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Original poster

FSMQ Additional Maths Results

23 replies

QueenOfToast · 13/08/2020 17:29

How has everyone else got on with results in the FSMQ Ad Maths course?

Poor DS has been given a U!

School is (naturally) busy with A Level stuff for the next few days so we haven't had any information about how his result compares to his CAG. We'll be able to find out more from school when the GCSE results come in next week.

Anyway, I guess that the school could have allocated him the U grade, but I assume he was at the bottom of their rankings and the statistical modelling said that someone had to have a U.

Feel free to share your proud stories 🥇 or join in my pity party 🎈

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PatienceVirtue · 13/08/2020 21:21

We didn’t get our results though they told us we would do. Now I’m worried!
Already had some fairly disappointing ones so was kind of relieved. Am hoping there might be some unexpectedly good ones in 20th to leaven disappointment.

PatienceVirtue · 13/08/2020 21:22

I’m so sorry re your ds. Please tell him he’s been graded on exam he didn’t take therefore it’s meaningless.

Thisisconfusing · 13/08/2020 23:58

So sorry to hear that . You are not alone - I’ve heard of other Us at quite selective schools.

It’s compounded by the fact that they are not running a retake in Nov So the result sticks for UCAS unless you can appeal . That’s pretty shoddy for the kids. . They were promised they would not be disadvantaged . OCR should be lobbied to put on a retake. And hopefully the school can appeal .

Thisisconfusing · 13/08/2020 23:59

And also to say we are still waiting an FSMQ result too which we’ve not received from the school. Hopefully it’s just because of A levels .....

Original poster
QueenOfToast · 14/08/2020 16:44

Thanks for your kind words @PatienceVirtue and @Thisisconfusing

I'm still flabbergasted as to how pupils can be considered to have "failed" when they haven't even had chance to take an exam. Poor DS is now stressing about having to include this grade on his UCAS form and having a negative impact on his uni applications. He doesn't believe me when I tell him that it won't matter; hopefully the teachers next week will be able to give him better reassurance.

Anyway, here's to a relaxing weekend Wine and fingers crossed for next week's results.

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sandybayley · 15/08/2020 05:49

DD 'sat' it but the school is holding back her result to release it with GCSE results on Thursday. Hoping for a good result as she did well in her mock (November) and is planning on doing HL Maths at IB.

sandybayley · 15/08/2020 05:50

@QueenOfToast - sorry to hear about the U. Was it totally out of the blue? Had he sat a mock?

Original poster
QueenOfToast · 15/08/2020 09:31

@sandybayley Yes, the U was totally unexpected. He got a C in the mocks, so if he'd had the chance to take the exam in June I would have expected him to improve to a B. With the algorithm stuff I was worried about him slipping to a D, but giving out U's seems really unfair.

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Original poster
QueenOfToast · 15/08/2020 09:33

@sandybayley Best of luck to your DD for Thursdays results.

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sandybayley · 15/08/2020 09:33

Yes - that would be normal. DS1 got a C in his mock and got an A in the real thing in 2018.

sandybayley · 15/08/2020 09:36

Thank you - you as well. Though I'm less stressed than I was this time last week waiting for A Level results for DS1 and not as stressed as I would be if it was DS2 rather than DD.

Takeittotheboss · 17/08/2020 20:33

Just quickly to say that my ds has also received a U in add maths today and is worried abou his UCAS form and indeed his A Levels choices ( having selected Maths and Economics).
He hadn't sat a mock exam in it, so no prior knowledge other than his teacher's belief that the pupils were capable of passing the course. He was sitting safely in the middle of the top set(out of seven) for gcse maths so seems somewhat unlikely he'd have flunked this exam so throughly irl.

Original poster
QueenOfToast · 18/08/2020 10:55

Hello @Takeittotheboss and sorry to hear about your DS's U grade. I'm now wondering whether Ad Maths results will also be changed to CAGs. Has anyone heard anything about this yet? haven't asked our school about it because I know they'll be busy dealing with the A'Level fiasco (and I don't want to be the annoying pushy parent).

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sandybayley · 18/08/2020 11:04

@QueenOfToast - we were told yesterday there is no change (yet) to CAGS for FSMQ.

Takeittotheboss · 18/08/2020 11:47

I also am trying not to be that parent, but I know that individuals have emailed the teacher and been told they can't reveal their CAGs and no changes are to be made to grades.

Thisisconfusing · 18/08/2020 13:12

I wonder if you could use a Subject Access Request to get grades and rankings from a school? No sign of results here but I’m hearing quite a few very able kids got D,E,U so it’s worrying. It seems a double whammy if not using the teacher assessments but no chance to put it right in a retake in Nov. If OCR used the discredited algorithm for FSMQ then they really need to go to CAG - it might just have been forgotten about in all the goings on yesterday .

PatienceVirtue · 18/08/2020 13:24

Just checked the OCR site and they are governed by Ofqual and it's under urgent review.

I honestly can't see how they won't go to CAGs. These bad results seem unlikely given how able the kids who do it are. At DS's school they cull and cull before allowing them to do it until it's only about 20 kids out of 120 (in a pretty selective school) who are even allowed to do it.

Original poster
QueenOfToast · 18/08/2020 15:00

I agree @PatienceVirtue that they will probably announce that they are reverting to CAGs too.

I have no idea yet what DS's CAG is, but it's definitely not going to be a U. If school thought he wasn't capable of passing it (and probably of getting at least a C) then they would have advised me that he shouldn't sit it at February half term (like they did with others).

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PatienceVirtue · 18/08/2020 16:04

@QueenOfToast that your DS was one of the classic miscarriages of algorithm that I've read about. Something like (for example) there was one child from his school who'd got a U in the FSMQ because they'd had a freak out in the exam/terrible migraine/didn't turn the paper over. Which meant (if 50 kids over the last three years had done it) that 2% had got a U which meant that someone had to be given a U even if they'd been CAGged a B.

I really hope it will be rectified. Keep me posted.

Original poster
QueenOfToast · 19/08/2020 12:19

Just had confirmation from school that Ad Maths and iGCSE results will be changed to CAGs as well.

I don't yet know what DS's CAG is for Ad Maths (all the changed grades are being uploaded during the course of the day) but at least he won't have to put a U on his UCAS form.

Good luck to everyone who's waiting for results tomorrow. I'll come back and post the final chapter in his Ad Maths saga tomorrow.

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Original poster
QueenOfToast · 19/08/2020 12:43

Final chapter ...

School have already uploaded the CAGs for Ad Maths. DS has gone up to a D. We're a bit disappointed - I was hoping he'd get a C - but after that U, I knew he must be at the bottom of the rankings so I'm not totally surprised.

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PatienceVirtue · 19/08/2020 15:29

I’m so sorry to hear that but it is v hard, isn’t it? Really smart boys were getting 20% in the mocks.

And the benefit of the non-cag is that what would have been a disappointing d is now a whole two grades better.

Takeittotheboss · 20/08/2020 22:10

Just to say that my son's mark got changed from a U to a C, so relief here.

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