ps: Slightly out of subject, the word GCSEs doesn't take an apostrophe where you used it both times in your post.

Not really annoyed just would prefer it if all exams she takes were to be marked on the same grading system. Would prefer her to take either all old style or all new style.....rather than a mix. It won't make a difference in the long run I know!!!!

the HT on BBC breakfast this morning was very good at putting across several points...

1. the miss match of grades - how are employers going to know what is what with some students having GCSE grades the year before but 1-9 the year after, some doing IGCSEs so although same age will have A*-G

1. the difference between the 3 subjects and all the others

1. the speed - i.e. the specs will not be published until quite close to starting, text books etc

1. the quality and subjective nature of the marking

I think there will be enough information in the public arena to allow employers to work out what A*-G and 1-9 mean!

I do have grave reservations about eliminating tiers in examinations, however.

not what they mean but the amount of different grades/qualifications etc that there will be. For example English students will have 1-9 in the new qualification, A-G in GCSEs, A-G in IGCSEs; the Welsh and Northern Irish students will have all GCSEs and then there is the Scottish Standard Grades

I feel for you.

I have 2 DDs currently one in yr7 one in yr9, so the change is going to be the year between them.
I'm concerned for dd2 doing the 'new' exams obviously, but also for dd1 being the last cohort to do the 'old' exams.
Are they likely to be de-valued?

I have images of teachers spending dd1's GCSE year trying to get them out the way as quickly as possible so that they can focus on the shiny new stuff

tinkering for tinkering sake

am so so glad that both mine will be safely at uni before that wave crashes

"For example English students will have 1-9 in the new qualification, A-G in GCSEs, A-G in IGCSEs; the Welsh and Northern Irish students will have all GCSEs and then there is the Scottish Standard Grades"

So what? O Levels were graded 1-something and A-F at various times in their history, and I believe at some points were graded differently by different boards. CSEs were graded 1-6(?), so plenty of people in the 1960s through until the early 1990s had a mix of A-F O Levels (which had by then been standardised on letters) and 1-6 CSEs. (I took part in the 16+ pilot which became the GCSE about ten years later, so I have O Level As and CSE 1s in the same subjects: my head has so far managed to avoid exploding). University applications sometimes want UMS scores (%age, usually) alongside AS grades (A-whatever). ASes are graded A-whatever but A2s are graded A*-whatever. BTEC qualifications are graded with things like DD and DM, and often sit alongside either A Levels or GCSEs. Degrees are usually graded 1, 2(i), 2(ii), 3, but degrees from other countries, or masters', will be different.

I think "the general public will be confused" is disingenuous. It's like whenever the coinage is changed, people say "but pound coins/new tenners/whatever will confuse the old folk" when what they mean is "I don't like change". Employers are not stupid, and rather patronisingly saying "people won't be able to figure out two different scales" ignores the fact that there never has been some golden age in which all qualifications were measured on the same scale. There are big books of equivalences which, if you need to check a qualification's relationship to others, will give you a good shot.

I think the issue is more about how little time teachers' will have to get to grips with the new curriculum. Plus if there are new texts for English Literature will more money be available to buy them?

and how many other changes the idiot Gove will bring in between now and then
and whether he'll let those exams settle or start messing about even more

my eldest is year 8 as well.
I didn't grow up in the UK and for once I'm not the only one who hasn't a clue!

DD2 is in Y8 so gets to be the Guinea Pig for this.

Hopefully she'll be OK as she wants to teach, therefore she isn't necessarily chasing A*s or on the C/D boundary, whatever those translate to in the new system.

I think it will be these groups who suffer worse as the exams fight to look credible and tough.

Waves at friday16 I too have O level grade A/ CSE grade 1 certificates from 16+ trial exams. The syllabus for the geography one of those was insanely big, so I'm not sure about new exams.

However, as a parent, I won't miss CA etc as no one ever seems to know exactly when they are or what's going on.

DD ended up doing CAs for English Science GCSE papers and two concerts all at once.

Everything at the end of Y11 would be so much simpler.

And for my dyslexic DD2 better, although she say's she likes the spreading out of English. She has grown up so much, I'm certain she'll do better next spring than she did in CAs over 12 months ago (since they are Cs, she won't get to resit and she needs a B for 6th form. Losing S&L has not helped Fucking Gove)

since they are Cs, she won't get to resit

Why not?

Oh, Starball, that's so true about S&L.

DD2 is dyslexic and is in year 8, and her teacher last year was amazed at the difference between her spoken ability and her written ability. (Although this particular teacher did tell her off for misspelling "dyslexic", which is now a bit of a family joke.)

DD1 has just started year 10, and they did one of their S&L assessments at the end of year 9. She put in so much effort, and got a really good score, and now it won't be used. (I know it isn't really "wasted" as she learnt useful things in doing it, but it does seem unfair to be told it would count towards their GCSEs, and now it won't.)

HesMyLobster FWIW, I was the last year taking the old O'Levels and never had any problems with my results be 'devalued' - I took A'Levels late and there was never any confusion or issues when applying because I had the old qualifications.

We're pretty lucky - DS2 is Yr9 so takes the old style and DD's only Yr 5 so hopefully it'll all have all the kinks worked out by the time she takes them.

This isn't a new thing though. When DS1 had his options meetings two years ago, his HT told us that it was probable that there would be a switch back to exam only courses.

OP

spellings x 3 please
GCSEs

no '

Ilovegeorge. Totally agree.

Quite pleased DS1 is in year 9.

I doubt William Hill will make book on GCSE set texts for 2020, post-Gove, post next government.

If they did, I'd have a flutter on The Crucible still being there.

My understanding is that it will be a 9-1 scale rather than a 1-9 scale. Just to add to the confusion, because every other system that has been listed as examples of numerical grading start with 1 being highest.

My assumption that this is to try to make it sound new and whizzy give an easier way to work out a grade point total for value added or sixth form entry requirements.

Universities have a big chart saying what is equivalent to what, don't they? Seeing as there's a huge array of international qualifications to deal with too, I don't think this will tip anyone over the edge, from the employer/further study perspective.

Another guinea-pig-mum here - DD is in Y10 doing old style, with the dreaded CA's and DS is in Y8 and will be doing the new ones.

cricketballs what's the story about the iGCSE's - are they not included in the changes?