GCSEs 2018 (12) Are we nearly there yet?!

[mmzz]

Most comprehensive feedback so far from DD on AQA Biology 'It was great actually'!

I'm glad this week has started well as she's concerned about all 3 second science papers. Yesterday she declared about Physics 'I have done no revision for this paper at all'. She's still adamant she knows nothing! It's because she want to do really well in it, just need to keep her calm for another few days.

Good luck to everyone's DCs/DGCs we're almost there

Finally caught up on this thread after a day away - DS2 in his first trampoline comp yesterday, he won his class (it was a class of 2😀)

DS1 asked me for biology revision help last night. AQA triple science higher. He hardly knew anything I tested him on so I was a bit cross at his time wasting all weekend.

He text me earlier to say it went better than he expected, it was all about lemurs, cows and dead fish who'd had raw sewage pumped into the river. He doesn't enjoy biology and can't see the point of it and a L6 will suffice for his Sixth firm entry. He's got Eduqas geog 3 this afternoon and then only six more exams! Hurrah

Positive feedback from DD on AQA Foundation Combined Biology this morning

"Actually really really good' with a 'surprised face' emoji

So now I don't know whether to be pleased or even more worried !!

Interesting discussion around the grade boundaries, I always understood that they would be set to ensure the DC fell into the normal distribution curve in the expected proportions, to avoid grade creep etc, but I am certainly no expert

sandybayley - Not sure but having read the Ofqual I think they just work on the % of students who achieved what grade in 2016 or 17 and then start applying the ratio's...assume this is what the all the exam boards need to do...but who knows ?

This was CIE's subject results for 2017

www.cambridgeinternational.org/images/413612-cambridge-igcse-results-statistics-june-2017.pdf

Dh is taking ds to New York for a boys week on 1 July......

Biology was ok but had a weird question about lemurs in it....

History and maths tomorrow.

Terf I'm bouncing with happiness for your DS2.

Mytime unsettling.

Feedback from DD "Well that's biology over. It was actually OK. Not too bad". Constructive feedback for those of us wanting to analyse the paper in depth, I feel!

I just get a constant message from DD - Sshhh I'm watching Hazel!

Sostenueto if you only gave pass or fail, then how bad do you have to be to fail? Is it like "are you sure you studied this?" or "sorry you are on the 49th centile and that's as bad as not managing to fully write your name as far as this exam is concerned"? Or some place in between? I askbecause wherever the boundary gets drawn, someone will complain unless you let everyone pass.
But if you let everyone or almost everyone pass these exams, what about next lot, or the ones after those? Would you want to have to rely on a lawyer who can't read or write, a pharmacist who was useless at chemistry and biology or an accountant who isn't very good with numbers?
If you don't want those things, then society needs to find a way to subdivide so that people can play to their strengths.

I know you are thinking of your DGD and your DGS and you don't want the doors that open to them to be different. It's just even when we were all peasants working in the land, we were differentiated between but back then it was work ethic and brute strength that was most valued. Now it's work ethic, brains and creative flair.

I have to admire, and say a heartfelt thanks to those teachers who have given up their free time to make a series of videos for YouTube. I'm thinking of the likes of Mr Bruff, mr Hegarty, freesciencelessons, Science with Haze, etc. It really is most extraordinarily generous of them.

Some, like with Mr Bruff and Mr Hegarty have started to monetise it, but even so, he did it for free for years, and running a website is not free.

I honestly don't know what DS would have done without them. He learned more from Mr Bruff and Mr Salles in four months, than from his English teacher in two years.

@Teenmum60 - thanks for that table. Amazing that 86% of entrants got an A star in Greek. The 13% for Latin looks very modest compared to it.

We were told that although that it might make you think it was an easy A star for Greek the truth is that it's a very able cohort that enters for Greek. DS1 is not doing Greeks but DD1 will be in 2020.

Aren't the grade boundaries based off last year's %s for grades 4 and 7 (with an adjustment for a cleverer/ less clever cohort)? Then everything else is by a set formula.
Eg top 2.5% (or is it 2%?) get a 9 and the midpoint between 7 and 9 is where the 8 is.

I'll go and look up some real numbers to illustrate that a bit.

By the way, does anyone know when the edexcel Geography exam is approx due to finish?

Totally agree with you MMzz - I nearly posted to the same affect yesterday... DD states that some subjects she has consolidated her knowledge - in others she has finally understood topics from the video's etc.

I’m waiting at ds’s school as he’s leaving early for a Tap exam & a load of Year 11’s are just leaving an exam.

@teenmum60 that’s what I thought too. I have just done a bit of research

Looking at last years stats they allocated a 7 or above to 16.8% of all eng language entrance whereas it was 19.9% for maths. So this is in line with the number of DCs getting a grade A or above in each of the subjects in the old style exams. So you can def see that they are pegging the number of available grades in the band to the distribution of grades pre change. Then they attempt to cream off 2 or 3% in this 7-9 grade band and give them a 9. Looking at the stats it seems that 3% actually got a 9 in Eng Lang whereas 4% got a 9 for maths. I THINK that this is because if you get a ‘lump’ of people all with the same grade they have to include them all.
Then they take whoever is left in the group (ie those that would have a 7 or 8) and give half of them a 7 and half of them an 8.
They then do their same exercise for grade 4-6, and then 1-3.

What I can’t see is how they determine the % to cream off for grade 9, but in all honesty that’s not really an issue for DD however I have been trying to find out for those of you expecting/hoping for 9s.
But....If they have published these figures I certainly can’t find them!!!

WRT the concept that some of the subjects have been taken only by the very academically able this works for them too. Let’s say that under the old system 100% of the applicants got a grade A or above. Under the new system 100% would be given a grade 7-9 and then the same formula applied. What would scupper it would be if 100% of them got an A* under the old system. Under the new system 49% would ‘only’ get an A

I’m with Sos - it would be far simpler to pas/fail but unfortunately that doesn’t show who is truly gifted. In DDs school she’s probably in the top 15% for all subjects but most of the girls in previous years have got a full house of A-A* so trying work out what that really means is impossible. She could be in the top 15% in her school but the bottom 10% in another school!!!!

Come Wednesday (last exam) I am going to forget all about it until August

Feedback on AQA geography was great paper, could have done with a tad more time ( because she can't write full speed all the time) but nothing she didn't know.
Some more feedback on biology ( higher, triple) AQA was a lot of ecology, and genetics came up also reflexes came up which pleased her as she revised that on the train this morning!

Mytime that’s so annoying when you have had conversations (several) about it.

DD attempted all biology questions bar one one marker. Excellent.

Two exams left. I had a pang today of thinking I won’t miss the exams but I will miss spending so much time with her. She has adhd and dyslexia so we have done lots of studying together or I have been nearby providing scaffolding in terms of organisation or I have glared at other family members looking noisily for crisps.

It’s like a moment in time we won’t get again (thank goodness in lots of ways) and she’ll soon be at college and life will have changed again..

We have resolved to go kayaking together which will be nice.

I am officially very tired and it’s clearly making me maudlin.

cblue that's exactly what I'm going to do too! Forget about boundaries, grades, exams till august!

So a lottery as to whether you get a 7 or 8! Ridiculous!

PeggySchuylar - 'scaffolding' is such a great way to describe what I think a lot of us (especially those with DCs with SN/SpLDs) have been doing. I've stopped talking to some of my RL friends about the support I've needed to give DS, as I know some of them just don't understand and think I'm being a pushy mum.
I think when we get to the end of this week/ end of exams I will probably crash! Even DH doesn't seem to understand the mental load I've been carrying (DS1 has A levels too...)

One of our last threads for this group ought to be a party thread for us to celebrate the fact that 'us parents' got through it all too !

I dont think its a lottery Sost...I just think that the exam boards have to ensure they build different level questions into each exam ...if they dont get this right then it could be a lottery for grades 7-9 and maybe other grades too.

Meh - those with the highest marks get a 9, those in the next band of marks get an 8 etc, etc. Simple innit

Its as fair as it can be....

Feedback from ds - Biology 'great' (makes up for last paper) and Geography 'overall quite nice' (well, 3 words in place of the usual one!)

Hope to get more detail when he's home later this afternoon.

Wonder I would love to be more hands off and just provide cake and stationary like my parents did for me.

My close friends know how she is and understand her struggles. Acquaintances and colleagues clearly think I’m barmy.

I know from other DC that she will be able to manage things better as she matures but managing this much stuff at 15/16 years old just adds to the disadvantages she already has. I just want her to have the best life chances she can. Like all the supportive parents/GP here.

I don't think I envisaged helping DS1 to the extent I have, but I make no apology for it.

I got involved to help him make a revision timetable and buy the study guides etc and it just sit if snow balled.
As year 11 has progressed, I've realised that I didn't really have a clue what was happening to DS at school. Even now he still has the power to shock me by telling me something new that has been going on for years and i would never have thought would pass as acceptable. Eg what he told me last night