Exams cancelled

[noblegiraffe]

Alternative arrangements will be made.

How stressful to announce that with no details about what will happen.

I'm worried about the concept of looking at previous years results when awarding grades.

Does this mean that if no one got an A star last year for Physics A Level that they won't award any A stars this year? DD consistently gets A stars in assessments but is it the case that she wouldn't be awarded that grade due to last year's results?

@MaddieElla

I'm worried about the concept of looking at previous years results when awarding grades.

Does this mean that if no one got an A star last year for Physics A Level that they won't award any A stars this year? DD consistently gets A stars in assessments but is it the case that she wouldn't be awarded that grade due to last year's results?

This was the case with last year's ill fated algorithm. One would hope the same thing wouldn't happen again.

@parkpoolplunge I've had two year 10 students assessed for ET this year. Neither has SEN in the way we tend to think of it... they're "just" really slow at reading and writing!

My concern is that the children will be disadvantaged against those children that will take IGCSEs.

As the parent of a child taking iGCSEs I can tell you that works both ways. Our parents whatspp group is going bonkers saying it isn't fair that our children still have to sit exams and be assessed against children in countries that haven't been affected in the same way by covid.

None of this is fair.

@MaddieElla

I'm worried about the concept of looking at previous years results when awarding grades.

Does this mean that if no one got an A star last year for Physics A Level that they won't award any A stars this year? DD consistently gets A stars in assessments but is it the case that she wouldn't be awarded that grade due to last year's results?

Yes this worries me too, it happened to my dc last year (downgraded 1 grade off teacher predicted and mock grade) due to school’s past performance. No chance to appeal it. Fobbed off. Teacher was disappointed for dc.

We have all the others this year, so yes it is worrying.

I know they will have mock grades and other internal assessments, class work, sats grades etc, but as another poster mentioned, it will be interesting to see how they propose to use this information.

I can’t see it ever being fair. In fact it’s never completely fair in other years either, as there will always be students who have adverse circumstances, but this year presumably those who are behind due to missing so much learning, or no online learning provision will still score less in the internal assessments.

It must be difficult for teachers.

Cripes that is worrying. Even without the algorithm it seems this still happens. I need to just switch off from it all until we know more, I think. This is not doing me any good. 😳

You know what's really difficult for us?

The fact that the kids trust us to have the answers, and we don't.
I teach 54 year 11 and 13 year 13 this year.
I've had to tell every one of them to trust that I'll do my best to get their grades right for them... but I have no idea how this will end.

Thank you, I'll email the school on Monday.

@TheSunIsStillShining I think the "UCAS grades" refer to the predicted A Level grades that pupils are given to make their university applications.

March??? Why was a contingency plan not drawn up straight away after last year's débâcle???? I know no one could have predicted the course of this pandemic, but surely you'd have thought someone sensible would have a Plan B, all ready to go?

@fortyfifty

Can I ask - is there a group or organisation tasked with lobbying the government to push for things to happen? And can parents get behind that?

I have to wonder whether the government have any understanding of the shit show they have created. How could they ignore these two important exam year groups after last year's debacle? This year looks to be worse with no proper Year 12 mocks sat, no proper Y13 mocks sat in some schools - my daughter's college should have had some mocks this week.

There is a face book group that was set up last year as a result of students not getting the grades they expected.

My ds hasn't even managed mocks yet, hope they get back into school to sit some or some assessments .
Should be first group back really just to get this all done ,worried the teachers may not have enough evidence otherwise.
All though home learning seems to be going well from what I can see and the school have been brilliant all through out really rose up to the challenges faced , form tutor even set up email so we can ask questions , get info etc, some great teachers out there

@MaddieElla

Cripes that is worrying. Even without the algorithm it seems this still happens. I need to just switch off from it all until we know more, I think. This is not doing me any good. 😳

No point in worrying until we find out what’s happening.

We are lucky that the grades dc ends up with will not affect their next step to a levels, but I do feel strongly that however it is done it should be transparent and there should be the ability to appeal. I do also feel that the schools previous results should not be a factor.

I agree. I don't know what that achieves.

Unfortunately DD will need top grades to meet her University offer. But we shall wait for more information.

I haven’t read this whole thread but my ds has been told by his school that he’ll sit GCSEs just like any other year. Obviously they will be set internally, and will cover the content they’ve learnt, but they are still planning to examine the kids just like any other year in May and June.

They also did mocks in December and have been told they will further assessments between now and the ‘real things’. I guess the school want to keep them motivated.......

That's bonkers. What's the point of that?

I think Oubdle did that last year - all year 11 and 13 had to sit their original exam timetable. Given most others had put pens down in MArch I rather suspected the children were spitting

Sorry. Oundle

Again, why???

BBC have announed IGCSEs will still be going ahead, but decision will be down to individual school, college, exam centre etc.

We were told today that school expect that there will be formal assessments marked by school and externally moderated and anticipate that they would include any NEA & practical work for both gcse & A levels (their use of expect And anticipate ).

I’m massively pissed off that only know are ofqual consulting on it leaving students (and teachers) in a massive state of flux.

To be fair to ofqual, the dfe were adamant that exams would go ahead!
I don't know that schools have been told anything yet though.

I am struggling a bit tbh to let my anger go over this. I know the arguments about intermittant learning due to lockdown 1 and subsequent isolation stints that vary by school enormously, but I keep seeing vast amounts of keyworker kids are in schools and am thinking why the hell are exam students not? I would honestly get fully behind a reverse the decision campaign. I feel like they have been treated terribly and almost used politically.

Having said this and trying to move on (which I think my year 11 is doing better than me), do people genuinely think that schools will go back this academic year? I had hoped for some kind of exam condition type mocks to help set grades, but a conversation with he partner of a secondary head today suggested I was being wildly optimistic.

@JigSaw879 I was assuming that they would go back after Easter. However I am well aware that this is usually the time they start to leave school for study leave/revision sessions. I am keen that this year, yr 11 stay in school til July if there are no exams so that they can continue their learning. However I don't know what they will do as each subject finishes it's syllabus. Revise it - but for what?

I've finished the syllabus - mocks were planned for the end of this month. I start revision next week