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Secondary education

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Original poster

Exams cancelled

999 replies

noblegiraffe · 04/01/2021 20:13

Alternative arrangements will be made.

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

OP posts:
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16
JustRichmal · 05/01/2021 10:11

I have just read Noble's post and could not agree more. Not knowing is stressful.

Lua · 05/01/2021 10:42

Does anyone has any inside info on what may happen with IB exams?

TheSunIsStillShining · 05/01/2021 10:50

Everyone felt bad for last year's exam cohorts. They only missed a few months of consolidation and actual exams.

Now we feel bad for this year's exam cohorts saying they had almost a year of disruptions and how unfair a lot of things are.

Now have a think about current y10s. They have had 1,5 years of disrupted learning by next year when going into y11. And I can bet my hat on the fact that if things normalize (big if) by autumn gov will expect these kids to do a proper/as has been before exam next year.

So Id like to see not just plans for this year's cohort, but for next year as well.

Fiddlersgreen · 05/01/2021 11:03

@TheSunIsStillShining

I have a yr10 (as well as a yr12 so have already been through this!) so am also wanting to see plans for this but the reality is the government won’t have even thought about them yet.
My DS was meant to be taking 1 GCSE this year and is still (I assume) taking a BTEC exam this year too, was meant to be next month though

SeasonFinale · 05/01/2021 13:17

I am somewhat mystified that people are referring to no data for CAGS. Are their children not submitting any work at all? Have they done no end of topic tests? No online tests whilst in last lockdown or no exams once they went back to school. Most schools were fully aware that there was a possibility it may end up happening again and have thus kept records - potentially more so than before.

Perhaps they will go the same route as the Welsh with assessments being done in school in class but still externally marked.

2021vision · 05/01/2021 13:51

I agree SeasonFinale and I said this on another thread. I am amazed that there is no data from students. Students were in school from Sep 19 until March last year. Whilst many didn't get on-line lessons were they seriously doing nothing. How were schools allowing this? Plus it was obvious, given the amount of disruption, that exams would not be held in the same way i.e. full curriculum. Why were schools not making a push to collect data, push students etc. As I've previously said if an 'A' level student has not put any effort in surely they shouldn't be thinking about uni!

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 05/01/2021 14:32

I’m guessing you’re not teachers.

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 05/01/2021 15:06

@SeasonFinale

I am somewhat mystified that people are referring to no data for CAGS. Are their children not submitting any work at all? Have they done no end of topic tests? No online tests whilst in last lockdown or no exams once they went back to school. Most schools were fully aware that there was a possibility it may end up happening again and have thus kept records - potentially more so than before.

Perhaps they will go the same route as the Welsh with assessments being done in school in class but still externally marked.

My son's friend is due to do GCSE maths retake. He began college in September on a Btec but his maths classes were done via zoom from a classroom in his main subject bubble. He's had to isolate for 3 of those weeks. He's never actually met the teacher.

So yes, lots of data.

Chasingsquirrels · 05/01/2021 15:10

I don't think anyone has said NO data, but I can't see how it is possible to have AS MUCH data as in previous years - and look at what happened last year with almost a full data set.

As I said above the provision from the 6th form college my ds attends has been excellent. They required work to be submitted through 1st lockdown, undertook assessments at the end of yr12 and have been having fortnightly tests through last term in yr13.
But the students weren't in college and interacting in the same way with the teachers for almost half of yr12. Many will have had significant periods of SI through term 1 yr13. They are now looking at online learning again for at least half of term 2 yr13.
Regardless of the excellence of the provision AND ability to access it appropriately the teachers haven't got the same experience of the students as they would in normal years.

And I believe my yr13 is in a very good position compared to the national average. So what about those that are below the curve?

I'm not a teacher and would honestly be interested to know whether teachers disagree with this?

pointythings · 05/01/2021 15:23

An additional problem with using early Yr12 data is that you end up having to project a student's development. In the first stage of Yr 12, they're still coming to terms with different ways of working, much harder work, more freedom and responsibility. Their grades at that point need some form of reasonable extrapolation to arrive at something that reflects where they would be at the end of Yr13. That's very difficult to do. In many ways, this year's exam cohorts are worse off than last year's.

52andblue · 05/01/2021 15:23

My Y11 is at an Academy in Special Measures (catchment, rural, only school for 30 miles) It is beyond dire. He has Autism, Dyslexia/Dyspraxia/Dyscalculia and Clinical Anxiety - yet no EHCp.
The School had failed to obtain any exam concessions for him and have not assessed his year since Nov 2019. The 'learning' provided in lockdown was almost non existent. We don't have decent internet connectivity (rural) so we asked for paper copies / books. They sent home 1 workbook for Maths, late August, for the wrong exam board.

He has a BTEC in early Feb - that is going ahead. They are running other BTEC exams this week. But they don't answer the phone, they don't reply to emails. My son has lost SO much learning, from when the Govt stopped the curriculum to back to back Isolations (NEast)
They have not held Mocks, of course. NO data since Nov 2019.
The only fair thing to do would be to give him a pass mark this year.
His mental health suffered so much in the last lockdown that he ended up in hospital. It's appalling what is being done to the most vulnerable students.

ihearttc · 05/01/2021 15:52

As far as I’m aware the data for CAGs must be completed at school, so all the work completed at home (which was a lot!) won’t be able to count at all. And to be honest, it probably shouldn’t because anyone could have done it. Happy to be corrected though if I’m wrong.

PatriciaHolm · 05/01/2021 16:11

The Guardian is now reporting that one of the options is for core subject exams to go ahead -

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/05/exams-in-core-subjects-may-still-go-ahead-in-england-this-summer

it would appear the plan is very much still Work In Progress....

ihearttc · 05/01/2021 16:30

That would make me incredibly happy. Can totally see how the rest could be teacher assessed grades but I do think it’s important to be able to sit some exams. I realise I’m probably in the minority though (I am with my friends they are all pleased the exams are cancelled)

pointythings · 05/01/2021 17:28

The core exams option only addresses GCSEs, not A levels though.

ihearttc · 05/01/2021 17:31

Yes there is that but at least the year 13’s have got some actual real grades and have sat some exams, the Y11’s won’t have anything. I do totally appreciate how hard it must be for the Y13’s though.

TheSunIsStillShining · 05/01/2021 17:34

I still think that for those who are going for A levels and staying in the same school gcses should be optional or scrapped. If nothing else: to free up resources ...

ihearttc · 05/01/2021 17:39

How is that fair? So because my son has chosen to do a levels he shouldn’t get any GCSE’s?

pointythings · 05/01/2021 17:40

@ihearttc

Yes there is that but at least the year 13’s have got some actual real grades and have sat some exams, the Y11’s won’t have anything. I do totally appreciate how hard it must be for the Y13’s though.
Well, if they use GCSEs as part of the process, DD2 will come out with a big fat smile on her face. She got brilliant GCSEs. Then the fibro got really bad and the PTSD hit, so Yr12 was shaky. She's overcome so much though.
ihearttc · 05/01/2021 17:43

@pointythings

Bless her, that must be incredibly tough. I really hope they all get the grades they deserve.

Empressofthemundane · 05/01/2021 17:50

I wonder how the Universities will respond. They were caught out last year without enough places. This time they know what’s coming, but they won’t have much to go on. I wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of US style SAT testing system was used to sort through potential uni students.

Incacat2 · 05/01/2021 18:03

Whatever they decide, they had better not use that bloody computer algorithm again. It downgraded DD from AAA to CCB. Eventually resolved and now at med school. DD2 is in year 13, so here we go again. As an A level and a GCSE teacher, I know my kids well and I know who has worked hard and who is capable. I have also been warning them about this since last Sept, so if they ignored my advice and did not work hard, it's their own problem. Kids who have been off for Covid related issues are also taken into consideration at my school. It's about time the government trusted teachers to do their jobs.

FrippEnos · 05/01/2021 18:14

@Blessex

You really think that was the time or the place to lay those plans out?
Yes, because only a fucking idiot would cancel exams without having a plan in place.
NotDonna · 05/01/2021 18:16

@Empressofthemundane
Not sure how universities can suddenly do SAT type entry tests when lots of offers have already been made.

TheSunIsStillShining · 05/01/2021 18:41

@ihearttc

How is that fair? So because my son has chosen to do a levels he shouldn’t get any GCSE’s?
What's the point of it if he will have a higher qualification anyway?