GCSE Summer 2020 Thread 9 : Carry on Corona Cohort ‘Let’s Ofqual the whole thing off'

[OrangeCinnamon1]

Welcome all to the 9th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort - the Corona Cohort!

This is a thread for supporting all young people ( and their parents) taking GCSEs regardless of the institute they attend or the grades they need. It is respectfully requested that we are all supportive and helpful to each other.

If you want to start a debate e.g state vs private - please do not within this thread.

Similarly it should be recognised that the grades our children need/deserve/want will vary across the board- we wish to celebrate and comiserate with all. One same grade outcome can simultaneously cause joy and despair for different posters and their families. Please be sensitive when responding to threads about grade outcomes.

Some of us have been here since I started first thread back in yr10, 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 on the Secondary Education Board (at least until Mumsnet HQ chuck us out ) as from now on our DS/DD may go down various paths such employment, apprenticeships, higher ed etc so we decided not to be exclusionary.

Any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find. There is no preciousness about who starts new threads!

At this precise moment in time we are still awaiting GCSE results . At first these were to be that seem to have been produced by an algorithm that also takes very little account of Teacher Centre Assessed Grades. There is an appeal process but it was changed to include mock results and coursework, then taken down again for review. Now it has been decided that the higher of Centre Assessed Grades and Calculated Grades will be awarded in two parts??!?!

We are all STILL trying to protect our young people's mental health, which the government claims is their priority...when they talk about wanting students back in schools/college in September...

First Thread

Previous thread

My DD is another petite one - my younger DD (about to go into Y8) is the same size as her! DD1’s friendship group are all giants in comparison!

We've been told not at all @Fiddlersgreen out school says they have been told not to issue them. I've reached a point where I'm not going to be able to face reading the thread tomorrow knowing we still have to wait an unknown length of time for results which do matter, it's two subjects he plans to take in 6th form so I'm going to wish you all well and take a break.

DS and I just played a very long game of Top Trumps.

And now we are watching an NBA play off game - DS is very into basketball. And it’s his favourite team playing. My own basketball knowledge has grown a lot over the past couple of years .

We have both made predictions of which teams will get through to the second round.

Good luck Team, think I need to think about something else....

I wasn't here when precision's were put on or mocks.

So for transparency I'll post ds here.

Mocks

Lang 2 lit 3 computing, geography, drama 6 maths 7 science 9

He got gcse statistics last year - grade 7.

Predictions

Lit/Lang 3
Drama 5
Computing 6
Geography 5
Maths 8
Science 8/9

Let's hope my higher ones are correct and not over optimistic but we know ds was pretty much in top of top sets and his school always get a good number of 8/9.

@EwwSprouts thank you for that link! I’d forgotten I’d posted on there but my predictions on that thread still stand I think. Time (approximately 10 hours of it!) will tell!

God, I need another glass of wine

Does anyone know what's happening with fsmq? How is it even graded? Ds said they never even did a mock in this!

@EasilyDelighted so sorry about the delays, how completely frustrating

Yes I predict mainly 6s a couple of 5s and couple of 7s - fingers crossed for an 8 for music.
Pretty solid as you say@wrongdissection. Will reevaluate once we have had mock results back !
My predictions.
I never did get the mock results back.

Now my laptop has decided the internet is Not A Thing.

@EasilyDelighted so sorry make sure you let us know when they do.come through

@EasilyDelighted

I’m so sorry. I understand completely and hope it doesn’t take too long for them to sort this out and issue the results

DS has just hurtled into the kitchen in search of late night snacks:

“You alright mum? Not too nervous? Yeah, I’m fine thanks. Do you need more wine?”

At least whatever the results tomorrow I know I’ve raised him well, he has his priorities straight

@GU24Mum we also received a similar email from school this afternoon via ParentMail. Most bizarre as it was addressed Dear Mrs "mummabear74" and "DD". When I first read it I came out in a hot sweat as it seemed personalised to me but after speaking with DH he thinks I'm over thinking and it's most probably a round robin. Tomorrow will tell.

@itsgettingweird how lovely of your son. I'm sure all his teachers will be very touched.

I think I may have posted predictions on the post before but have had a name change. DD wrote predictions down in April and has done so again tonight. Tomorrow will tell! I think I'm going to be exhausted by then and definitely need to have a glass of wine now.

I've really appreciated this thread and hopefully it can continue through to A levels etc and beyond. This past week has been particularly helpful and I wish all the best to the teachers and school staff tomorrow and best wishes to all your children.

@FlyingPandas Now is not the time for small glasses.

Good luck everyone. Don't think we'll be getting much sleep tonight.

DS and his friends are having a gathering tomorrow they've named 'Doomsday Party'.

Bit worrying reading about the different ways schools have reached the CAGs and how some schools tried to bend it to the algorithm before sending them in so as not to get downgraded too much. A teacher friend says her school didn't allow her to give out the top grades to 2 bright pupils as no one got them last year and they were trying to follow the government advice. Worrying. But it is what it is now I suppose.

Awful for the BTEC students!

Thanks all, I'll come back once the dust has settled and the BTEC results are out. My phone has been pinging nonstop with whatsapps and messages about this for the last week plus following these threads and I think I need a total social media break

DS wants to be woken up in good time to have a shower and decide what to wear. He needs the assistance of DD as he now wants to look “a bit smart” rather than edgy. I’m not sure quite what this will translate to in the morning

Good Luck for tomorrow everyone. DS1 goes in at 1000 tomorrow to get results so just under 24 hours to go!

The BTECs so close to the wire is dire. Will GAV survive this final straw?

I don't think I played the prediction game last time. So many changes of teacher in so many subjects make it hard but we think

Maths 6
English 6/7
Lit 6/7 ( he is really much better than that but it's been an inconsistent staffing situation)
Science 6,6
History 7 ( previous teacher said 9)
RS 8
Business 9
Spanish 8 or 9
Music Lord knows, 5 maybe, maybe 2 or 3 or 4 or 6
And in theory some computer thing C

Feeling like most of you- a bit apprehensive but hoping CAGs/GAVs will end in at least 7s in Maths and Physics which DS is doing for A level.
Also he is my DC4 so this is my last time in the GCSE journey- talk about a way to end. Just hoping A levels will be a more normal event.
Good luck to everyone’s children tonight 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻And sleep 😴

@EasilyDelighted The way they have dealt with BTECs is absolutely ridiculous, I'm not surprised you're frustrated.

9 hrs 40 to go for us - or thereabouts.

DS just checked his email and had one from school on Monday
But it's just a repeat of the one they sent months ago, reminding them that results are coming by email and that they can go in to enrol at set times depending on surname. No mention of CAGs / GAVs etc..

All your talk of chilled wine had me popping out for alcohol of my own this evening. Hopefully we will be toasting our DCs' great successes tomorrow. Good luck everyone!

@itsgettingweird - FSMQ will be CAG as well. Grading is A-E - no A stars!

DD and I have settled on the sofa to watch The Haunting of Hill House. We figure if she’s going to be up all night anyway we might as well scare ourselves silly.

Good luck everyone.