Exams cancelled 2

[Orangeblossom1977]

Started a new thread as last one is full.

It would be of no benefit to my students to wait for these materials. We're not using them and, in any case, they've worked with the mark schemes since year 10.

Our students know the areas to revise. That's what they should focus on.

As for a level playing field, there isn't one.

*highlighted not ‘high listed’
*find time not ‘face time’
Regardless of the release of papers I’d be encouraging my DC to be revising whatever has been highlighted to them. Do you know for sure that your school are using them? They may use some from the boards and add their own. It’s very risky for a teen not to be revising their subjects. I’d be wanting to walk into an assessment feeling they could ask me anything (I’d been taught) and could answer it.

If the whole cohort has been told specific topics to study then they need to ensure they do these very thoroughly. No teacher would tell them to revise x,y,z but then test a,b,c. The only caveat there would be if it was personalised & weak areas.

Just mentioned to DS that there is some stuff online saying they might publish the exams the week they are doing them and he was "OK, Mum, really, can't believe that would happen.". It's probably best he revises the topics given anyway

@NotDonna

*highlighted not ‘high listed’ *find time not ‘face time’ Regardless of the release of papers I’d be encouraging my DC to be revising whatever has been highlighted to them. Do you know for sure that your school are using them? They may use some from the boards and add their own. It’s very risky for a teen not to be revising their subjects. I’d be wanting to walk into an assessment feeling they could ask me anything (I’d been taught) and could answer it.

Yes I agree

I think it’s really helpful to be told which topics to concentrate on and DD2 doing GCSEs is definitely finding this so. There’s still a heck of a lot to revise especially for so many subjects but no worse than for the usual GCSEs. Whereas DD1 doing A levels hasn't been given topics; they have to cover everything over the last two years. They’ve whizzed through the last topics to ensure syllabus covered but certainly not thoroughly as you’d expect in a normal A level course. So it’s not exactly ‘revision’ but still getting to grips with content. The stress for her is very different to my other daughter.

I’ve not mentioned the exam boards publishing the papers to my DDs as it’s really not helpful. School May or may not use them. If they do, students won’t know which questions they’ll choose and which they won’t. Doing the revision is much easier than second guessing. Plus they’ll actually know their stuff, which is actually the whole point.

they’ll actually know their stuff, which is actually the whole point
So much this. My dept has narrowed down the poetry to just 4 poems but I've told my top set to look at some specified others too... if they're aiming for grade 9, they need to make their own intelligent choices about the poems rather than be forced into narrow ways of thinking.

I think we will probably use them as an aid for revision as with other past papers, and if some of the questions turn up that's as may be. In the meantime concentrate on the topics given.

I’m quite confused about what is actually going to be published so I’ve a few questions please...

1. Are all the exam boards publishing the papers?
2. And for all the different subjects?
3. Are they actual full papers or questions?
4. Are they publishing answers?
5. Will schools who are choosing to use these use the whole paper or can they just pick questions from them?

1. Are all the exam boards publishing the papers?
   Yes, but they're not necessarily "papers"
2. And for all the different subjects?
3. Are they actual full papers or questions? A mixture, as far as I can see
4. Are they publishing answers?
5. Will schools who are choosing to use these use the whole paper or can they just pick questions from them? It's up to schools.

Schools can do their own thing (within the parameters set by the exam boards - who did not publish their advice until most schools had broken up for Easter, so schools had to guess what was best to do - the only board that gave proper advice in time was CIE).

So, listen very carefully to what the school/teachers have told you to do.

Forget ideas of "level playing fields".

Google JCQ grade descriptors to see what is required for grades in different subjects and practice those skills.

P.S. I only teach A-level so not sure if it's exactly the same for GCSE.

Google JCQ grade descriptors to see what is required for grades in different subjects and practice those skills.

For GCSE this is not very useful having seen the descriptors!

Listen to the school, whatever they tell you to do, do it.

Oh I agree, but it's worth seeing what they've said is important and trying to cross reference that with any info the school has given. They are about as much use as a chocolate teapot for my subject, but they seemed to be better written for some of the others.

Thank you for this. How does she cross reference the descriptors please? Chemistry A level is the main issue. School have said to revise everything because they’ve covered everything, a bit rushed but covered. They have an exam timetable that begins the first day back with 3x 90min exams per subject. They’ve been told there’ll be a mix of question types including multiple choice, short answers and long answers.

OK, that's good as the Chemistry one seemed quite clear (I don't teach Chemistry, but I glanced at it as a comparator to mine).

So the grade descriptors says what skills you need to demonstrate in your written work for various grades. It's a bit vague, but should at least help students focus on what's needed: in my subject, for instance, it's that they should use a good level of detail in their chains of analysis and that they show strong awareness of alternate points of view, and that their arguments are balanced and supported by evidence.

Now none of that is rocket science but I have got students who persistently assert X leads to Y, without going through all the detailed steps to argue that. So if I were them I'd be practising paragraphs and seeing where I could add more detail of how and why.

So if as a student I noticed I'd had a lot of feedback saying my arguments lacked detail, I'd work on that, for instance, especially in topics that a) the school had said to revise and b) that have some kind of evaluative aspect to them.

I hope that is some help - I don't know Chemistry!

Thank you. I didn’t even pass O level chemistry so I’m totally out of my depth. I gave up trying to offer assistance in any subject after yr6.

That's a great insight.
Does anyone have any insights for foundation maths?
Are there certain subjects covered in the non calculator paper for example?
It looks like our school are going to do full exams for maths.

Sorry but I think I’m missing something.
The only thing I can find regarding grade descriptors is this www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Summer-2021-Grade-Descriptors-A-AS-Levels.pdf
On p31 is A level chemistry and it’s not very specific. For example the difference between a C and a B is
‘To achieve grade B, students’ evidence will show that they have securely met all the statements within the grade C descriptor, with stronger performance in most or all aspects of the grade C statements. However, their evidence does not meet the minimum requirements of most of the grade A statements.’ And that’s it!
I’m not even sure what she cross references these descriptors with.

My DD1 is also doing chemistry A level Complex I think you may have been reading the AS descriptors, which are indeed very vague regarding the difference between grades. However for the A level they’ve gone into some detail of how to differentiate between the grades. I think you were looking at B & C grades and there’s a lot about ‘general’ and ‘simple’ in the grade C descriptors whereas B seems to require ‘detailed’ and ‘comprehensive’ and more ‘complex’ under standing. It’s subjective but there’s no way around this.

Looking at the English ones, they're the assessment objectives. That's it.

I’m a little confused. My sons school has sent parents a link to the JCQ guidance for parents, but has made no mention to JCQ guidance on grade descriptors.

Tbf portico that’s pretty good. Our school haven’t mentioned grade descriptors or the JCQ info for parents at all. But I’ve a funny feeling the JCQ released all that info around the time when schools were breaking up for Easter.

Yes, the info was released after quite a few schools had broken up. Oh well done again, government

How many days/hours revision are your GCSE students currently doing for the impending assessments during their Easter Holiday?