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Original poster

GCSE’s summer 2020 thread 5 - And then there were none..

993 replies

FoolsAssassin · 26/03/2020 15:07

Once upon a time there was a group of year 11 students who had spent the last few years preparing to sit their GCSE exams in the summer of 2020. Then one day they woke up and found themselves as characters in a real life disaster movie and as if by magic the exams disappeared.

What lies next for the Corona Cohort?!

Thread 4
Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1 (Year 10)

Anyone lurking please feel free to jump on in .

OP posts:
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5
Original poster
FoolsAssassin · 01/04/2020 14:58

They can’t scrap them as not everyone goes onto A levels or BTEC .

OP posts:
ExpletiveDelighted · 01/04/2020 15:18

They can't scrap them, gcse pass in maths and English is a minumum requirement for most jobs.

I'm another desperately hoping they don't usr KS2 SATS, DS has made huge progress since thanks to his EHCP and is performing much better now but still borderline 3/4 in English.

Andi2020 · 01/04/2020 15:35

What if s teacher and and student do no get on. My dd always wanted to do Spanish as A level but couldn't as her and teacher do not get on. I asked for her to be moved to another Class but school said the timetable would not allow this and she had to attend the class leave her diary on teachers desk to write instructions off work to do as she said my dd never does her work. She had always got good grades in Roi but we moved and she had to change school and Spanish became a problem.Teacher moved her to foundation level in February said she would never pass higher so now I doubt she will get a pass in foundation either and will have no language qualifications leaving school.

FlyingPandas · 01/04/2020 15:38

@Andi2020 that sounds tough but your DD would have the resit option for that specific subject, if she is unhappy with her grade.

oohnicevase · 01/04/2020 15:48

@Andi2020 surely teachers can still give the correct grades regardless of if they like the student or not ?

Andi2020 · 01/04/2020 15:59

@oohnicevase on her predicted grade she put a D in mocks. My dd is friendly with Spanish teacher in Roi school gave her the paper to look over that she had for mock and she said it was total bull no examiner would mark that hard and the teacher just laughed at me at parents evening saying it was my dd fault.
My dd did not want me to put it any further so it is the only good thing that came out off school closing. My dd loves school only misses time for medical apt.
I feel confident she will get into her A level choices but disappointed she will never be able to apply to a university in her home country Roi without a language.
She is going to start study French at home on Dulingo as she would love to do a season work and in Euro Disney.

noblegiraffe · 01/04/2020 16:06

Predicted grades given out on school reports will not be the same predicted grades as given to the exam boards.

I certainly am cautious with predicted grades for students as I don’t want them to become complacent if they’re borderline. For the exam boards I have been more optimistic (although what I have put will be moderated twice before going anywhere near an exam board so may not be what is sent off).

Anyone who thinks they can do better than the grade given in July can sit an exam to try to improve this so no one is being doomed by their teachers.

Wheresthebeach · 01/04/2020 16:08

I’m surprised that they still haven’t made any announcements how its going to work. Schools will want to get something out to parents before closing for half term and schools need a bit of time to digest what they’re told.

Wheresthebeach · 01/04/2020 16:10

I think the resits are a difficult option - after 5.5 months off there is no way the kids will be in a good position to sit exams. Its just not the same as doing them at the end of the year, and building up to them with proper revision.

ExpletiveDelighted · 01/04/2020 17:33

I was thinking about the resits, will those who are leaving their school (virtually all state schools here have no 6th form) do them at their old school or will colleges have to accommodate it, so many questions.

Mominatrix · 01/04/2020 17:40

Listening to More or Less yesterday, predicted grades seem like a lousy way to give grades. The reporter said that they are accurate only 16% of the time for GCSEs (!) and are usually overestimated. Interestingly, they said that the predicted grades given by private schools are more accurate than those given by state schools (speaking about A levels I am assuming).

mrscampbellblackagain · 01/04/2020 17:41

I still think they could be scrapped in current format of grades 1-9 and just some new grade given to indicate a pass mark standard was met in maths or English for those not going on to a levels etc. Also everyone will know the classes of 2020 are going to have 'odd' results.

My DC will not re-sit as will need to be focused on a levels from sept and this seems to be the view of many parents I speak too unless their child on the Oxbridge trajectory.

Mominatrix · 01/04/2020 17:46

This would really screw up the applications of those children who want to apply to US universities as GCSEs and predicted A levels are the only grades English candidates have to present, compared to the 7 complete sets of grades their US counterparts will be presenting. DS really needs these grades.

LittleLebowski · 01/04/2020 18:07

Also waiting in my house for Ofqual to issue its guidance. I was really upset by the exam cancellation, but we've just accepted that it'll be a mixed bag. Some things may end up being better than expected, others less so as the mocks were not brilliant for various reasons - none helped by me saying that I'd always messed up mine then done well in the real thing so not to kill herself over them.
I wonder if there shouldn't be just one exceptional certificate for this cohort, listing exams studied, mock results and a realistic target grade. I realise there is no perfect solution and plenty will lose out. French students are also waiting for a decision this week on what will happen with their baccalaureat exams.
Will listen to the More or Less episode, thanks.

mrscampbellblackagain · 01/04/2020 18:14

The grades are never going to be regarded the same as children who sat their gcse's last year though are they?

I mean they are just not the same. They are not sitting the exams. There will have to be a solution that is good enough but everyone including US universities will know this was an 'odd' year as far as results go.

Piggywaspushed · 01/04/2020 18:30

monimnatrix I imagine he is using the very rough and ready measure of UCAS predictions which are not proper predictions. State schools have been ticked off before for under predicting. Otherwise, I am not sure where so called statisticians get this from (sorry, I know the More or Less guy is usually great: in fact , it was him last year who worked out how inaccurate exam results can be!) because we never give predicted grades to anyone any more. (by which I mean we don't submit PGs to exam boards)

In terms of internal predictions , last year my school's accuracy of predictions was pretty good (including a 96% match in my subject!). But , remember, it was the exam boards themselves who had to admit last year that marked exams were not accurate in lots of subjects pretty much most of the time and could be a grade out either way for huge numbers of students. So, measuring accuracy of predictions against something which, in many subjects isn't , in reality 'accurate' seems futile!

I'd hazard a guess that, in reality, teacher assessment of ability is more nuanced, fuller and more accurate!

FlyingPandas · 01/04/2020 18:41

@mominatrix the thing is though that this entire 2020 cohort of exam students, of whatever age, wherever they might be based in the world, is going to have something of an atypical set of results this summer.

Presumably many schools in the US are going to have some issues with student grades this year, too, given the global pandemic? Apologies, I know nothing of the US system and how the exam system works - but given that coronavirus is impacting countries all over the world then I would assume that schools all over the world are going to have issues with whatever their exam system is, and that further education establishments will have to make adjustments accordingly?

ProggyMat · 01/04/2020 18:55

@mrscampbellblackagain it’s another no from me in regards to scrapping awarded grades and a hefty NO from my DD in regards to a ‘pass’ for the subjects she does not need to progress to A level!
Isn’t that akin to ‘kicking this year’s Yr11 cohort when they’ve already been floored’ ?
My DD will resit any subject grade given no matter if she does not need them for A level progression if she feels that she’s been ‘short changed’
Meanwhile, whilst she will not be revising to the extent that she would be doing for May/June exams, she will tick all her subjects over.
I fully support her in this not only to keep a structure to her day but also to ensure she is given ‘what she deserves’ in her GCSE grades.

Wheresthebeach · 01/04/2020 19:04

They have done a massive amount of work over the last two years and that deserves to be recognised. They are being judged on 2 years work, not a few hours of exams so I think it’s only fair for them to have grades like every other year. Anything else would be horrible for them.

mrscampbellblackagain · 01/04/2020 19:15

Look I get the frustration. My DC is extremely pissed off about it and is still revising every day.

But there is no way these results will be regarded the same as other years. And of course there is two years work but the current nature of gcses is that they are awarded on exams that take place on the same day for every child in the country and that isn't happening this year.

I think we just have to accept this is an exceptional year and there isn't going to be a solution that is fair to all.

Piggywaspushed · 01/04/2020 19:17

Ermmmm ....some of them have coursework....

Piggywaspushed · 01/04/2020 19:18

I honestly think if those doing the regarding treat those students differently, then they have the problem really...

mrscampbellblackagain · 01/04/2020 19:19

@proggymat - I am interested in the re-sitting. Does your DD not worry that will take time away from her a levels if that is what she is planning?

Upon reflection I think for my DS he will just accept there are a couple of subjects which he could have lifted up grade wise but as he isn't doing them for A level he will live for it.

He will then focus on A levels - I am assuming universities will take into account the weird year of 2020 when looking at gcse results. But if not, then he will take a gap year and apply once he has his a level results. All of course assuming he continues on the type of trajectory he has been on.

mrscampbellblackagain · 01/04/2020 19:21

Well, I don't see how they won't be regarded as different - it isn't the students fault its just what has happened this year.

Sorry didn't realise about coursework, none of the subjects my DC is doing have coursework. Should hopefully be easier to award grades in those subjects though.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 01/04/2020 19:23

I’m with Piggy. There’s bound to be people who say/think this year’s grades aren’t REAL grades because our DCs didn’t sit exams, but if anyone thinks the alternative they’ve been given is the easier option, that’s their issue, in the same way that people every summer say that standards must be dropping because you only needed 35% to pass maths blah, blah.