Parents of Year 11s - the end has been and gone

[BitOutOfPractice]

The thread that got us all through the exams is now full so here's a new one to get us through the nervous wait for results

Well done to all our brave Y11s and wish every last one of them all the best

Link to the last thread

I don't unfortunately as someone else picked up the bit of paper with the UMS marks on. DD's boyfriend now has the paper, but his phone takes rubbish photos and it is difficult to read.

We are going on holiday today so won't see this bit of paper until next weekend.

Will it matter if I leave it until term starts?

The information I have from DS's school says we have until 13 September to appeal, though I think the school needs to be consulted first

Nickname, our exam officer has given until 16th Sept for non-priority remarks. I think you'll be ok to wait.

OYBBKitten 2gorgeousboys it's very quiet in further ed. I'm sure I spotted a tumbleweed going by. Also, the BTECs at college thread is in secondary ed, so I'm not sure whether further ed would be the best place. Happy to follow wherever, though.

barigan I have similar concerns.

DS1 has chosen the following subjects:
Maths (got an A in the GCSE but A-level is a big jump)
History (got B overall but A in both exam papers)
Biology (got a B in Biology and a D in Chemistry: the first unit of the A-level course is Biochemistry)

He really really wants to do these subjects and won't consider any others.
I fear that he's going to be in for a shock.

baringan sorry about spelling your name wrong.

TheSecond I thought the level 3 Btec was plan A (if I am throwing petrol on the flames just ignore me)

2gorgeousboys I don't know what to say to you except that I am so very sorry. I know it must be hard for you but you've given DS1 the day that was all about him.

I thought the level 3 Btec was plan A
Don't get me started...
He spent six weeks persuading us that the very vocational CACHE diploma at the very informal FE college was the best plan and the only sensible option for his health issues.

Then yesterday morning suddenly decided to go back to his original plan (Plan A? Plan Z? who knows?) of staying on at the formal, selective sixth form and doing three very academic A-levels.

I give up. From now on, I'm just going to look supportive and not get involved.

Honestly, that niggle will wear off when she's onto bigger and better things Nickname.

Very much a tale of two exam results for us.

DS having slipped below the radar at school (well behaved but not academic) produced GCSE results last year which werent good enough for him to do the level 3 course he wanted to do. Instead he enrolled on the level 2 course and resat GCSE English.

Level 2 course came out as a double merit - hurrah! Unfortunately GCSE English was another D.

College have been brilliant, he can resit his English (again), join the level 3 Certificate course. Then if he passes his English he can transfer to the Level 3 Diploma.

DD2 - 5 As 4As 2Bs. As in the subjects DD2 will be taking for A level. It is full steam ahead for her.

I just wish a little of the glitter could have fallen on DS.

I'm sorry I just need somewhere to unload my pride.

Youngest DS got 4A*, 5A, 2B

So bloody proud! This is at an ordinary, non selective,comprehensive school, in an officially 'deprived' area. No Tutors.
He's going on to do Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A level, same school sixth form.

I'm sorry if it's a bit frowned upon to boast, but I can't help it!!!

It's not frowned upon to boast - well done to your ds jamdonut I see nothing wrong in celebrating a child's successes!
Well done to your two Gnome too!

DDs sixth form place has being confirmed! She's done a massive order for stationary and is looking forward to her alevels we have a parents evening in September and she's turning 18 next month! My baby is growing up!
Still laid on the sofa in agony

Am struggling to work out how dd did in sciences re grade boundaries. She did far better than I'd feared overall, but a few lower grades we thought we'd check in case any remarks due. I've managed to check most and think she'll have to live with the grades (Eng Lang was also a surprise B here - like Nickname - when expecting A or A*, but her grade is too near the B boundary for it to be worth risking in a remark).

But I'm stuck on sciences - I cannot work out how to compare grades and boundaries at all! She did AQA Certs (IGCSE) for science - she only seems to have been given a single grade and a single UMS mark. But the AQA website gives 2 separate marks (appear to be UMS marks) for each paper - can't see how to work out what the overall UMS score is. It can't be as simple as adding them together - she got a score of 172 UMS for Physics, which was an A, apparently, but each of the 2 papers separately are out of 90 and have grade boundaries of 55 on the website. So her combined UMS of 172 clearly wasn't formed by adding the two papers together either!

Anyone good at maths who can figure this out?

Seems unfair you need an A* at maths just to work out how the grade boundaries work!!

This is the AQA page on IGCSE grade boundaries, if anyone else wants to have a look, or is looking for their own dcs:

filestore.aqa.org.uk/over/stat_pdf/AQA-I-GCSE-GRADE-BDYS-JUNE-2016.PDF

flower
DD does aqa igcse double award science or is your DD doing all single award?

I have also struggled to figure out the whole grade boundaries thing and have pretty much decided not to bother looking into most of the subjects but there is one where it appears that my child was only a couple of points away from getting an A though I could be totally misreading it! Anyone feel able to help me figure it out?

I'll have a look hotdiggedy.

Oh wow thank you so much BadKitten, I will PM you the details. I am really grateful!

no probs.

I agree RedHelen. I have had an email discussion with school and they have told me that DD needs to go and see her English teacher when term starts.

Dd has been to confirm her options at 6th form and apparently there's a time tabling issue and she might have to change subjects.

Just waiting for her to get home and explain properly before I write a strongly worded email to the school!

Stressful day. Went to sixth form enrolment with DS but sixth form said they would only confirm course "change" requests on the 9th ( ie "change" to what he had always applied for but they'd not yet offered). His reserve choice sixth form enroles next week and starts back on the 8th! So DS would end up enrolled twice over, or have to gamble on which to go to. Further complicated by considering whether to put in a late application to DSD's (private) sixth form, who are yet to confirm if this is possible.

But I have just finally managed to speak to someone at the first choice sixth form who actually understood the issue, and was helpful , and has persuaded senior management to make an early decision for DS by the end of Tuesday Much relief that at least he'll know where he stands and not have to spend two days at a sixth form he hopes not to be staying in.

Has taken many phone calls and emails to get this far though. Need

oh well done for your persistence Cloudy. What a stress!

On your behalf Lobster. That's not on. To get them this far then say actually you can't do that isn't very fair.

Dd has a dilemma. The teacher of one of her subjects that she got an a in, has offered to send her paper back for a remark as she was only one mark off an a*. Problem is, marks can go down as well as up, so we've asked for the grade boundaries as they aren't published yet. (igcse) Does she accept that she has amazing results already and be satisfied, or does she take the risk and potentially end up with a b?

That's a hard one kitten But if the grade boundaries aren't yet out, how does the teacher know she was one mark off an A*? Or did another pupil get one mark more than her maybe? I think the general thinking is that if it's close to the upper grade boundary then it's likely to either go up or stay the same grade if you get a remark, as it would have to go down a lot to drop a grade.