GCSEs 2018 (9) Will we get to half term, for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and who is Banquo

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Thread 8

It's the slant of the question which seems to be the curve ball, rather than the subject area. Well, that was what I got from DD but it makes sense that that's the way it's going to be - which will throw some DC.

I've just googled last year's GCSEs and seen in the Telegraph that 25 students at Henrietta Barnett got three 9s and 10, 14 etc at Colchester, Queen Elizabeth Boys etc. Admittedly the paper only mentioned grammars but that's quite a large number in relatively modest cohorts. The DC are not competing against their school peers though, so sometimes top set doesn't mean very much, because it's the national picture which is the critical one.

I mean relatively modestly sized cohorts.

goodbye But as you say they are grammars so have creamed off the top ?20% of pupils, and even they are only getting the 3 grade 9s for what 1/8 - 1/20 of their intake? (Assuming intake of 200).

Anyway, while you're all here. Now you've seen your DC go through the courses, what options would you recommend for a less academic child these days?

Well definitely not these exams - the less academic have been left out in the cold. Michael Gove was told that at the time by the teaching community but didn't address the problem. In the old days of O levels at least there were CSEs to balance provision.

I'm off now but sadly not to order a car!

There need to be more apprenticeship schemes for those who don't want to go down the academic route.

Henrietta Barnet and QE boys are insanely competitive though and very hard to get into, so even with modest cohorts, you would expect great results. Ds school managed 9 kids with a level 9 in Maths out of 180, standard comp - so pretty good, and more in line with national predictions of the number who score a 9 (3% according to Ofqual).

I really don't think we will be seeing very many kids at all who get a clean sweep of 9's like a clean sweep on 10 A*, particularly with harder exams and no coursework - teacher friends estimate maybe 0.5% of the entire population?

My DS is middle set, so would be delighted if he gets any 7s.

I didn't appreciate the stress over Grade 9s but I suppose whenever there is a new higher grade, the high-achievers will feel the pressure to attain it. There surely can't be any courses or schools which would require you to have a grade 9 is there?

There's a particular problem with English because foundation tier was abolished. This means everyone sits the same language and literature papers, unlike maths. When the questions themselves involve higher thinking skills, the exams become impossible for too many students
Actually, students who really can't get beyond level 1-3 they would be better off working through the functional skills specifications because this will get them on vocational courses and apprenticeships up to level 2.

TeenTimesTwo yes, you are right. i wasn't accounting for correlations. That would be the number if what it takes to do well in a GCSE has nothing to do with what it takes to do well in another.
The department of Education worked it out properly last year, and I think the number they came up with for straight 9s was 3 (students, not %).

What are the chances that one of our children will be amongst those 3? Vanishingly small, i suspect. So why are we all talking about 9 as if its the only thing worth having, and our Dc would be robbed if they end up with a mere 6/7/8?

There surely can't be any courses or schools which would require you to have a grade 9 is there?

They may not require it, but if many applicants have lots of 9s then they are probably given preference.

I think one impacts of GCSEs becoming more important for Uni entrance will be that students who, for whatever reason, feel they underperformed in GCSEs will end up taking gap years after A levels and applying for Uni based on their final (rather than predicted) A level grades (assuming these are better).
We have already told DS that this is an option in one of our many "they're important, but it's not the end of the world if you don't do as well as you wanted" conversations .

I can quite see that you aren't going to appreciate the Grade 9 stress, Dogzdinner, and if DD manages to pull a 7 out of the bag for almost anything other than English we will be leaping around in newspaper-results fashion, believe me.

It was just my observation of how the prediction has put her off her stroke, in a way that a realistic prediction of 7/8 for her 'good subject' wouldn't have done. I suspect that Grade 9 requires luck as well as work, and I'm not sure that's the message I want to give to a hardworking, middling bright child.

Hope your DS does well.

Yes the whole number grading system seems nonsensical, especially as the government says the same proportion of students will get the appropriate number as gained the 'equivalent' letter grade. That, and the fact that most employers assume '1' is the best!

I know DDs teachers have been very conservative in their grade predictions (giving 'springboard' measures as opposed to 'ceiling's). DD likes this as it makes her feel capable of achieving more! She was only predicted two A* and a 9 respectively for English and Music because of her 100% coursework component grades. Let's hope the exam responses reflect her capabilities...

Her proudest achievement will be to score a B or above in Maths - it has been the bane of her life!

Did anyone else's DCs have Coordinated Science papers this morning? DD happy they are over and said there were no nasty surprises. Only 5 more exams to go...

sonnyboo that's the point - there won't be lots of applicants with level 9's. The predictions are 3% for a 9 in any subject and somewhere between 3 (students) and 0.5% of the whole population who get a sweep of 9's. So whilst a few Uni's may look at Level 9's in particular subjects I doubt very much that '9' is the new A*

Every 6th form we looked at is asking for minimum 6 to take a subject at A level, 7 for Maths and only Further Maths asking for 8. This includes private.

I doubt very much that '9' is the new A*

Who knows? It's hard to imagine now, but with grade inflation we may we'll see a grade 10 as top mark...?!

Impressed at mmzz's maths - you've still got it

Agree with Wonderwine - as many dc will not have reached their full potential at GCSE and their A level results may eclipse them (particularly since they will have selected their best subjects), the solution for some will be a gap year and then apply to University with their 'already in the bag' and proven A level results rather than predicted grades

Yes, who knows! I'm just sad that anyone will think of a Grade 7 or 8 as a poor grade.

Excellent point hmcAsWas - case in point being me! I scraped 6 'O levels but actually have a First Class Hons degree and a Masters with Distinction......

Yay cubscout - lets raise a glass to late bloomers everywhere

Whatever my dgd s predictions were I will expect a grade or even 2 lower because of exam stress and high volume of papers. I would throw a street party even on that result because she's such a hard worker!

goodbyestranger the girls’ grammar in Colchester has a cohort of 112 and the boys’ 98, I think.
*TeenTimesTwo” these two grammars don’t cream off the top 20% of local children as they’re super selective

ERM I can see people thought I went off to order new car lol! What I meant was order taxi to get my car which has just had a mot! Sorry to confuse everyone, a Freudian slip. Gee that means I want a new car well that ain't happening.

Sostenuto someone as hard-working and resilient as your dgd deserves one! They all do - the amount of exams and pressure is ridiculous. I grew up outside the UK and never did GCSEs at all - also the holder of a Masters degree, so I'm skeptical of the value in doing them at all, but that is the UK system for better or worse, and maybe some of our DCs will be the ones to improve it for the future!

Thanks farangatang yes let's hope so!

Just looked up last years AQA geography grade boundaries. Can't really compare as there used to be higher and lower papers. But anyway taking the higher tier grade boundaries for A*:
UNIT 1 paper 1. 36/75
paper 2. 62/84.

So only 68% needed for A*
UNIT 2. Paper 1. 67/86
Paper 2. 62/86
So 75%/needed for A*
How they can peg this years results to last years I do not have a clue as they also had coursework.