GCSEs 2018 (2)

[Stickerrocks]

Pre-empting our 1000th post.

Mmzz they tell each other and at least 6 are from her primary. Children like to brag especially when in yr 7 etc and most have been in top set since then,! Only going on what dgc says and she has no reason to lie.

Agree teenmum60 in an ideal world.....which it I'd not.

Mmzz having had to deal with my dgd education mostly and having a good memory helps to recall results. Also numerous parent evenings (sigh).

As far as conversion on a* etc this is done on several official sites used by schools. My dgd school outstanding in top %20 of country and all info I put on supplied by school and on every report too. Each school has different methods, hers follows ffg as far as progress goes and your child is either below, on track or above that expected progress.

I guess some like to brag but more usually here its about their scores/ levels on some xbox game. I just asked both my DSes if anyone has ever talked about SATS results since they went to secondary school and they both laughed a bit and said no.

That may well be the case Sostenueto, but can we just clear up this notion that the universities will somehow know about progress from KS2 to GCSE? Because the definitely won't.

As indicated on progress reports. Also they have predicted grade and aspirational grades for GCSE. Each child is given their targets expected of them at beginning of each year. 90% A*-C in 2016 for GCSEs and 96% in A levels. as they go by progress 8 now not sure of latest figures, ( haven't bothered to look) but 12 students in 6th form into Oxbridge last year and 56% into Russell group unis. Oh and 2 to america, (Philadelphia and Stanford)

Cherrybun only going on what I was told by teachers. And by the way when your child sits has GCSE marked a certain % of examiners are infirmed of sat result so they can set grade boundaries ( just one way with other methods used to set them) probably the whole cohorts average keystage 2 mark? But not sure????

Yes, but the universities don't see all that for individual students. They just go on grades achieved, predicted grades, the PS, school reference and any entrance tests. They have no idea about KS2 results!

They may ask cherrybun.

Yes, that's for the whole cohort, not individual students.

They don't! My DS is in Y11, hence me following this thread. My DD is at Oxford. At no point were her KS2 sats even mentioned!

Mmzz not all children ate alike.

No bragging intended either, my dgd above average that's all. Plenty brighter I'm sure, and good luck to them. Only interested in ones own, no offence meant.

Sostenueto

Not all schools do SATS (especially independent schools including super selective ones). Therefore not all students have SATs scores anyway. Those that do the scores are used to loosely set kids at secondary but they are often adjusted quite quickly (within the first term) once they see how the children actually perform. Remember also some schools literally teach SATS all year to their cohort but some don't.

The more recent SATS do not even go up to a level 6. As they go into secondary most schools do MIDYIS or similar testing and it is these test whicah are better predictors.

Independent schools quite often do not do GCSEs but IGCSEs and therefore Progress 8 is irrelevant.

Yes there is a database measuring how "clever" each year's cohort which sometimes impacts the grade boundaries slightly but our school does its own predictions based on yr 7-9 in house assessments and these are incredibly accurate (more so than the SATS results for all the reasons above).

I suspect that as your school does rather well in these areas they like to use their statistics as a marketing tool locally.

All the best names are used you are probably right. But it is a Catholic school and is fed By 5 primary schools across 2 counties as is only high school in diocese. But heyho! I probably got it all wrong anyhow as everyone knows better than me so there you go yes have regular assessments also and end if year exams too. As I say only repeating what I've been told by professionals. Everything is changing at rapid rate in education so bound to be descepancies.

Sorry about stupid finger slips!

Universities won’t be looking at progress from SATs to GCSE for the time being even if they used to (which I have never heard of) because the GCSEs are in a period of transition and the grade boundaries won’t settle for a few years. The actual grade boundaries for last year’s English and maths and for most subjects this year depend on trying to ensure a similar percentage pass at a 4 or get a 7 as used to get a C or an A. The year 6 results give exam boards an indication as to whether a particular cohort is stronger or weaker and that does have an influence but at the moment everything seems to be rather up in the air!

Just a revision book recommendation - Collins has a grade booster revision book for English language and literature with sample questions and answers that looks good for AQA. Just be a bit wary of the attempt to match marking bands to actual levels as some of them seem a bit low to me - the marking criteria bit is right, though.

Thanks looseatthesrams will take a look at it.

You’re welcome! I like the way they’ve annotated the sample answers for the language papers, for example. It gives students a clear idea what will gain marks and what won’t. Also, for paper two they recommend reading a few articles a week from broadsheet newspapers but sensibly suggest focusing on feature and opinion pieces and just selecting a few. Sensible advice given how many subjects Y11 students are cramming in these days!

Evening everyone! Quiet day here - a bit of biology homework done and a bit of french revision (little and often) but DD was out at stables working. Good for her to have downtime, after 1,5 hour Saturday school for English. That she said was really good and the two teachers were not dressed in work clothes 😂

Interesting discussion for KS 2 results - as far as I can remember DD got a low 4 in maths and a 5 in Science and a high 5 in English - one mark off a 6. This actually translates well into her mocks, as she should get a 5 or 6 in maths (target is 7 which is unlikely) and probably 6 to 7 in the three sciences and hopefully an 8 or 9 in English.

We just have to keep gently pushing them along a week at a time! No 6th firm applications here apart from her school one and should be accepted. I haven't asked the question about if she doesn't get the grades.......

Dd & herself friend went to a local arts centre yesteeddy to revise (they have a cafe, library & wifi). A few other kids from their school were there then we saw two of her teachers walk past. It must be gratifying for them to walk through & see their students working on a Saturday afternoon.

Today was taken up with a college audition - we stayed overnight. Got home around 7.45 & Dd was shattered she's got English Lit mock tomorrow.

DD worked really hard over weekend and we did register for Tassomai Chemistry today - which she is really enjoying averaging about 85% in the tests - she has Chem Mock tomorrow so hopefully this would have topped her revision. Computer Science mock in the afternoon - again she has worked really hard on revision. No mocks on Tuesday so it gives her time to revise for French/Maths/DT later in week.

I cant remember what DD got in SATS - I know it was 5's but not sure whether abc....she did MIDYIS is year 8 and I think the forecast percentages were all A's with the exception of English Lang being borderline A/B - I dont think for one minute she will get an A in French but she is likely to get a 7 in English - odd because I think the MIDYIS are supposed to be on the cautious side of predictions ...she is a coaster and does the minimal amount of work to get by - so I guess in some respects she will under achieve unless she has turned the corner and decided to put a last minute spurt in - she did bring a smile to my face when she said she'd had a dream last night that she had got all A*'s but then she woke up and reality dawned !

@Teenmum60 is that triple chemistry or double chemistry? The website just talks about GCSE science but if it includes triple science, then I'd be interested to sign DS up.

Dd didn't do sats. Her targets are based on Year 7 & Year 9 CATS tests which appear woefully inaccurate.