What’s going to happen with A’levels? Unfinished GCSEs syllabus

[Billythegreat]

DS did brilliantly in the subjects he’s talking for A’levels - 8s and 9. He hasn’t finished the syllabus for any of the subjects though especially the sciences and I believe they’re quite difficult subjects, Chemistry, Biology and geography. He’s going to a college for A’levels as his school doesn’t go beyond GCSEs so I’m worried they won’t know where his gaps are. Will this be a problem?

“I am relieved that our school have taken this approach though as surely it will be better long term for university applications etc to have better GCSE grades“

My feeling is that the huge discrepancies across different schools on assessment methods this year will mean that universities will focus far more on predicted A Level grades than GCSE grades when making offers. As this post has shown they are just not comparable.

It will only be better for your DS if his grades are genuinely reflective of his ability. Otherwise, the school has set him up to fail in future courses, as you're already beginning to appreciate in the Sciences.

In my subject, our students completed the GCSE course and sat GCSE-style exams. The only thing we limited was the amount of revision they had to do - so although they had studied all fifteen poems, we narrowed down the selection of what might come up in the exam.

That way, we are confident that their grades are a genuinely fair reflection of their abilities across the course as a whole and that those who choose English A Level have a thorough grounding in the subject.

huge discrepancies across different schools on assessment methods this year
School told us that assessments would be fair between schools so this is news to me. I think most people are unaware that grades are not consistent this year.
I’ll definitely encourage ds to do some work over the next couple of weeks but he’s feeling very confident in himself after getting his results.

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross his English literature was narrowed more than at your school and they pretty much knew exactly what they were going to be questioned on.

I work in an FE college with a big A level provision. We have been in contact with local schools and have worked with them so we understand the gaps that prospectie students will have (will differ from school to school) and will put on s=extra sessions/adapt teaching to enable them to catch up. We're in Wales though so not sure if this will be universal across the UK

To address knowledge gaps - I purchased online videos, podcasts etc for the A Level subjects my son is doing - it’s a bit like gcsepod

I think most people are unaware that grades are not consistent this year.

I disagree. I think most people are aware that grades will be wildly inconsistent this year.

But the main thing is for your young Mr Smug to get cracking in the missing bits of his syllabus.

Good luck! He’s clearly both able and a bit too laid back. I have one of those.

@daisypond

I think most people are unaware that grades are not consistent this year.

I disagree. I think most people are aware that grades will be wildly inconsistent this year.

I agree @daisypond, it was widely covered in the media and anyone who knows dc at other schools, or reads any social media, would be aware that there were many different methods used to calculate grades.

Anyway OP it doesn't matter really; he needs to move forward and focus on how best to do that. If I were you and him I would think seriously about whether these were the best subjects, if he has changed to them solely due to unexpectedly high grades?

OP, there is something a bit disingenuous about your posts, especially as you started an AIBU thread at the same time.

How on earth can someone get a 9 in a subject having not learnt the whole syllabus? That seems totally ridiculous.

@Bryonyshcmyony

How on earth can someone get a 9 in a subject having not learnt the whole syllabus? That seems totally ridiculous.

@Bryonyshcmyony. Have you read anything about what has been going on with qualifications this year? Only someone who hadn’t paid any attention at all could ask that question.

A pupil could get a 9 if their school had taught just, say, a quarter of syllabus of the school felt they had demonstrated mastery that section of the material to a 9 standard. That was a major point and intention of the changes made to the examination system.

Similarly, I don’t understand how the OP could have thought schools would all take the same approach unless she had not read a single newspaper or shown the slightest interest in her child’s exams.

All very curious.

Probably better to know at least a tiny

@Revengeofthepangolins of course I showed an interest in my dss exams. The government cancelled GCSEs and we were told schools were going to used TAGs and exams should not take place in their normal format. I have no idea why other schools chose to ignore this and ran their assessments like actual GCSEs and did not know other schools were doing this. I believe my school assessed their pupils the way they were meant to. I have no idea why you think I am being disingenuous. I think other schools let their pupils down, not my dss.

Sorry it was a rhetorical question.

I am a amazed the OP and her ds think they'll be fine with no prep for A level because they did half the syllabus and he got a 9 in two tests. If he is, then that makes a mockery of science GCSES tbh.

l have no idea why other schools chose to ignore this and ran their assessments like actual GCSEs and did not know other schools were doing this

Because both the content and the skills learned are important going forward, especially for science. Schools with 6 forms will care more about this than those who are cutting their pupils loose. There are approx 9 topics in chemistry GCSE and ALL are needed as a foundation for the A-level. Surely you can see that a school who has taught all 9 topics to the standard that allows pupils to get a 7 on a full exam paper for which they haven’t been informed of the topics beforehand has better prepared their pupils than one who has covered 6 topics and has said which 2 or 3 will be tested on. Even if your ds’s school only skipped one topic per science then it’s a lot to catch up on, self taught, in 2 weeks. If they’ve skipped 3 per science then it’s basically 9 topics across the board, as much work to catch up on as an entire GCSE. On top of what he hasn’t been taught he will be behind in what he hasn’t revised. I don’t blame him at all, I wouldn’t spend time piously revising a topic I knew I wouldn’t be examined on. Nobody will gaf about his 9s at GCSE if they aren’t followed up by A/A* at A-level and he is competing for those grades against pupils whose schools have prepared them much better.

[quote Billythegreat]@Revengeofthepangolins of course I showed an interest in my dss exams. The government cancelled GCSEs and we were told schools were going to used TAGs and exams should not take place in their normal format. I have no idea why other schools chose to ignore this and ran their assessments like actual GCSEs and did not know other schools were doing this. I believe my school assessed their pupils the way they were meant to. I have no idea why you think I am being disingenuous. I think other schools let their pupils down, not my dss.[/quote]
Well, if you're being genuine (not just posting a deliberately disingenuous straw man to highlight how inaccurate you think this year's result are) then, as others have said, your dc will just need to catch up as best they can. Most schools will have completed most syllabi, albeit via online learning, and colleges can't be expected to fill in the gaps.

My dc finished gcse's in 2020..He had no more lessons after they were sent home in March. He had completed all but one syllabi. The school published some online bridging work for A levels, as most sixth forms do. He is now doing fine with goid preficted grades. If your dc's college hasn't published bridging work then perhaps you could ask for it or find some online. There is plenty available.

[quote Billythegreat]@Revengeofthepangolins of course I showed an interest in my dss exams. The government cancelled GCSEs and we were told schools were going to used TAGs and exams should not take place in their normal format. I have no idea why other schools chose to ignore this and ran their assessments like actual GCSEs and did not know other schools were doing this. I believe my school assessed their pupils the way they were meant to. I have no idea why you think I am being disingenuous. I think other schools let their pupils down, not my dss.[/quote]
It depends if your aim is to learn and prepare for the next step (in this case a levels) OR just to get very high grades.

I did think that the schools had to have a robust process and questions would be asked if they submitted amazingly high grades compared with previous years.

But not completing the syllabus for maths and science (and any other subject where you build up the skill levels) has put your son at a huge disadvantage. And possibly encouraged him down a different route that may not be the right one in the long term following unexpectedly high GCSE grades.

Yes exactly. Op direction to schools was vague, on purpose so schools hard hit by covid could still have a rigorous process. Hence the variation. Personally I would prefer for my DC a process which prepared them well for future exams in terms of skills and content covered. You seem to think high grades are all that matters, but for those pupils, like your ds, going on to A levels or other post 16 courses, preparation is perhaps more important.

l believe my school assessed their pupils the way they were meant to.

This is why people are calling you disingenuous. Do you really believe not covering all content, testing on just a few topics and telling students beforehand what topics or even questions would be, is what was meant to happen?

Yes, it did happen where perhaps there was no other option. But many schools did much more.

I think most people are unaware that grades are not consistent this year.

You would need to be living under a rock not to realise this. I struggle to believe that a parent of a child in Year 11 would not have spent the 2 mins necessary on a Google search to do some research on the approach to GCSE results awarding at some point between Easter & results day.

I must say I didn't realise students could have done only part of the syllabus and be tested on topics that they knew about in advance and be given a 9.

Surely a 7 would have been a more appropriate grade to stop kids like the Ops ds thinking they are just going to swan into A level.

It’s great that your DS had such good results. It’s been really hard for this year’s cohort.

But given the approach his school took - mini assessments in a classroom environment, not on the whole syllabus, and with the students being informed in advance of which topics would be covered…assuming that by the time your DS is doing his A-levels, things will have reverted to ‘normal’ assessments, I would be encouraging him to do as much bridging work & self-study as possible. In 2 years’ time he will be potentially sitting national exams with students who have more experience in exam settings & who have covered more ground at a foundational level.

@Bryonyshcmyony

I must say I didn't realise students could have done only part of the syllabus and be tested on topics that they knew about in advance and be given a 9.

Schools were teaching remotely so the only excuse for not covering the syllabus would be if a teacher was on long term sick leave and their subject wasn't covered by another teacher. I don't know if any data has been recorded on how many courses in how many svhools were impacted in that way. Without data you're relying on anecdotes and finger pointing. If the OP has made up her anecdote then finger pointing may be the reaction she was hoping to provoke.

Ah.