Starting Yr11 Gcses 2020 Support Thread [Edited at OP's request]

[OrangeCinnamon]

A continuation of a Year 10 support thread
previous thread

Last thread was great and supportive as some of us tried to navigate year 10 and some very helpful peeps steered us through.

[PostNotInHaste]

Thank you Tumbleton . DS won’t want to go to Prom I don’t think, he swore never again after Middle School so actually over that time might be a good idea come to think of it, thanks.

[Rhubardandcustard]

Also if going to sixth form consider when their transition days are. They are normally really useful as they get to try out the classes they think they might do at a level/BTEC.

Hoping the ones DD wants to go to will announce their days in September so we can plan our holiday once we know when they are and when prom is!

[PostNotInHaste]

Oh yes that’s another very good point ! Better hold off anything for now,

[AnneOfCleavage]

Thanks for starting this new thread OrangeCinnamon and well done to your DD on her grade 6 music exam.

We are almost on the home straight as just another week to go. DD is exhausted now though and her school are still doing little tests on things. She did her English oral last week and had written it on an A4 piece of paper (both sides) then on the day of exam a girl in the other stream said it had to be on flash cards so DD painstakingly tried to cut it into flash card sized pieces (bearing in mind it was double sided so very muddly) and so was a bit flustered doing the oral - only 4 of them did it that day as they were the only ones ready so she could have delayed it but the teacher knew she was prepared so made her do it. It's over now so phew!

Her end of year report has arrived too and it's a mixed bag really so lots of revision to do over the summer. She says she's going to do 1-2 hours per day but we'll see. I hope she does as she needs to to keep her head above the water.

She has a dance exam this Saturday afternoon then a school drama practical exam next week then she is done for this year. Cannot wait for the summer break this year and looking forward to going away early July next year with hopefully cheaper prices as outside school term, question is where... 😀

[Tumbleton]

DS used to be one of those boys who would do the work required, but no more. In Y10 I have noticed that he is more motivated and willing to do a bit extra.

His end of year report was really positive; he achieved at least his target grade in every subject, and in more than half his subjects he finished Y10 a grade or two over his target. He got a distinction in his English speaking. He also decided to apply to be a prefect and got the position.

I'm hoping that he will now link the extra work he did in Y10 with the outcome of doing well, and keep up the good work next year.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

Still waiting for end of year report here! Bit annoying DS has most end of year exam results but not sure where they sit on grade results IYKWIM. School have a small amount of summer homework for each subject so apart from that we don't intend on doing any revision etc I feel he will have enough through year 11 without feeling like he is missing a summer even if it is an exaggeration

[Chabbylis]

Following with interest. Dd has been given a pile of revision work for the summer.

[picklepumpkinpie]

Does anyone have children who did GCSEs last year or recently? This is our first year and I'm wondering should DD be trying to use the holidays for revision or is this too early? She tends to need organising and pushing to get homework done so I'm thinking of little and often and trying to start good habits over the holidays.

[Oblomov19]

Hi everyone.
Reports yesterday. Totally coasting in almost everything. He drives me mad! He's in for a shock in Year 11. Or, worse still, what if he doesn't realise till it's too late?

[BackInTime]

Have just had a conversation with DS about his mock results and made it clear that they will not be good enough to get into his choice of 6th form. He really didn't like the reality check and says I am being harsh as apparently his teachers are not concerned
Report is imminent so we will see what they have to say.

[Crustytoenail]

Hi everyone, DD going into year 11. Year 10 has been a massive upheaval, the school was given a shocking Ofsted report at the end of her yr 9, but was being taken over by another trust and promised the world and had plans that looked reasonable to achieve. We decided to keep her there. In fact things got worse and yet another change to another trust this March. They're really going for it, they threw everything they had at the outgoing year 11s and really tried to give them a chance to get decent grades but unfortunately they didn't have very long.
DD has just finished her exams, and in a meeting they explained that yes, the children have massive gaps in their learning, but these exams would be scrutinised to show individual gaps and targeted learning delivered. DD is to get an hour a week one on one tutoring in maths come September, and since the last yr 11 left they've put extra lessons on after the end of the school day for these yr 11 in core subjects weekly, and in other subjects which teachers will signpost the children to according to need. They're setting homework for the summer and they all have free access to online portals all the time.
DD really felt the pressure, because it happened suddenly, and she was feeling very inadequate because she was well aware of the gaps in her learning. I think I have succeeded in turning it round to make her see this is a wonderful opportunity, that yes, the school failed her but they're giving it their all now and rather than see it as a negative, stress inducing thing, to see it for the opportunity it is.
She's got her head down and worked, but she's still really worried, and if this last month is anything to go by, year 11 proper is going to be very rocky! I keep trying to focus her on the positive side that now she's got the chance, and begrudgingly (she's a teen and they know it all anyway!) She's accepting that this is a good thing, not a bad thing.
Break up Friday, she's knackered too and needs a rest, she's agreed a week of no school work at all, and then homework/revision after that until she goes back.
Fingers x'd!

[LimitIsUp]

Marking my place. I contributed very early on to the Y10 thread but then sort of stopped because it seemed a long way off. Now seems a bit closer!

[whistl]

Marking my place, too. I was on the previous thread as well, but dropped off around Easter.


I can't believe GCSEs are about to start all over again with DS2. I've only just about recovered from the first time!

[PostNotInHaste]

Picklepumpkin DD has been through GCSE but a few years ago now. She struggled a bit academically at that point and is very headstrong. I know if I’d have suggested the summer it would have turned into a huge thing. I think probably I should have gone in a bit harder at the start of year 11 though with hindsight, though doubt anything would have worked within DD, she had to go through the process of doing badly then finding something she wanted to do.

If your DD of the more amenable variety maybe get her to use the holidays to organise things and to think about what she thinks she can do ti make year 11 a success. If you can get them to take ownership a bit and feel it’s coming from her I think that can help. Maybe ask the question ‘what can I do to support you next year?’ And see what she comes back with as a starting point for conversation.
It does depend hugely on personality though. Both my DC are very different and need very different approaches.

[PostNotInHaste]

However DD’s partner here and he said he did a bit of going back through notes in the summer to consolidate what he did and found it helped. So maybe listen to him!

[LimitIsUp]

Hi whistl - nice to see you

[whistl]

Hi LimitisUp! Long time, no hear!

[OrangeCinnamon]

I can't believe I didn't know about the English oral exam until @AnneOfCleavage mentioned it !
Also looking to go away next year but DH has fixed leave ..looks like there may be a gap to swap two weeks commencing 12th July which will work for prom and college induction festival thing..prob not much cheaper though I fancy Turkey or Croatia ..never been
Welcome to newbies and welcome back oldies!

DD can't wait for this week to be over..she is off to Berlin next week at 3.30 Am in the morning with school!

[Paramicha]

can anyone like TeenTimesTwo or Noble help.

If a secure middle 4 was 50% what would a 5 be? Maths

If a level 3 was 38% what would a 4 or 5 be.

[whistl]

here are the Edexcel higher GCSE grade boundaries from 2018

Max --240
. 9 --202 --84%
. 8 --170 --71%
. 7 --139 --58%
. 6 --109 --45%
. 5 -79 -33%
. 4 -50 -21%
. 3 -35 -15%

So, if you say that a middle 4 was actually 27%, and you rebase it to 50%, then a 5 would be between 61%-83%

If you rebase it so that the 3 boundary was 38%, then you'd get 54% for a 4 and 86% for a 5.

Obviously that ridiculous because it would mean a 9 was 219% but it is what you get if you scale the grade boundaries off the available information.

Why not just ask the teacher for the actual grade boundaries used in the internal exams?

[whistl]

These make interesting reading for anyone whose child is doing GCSEs. AQA have a similar publication and there will be a new set published next month for 2019
qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/Support/Grade-boundaries/GCSE/1806-GCSE-9-1-Subject-Grade-Boundaries.pdf

[pinkoneblueone]

Late to join but think this is a great idea for my son is in the last week of year 10.

[AnneOfCleavage]

Does anyone know if the English oral exam, which was recorded, gets regraded at all by an external examiner? At DD's school they have two top sets of English and her set is taught by the head of English and he marked his set quite harshly giving lots of only just passes (but passes nonetheless) and a few merits whereas the other top set teacher gave out mainly distinctions. DD got a merit but another girl who did a blinding presentation only got a pass which DD was surprised at. The other set are bragging they they did better because they got distinctions but I wonder if they would have if in other top set iyswim.

Could the oral exams get regraded then by an external examiner or is that the grade they got? Just thought that most schools would pass a student as looks better for the school so seems funny they let the schools grade them but what is the point of recording them then if not graded externally as well.

Sorry for rambling and hope someone knows more. Thanks.

[Tumbleton]

From AQA:

"You must ensure that you have consistent marking standards for all students. One person must manage this process and the must sign the Centre declaration sheet to confirm that internal standardisation has taken place.

Internal standardisation may involve:

• all teachers marking some sample presentations to identify differences in marking standards
• discussing any differences in marking at a training meeting for all teachers involved
• referring to reference material, such as examples of presentations provided by the awarding bodies."

[whistl]

Does the English oral count for anything?

It is not part of the final English Language grade and you are never asked to list it on a job/ university application.

I am not saying its not worth getting for its own sake, because it is, but I am asking if it makes any difference to anything after the day the year 10/11 gives their presentation?