Withdrawal from GCSE exam

[Kelly1115]

My son's school messed up one of his gcse exams last year, long story but about 12 children decided to withdraw their children from the exam after being assured by the school that by doing this the subject will be deleted from the childrens' record even though they had a mark for coursework. Yesterday and to my shock I received a phone call from the headteacher stuttering and all apologetic saying that those children have received a mark because for some reason it seems they weren't actually withdrawn as we were promised and my son (who is an A* student) now has F in this particular subject! The headteacher thinks it's due to a clerical error and they are talking to the exam board but with the way this whole was handled by the school from the start I think there is a lot more than meets the eye. What is even alarming is the school only found out about this yesterday despite GCSE results coming out about three weeks! We are in despair and don't know what to do. Has anyone been in a similar situation and can offer any advice?

You can't be withdrawn in June as it is too late.
Anyway it is no longer average marks but progress 8 that matters to the school.
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285990/P8_factsheet.pdf

What subject was it?

o hang on, if it was done in year 9, then it is irrelevant to anything, those results aren't counted in any measures

Sorry, completely missed that, you are worrying about nothing! Thank goodness, because I was feeling really bad for you

Anyway it is no longer average marks but progress 8 that matters to the school.

progress 8 matters to the school, but is irrelevant to the student.

It's not the average GCSE that counts. Please don't believe that.

yes it is, though ( not including any taken in year 9) why do people keep stating that it isn't?

What planet are you on?

you are required to disclose every result in school and university applications, so the average can be calculated, not to do so is fraud.

Charis, please could you provide a source for your assertion that it is the average GCSE grade that is important to the student?

W00t - he shouldn't and the school shouldn't have made them. Funnily enough they are no longing allowing children take gcse in yr 9!

but in your case, OP, it is only a year 9 result, so it will sink and never be heard of again, it counts for nothing, and it counts towards nothing, and it will never be required in any disclosure.

Charis, please could you provide a source for your assertion that it is the average GCSE grade that is important to the student?

What exactly are you expecting me to do, publish my schools' admission policies here? provide a recording of conversations that go on in admissions offices? Provide a uni admissions tutor for you to interview live????

I know what counts, because I'm told what to count, then I count it.

Charis1 - are you 100% sure it won't count?

My dd withdrew from her ICT exam a week before ( another school cock up)
It didn't show on her results sheet ( although I think it was a Cambridge national)

yes, 100% sure, forget it.

What a relief, thanks!

Hasn't this been discussed before with your school doing something different to most other schools in the country, Charis1?

Unless the OP's DS is attempting to apply to your school, it isn't really relevant what the average score is. And most universities, even the Russell Group ones aren't going to be looking at it either.

Whether they look at average grades or actual grades (Oxford, for example) at GCSE, the universities only look at a maximum of eight, because different schools do a different number of GCSEs. Independent schools are likely to do less. So, if your ds is going to be doing more than 8 GCSEs in total, it shouldn't matter. That said, I wouldn't be happy either and I sympathise.

Charis, if you make an assertion which differs substantially from the understanding and experience of everyone else on the thread, then it seems reasonable to expect you to back it up!

I'm not sure about the universities Only being interested in 8 GCSEs either........

For example, my ds wants to go to a 6th form that wants 6 As. He wouldn't automatically get a place on 3A*s and 3 Bs.

My niece didn't get into her first choice of Cambridge college because she got one more A* than her offer, but a B instead of one of the As. 2 recent examples of averages not being important.

Charis, you're still being really fuzzy & non-specific.
Who uses avg GCSE (in yr10 & 11??) and how?

My local 6th form wants BBCCC as minimum admission, higher for specific A-levels. They don't (officially) care if the rest are Fs or Us.
Most Universities courses don't look at GCSEs.
Most people leave GCSEs off their CVs if they get A-levels & higher.

Did I write something you believe to be incorrect, there?

Nobody cares about averages. Really.

From an employer's perspective they don't care and I wouldn't even mention it on an application.

In fact I would never think or mention it again :)

Charis progress 8 is what colleges will use as a yardstick too - not averages.

When the problem came to light the school they were going to apply for special consideration but the case was rejected by the exam board.
Anyway, thanks for all the comments. One final question, if the school can't resolve the matter, can we take it up with exam board or ofsted ourselves? We can provide copies of all the letters and emails.

Our 6th form college go off the best 8 average of 40+, and a B or above in the subjects you want to do at a level.

Honestly let it go. It's a total non-issue.

If (and it's a big one), if anyone ever asks in the future then you show them the evidence then. Otherwise, just forget about it.