Grade Boundaries, SPaG mark losses, dyslexia

[kitchendiner]

Just wondering what chances a student with dyslexia has of getting A* or As when you take off 5% SPaG marks for RE, Geog, History and 12% English. Is there still a chance of getting the top grades?

I was looking at the grade boundaries for English out of a max of 300: 270 = A, 240 = A, 210 = B, 180 = C. Losing 12% (36 points) would give you a max score of 264 which would be an A. But realistically, are there any candidates that get the max score or come close to it? What percentage of A, A students would be left with A*s and As if they were to lose 12%.

It'll be 20% for English in the new GCSEs so even less chance.

Speaking and listening isn't included in the overall GCSE now as its given as a separate mark (unfortunately). Do the iGCSEs still have it included?

I think DS will be doing AQA whereas previous years did OCR. Very encouraging to see that a high grade is indeed possible. DS will definitely get no marks for spelling but will do very well in comprehension and analysis (and S&L if he gets a chance).

I believe (from this forum) that the IGCSE has kept the S&L.

Good luck to your DD tomorrow Reincarnated!

Shooting - you are wrong on this.

Speed is taken into account: candidates whose reading speed, or writing speed or processing speed is in the below average range may be awarded extra time.

Your school SENCo should be able to arrange testing, and applications for extra time in the summer have to be in before 21 March. Schools should not accept reports from privately commissioned Ed Psychs unless the school has commissioned the report and supplied evidence of the candidate's difficulty.

camptown No. We were working with the school's Special Needs Coordinator. She had had extra time at her previous school, she moved for A levels. The Special Needs Co-ordinator realised there was a problem when she came to input DDs scores from the Ed Psych assessment that was done for GCSE into the Exam Boards computer system ahead of her AS exams and it came back with a message that her Working Memory and Processing Scores, which were at the bottom of average, did not qualify her for extra time. Her writing speed is at the tenth percentile, there has never been any question that that score isn't in the lowest possible range.

We bought forward the assessment she needs for university, and the test that they use for that scored her working memory as below average and processing right down with her writing speed, so she did get extra time. However the teacher assessor, expressed anger that now the regulations do focus on absolute scores for working memory and processing. That, as was expressed by the various associations representing independent schools and those with Dyslexia, to OFQUAL at the meeting I posted a link about, discriminates against bright dyslexics whilst tipping the playing field in favour of the less bright. Since ability is not taken into account those who are very bright for whom average WM and P scores are actually much lower than you would predict and a significant disability will no longer get extra time and those whose ability is in fact below average and so would be predicted to have below average WM and P will.

Speed is apparently seen as something that pupils can fool the tests on. A lot of the thinking behind the changes to regulations appears to assume mass fraud.

Had the tests not yielded low enough scores the back up option was to provide further evidence of need. She was first formally diagnosed in Year 5 (but had been supported from Year 2) so we had gathered that from two previous schools, no teacher has ever been less than adamant that she needs extra time to be able to demonstrate her ability in timed conditions. However we were advised there was no guarantee that would be accepted.

Kitchendiner thanks for your good wishes! She only got a C in the exam so 1 mark short of A overall - going back for remark. DD is gutted and seems to be in the mindset that she always messes up exams.

I do think its very sad that schools have entered y10 pupils into the GCSE exams in their first term of key stage 4. It makes a mockery of the system. And to what end? A clearly bright girl being upset with a C. What are they going to do for the rest of key stage 4?

I don't agree with early entry but they start the KS4 syllabus in year 9 and do two GCSEs in that year. She would have done maths as well but that was pulled at the last minute due to only the first attempt counting for league tables. The school found that they could get virtually all pupils through English by allowing 3 attempts at it.

I think it was an advantage to her as she clearly doesn't do her best work in exams. Her controlled assessments were all A*. She will now do English Lit GCSE.

My DC are dyslexic and for my daughter, an A was an impossibility even though she is bright. Her confidence just wasn't there and her dyslexia wasn't officially diagnosed until year 10. Now my son is a totally different character and gained A in maths and all sciences. Both DC have horrendous processing issues and are entitled to use word processors in exams and can have an extra 25% time allocation. So yes in theory it is possible to gain A*, just depends on the person, the school and how they are feeling on the day of the exam.