Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

GCSEs 2018 (18) Well that's all over, let's get the party started

999 replies

Stickerrocks · 23/08/2018 14:17

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3341060-GCSEs-2018-17-What-will-be-in-your-coffee-cup-on-Thursday

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
ReservoirDogs · 28/08/2018 13:55

So we have the remark back - drumroll - it stayed the same.

For info it was Edexecel RS igcse (legacy rather than reformed)
mark :110 (an A)
Grade boundary for A* was 111.

farangatang · 28/08/2018 14:07

So close yet so far, Reservoir - DD appreciates the frustration of an unchanged remark, but it's reassuring to remember that as long as their A-Level path is sorted, the GCSE grades REALLY don't matter!

Sorry for any disappointment your DS feels, though. So tough for high-achievers to accept less than 'perfection'!

elkiedee · 28/08/2018 15:18

terfterf2 - sounds rubbish. Wonder if there was a disparity in school's teaching/marking of these subjects and Head/department heads/teachers are having to work out the problem(s), given the level of guesswork for these exams.

elkiedee · 28/08/2018 15:19

Does DS has any idea how others in his classes did in those subjects? Does he have any also disappointed friends?

ReservoirDogs · 28/08/2018 16:25

Farangatang - yes just thought as it was one mark off it was worth the punt. The 2 he got 7s/As in were the two a year ago were his "shoe in A*s". I guess he took the foot off the pedal for those to concentrate on his sciences which he was worried about.

As you say going forward 9s for his A level subjects so all good and will be forgotten in the depths of 3 years time!

ReservoirDogs · 28/08/2018 16:28

Jufus - what board and exam was her German?

JufusMum · 28/08/2018 18:07

Reservoir AQA Higher tier.

Sostenueto · 28/08/2018 18:34

Does anyone know whether business studies GCSE has a lower and higher tiers please?

Ggirl27 · 28/08/2018 19:06

Still little joy here I'm afraid. The enrolment did not go well at college and they refused my DS entry to the course he wanted to do. He is devastated, so low, I've never seen him so down. He says nobody wants him, he's a complete failure and he's let everyone down. My heart is breaking. I managed to get him to another college on Friday and they did sign him up but this college wasn't even on his radar so he's not enthusiastic or excited at all just deflated that he's got to a college that wasn't even a choice if his results were better. But I suppose that's what happens when your DS Math teacher tells you she hasn't taught level 8/9 syllabus because she hasn't had time four weeks before the exam and you've had four supply teachers for Science in Year 11. I don't know what to say to him to make him feel more positive...

Rufustheyawningreindeer · 28/08/2018 19:14

I am so sorry Ggirl

He will be fine...he can get high A level passes at any college and go to university from any college and get a fantastic career

But thats no consolation to him now

Original poster
Stickerrocks · 28/08/2018 19:16

Ggirl I'm so sorry that things aren't going your DS's way. Which course has he got a place on? We need to start thinking about all the positives about the course and the benefits of trying somewhere new for you, so you can go in armed with great arguments to boost his morale.

OP posts:
whistl · 28/08/2018 19:18

Sost I don't think so. Look at the grade boundaries page and you'll know for sure though

LARLARLAND · 28/08/2018 19:23

Why we all tolerate a system which makes some dc feel like failures at 16 is beyond me. I how to god your DS recovers from this ggirl. I am sure with your help he will be fine in the long run.

whistl · 28/08/2018 19:24

Ggirl 16 is too young to feel like that. It's not ok that he does. I'm so sorry. Sad

I'll check back to your earlier posts ( it's been hard to keep up recently), but is there no appeal process for the course acceptance decisions? Or scope for marking reviews that might buy your DS time to get accepted.

BlueBelle123 · 28/08/2018 19:28

Ggirl really sorry to hear that, your poor DS has certainly been put through it. Would it be possible to spend a year at this college and then transfer to the college which he preferred, as I believe that you have 3 years funding. Also it sounds like he didn't have consistent teaching which would effect most peoples grades, hopefully the college will give him a solid foundation on which he can move forward.

Sostenueto · 28/08/2018 19:37

You have all my sympathies ggirl Flowers but even though you have had disappointment tell your D's he is not a failure and that no matter what school/ college he is in he will succeed if he is prepared to go the extra mile, do the extra research, the extra hours of study. He will succeed as long as he doesn't give up.
Dgds physics teacher hadn't even finished teaching the syllabus by the time of the exams and dgd began to panic a few weeks before so took it upon herself to teach herself the last unit. I've always told her don't rely on others do yourself.

bpisok · 28/08/2018 19:45

@Ggirl27 - so sorry that he feels like this

I think the message is that the other college DID accept him so he's certainly not a failure. It's his opportunity to prove anyone who doesn't believe in him currently as wrong, wrong, wrong.

Given that he got the grades to get in to the other college, his maths teacher didn't have time to teach the full course and he has suffered a raft of supply teachers for sciences - just imagine what he could do with steady and prepared teaching (just to emphasise that I am not criticising teachers- this was an 'exceptional' year with all the changes).

He's very far from a failure and sounds like an absolute success to me 😀

It's time to pick himself up, brush himself off......and SMASH it!!!

Oratory1 · 28/08/2018 19:56

So sorry ggirl I really hope it works out well for him and he meets some good people and does well there, he deserves it.

TheThirdOfHerName · 28/08/2018 19:57

Ggirl27 sorry to hear that his plan A college said no. Hopefully the plan B college will turn out to be a positive experience.

Oratory1 · 28/08/2018 20:01

Seriously impressed with ds school. Turned up at 9 am on results day and he was given a sheet with grades on and then one page with all his marks for each exam and another page with all the grade boundaries on then a third sheet with suggested action if any and they were then directed to a laptop where they could log on and request remarks if they wanted to. It was nice to have the marks even if we won’t do anything with them. This is a non selective non academic school who are normally useless at this sort of thing - if they ca do it ?

Ggirl27 · 28/08/2018 20:28

He wanted to do one A level and a 2 A-level BTEC - and they wouldn't accept him on the BTEC - the college he has been accepted in only does the 3 A-level BTEC so no A level and he's putting all his eggs in one basket. I was so hoping we could finally celebrate tonight and look forward but it's not to be. He got 1 x 6, 1 x 5, 5 x 4 and 2 x 3 - not exactly dreadful and we haven't celebrated at all - how can he be made to feel so inadequate when he passed 7 GCSEs at level 4 and above, passed Maths with a 5 and English/Science with 4s. I have written a strongly worded 'appeal' email to the college but I hold out little hope, he feels like he's not good enough for them now anyway. He wanted to get in on his own merit not because his Mum managed it for him Sad

LooseAtTheSeams · 28/08/2018 20:29

Ggirl He can't be a failure if college B has accepted him for the course he wanted - clearly they believe he can do it and have confidence in their teaching rather than protecting their headline results or they wouldn't have offered him the place.
New place, fresh start and I'm sure he's going to do well!

LooseAtTheSeams · 28/08/2018 20:33

Just saw the update - BTEC on its own is fine - please don't get hung up on the A level. He can do the BTEC and apply to uni or do it and then do a one-year Access course if he prefers. I just hate the way the college has tried to make him feel bad instead of being positive.

whistl · 28/08/2018 20:55

Those aren't the results of a failure, even if they had been achieved without the backdrop. The fact that they were achieved despite his school letting him down makes them all the more impressive.

I'm really sorry, Ggirl. If DS had gone through that and was feeling like that, then I'd be desperate to help him. At the end of the day, he's your son, and it's terrible to see your child suffer. I really feel for both of you. I'm sure you've told him that he's let no one down, not himself, nor your family.

If he struggles with exams, and doesn't do himself justice in them, then maybe he's going to be more successful in the long run with BTECs?

I know the college isn't what he wanted but I sincerely hope he'll be happy there.

bpisok · 28/08/2018 21:29

@Ggirl27 - I may have missed this but what BTEC does he want to do? Sometimes it is worth doing the one that's worth 3 A Levels anyway. We looked into it and the CS BTEC that is worth 3 A-levels and it is more sought after than doing the CS BTEC worth 2 A Levels with a maths A Level.

So as @LooseAtTheSeams says please don't get hung up on A Levels.

In fact there's a girl at the local 6th form who has just completed her CS BTEC and is off to Cambridge.

She doesn't have good GCSEs.

This may not match your story since no one in her family has been to Uni, the school has never got anyone to Oxbridge and she lives in a target contextual offer area. BUT what I am trying (badly?) to say is that BTEC only without A levels is in no way an end to an academic path!!!

They are very much respected in certain fields. Can't comment on anything other than CS but I would be stunned if it was the only subject