What grade of new GCSE's will be good enough for Facebragging?!

[VagueButlmportant]

So I understand the new GCSE's I think.

DD has just started Y10. She's only been given a few of her targets but they are all 7s so far.

So are there any local journalists out there who can tell me whether they will be wanting all 9s before she's invited to leap in the air next to a smug-looking headmaster come August 2018? Or will we all be Facebook bragging if our DC get a "string of 8s"?

As for 7s (which I understand is equivalent to an A) - are they going to prompt the pushy mums to be "devastated?"

I think we perhaps need to come up with an official Mumsnet policy on this. I'm not sure if I should be delighted that DD is predicted 7s (I think I would have been with As) even though there are two more grades she could be getting?

Gove didn't really think this through from the POV of the Facebook / Mumsnet mother angle!

How about some if the new syllabi not being ratified until last April/May, so teachers having to take 'best guesses' as what to teach and text books just published but not printed yet? My school likes to start GCSE teaching by May half term in Y9 as that means 2 full years teaching. We're already half a term behind and still haven't received text books. It's a shambles and my DS3 is right in the middle of it in Y10.

Anyway, to answer your point, I shall be boasting about 8s as if they were A*s and pretending 4s are as good as a C.

4 is a low C. For funding purposes it will be a pass for the next couple of years but the government wants 5 to be the pass after that and in fact when measuring performance will use 5 as the benchmark, not 4. It won't be a whole lot of fun for candidates having to explain 'but it was a pass in 2018' and the content is harder.

Thanks Fleur, it's becoming clearer now
How will they get the grades?
Can anyone explain the process?

I'm going to take notes from this thread
Thanks for starting it OP.

So, sorry to derail but what year do pupils get their target/ predicted grades?
Also how are the results awarded? Will it be a percentage so e.g 75% is a B etc
Thanks Loose

I think it depends on the school. At the end of year 9 DS had a target GCSE grade for science because they'd already started on the GCSE syllabus so I am expecting to see targets appear in the next report that's sent home (Christmas? not sure yet!)

Oh, the other part of your question is quite complicated! I'll come back to you with the answer on that one! I'll try and find the right link...

New system has totally screwed up my ds, now he won't be taking any GCSEs.

gillybeanz, dd got her target & currently working at grades at the end of year 10 after their mocks.

We got the target grades at the beginning of year 10 and then a grade for each term to reflect the current level and mock results (they have done a couple of mocks last year). The mock results have oscillated from "on target/higher than target (English specially) to below target so I can't wait to see the results of the next mocks.

The real way to stealth boast is to campaign for a Grade 10, on the grounds that 9 doesn't really differentiate the really able from the merely quite bright.

And here is the government's explanation for Grades 7-9

www.gov.uk/government/news/how-the-top-grades-will-be-awarded-in-new-gcses-in-2017

Clear as mud.

My DS will be a Maths and English guinea-pig. I am worried for him - he will not be an easy 8.

It is a shockingly crap situation that Gove has forced on their teachers and them

DS' school won't predict ANY 9s as they have said they are for the top 3% and they cannot be completely confident of a 9 for even the most able. I am a teacher and although I have my head round the new specification we have no text book suitable for it yet.

Teachers have no idea what constitutes any grade - what mark will get you what number, and they won't know till the first cohort has gone through next year. Certainly in English, which I teach, anyway.

Teachers are having to guess or use percentages that have been estimated by other agencies. At the moment we know 40/80 is a C grade on the higher paper in language for example, but have no idea now. And there's no coursework, or tiered exams so they all sit the same one.

9s will be rare so we've been told. It's great isn't it! I would say 7s would be good but employers and colleges won't have a clue, and they'll only move the goalposts like they did with the last new spec the summer we all bombed when they changed the grade boundaries.

I'm on maternity leave at the moment so am not worrying about any of this till next year lol.

Yes, can't find anything concrete and looks like there is a lot undecided on grade boundaries. Great as the first thing students ask me is what they need to get in the exams to pass English language - usually I can at least tell them last year's boundaries but that won't apply now!
I don't think any schools will predict 9s - too uncertain and risky.
at HPFA stealth boast suggestion!
I am just happy DS1 likes his option choices so far and isn't trying to change anything!

It seems with all the confusion it's much better to go back to pre targets and predictions and just say hey Kids, do your best.

I suppose mine will be looking at the level 10 as only in Y8, not that I expect her to get much beyond a 5,6, or 7 in best subjects. Although, will have to aim for 9/10 in one subject

forgot to ask about English, will it remain 2 GCSE's 1x lang, 1x lit or is this to change, too.

Why did they change the letters to numbers

Also why dont they just simplify and tell the actual percentage scored?

'...the number of grades 7, 8 and 9 for a subject will be based on the proportion of the cohort who would have been expected to be awarded an A or A* had the qualification not been reformed.'

So, the method is 'pretend it's the old system. Predict what non-messed-up cohort should have managed in a saner world. Wrangle new results to fit'?

Delighted to see that they think that is 'providing clarity about the value of a grade 9'.

It's not only the children who will suffer though. Most parents I know are committed to supporting their dc education.
I am a qualified teacher (not secondary) and it will take me a while to understand the system, but will get it a lot sooner than some of my friends.
I can remember trying to get them to understand the various key Stages levels, how they will cope with this I've no idea.

It's been too much change - DS2 was a Guinea pig for the new SATS!
There are still 2 separate English GCSEs, 1 Lang, 1 Lit.

I told my students today that they would now get a grade number rather than letter. Their response. " it looks like I have gone backwards miss"
Hopefully once we get to use to not getting levels at KS2 , it will be less confusing.

Thanks loose, you and the other teachers on here are very helpful

So another stupid question, I'm trying to work out what GCSE year will be the first to not have predictions/ targets taken from KS2 results

My dd didn't do SATS, how will they work hers out. In y7 she did MIDyis and will also do YELLis? or something like that, I forget, it's in her documents somewhere. Will they use these results or just have to guess?

I have a y11 son who's thinking of doing maths A-level. Under the old system his school's Sixth Form required an A at GCSE in order to have a chance at a decent grade at A-level. Based on MN threads and IRL mums that I know, nobody knows if A is a 6 or 7.
My understanding that teachers are forced to do a lot of guessing with regards to teaching GCSE because they don't know what % top set kids are supposed to be achieving in the scant material available.

DS seems to be more maths/science in aptitude and it would be a shame if he couldn't do them because of a weak maths score (that he won't be able to retake )