GCSE support - the final frontier!

[SheilaFentiman]

These are the voyages of the GCSE Enterprise. To support our DCs, bemoan exam boards and to boldly go through the last fortnight like no one has gone before!

Ds predicted 8, wanted a 9. Gutted too ! especially after revising literally all day ! Poor timing. Fingers crossed they have done enough overall and the analysis and linking back and answering questions using source etc needed for the questions is AO4

History was a plus anyway, even if they get a lower grade at least they enjoyed it that’s how I looked at it. Does your DD want to take it further? They need a 6 or something I think to do it at A level. Although it knocks their confidence for a minute, I think the love of history will always be there after the angst of exams is over.

I quickly rang ds and he said Edexcel History was 'ok' and 'fine' does anyone know what kind of questions they asked?

Ds refuses to talk about it yet@Letskeepgoing

Not sure even how to check grade boundaries for this one. 8 marks lost.

Well the grade boundaries for History 2022 look really confusing to me! Maths and English fine but History seems to have loads of options, don't know if it's different for different combinations of questions answered? Are there any History teachers on here?

DD said History was 'alright actually' which since the other papers were 'dire' and 'slightly better' I'll take as a win!

One (Physics) to go, woo hoo!

I think there are quite a few options so even doing the same exam board they could have been studying completely different topics. DD was doing Russia today not Weimar Republic even though it was Edexcel. Doesn't actually answer your question, sorry!

My DC did GCSEs last summer and passed everything. In spite of HUGE medical hurdles, they got 4s-7s across the board. I was so proud I could have burst, and yet they were dreadfully disappointed. They didn't equate a 7 with a grade A. And a 4 was "awful', even though it was incredibly hard fought for.

All their friends got 8s and 9s. This is not the norm, but is all that seems to be trumpeted in the news. (I must also stress that last year DIDN'T have an easy ride with their exams, although I think SOME people here think they did. We were even more badly hit by lockdowns than this year's cohort). DC is now at the 6th form of their choice and looking at the uni course of their choice. The GCSE results have faded into the background, thankfully. I agree with almost everyone here about the introduction of numbers for grades; DC did magnificently, and is now doing what they want, but at the time they couldn't see how amazing they are, or how well they did. I am spectacularly proud of them.

Gosh, that was long .... sorry!

Yes my dd is hoping to take History for A level, she loves the subject and her grade was important to her so I can understand the disappointment. It’s a shame they chose such a minuscule part of the specification but it teaches a valuable lesson for A levels.

One more night…then freedom!

DD says History was a bit shit and that there was a question on a topic she hasn't even covered ?!?

That seems to be a recurring theme with History this year. The only variation is which paper it applies to!

DD was doing USSR

My DD has AQA history. She said went ok but the 16 marked was around the culture of Weimar Republic and she was surprised as it's such a small part of the syllabus (and she really had t done much revision on it) She did manage to cobble something together.

Very much agree with ABC grades being better. I got all As and Bs in mine, and everyone- including myself !!! - thought I'd done great. Went on to get As and Bs in A- levels and study medicine. I'm sure , that other than Maths which I found super easy, I wouldn't have got a 9 in any of my subjects and yet I found med school exams pretty straight forward....

I really hope they get rid of this system as I do think it "enables" perfectionism which is an "unhealthy" trait.

Although teachers may love it in students and it may help certain students achieve mostly 9s, my personal experience of those I've "managed" over the years, is the students and trainees who've had "issues", are those who have perfectionist tendencies and struggle with the "unknowns" in medicine..... and in certain cases seem too inward looking and therefore at times seem to lack empathy for their patients ( and colleagues).....

I think it’s the predicted grade that’s the problem. It creates a confirmation bias too and a lot of kids predicted good grades have floundered by just not doing the work anymore since there are technically going to ‘get a grade 7’ - and needing intervention classes.

I guess knowing where the data points is good to get an idea for parents and schools, but that is all up for grabs on the exam day now, seeing as so much relies on what questions they get, how they feel on the day.
Barely any of it is coursework based at all. Or end of unit tests. It’s anything could happen on the day! So much pressure.

I think it’s the predicted grade that’s the problem. It creates a confirmation bias too and a lot of kids predicted good grades have floundered by just not doing the work anymore since there are technically going to ‘get a grade 7’ - and needing intervention classes.

And the target grades! It's mad that GCSE target grades are based on SATs from Y6. Like you can predict (for eg) what grade in Psychology someone will achieve based on their SATs scores in English and Maths. The Progress 8 score should definitely be abolished (IMO).

Just a bit of a panic... DD is doing edexcel history but didn't have an exam today... she had 'depth' before half term and 'breadth' (China/Russia?) last week but didn't have one scheduled today.

Hoping this is just because there are different options...

Ah have just realised she is doing iGCSE, everything else is GCSE, I hope that explains it. There is certainly not a history exam on the school timetable today...

DD is doing IGCSE history and did not have a history exam today - hope this helps reassure!

Ds says Edexcel Weimar paper was hard but he thinks he answered the questions okay. Just physics tomorrow left to do here, nearly there!

DD said that the Weimar stuff was weirdly niche and they'd covered it a long time ago but she remembered a fair bit of it because she'd found it interesting at the time. Some of her friends hated it.

Another one saying history was niche and hard. Teacher said it was strangely hard too. Hopefully the bandings will reflect it

We had some real low points today with revision today -near tears with frustration at how much he seems to have forgotten - but DH was around to explain finer points and I've kept on this is what revision is for.

Though DS has now found a text book I bought with topics , worked examples and questions in for this paper - which will defiantly help.

The heat is putting them both off revision.

I think it’s the predicted grade that’s the problem. It creates a confirmation bias too and a lot of kids predicted good grades have floundered by just not doing the work anymore since there are technically going to ‘get a grade 7’

We had real issues with DD1 with predicted and mock grades and getting her to understand they are not the same as exam grades that still needed to be worked for- I think the AS results not being as good as predicted finally got that to stick and knocked her confidence for a while.

Just seen on fb some teachers reporting they have never taught anything about spectator sports in Wiermar Germany. People are putting in complaints to Edexcel. I haven't seen my son yet as he's gone out with friends.

Same with Crime and Punishment on first paper. DD said she only knew what socialism was because of An Inspector Calls in Eng Lit . Her Chem teacher is also sure that one of the Chem questions wasn't on the syllabus. Maybe it's like this every year and every GCSE thread reports this?

My DD also v annoyed with the History paper. It’s her favourite one and she was expecting to do well. Her and all her friends thought it was really tough and they had learned hardly anything about culture before the Nazis. Something about Sport and Radio?! Also had no clue on the 12 marker and said she just waffles about other stuff she knew and tried to make it relevant. V unfair. If teachers complain to the exam board what happens?