17% for a pass (grade 4 or a C)

[jacobibatoli]

back in the day a pass was an A,B or C and I think a C was about 45%
now it appears that a pass in old money is 17%
and approx only 2/3 get an A*-C
I thought that the fact that only 2/3 could achieve a pass in Maths was very worrying, to find out that the lower limit of that pass is 17% is far worse than I could have imagined

please correct my figures if incorrect

what is happening to our education system
the reduction in the lower limit for a pass has gone under the radar

surely this is a disservice to our kids

You'd hate university then Ttbb - 61% gets you a 2:1! Damn Oxbridge and their dumbed down degrees!

Making exams harder is something the Gov like to boost about it suggests standards are higher but unfortunately that isn't the case, harder exam - lower pass mark. Nothing has changed, the politicians have made good headlines though.
I wonder how it makes a dc feels though - to take an exam, only be able to answer a relatively small number of questions and still come out with a great result - how can that feel good, does it feel deserved?

anyone else fed up with the constant put downs on our exam systems and thus our teens? It always seems to be in the press GCSEs are too easy blah.blah, or constant overreporting comparing our education system with others across the world this constant reform of exams and people still complain it's not hard enough. Meanwhile the number of kids with mental health issues is increasing...what do you think.about THAT OP?

If it is reasoable to assume that A,B & C are regarded as a pass and would it be resonable to assume that 40-50% is regarded as a minimum pass?
If the education system/board/teachers are setting the exams then they should be able to set them so that they can afford some variation.
Just considering higher as an example
What percentage is so low that it doesn't bring the marking or the standard in to disrepute?
Or should we accept C is a pass regardless of the percentage?

Are you just going to ignore me pointing out that you don't understand about Higher and Foundation.

All students do not do Higher! The question start at grade 4 type questions - a % of the Qs are at about grade 4 on the paper. (the first few questions)

So the students who get 17% are managing/ succeeding in most of the grade 4 questions which stands to reason??

smelly - yes, but it was ever thus.

To be fair, I don't actually think there has been that much reporting on this 17% that I have seen. Most f the media seem to have accepted the exams were hard, most specifically the Edexcel Higher maths GCSE.

french , they feel relieved. They are not the very best anyway if they got 4s and they probably feel they have been proven right that the exam was difficult.

Shocking. No wonder all the uni kids these days are completely thick.
Yes all of them. Completely thick. I blame the teachers/parents/government.

would it be resonable to assume that 40-50% is regarded as a minimum pass?

On the Foundation paper it was 51% for a pass.

Basically you're saying that you want the higher paper to be made as easy as the foundation paper.

Then there wouldn't be enough room on the higher paper for the really hard questions aimed at 7-9 students.

In fact on the AQA French Foundation papers this year (old style I know) a pass (C) was 28/35 so 80% actually. Obviously the mark for a C on the H paper was a lot higher.

I agree, people on here complaining about the low percentage pass mark haven't grasped the difference between foundation and higher tier papers.

I think it's those posters who haven't grasped the concept of Higher/ Foundation who are 'a bit thick' - I mean even grade 1 kids understand it!

totally meaningless OP, it depends how hard the questions are. I could write an exam paper in which 90% of 16 year olds get three quarters right, I could write an exam paper in which 90 % of 16 year olds get less than one quarter right.

the percentage in and of itself means nothing.

Anyway, you might be looking at UMS

When I took GCSEs there were three levels of paper which could basically be boiled down to a 'hard' paper (A*-C), an intermediate paper (which I think was B-E) and a lower paper (C-G). The grade boundaries for all of them were different because the papers were written to be different difficulties. You would have needed almost 80% on the lower paper to get a C; whereas you could get a C on the hard paper with about 18%. The school put you in to the paper they thought most appropriate for your ability.

Your original premise is flawed.

:( just waking up here in Canada....hopefully I'm not being called thick for asking questions....just that my grand daughter will be going through the UK system and doing my best to understand.

FGS just reread my last post - of course I meant the mark for a C on the higher paper was a lot lower - prob 17-20 out of 45 (not sure as all mine did F) - but the questions are much harder.

The hardest question on the F paper is the easiest one on the H paper if that makes sense.

Out No you won't be called thick. But presumably you won't ask questions that imply the English exam system is rubbish before you make sure you understand it.

The Telegraph reported this :-
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/08/24/passing-exam-has-never-easier-just-15-per-cent-required-pass/

within the article :-
Last year, 35 per cent was required for a pass in Maths with Edexcel, while this year the pass mark has dropped to 17 per cent.

it is not students at fault they can only pass what is presented to them

it seems that we are not allowed to ask these questions without a torrent of abuse

is the article incorrect?
and the commenters of the article?

Last year the higher tier paper was much easier than this year which is why the C grade boundary was much higher.

This year saw a complete overhaul of the syllabus and grading system.

It wasn't easier to pass maths this year, the same percentage passed as last year.

Abuse?

Torrent?

Goodness me.

The Telegraph has a particular agenda of course but I would be surprised if that sat is correct. In nay case, as you must know, that was before the reforms and it is widely acknowledged that the content has increased, and is harder and that the Edexcel exam, in particular, was very (too?) hard . the grade boundary reflects all of that.

OP you started the thread. Can I politely suggest you read the responses. Your latest post indicates you still don't understand how Maths GCSEs work.

as you must know,

Nope, don't think OP knows anything except what they want to hear.

Actually, if you read the whole article (properly) it is quite illuminating and answers many of your questions.

It does not say those who got 15% or whatever are dimwits at any point.

It blames Ofqual and Gove.

Maybe you could read this as well. It may be necessary to have a basic understanding of O'levels, CSEs, GCSEs and the new style GCSEs before slating the whole exam system and all the pupils taking them.

I haven't slated the students at all

it is not students at fault they can only pass what is presented to them

they are taught and tested by the education system

So what do you think, is wrong, if anything, given you have now read both the article, these responses and have a much better understanding of how exams work?