GCSE Summer 2020 Thread 7 : Carry on Corona Cohort, Cruising or Crawling to The Final Countdown

[OrangeCinnamon1]

Welcome all to the 7th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort ...or the Corona Cohort as has been termed by @FoolsAssassin.

Some of us have been here since I started first thread back in 2010, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. It is hoped this will continue. Going forward we intend to stay in secondary so any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find.

From now on our DS/DD may go down various paths so we decided not to be exclusionary and stay right here in Secondary

Thread 1 The first GCSE yr 10

Thread 6 last thread

Can’t remember who asked before, the Guardian article says 24,000 students had their results lowered by more than one grade!

Seashells maybe this resignation could be the one that finally ends his ministerial career

@seashellssand he won’t go. Dominic Cummings faced calls to resign for well over a week. It won’t happen. I really think they are going to brazen this out.

I wonder which countries will be added to the quarantine list on Friday? Unless you are working flat out to change the GCSE results to prevent another chaotic and unfair outcome.

*they are working

singingstones, I've just seen that increases in grades C and above were greater for state schools than private schools. I'm not a statistician, so maybe I've got this totally wrong but isn't that pattern what your expect when comparing selective with comprehensive?
The same report said that, while the overall picture looks ok, at an individual level, it's really not. That's where the real issue lies, IMO - pupils, private or otherwise, haven't got what they deserve (negatively and positively).

DD may well be marked down 2 grades for maths, I fear, because there were a couple of level 3 results last year. She got borderline 6 in her mocks but there's only a handful of pupils below her and some of those were going to sit Foundation, so who knows how the algorithm will affect her?

@Alsoplayspiccolo we are in exactly the same situation as you. It’s horrid isn’t it. All these poor children facing such uncertainty and potential unfairness. My dd is having a physical reaction to the stress now bless her, she’s had to see the gp as she’s had a flare up of eczema, something she’s never had before.

@LillyM50 @FoolsAssassin So entirely predictable that they have saved these distraction news stories for today. Has Dominic Cummings all over it. Parents, students and teachers need to keep the pressure on they cannot get away with this.

Just posted on the A level thread to say some Tory Mps are adding their voices to the growing criticism ...it also said that one pupil had his A in Spanish downgraded to a B despite it being his mother tongue

I would expect students at independent schools to achieve more top grades than students at state schools. When a system of standardisation has been applied across the board and Ofqual tells us that grades have gone up a bit overall, I would expect that to be evident across the board. It's the increase from last year's figures that is noteworthy, not the number of top grades. Graphic and quote below.
I can't find the C+ data you mention - but anyway it wouldn't excuse state schools receiving a disproportionately low increase in top grades. As far as I can tell, this does not seem to be a continuation of an existing trend.

Private schools also increased the proportion of students achieving the top grades at a much faster rate than comprehensive schools, compared with 2019.

(PS Also I have fingers crossed for your DD btw, completely unfair that she might miss out on what she deserves because of what happened previously)

I hope there are legal challenges, but I also hope the results can be applied to all pupils in the country, not just those whose families or schools can afford to pursue these challenges.
The more I think about how they have worked out how many pupils would not get the predicted grades and then downgraded their best guess of who that might be, without any exam paper as evidence, the angrier I feel. There is no proof who would or wouldn't have got their predicted grades - it is not as simple as being borderline or being from a certain type of school. So they have taken one or more grades away from a pupil without any evidence of their exam performance.
Without the actual exam, CAG or mocks are the only way. But it it needs to be instant, like Scotland, or else pupils won't be able to go to sixth form in some cases, or won't be able to take certain subjects in some cases.
My own DS is very good at science, but less good at maths. If he doesn't get a 6 in maths he won't be able to take any science A'level. He would have got a 6. If his teacher gave him a CAG of 6, and it gets moderated down to a 5, he won't be able to take any sciences at A'level at all. Same goes for humanities and English results.

There is a campaigning group for Alevels on facebook for a free and fair appeals system. It has had a lot of media interest they've also set up a gcse group
clickylinkhere

This table appears in the OFQUAL document - it shows what would have been the GCSE results if the algorithm had been applied to the 2019 cohort - lucky DD is doing Dance - the subject with which the algorithm performed worst! Oh well, better than it being Maths and English I suppose....

twitter.com/xtophercook/status/1294183634484826113/photo/1

Obviously those requirements are specific to a high-requirement school, but we haven't applied to any colleges etc? Should I be doing a last-minute application somewhere else? All the school sixth forms in my town are quite high-requirement and there is no sixth form college etc. I would have to look at another town's sixth form - if we changed to a lower-requirement college (if that even exists or has space, doubtful since all the post-GCSE apprenticeships got cancelled due to coronavirus) and had successful appeal in weeks or months time, that is too late for the preferred sixth forms and even the preferred courses if those are not available...

You are right @neutralintelligence the legal action should be on behalf of all those that can't afford it and also perhaps can't advocate for their child for a whole host of reasons. We are also on tenterhooks.. if the marks get downgraded then we have to rethink A levels which have even carefully planned to reflect a future career .. so for all of them the stakes are high. I didn't realise that Gavin Williamson has been sacked as defence minister for leaking sensitive information--I'm not political but this situation is making me angrier as well especially when I realise it's been spearheaded by someone who is questioning the professionalism of our teachers who in truth has a dubious ethical record of this own

@neutralintelligence might be just as well to have a contingent - we are going to write it all down as I know we will be exhausted and not thinking straight on Thursday - DD and I had a chat today just to think about plan B

They cannot have mass downgrading in Maths and English GCSE without widespread A'level course mess. Those 2 subjects are the worst for affecting future plans and opportunities because they are not stand-alone. As mentioned, most sixth forms have requirements of a certain Maths GCSE grade to study any science A'level and requirements of a certain English GCSE grade to study A'level humanities. Retakes in the autumn won't work if you pass Maths and English but don't get enough to study another different subject like science or humanities.

@neutralintelligence it can't harm. You could hold two places at once. Bear in mind results history will look different as not selecting a cohort.

This is another injustice of the system. We simply don't have this issue as prevalent in Hampshire with very few sixth forms. I'm not saying to brag ...just another example of the injustice.

@desertcoffeeyoga - can't talk to my DS about it without him going into mental health crisis mode, he can only watch TV all day as a distraction. May have to warn school to keep an eye on him next Thursday as parents are not allowed in.

@neutralintelligence this must be such a tough time when we don't have answers just more questions - but he has your support, and you have here .. so hopefully we can all help each other get through

Can I accept multiple places? I think they will check with each other.
I worry the school will encourage us to take a place at a lower-requirement school just so that takes the pressure of them to appeal successfully for a grade increase.

@neutralintelligence

Yes you can accept multiple places until you enrol. My daughter has two offers - her school sixth form and the local sixth form college.

When I worked at a FE college, we encouraged potential students to apply for everything and decide when the results are out.

And no, schools don't check with each other,

You could ring a couple of places up to check capacity at least? So you are in the position of offering solutions in the worst case scenario? Are you willing to post location...someone may know about good places.

Thanks @sarahbeans for clarifying