A levels 2023

[Cattitudes]

I know it is all just speculation at the moment, but if the powers that be are trawling Mumsnet for their future policy:-

I had been optimistic that things would begin to settle and even out a little but even so was concerned with the return to 'normal' grade distribution. Now I am not so sure. My yr12 is reporting very different levels of understanding of topics in her class depending on previous school and how much disruption due to covid at GCSE. This obviously delays the whole class as gaps are filled before moving on. Also they are still obviously having ongoing disruption due to covid. Then there are the mental health issues. Their year will be competing with potentially three years worth of leavers for places, all those who delayed uni due to wanting a more normal freshers year and in some cases were paid to defer. I am concerned that they will be thrown under a bus in the eagerness to get back to 'normal'

Yes, it's been crap for all years affected, and will be going on for longer

The 2022 cohort have been directly affected by lack of whole class onsite teaching (not just needing GCSE recaps, which of course happen with A level courses every year anyhow, but actual losses with less time to try to make up ground) and the bumper year of those deferring university and use actually being incentivised by the universities to defer. This will ease with each year that passes.

And of course any changes to 2022 A levels are not going to be announced until February, which gives very little time to plan any changes in the last weeks of teaching time before exams begin. Plus the prospect of more outages in the New Year - maybe not formal closure, but gaps because of illness/isolation for both staff and pupils, which will of course fall unevenly and therefore lead to a very un-level playing field.

But yes, it's going to be difficult for 2023 as well, though I hope that after omicron onwards they have no further interruption, and a good chance of enough time to get more done than for the year before them.

There are whole blocks of gaps appearing in some of the science subjects which haven't been covered at all. As from different schools it is not just as if they can just keep going ignoring that a whole area of that topic exists and hoping to leave that block out because they all have different gaps so all lessons are slowed down. I imagine that the 2022 cohort is also under a lot of pressure, I just think it is unrealistic to return to 2019 levels for 2023. Having said that I am not sure what the alternative is because continued grade inflation will then impact on university offers.