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

Blimey. I can't keep up. Just marking place.

@MirandaWest hmmm possibly lol she is only 5ft 3 so I'm not sure what she might count as tall. Shame about the not/girl friend she would totally fall for his musical abilities !

There will possibly be events that we talk about in this thread in future that our children attend ...it would have been Reading. Covid allowing in future might be regional careers fairs, open days, future festivals ect.

@OrangeCinnamon1 - absolutely fine. Today we've had lunch in a nice restaurant and done an escape room. The Italians seem to have it all worked out. I did laugh when I was asked to put on rubber gloves before visiting the toilet at the Puccini museum. For my own safety?

I went to Rome in the first week of the holidays. It was all very well controlled.

We are having dd best friend and parents over for coffee and homemade brownies in the garden after results

Then she has requested steak and chips for tea.

Sunday through Wednesday we are taking dd and her friend camping for 3 nights . Their idea of a treat !

@RedskyAtnight & @Cherryonthetop2019
Oh you poor things! what a horrible dilemma on top of what has already been full of drama and your poor dc, how must they feel? people just don't think. Is mil likely to ask your dc their results directly?

I probably would prepare the DMs before the results come in a very matter of fact, "let's get it all out there", so they can chew and groan on it before results are out. That way there will be less drama. Why not ask DH to broach the subject in the open? tease them about being snobs etc and then just leave it. That way you can fully enjoy your DCs success on Thursday without this cloud of anxiety hanging over you.

Can somebody explain how grades could go up?
If a board awards a grade and then lowers it themselves, surely it can't go back up again before Thursday.
A teacher (friend) has posted on dd fb that her result could go back up again, surely not.
School have given her new grade already.

There's the CAG and the GAV( the algorithm one) As far as I know, the CAG is still embargoed until Thursday so no one should have anything yet.

And I'm giving to understand that students will only be given one grade on Thursday which will be the higher of the two. Whether it will be clear whether that's the CAG or the GAV is unclear.

Thank you very much, I don't get it.
I'm smelling a rat, but surely one of her mates wouldn't have done it.

Dd got an email at 9.30 (last night) saying that her igcse had been downgraded due to the change of exam policy from Cambridge.
She was 7/6 and now 5/5.
Other kids went down a level too, not many but small school.
It was a very highly inflated result and we've had some laughs, but why give them a grade again?

@Shimy lovely idea but MIL has previously not responded well to being called out. As I said to someone else I primed H with a party line, he knows how I feel and I will leave them to him. I try to avoid seeing/speaking to them/

IGCSE is slightly different and I don't know much about how it's regulated. But it sounds very odd.

Cambridge IGCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual so are not yet included in all this malarkey. A friend is having issues with her dds Cambridge A level which was severely moderated down from the CAG.

Cambridge have issued a statement to say they will also be using CAG. However, the big difference is they are not going with the higher of the two: CAG or the moderated grade. So in rare circumstance where the CAG was moderated upwards, it will now go back down.

Edexel have issued a statement to say that they will be treating IGCSE's the same way as GCSE's, so students will get the higher out of the CAG or moderated grade.

I also found out today that exam centres have been told to destroy exam results slips that were already despatched. They are forbidden from telling students what the moderated grade would have been if it had gone down. So we will never know how bad it could have been.

@Paranoidmarvin I am not sure what edgy means. He’s recently been introduced to Depop by 14 year old DD so maybe one of his vintage bargains...

@OrangeCinnamon1 I am 5 foot 4 so see 5 foot 3 as completely normal

It's getting ridiculous now, the messing about is stupid.
The grade is becoming irrelevant now, as long as they have passed and can hopefully do what they want.

That's terrible about the A level, and lower than the CAG, I didn't think that was possible.
It's looking like dd CAG was 5/5, so hopefully it will stay, rather than drop further. I don't think she could stand going from 7/6 to a resit.
It's bad enough worrying about a Maths resit, but not English too.

@MirandaWest @OrangeCinnamon1 dd is also after a tall musical lad, preferably one who plays guitar and piano!

How about 6'3 plays piano and double bass and sings (also has grade 8 recorder but keeps that quiet!)

.... old girlfriend was 6 ft though

Crazycrofter Thanks for answering my question on the previous thread.

Went to work this morning and the last thread had pages to go!
Sorry for all those who will have to manage thoughtless and inconsiderate grandparents.

DS's school has been silent which has surprised me but I expect they had an influx of A level student enquiries today seeking uni application support as grades suddenly shifted.

We're going out for a meal Thursday evening as, like many, it's DS's birthday and he's going to enjoy some part of the day !

@Cherry That's a shame, they're robbing themselves of so much joy because of a snobby attitude. Don't let it spoil your joy, I wouldn't bother engaging with them on that subject.

I am loving this mumsnet matchmaking perhaps we need to revisit next year 🤞

Lets all try and get some sleep tonight , still not sleeping well with all this.

That's interesting wifit and possibly not legal.

DH says I’ve been rather obsessed this last few days about exams- he and DS4 are so relaxed “ it will be what it will be and I can’t change it”- whilst I’m still full of righteous indignation and wrath ! I really must be from Venus! I hope to sleep tonight.