Ok, I have been batting this round on a few threads and need to preface this by saying I am an English teacher... but it isn't helping me at all!
DS got a 5 in Lang and a 6 In Lit. Both below (rather generous ) target grades of 7.
We d found out he was 5 UMS marks into 5 in Lang and therefore needs 8 marks (I think) to get a 6. Not normal remark territory and I'd be terrified of him being downgraded.
However, I have now found out his breakdown and it is bizarre:
Language paper 1
1.4/4
2.4/8
3.3/8
4.12/20
5.8/24 + 6/16
Language paper 2
1.4/4
2.5/8
3.5/12
4.6/16
5.18/24 + 11/16 (this is amazing compared to paper 1!)
The last wording is not mine but the HOD.
The discrepancy between P1 and P2 is marked and the section Bs are the real oddity given that they aren't very different tasks. I have checked and he did paragraph. You also need to know his spelling is highly proficient. He has that teenage predilection for commas and probably didn't use much punctuation other than full stops and commas. His handwriting is hard to read sometimes but he does tend to write quite lengthy answers and was (before the exams) quite confident in jumping through the hoops of each question.
I would be interested to hear from fellow English teachers who have no emotional investment in this what they might advise? I'd like Paper 1 looked at - but once seen it can't be remarked.
I know a 5 is 'good enough' but he is a better student than that. In one of his lit papers he missed an 8 by one mark!
Any thoughts gratefully received.