Y10 - how much progress should be made between now and final exam result?

[LynetteScavo]

DS1 tells me the grades he had just been given are probably the grades he will get for his GCSE's. Does this sound right?

He hasn't actually done any formal exams/submitted any work which will count towards his final mark yet (his school seem to hold back until very late, unlike other schools)

Obviously his grammar is better than mine.

We have been given predicted expected grades.
This is the teachers best guess as to what DD will eventually get.
But we are told these grades can change as y10 & y11 progress depending on how DD gets on and whether she continues to work at current rate.
No idea how accurate they are.

We are predicting final results based on current attainment, so what we think they'll get rather than what would happen if they took the exam tomorrow. Could that be what your son has got? We refine this every half term, so can go up or down, largely dependent on effort put in.

I think they are generated by a more accurate crystal ball than Y7-Y9 levels, but it still has a few cracks.

We have been given teacher targets (for end of Y11) and current grade for each subject.

I'm wondering how much room for improvement there is on current grade, or if this is what we should expect at the end of Y11.

Well, the grades my DD is getting in some tests are miles away from her predicted end grade. Especially the ones where you have to learn the technique to answering the questions. So I hope there is lots of room for improvement!

Current grade is the level they are working at currently. There is lots of room for improvement by the end of year 11.

Do you just have current grade and targets? Our reports give current grade, predicted grade (ie what they are likely to get if they continue to put the same level of effort in) and target grades (ie what they are capable of getting if they put more effort in and what they should be aiming for)

We are given current grade and target grade - a predicted grade would be great!

Some of DSs current grades are above the target grade, some are below.....wasn't sure how much I should be panicking about the ones which are below. If, for example he's targeted a B, and his current level is a C, is that OK?

Absolutely OK and actually your report probably shows the confusion that teachers have. At a recent parent evening we had for year 10 it turned out that half the teachers seemed to have given predicted rather than current grades (i.e. what they'd get if they sat the exam TODAY). Obviously at the start of year 10 you'd expect that to be far lower than predicted grades.

The confusion in our school was because we've been asked for both within a 2 week time frame on the same system for year 10/11, but for yr 7,8,9 we've only been asked for one or the other (again though, some current, some predicted).

For my class,I confidently expect most of them to get B or above but my current grades were C/D. Because of a lack of content covered. It was that simple.

No idea how a target grade can be below current grade. Sounds like the target grades were set some time ago and haven't been revised.

Our predicted, target and current grades are all revised with each report and each is broken down, eg BH, BM, BL.

DS has just had a year 10 report and the smallest increase he is predicted from his current to predicted level is one grade - in Eng Lit where he's currently working at a high C, predicted a high B and has a target of a Mid A. Other subjects are predicted over a grade increase. Eg Biology is currently working at a low B and is predicted a high A (target A). Some are predicting a bigger leap, eg Music is currently working at a low C and predicted a mid A; Eng Lang is currently working at a high C and predicted a low A (target mid A).

These are obviously subjects where he doesn't take the exam until the end of year 11. He does DT at the end of year 10 - currently working at BH and predicted AL.

So yes, if your son is currently working at level C in a subject I would expect him to be at least a B by the end of year 11.

Of course predictions are not a very exact science - depends how much effort they put in!

Target grade could be the data identified target based on levels of progress from KS2. We have quite a few EAL pupils who were recent arrivals in KS2 who have official targets of G/F yet are clearly going to achieve A/A*. However this target will be used to assess progress, however ridiculous it seems, so is still recorded.

longingforsomesleep, target grades were set in September.

In the subjects DS is already working above his target, he always has passed his target by Christmas - making me think those teachers always set the target too low. In fact, DS is so good at those subjects, if he did get his target grade, I would be a bit disappointed for him.

strugglinginsilence that makes sense.

I have told DS is he want's a tutor for maths we will get him one, as I am still panicking slightly, but will only organise it if it's what DS wants - I don't see any point in paying someone to try their best with DS while DS just sits there to please me. (Been there, done that!)