GCSEs Summer 2020 (thread 4) -the final countdown

[PostNotInHaste]

Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1(year 10)

Hope OrangeCinnamon doesn’t mind me starting another in her absence , feel twitchy without ! Apologies in advance if I have messed the links up.

The last thread ended with discussion of possible school closures, not really what we want to hear at this point - let’s hope things sound more positive as thread progresses.

That might be a good compromise HPFA. See we need the collective hive mind of MN on solving the problem!

I've also heard the suggestion that exams should be more spread out over the exam period (computer science for example is currently scheduled for Monday and Thursday in the 1st week) to increase the possibility that most children will be well enough to sit at least 1 exam (and whilst some children may be stronger on 1 paper than another, I guess that at least is a better reflection of their ability). That obviously still doesn't address how children who are isolated due to health conditions would cope (do you know what, I think I'd let them just sit at home and accept that some, hopefully a small minority, would cheat) or how it works for subjects with 1 paper.

@HPFA - I think that would be smart. Hard decision for DD as her maths mock wasn't great, but the school forgot to give her increased print size for the exam so she struggled to see the graphs etc.

God knows what's going to happen. DD at home working steadily through the day. Her stress reaction is to work. She' asthmatic and has a cough so at home. I suspect stress Asthma reaction rather than anything else.

@RedskyAtnight @Wheresthebeach

Thanks for the positive feedback - I assumed people would instantly point out the flaws that I hadn't thought of!

I don't see why the schools should be required to give a grade based on just one mock though. Our kids are the most graded and data-managed in history - each school's submissions would be checked against their normal results and the entry profile of the children - only in cases where these were wildly out of alignment would the school's data need to be checked.

So each student is given a provisional grade and then given a choice whether to sit the exam or not. So exams go ahead BUT there would be a much smaller burden as we could assume that most would be happy with the grade they were assigned.

There must be major problems with this that I haven't thought of. But it does seem like it would be fairer than many of the other proposals.

Its sounds the most sensible plan so far! But right now I’m not seeing a lot of sensible from our government.

Mind you it would create a fight here - I’d want dd to take provisional grades but she wants to sit exams !

Piggy ...high temps are horrid take care x

Thanks all,

DD much better today. All future music lessons and performances cxlld at school which will make her sad, most definitely anxiety related, she has a lovely relationship with her Nan so that prob part of it too. We need a young persons update too...not that BoJo will be much good at it.

Just got a lovely email from her Music Teacher she got almost full marks in the mock written paper

Mind you it would create a fight here - I’d want dd to take provisional grades but she wants to sit exams !

Yes, I can see there would be a lot of arguments in many households!

The trouble is with any solution people are going to say "oh but someone will get higher/lower" than they deserve. But that's sadly going to be the case whatever happens. Our kids are now under increased stress, they may be ill, they may have to cope with lots of their teachers being off sick, they won't get the revision workshops they would have had...…

I don't have a clue whether what I'm suggesting is administratively possible but I think it is fair.

I think the whole of this cohort are going to end up with the "wrong" grades for a variety of reasons. I just hope, in the short term at least, they are given every opportunity to carry on with what they'd hoped to do, without it disadvantaging them. For example, I think sixth form courses should consider lowering normal grades required.

It sounds fair to me. The other thing I thought they might do is requisition community centres / halls etc to ensure enough space for all

I think if the exams are on, they should sit them with extra invigilators, extra centres and an expanded exam period if necessary. Being able to opt in/out sounds dissatisfactory. Could you take your high predicted grades and cram for your lower subjects? It could create the apathy that unconditional offers has for a levels. 15 year olds deciding the night before they can’t be bothered revising so will just take the 4. And what about maths and English which need to be re taken if not passed?
Taking your predicted grades because you were personally unwell or your exam was cancelled is one thing but as an alternative to an exam which is running when you a well is quite another.

I think if the exams are on, they should sit them with extra invigilators, extra centres and an expanded exam period if necessary

I'm sure if there's any way the exams can be sat "normally" then that's what will happen. But it simply may not be possible. And nor will that be entirely "fair" because this cohort is having to deal with a load of stress and disruption that others haven't. There is no entirely fair solution.

DS seems a bit better than yesterday. Is recording one of his music performance pieces tomorrow after school

DS's music teacher is ill.
So don't know when he will be recording his music performance pieces now.
His ensemble partner has an underlying health condition so now isolating. His teacher had said DS could play with him instead. So a double whammy with no teacher now in.

obviously I'm mostly concerned about the music teacher and the friend (close one of DS's, DS is really worried about him) but this just feels like another hurdle to jump now.

I suppose the other issue is will they have invigilators and markers? The last thing you want is exam marks taking forever

Many schools rely on those retired to be invigilators, this will have a big impact and make it even harder for exams to be taken spread out over several rooms.

I've just said to Dd if it came to it I'd be happy to volunteer for invigilation. Who knows the govt may require further/higher education employees to help out? Who knows what other efforts are to be required and how these will be coordinated @HFPAs idea is my fave.

I'm sure if there's any way the exams can be sat "normally" then that's what will happen

If they have the option of sitting them or not sitting them then they will be being sat normally. Opting out of exams that others are sitting normally because you prefer your teachers predicted grade sounds like one of the least fair ways. I agree none of the solutions are great and they are having to deal with abnormal disruption and stress

Given we don’t know what will happen tomorrow let alone in May when most boards will commence exams, I’m still encouraging DD to stick with the mantra ‘business as usual’ in regard to revision for her GCSEs.
If in May, our communities are in the position that schools cannot be open to allow Yr11 and Yr13 to sit exams because of lack of staff, invigilators (Uni students?) and markers then I think we all have much more to worry about than how examination grades are to be determined.

Agree with business as usual but with an emphasis on getting controlled assessments completed where possible. DD managed to get on with Textiles today with a double lesson plus lunch plus missing RS and managed to get the making part half finished. Fingers crossed for another lesson next week to get it completed but who knows. Tomorrow’s plan is get the music second composition finished and handed in. Then there’s just drama which is still scheduled for 1st April apparently.
It’s just a wait and see but the unknown is difficult to work towards...

DS is getting worried that exams won’t be able to go ahead as normal because, as of today, several of the major schools (st Paul’s girls, Westminster, Harrow being some) have shut early. The boarding house at his school has also shut. Hopefully things calm down over Easter break, but he definitely does not want a delay.

Hi, does anyone have an idea about what will happen with GCSE MFL speaking exams due to school closures?

Lovely to see teachers in Facebook offering support for their subjects,

Thanks for kind words, all. Feel a bit better today. Obviously not at school to try to help my anxious year 11s and 13s...

Hi all, haven't been around due to Life getting in the way, and haven't caught up on everything.

I saw this morning on twitter a petition from a teacher asking for predicted grades to be used and anyone who is not happy with them can take their exam in November. I have no idea what DS's predicted grades are. I know what his target / aspirational grades are but these can't be the same thing as predicted surely? At parents evening the teachers were all very confident that he could bring his grades up to generally 8s except for Chemistry, French and Physics which were his three lowest but they were suggesting 7s were achievable. I'd be happy with those quite frankly but I don't think that's written down anywhere??

On a separate matter, our school is closed tomorrow to do a practice run of lesson sessions online following the school day structure. I'm hoping the tech doesn't mess up or it could be disastrous!