Exams cancelled 2

[Orangeblossom1977]

Started a new thread as last one is full.

I’ve been watching this thread with interest. My Yr 11 started his mocks online today and will continue them next week in school. However, they were given their exam timetable at the end of January so they’ve had plenty of time to prepare. They also did their first set in Nov. I would be anxious if my son had only been given 2 weeks to prepare. But I feel they’ve been under so much pressure since last March burnout will happen. Once these mocks are done he’s downing tools till next term.

My DS apparently isn’t being assessed via “exams” or mocks at all, they hadn’t done them before Christmas either. He has had to print out all his English work since September ready to hand in. They’ve been told they are doing very informal “in class” tests but very spread out so not an exam timetable or anything but they will get lots of time to prepare/revise. I asked when these will take place and was told not at any time soon and the kids have been specifically told not to revise apart from rereading one of their texts which they did at the start of Y10.

I’m torn between feeling relieved they are putting no pressure on them and extremely worried about where they will get all this evidence from.

He has had to print out all his English work since September ready to hand in.

That makes me feel a bit sick.... that's A LOT of work in a lump. I assume it's all been marked?

My DS is a private candidate (health reasons) and has been told he can only get his grades by sitting all of the papers timed, for all of his A-levels (past papers which haven't been released), under exam conditions at home and with video moderation (we need to provide a video of opening the envelopes, the whole exam session and then sealing the completed papers back again.) So many different approaches will lead to problems with comparability somewhere
He is pretty stressed and anxious right now.

Printing work from teams.... That way madness lies. We've said that work on teams can be used to inform our judgements but cannot be the main pieces of evidence because we don't know if it's the students own work.

New stresses in our household as DD's college has sent out a report with working at and aspirational grades on it, as usual. In one subject the grades have gone down from A/A* to B/A. DD, who has been working at what the college deemed an A standard, has asked what she needs to work on to have a chance to get the A. The teacher has implied the A is unlikely due to her ranking within the cohort. I'm not impressed that they look to be using last year's system and that they have already ranked students in order to set their expectations accordingly.

This is a large 6th form college in a low socio-economic area that is on the up, particularly in STEM subjects. They now ask for a higher grade in GCSE to get on to the A level. This cohort is likely very different from 3 or 4 years ago.

An A in that subject is needed for her first choice Uni offer. Luckily she hasn't firmed yet. The college have been brilliant during lockdown but I am now regretting her having left her small 11-18 school instead of staying for the 6th form.

@MrsHamlet

Yes it’s all been marked, they mark every piece with numbered grades as well (we assumed they related to GCSE grades but probably not). It’s not all the lesson work if that makes sense, just the assessed pieces (probably not an official term but that’s what DS calls them) so they’ve done lots of exam style questions and essays.

I’m assuming they are just getting all the data/evidence they can. Surely lots of schools will have to use work from lockdown and before as their kids will have been isolating etc. Luckily DS managed Sept to Christmas in school full time but others not so lucky.

That makes sense then! We've done no formal assessment in lockdown but one of my year 11 told me today he needs a new book. I've clearly worked him too hard.

DD is rather distraught that stage 2 mocks (first stage held in November with paper 1s) is now due to become full blown ‘exams by any other name’ as they do a paper in every paper they would have done for the real thing.

What is the bloody point? She had mocks in November, every week during lockdown she’s had a maths test. She has submitted a zillion essays.

She had lots of top grades predicted but doesn’t see the point as if she gets good grades no one will believe she really earned them. She feels like if she does well she can’t win.

I've clearly worked him too hard.

Maybe you have!

Tbh, most of dd's teachers have been setting way too much work in lockdown. I don't think it's intentional at all, I think some of them just don't realise the pressure they're creating. DD is one of the more studious and motivated kids, and she has been working incredibly hard, but she still hasn't done it all. I have been absolutely amazed at how much they are expected to do...way more than they would get done in a normal school day, even with homework factored in. I really wanted to contact the school and tell them it was too much, as I think they'd be horrified if they knew how many hours it was actually taking, but dd really didn't want me to, and I didn't want to add to her stress. I'm really glad that they're back to school next week, though mocks will obviously create their own pressure!

I really wanted to contact the school and tell them it was too much, as I think they'd be horrified if they knew how many hours it was actually taking, but dd really didn't want me to, and I didn't want to add to her stress.
You should have done. We adjusted how we were working after feedback from parents.
I'm always doing timed essays in lessons at this time of year so there's nothing new there - but they're not getting much homework.

I know I should have contacted them @MrsHamlet. The school is really reasonable and I know that they would have responded helpfully. However, dd insisted that she didn't want me to, so I have left her to get on with it. Maybe that is a learning experience too, in its own way...

Ours have been giving loads of work as well, I did contact them and asked for flexibility over homework, DS has extra time in assessments etc, so I know he hasn't handed in quite a bit. It has been a bit OTT though

DDs school have told us they will sit 3 sets of exams - from 22nd March - sat before the school day begins then followed by a full school day, the 2 weeks after Easter then another 2 weeks before May half term.

Seems OTT. They've been doing assessments and timed work all through lockdown. DD is anxious and exhausted. No idea how she can step up the pace now for another 10 weeks.

That’s ridiculous. I would ask for more information, could they be end of unit short tests?

Aren’t all year 11 and 13 doing formal ‘mini exams’? To be done in late April and may?

@Tangohead

Nope my DS’s school aren’t...as far as I understand if they are optional.

My dc’s school haven’t laid out the assessments yet but they have 2 weeks of mocks starting on 22nd.

Tangohead, the point is that ‘all schools’ are not going to do the same thing here.

Schools will be able to make decisions about how to gather data, and will do it in the way they think is best. Some will prioritise rigour over pupil wellbeing, and run a gazillion sets of exams, making the yr 11 experience way worse than it would normally be.

I hope ours will have a more pupil centred approach but I’m not optimisti.

Both exam years are going back on Monday and spending the next two weeks finalising the syllabuses for all subjects. There’ll be end of topic tests during these two weeks but they will not count towards grades.
They’ll then have 2 weeks of proper classroom assessments lasting an hour excluding extra time. These may include the exam boards mini assessments. School don’t know until they see the detail.
It’s then Easter break. The first day back they begin 10 more days of assessments but given study leave for these.
If, after this, there’s not enough data (due to isolations or whatever) then they’ll be a further week of classroom assessments in mid May.
Mine are somewhat concerned as they were told there’d be no assessments until after Easter and to rest. I’m pleased they’ll finish all the courses’ syllabuses but that does mean they’ll have no revision time for the first set of exams.
They would have been better off doing the real GCSEs and A levels.
If anyone says their results are Mickey Mouse I’ll be livid. This seems a pretty robust plan.

So, they have...
2 weeks finishing courses with topic tests.
2 weeks classroom assessments
2 weeks formal assessments with study leave
Possible 2 week classroom assessments.
When I write it down it does seem quite onerous. And not just for the kids!

I have two year 11 classes and a 13.
We have two weeks of exams. Year 11 will do two papers; year 13 will do one. So that's 123 papers to mark.
Then we have two weeks of in class assessments. Year 11 will do three and year 13 will do three, so that's another 207.

And I have a year 10 and three year 12 classes.

Pass me the gin!!!

That is an awful lot of marking NotDonna.

Far from catching up the rest of the year groups when they return to school, teachers are going to have to give all their focus and energy to marking exam classes.

And yes, that is going to be incredibly stressful for the kids as it is so prolonged.

Ours are doing a second round of mocks starting on Monday 8th March. They already did a full set of mocks in November/December. They will then do a final round of assessments, possibly including exam board mini tests in May. I reckon the staff and students will all be exhausted by the end of it, and it would have been a lot less stressful all round to just do the GCSE exams as usual! Oh well..

As far as I know dd will be finishing syllabuses until Easter although she does have two mocks during these weeks where these were missed in the November mocks.

After that we don't know anything but it doesn't give the kids much revision time if they are back into assessments after Easter. I am hoping they at least will have an idea of topics to be covered.