Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

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

999 replies

OrangeCinnamon1 · 11/08/2020 17:50

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 Grin

Thread 1 The first GCSE yr 10

Thread 6 last thread

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Alsoplayspiccolo · 15/08/2020 16:13

presumble, schools that marked harshly.

Original poster
OrangeCinnamon1 · 15/08/2020 16:16

We had PPEs some in July , some in November ...which they had a mock gcse results day for. Hope they meet the criteria as a lot of fuss was made.

Also had some mocks in March which we never got results for ( one teacher let slip).

We shall see. I wonder if this is a circumspect way of really falling back on CAGs?

OP posts:
estherfrewen · 15/08/2020 16:22

Thanks for posting that @FoolsAssassin - we had two sets of very stringent mocks in October and February in full exam conditions. We will be fighting and emailing to the last though so that everyone gets a fair deal as I’m guessing that won’t be the case everywhere

FoolsAssassin · 15/08/2020 16:29

@estherfrewen

Thanks for posting that *@FoolsAssassin* - we had two sets of very stringent mocks in October and February in full exam conditions. We will be fighting and emailing to the last though so that everyone gets a fair deal as I’m guessing that won’t be the case everywhere
I don’t think it will be the case for everyone either so with you on that,
Original poster
OrangeCinnamon1 · 15/08/2020 16:29

Sorry can any of the teacher types confirm what constitute Non Examined Assessment. Can it just be in class tests ? Or does it apply more specifically to coursework? Think am getting myself confused.

OP posts:
lilgreen · 15/08/2020 16:29

DD’s school too. Proper PPEs in November and March.

areyoubeingserviced · 15/08/2020 16:30

@crazycrofter- your dd is absolutely correct. Even good grades will be devalued.
Complete and utter shambles

Comefromaway · 15/08/2020 16:33

An NEA for GCSE is subjects like music performance & composition, art coursework, drama practical, Food Tech practical etc.

For A levels many arts and Humanities subjects eg English Lit, have coursework that usually goes towards your grade.

MrsHamlet · 15/08/2020 16:33

@OrangeCinnamon1 specifically coursework. Won't apply in most GCSEs

FoolsAssassin · 15/08/2020 16:38

I think it is a Schrodinger CAG OrangeCinnamon

Original poster
OrangeCinnamon1 · 15/08/2020 16:41

Thank you ! Blimey I must have missed that GCSE coursework was not counted. I just presumed Dd music assessments did she had completed well before lockdown.
So still no solution for GCSE students who didn't do mocks?
Music is the one grade that is most important to her. I will see what happens Thurs with that Confused

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 15/08/2020 16:44

If they were NEA assessments, they should count. If they were "just" school assessments, they won't.

stoneysongs · 15/08/2020 16:55

WJEC also calls things like geography field work an NEA, and I think there was one in history and English lit too. But probably completely different to other boards, they seem to do that a lot Hmm

MrsHamlet · 15/08/2020 16:56

No NEA in English or Lit with AQA, except the spoken language which is worthless.

Fiddlersgreen · 15/08/2020 16:56

Thank you for posting that update from today.
It Still doesn’t specify what a “valid mock” is does it unless I missed it?
For example, exam conditions, all papers taken etc?
I know my DS did one Eng Lit paper in Nov and one in March so would that count?!

I can’t remember who it was but I think someone here told me that because our school was taking GCSEs for the first time (new school) then only CAGs would be used and not the algorithm ?
Can anyone confirm if I remember this correctly and tell me how you know this as I cannot find any info online?

DS has decided today (after changing his mind on A level subjects two weeks ago) that he is also changing his mind and wanting to go to the local college rather than his school 6th form!

lilgreen · 15/08/2020 16:56

CAGs are being counted now.

lilgreen · 15/08/2020 16:58

Teachers used the coursework, class work and mocks to get the CAG.

JMG1234 · 15/08/2020 17:06

Reading the new Ofqual guidance, reference is made to GCSEs. Is it assumed that this also includes iGCSEs or not as they're not specifically included in the list of exams it applies to?

Original poster
OrangeCinnamon1 · 15/08/2020 17:08

'We want to make sure this opportunity is available to a wide range of students, including those who had not taken a written mock exam before schools and colleges closed. We will therefore allow a non-exam assessment mark to be used too'

Except effing Gove got rid of the majority of Coursework in GCSEs so this helps very very few GCSE students !

Arrrghhh! So frustrating why did I even think they would address the obvious discrepancies?

Oh and Fridge Gav asked them Tues ....why the delay Angry

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 15/08/2020 17:11

"In circumstances where the centre assessment grade was lower than the mock grade, the student will receive the centre assessment grade."

neutralintelligence · 15/08/2020 17:11

What if the school did several valid mocks, e.g. November and February/March? Does the higher mark count or the most recent?
My Ds revised massively for November mocks (but didn't have time for much maths or spanish) but had to work on his NEA in February (at the time this was part of the final grade) so couldn't revise for those mocks (plus they were during normal school week so no time for revision anyway). Obviously the first set of mock results were better.

Original poster
OrangeCinnamon1 · 15/08/2020 17:11

@lilgreen I can only see that CAGs are being counted if lower than a Mock Exam result or NEA Mock grade?

Im confusing myself nowConfused

OP posts:
lilgreen · 15/08/2020 17:12

‘Ah Gavin, please sit down. I’m going to begin your appraisal by looking back over the last few years.’
‘Few years? I’ve only been doing the job for a year.’
‘Yes, but we need to look at your predecessors.’
‘Why? That doesn’t affect how I do my job.’
‘I’m afraid it does. Let’s start with Damian. He didn’t do much to be honest. Basically kept the seat warm for you. Now Justine. We had very high hopes for her. Lots of enthusiasm but she was too friendly with the teachers. Sadly, she had to go. What to say about Nicky? Made the mistake of thinking she could do the job in the same way as the previous minister. No originality. Something you can’t accuse Michael of. Totally overhauled the system. Of course, it did annoy quite a few people - teachers, unions, parents and pupils. Quite a lot to live up to there, eh Gavin?’
‘Yes but I think I’ve managed the last one.’
‘Annoy teachers, unions, parents and pupils? Yes, I think you’ve managed that. But overall, based on all your predecessors, I’m going to have to mark you down.’
‘But that’s not fair? What about the work I’ve done this year?’
‘Doesn’t count for much. You see we have to base your appraisal on how others have done the job.’
‘That makes no sense whatsoever.’
‘No, it doesn’t. Now you know how the year 13 students feel.’