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Original poster

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

999 replies

OrangeCinnamon1 · 18/08/2020 12:56

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 Grin ) 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...

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stoneysongs · 19/08/2020 23:31

For anyone unsure whether they are getting CAGs / GAVs tomorrow, family member who is head of humanities said they have received actual grades today. The exam boards have looked at both CAGs and GAVs and sent the school a set of final grades ie the higher one for each subject. (That's in England.)

So no waiting for a week to see if the GAVs pushed any of the CAGs up.

MirandaWest · 19/08/2020 23:34

Have found my predictions from March. Think I still agree with them.

English Literature - 7 maybe 8
English language - 6 maybe 7
Maths - 7. Capable of 8. Would possibly have got with an exam
Physics - 8
Biology 7. Maybe 6
Chemistry. 6. Maybe 7
RE - 8
Geography - 7. Maybe 8
PE - hopefully a 9. Might be an 8
Music - 9
Spanish - maybe 5. More likely 4

Although they may well be all too optimistic...

The basketball match is over and DSs preferred team won easily Smile

frustrationcentral · 19/08/2020 23:35

@singingstones

For anyone unsure whether they are getting CAGs / GAVs tomorrow, family member who is head of humanities said they have received actual grades today. The exam boards have looked at both CAGs and GAVs and sent the school a set of final grades ie the higher one for each subject. (That's in England.)

So no waiting for a week to see if the GAVs pushed any of the CAGs up.

Oh that's good!
Fiddlersgreen · 19/08/2020 23:37

Thanks @singingstones that’s helpful to know

20newnames · 19/08/2020 23:38

@frustrationcentral. Our kids who were doing further maths (after school one day a week) were asked if they wanted to enter the exam a few weeks before lockdown. DS said yes and I have been assured he will be awarded a grade. What that will be I have no clue, I can only assume that they look at what they have done in class and their normal maths ability but I really don’t know. Hence the anything from a 5 upwards is fine, although of course DS would like higher. They have never been predicted a grade in it though, not have we been able to see the FM teacher at parents evening. I asked his normal maths teacher (wel before lockdown!) and she said they would get back to me. They didn’t 😬.

frustrationcentral · 19/08/2020 23:46

@20newnames , I don't think anyone was doing further maths as such at school, it was a bit of a weird one. There was a table of students who occasionally were given a few bits to work on but nothing really set if that makes sense, certainly wasn't DS. He just hit the point at mocks that his teacher was happy for him to give it a shot, we just never found out whether his attempt was good enough for him to be put forward.

I'll find out what happened tomorrow as one of his best friends was on the table that occasionally do FM work so I'll probably find out if he got a grade for it. His mum feels it's unlikely

20newnames · 20/08/2020 00:00

I see your issue @frustrationcentral.

DS has just told me I am not allowed to wake him up to get his results as that is being controlling and he should be in control of opening the email. (I was never going to open it, just tell him it was there).

He is right I guess in that it makes no difference if he opens it at 8am or 10.30 but god it’s frustrating!!

whoamitojudge · 20/08/2020 00:05

Good luck to everyone on here. It’s a long wait for DD as she has to wait for an email just before midday

crazycrofter · 20/08/2020 00:12

I’m jealous of all the 8am emails! 10am will be a long wait!

MirandaWest · 20/08/2020 00:22

No emails here - DS gets his from school at 9am. Ones earlier in the alphabet get to go there at 8am.

I really should go to bed...

Heifer · 20/08/2020 00:30

Just checking in before I switch off the PC... DD has just gone to bed - well to her bedroom, she doesn't really go to sleep until the early hours - although has asked me to wake her up at 7.55 so who knows.

DD is in a panic about which A levels to take . Sant decide between History and PE to go with Biology and Psychology. I've told her not to worry about it tonight and that she doesn't have to decide before school phones tomorrow to talk though results and 6th form (they are due to phone 8.30 - 11.30).

DD told me last minute that she isn't meeting up with friends until 2.30pm ish so I booked a table at Gusto for the 3 of us for lunch, still going to Mowgli on Monday too though :-)

Fingers crossed DD is happy come 8.02am... God I just want her to be happy and proud of what she has achieved. She worked hard most of the time - a couple of mocks not so much but that won't ever happen again. I am sure she will revise for EVERY test she ever gets from now on. She is so cross with herself that she worked so hard all her school life and just drop the ball a little for mocks as she wanted to see where she was in 2 or 3 subjects.. Well she found out that she was about 3 grades from where she wanted to be!

It's been so nice reading about all your children and your lifes. Look forward to carrying onto 6th form :-)

Good luck tomorrow all.

Monkey2001 · 20/08/2020 00:46

Hello @Heifer, I need to go to bed too as DS wants to be woken up at 7 - he is getting an e-mail shortly after 8, but can go into school at 8 too.

DS was planning to do Double Maths, Physics and Product Design with a view to Engineering. Now thinks he might want to be a Physiotherapist so also thinking about PE as does not want to do Biology, so may change to the very odd combo of Double Maths, Physics and PE.

Till the morning, hoping for lots of good news.

Shimy · 20/08/2020 02:24

HmmHmm anyone awake? Woken up by allthe wind blowing and a door slammed shut. Now can’t get back to sleep.

FoolsAssassin · 20/08/2020 02:30

Yes the dog needed a wee and I think the cat has a mouse but will deal with that in the morning. Also can’t get back to sleep so having a cup of decaf tea.

Shimy · 20/08/2020 02:34

Hallo 👋 Cup of tea ah! Can’t drag my self downstairs to do that. Just wished go back to sleep.

FoolsAssassin · 20/08/2020 02:40

I’d time down once to sort the dog so it didn’t seem too bad it go down again. Am hoping in a bit I will drop off again. Very pissed off with the poor dog whi did clearly need to go out but really knows how to pick her nights !

Shimy · 20/08/2020 03:11

Didn’t realise dog’s woke in the night to use the toilet, like humans. How very interesting. Do cat’s do that as well?

Confusedbutheyho · 20/08/2020 04:00

Can’t sleep either but wish I could. Too nervous but luckily will be getting email at 8am. I’ll be relieved when it’s over no matter what the results are!

Paranoidmarvin · 20/08/2020 04:24

Yup. I’m awake here as well. We don’t get to the school till 10.30!!!!!

Heifer · 20/08/2020 04:24

AH i've woken up 4 times, so decided to get up for a while! Panicking now about something a teacher said to DD and me about when she did the CAGs they got sent back to her a few times. Now DD will be fine in that subject as near the top of the list, but it's made me realise that although "deserves" a certain grade in other subjects she will probably have been downgraded to fit the previous data results :-( There was me thinking all will be well once moved to CAGs but now I'm not so sure.
Also now worried that if DD isn't happy she won't want to talk to anyone from school when they phone up in case she cries (she would hate that). I bet the school are regretting that decision to contact every Yr11 personally now to talk aboutresults and 6th form. They always had that layer of protection before but now the girls know it's the school that gave them the grade..

Too many unknowns. I can't wait until this is all over. Really hoping DD is happy with what she has been given and she can go out and enjoy the rest of her day (2 lots of groups of friends to socialise with as non school friends have a bday to celebrate too.

Confusedbutheyho · 20/08/2020 04:48

@Paranoidmarvin that’s absolutely torture for you Sad

@Heifer exactly why I’m worried too - I think teachers will be very worried also. That’s what’s annoying me about all the ‘inflated grades’ nonsense in the papers. It won’t be inflated grades for many because most teachers listened to the mean spirited advice of not being generous rather trying to fit what last year grades were instead. Really can’t wait until 8am because then we’ll know what we’re doing!

LittleLebowski · 20/08/2020 04:51

Yes, got up at 2. Then 4. 🙄 Thanks, brain! Luckily DD seems to be soundly zonked - not getting results till 10ish either, so only 6 hours to pointlessly fret!

Heifer · 20/08/2020 04:52

@Confusedbutheyho Time is going so slowly!

DD asked me to wake her at 7.45am as she is wearing tan and needs to shower it off before she looks at the results - at least she isn't going to make me wait :-)
I'm going to go back to bed to see if I can sleep through to 7.45..
Good luck all

Wheresthebeach · 20/08/2020 04:59

Hello....
I’m hoping to go back to bed after results at 7:30....
Got to sleep okay but now awake and fussing

FoolsAssassin · 20/08/2020 05:03

Still not back to sleep, Thanks so much dog, of all the nights to need to go out. Shimy I think it is age catching up with her, I can relate ! No idea what the cats do as have cat flap but judging from the look of one earlier, no weeing but mouse catching.

Why do I have these animals- oh yes it was for the DC who are both sound asleep though I think I did hear DS earlier for a bit.

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