GCSE and A-level guidance has been issued

[TheletterZ]

The guidelines for the GCSE and A-levels has now come out.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/877842/Summer_2020_grades_for_GCSE_AS_A_level_EPQ_AEA_in_maths_-_guidance_for_teachers_students_parents.pdf

Main points, schools will come up with the grades using their professional judgement and performance in exams, assessments, in class etc...
They will then rank the students in each grade band.
This will then be subject to statistical analysis by ofqual and might be adjusted.
The results will be published ahead of the usual schedule and certificate will look exactly the same as any other year.

Orange DD’s school initially said they were doing on line exams, but parents kicked off pretty universally. I emailed in pointing out that they were in no position to judge the environment that the exams were being taken in, and therefore it couldn’t be fair in any way. Parent’s might be sick, they might have younger siblings running around, be worried about family and friends or just not coping terribly well with lock down. Their is no way the work can be assessed fairy. As soon as the guidance came out so did an email saying we aren’t doing exams.

I really don’t see how they can think its fair, or within guidelines.

Well, it’s for BTEC but I wouldn’t call it specific! A lot of “might” in there...

Btec and vocational is a minefield as there are so many more variables to providers and learners compared to GQs like alevels and GCSEs.

Exact info will be getting released for these after Easter

Our school has decided to set an exam week in lockdown for all GCSE and A level students and 25% of their teacher assessed grade will be attributed to these "exams". Has anyone else's school taken a similar approach? It seems as if it may conflict with Ofqual guidance. Thoughts?

This is against ofqual guidance. This is disadvantaging learners (use this phrase) who do not have the resources at home, May have other issues happening or may be ill themselves.
Please complain to the school and the exam boards (not ofqual, the board need to investigate).

@noblegiraffe or any other maths teachers. Do you know if AQA level 2 further maths comes in this guidance? Is it an “additional extension award”? Or will it come under other guidance to come.

Just wondering if DS is likely to get an award for it. He has been studying for it and was officially entered but the study is after school one day a week not in main lessons. I am not sure what evidence they will have to predict a grade on.

Thanks for your help.

It works exactly like a higher GCSE so I’d expect grades to be predicted in the same way. I agree that lack of evidence will be an issue - my school, for example, didn’t run further maths mocks. Any predictions I would have made (I’m not teaching it this year) would have been based on their GCSE maths ability. I suppose that you could use someone getting nearly 100% on a GCSE maths mock as evidence that they’d get an A^ (now 9) in further maths.

That’s really helpful @noblegiraffe, thank you.

He didn’t sit a further maths mock but has handed some tests in over the time. We have never been given an indication of what he was likely to get despite asking.

In his November GCSE maths mock he was 3 points off a 9 which he was disappointed with as he had made lots of silly mistakes, and in his February one he got a 9 with 18 marks spare. Can’t remember what year but they were proper past papers and I think it was 219/240. I am hoping that should secure a 9 in the maths assessed grade but it will be good if it helps towards the further maths too.