GCSE Support - the results are in

[SheilaFentiman]

Continuing the threads we had going during revision and waiting for results day!

Interesting take as my son got mainly C's together with a few B's in GCSE's (we are in Wales) with a BC in double science (His school put him in for the lower paper first, hence the C and then upped him to the intermediate paper the second time where B was his maximum). He went on to do his A levels and although the sixth form he went to would have prefered he had BB in double science allowed him to do both Biology and Chemistry anyway. Unfortuantly the teacher put him off chemistry when he was getting U's in two tests only three months in from starting in year 12.....similar with Biology he was getting E's...which is only one up from a U.....he ended up dumping chemistry due to the teacher, moving to another subject, but kept on with biology as the teacher knew that most students given the chance would pick up....he did....he ended with an A in Biology. He wished he had stayed the course with Chemistry as he could have also done similar. He ended with ABCC. Some students can do better or do well in their A levels but it does depend on the teacher, the student and how much they want to do it and if they put in the effort. I would never count out those who hold B's and C's in their GCSE's, think that would be unfair and mean, they are just as deserving of a chance as those with A's!!

@Neddevine you do realise that a 6 (old B) and a 7 (old A) are perfectly good marks. You can easily do Maths with these scores, our local college (we seem to have more sixth form spaces here then most areas) accept a 6 in maths to do A level.

I only got a B at GCSE maths(there where no A* then) and still managed to do a degree in physics.

I'm assuming that a lot of these colleges asking for 7's are more because they have more competition for spaces, then that the kids wouldn't be able to do the course.

There is data tracking achievement at GCSE maths through to A level - reposting a PP maths teacher's chart and reiterating their advice not to do A level with a 6 at GCSE because if they last the two years their likely grade is D/E. But there are always those who buck the trend of course.

I think it's important to take into account lots of other factors. My DS gained a 6 in an A level subject (French) last year. He was absolutely done with school and we both felt language teaching had been poor. He's now thriving in a different college environment forecast A* at A level.

@MigGirl agreed - dc2 got quite a few 7s this time and I was feeling chuffed for them - an A is an A and means you're pretty good at a subject!

Yes A-levels might be harder work for someone who has a 6 rather than an 8/9 but it also doesn't always translate directly. A-levels are so different to GCSEs - and where a good memory can ease you through GCSEs, the application required by A-levels takes a whole new skill set.

DC1 on paper (excellent GCSEs) should have aced his A-levels but he found the jump massive (ie shock to the system that he'd breezed through GCSEs but A-levels needed whole new levels of effort - and he was fairly distracted by all that 6th form had to offer...) Luckily DC2 has a great work ethic so I think he'll do a good just fine.

This table is specifically for Maths. Noblegiraffe doesn't claim it stands for other subjects, in fact they quite specifically point out that Maths GCSE results very closely follow-through to A Level. Nobody is claiming that very, very close relationship for other subjects.

I posted earlier about DS who is only 1 mark off a 4 in English Lit. I contacted his teacher about a possible review and she seems quite uninterested. She just replied along the lines of ‘it’s worth a shot, contact exams office, good luck’. Exams office have asked whether we want one or both papers remarked but I was hoping for guidance on this.

My DD is in a similar position with one of her A’level and her teacher obtained a copy of her scripts, reviewed them, agreed it was worth asking for a remark and recommended which paper to submit.

I’m not sure which approach is the usual. Is it unreasonable to be expecting some help from the school regarding which paper to review or is it just down to us to decide?

@AKAsomeoneelse we're still on holiday for another week which might account for it. A level is a bit different as uni places can be at stake. GCSE is less pressed for time.

Ask the exams office for priority access to both scripts. When term starts, ask the hod or the teacher if they would look them over and advise you. I certainly wouldn't go straight to review without looking first.

@MrsHamlet - thanks, I’ll do that 👍

@AKAsomeoneelse it would be better to get a copy of the papers first and get someone experienced in the subject to look at them first to see if it's worth a remark, which I believe you have to pay for.

I think it used to be that there was more of a gradual transition to A levels. I don't remeber anyone in our year groups having a big problem with the transition. That data is for the new GCSE'S (note they totally changed the circulum as well as changing the marks they didn't change the A levels at the same time).
It would be interesting to ask our teachers who teach A level as well as GCSE if it is harder for the students now between the two. I work in science though so it probably isn't the same for all subjects.

Gcse to a level lit - some relearning of skills but fairly straightforward
GCSE to a level Lang - not even close to the same. Huge jump.

You may have mixed me up with another poster.

Our issue is just missing a 6 in Physics and also the fact that the school probably won't be running A Level French.

I agree fully that a 6 or a 7 is a really good result.

Gcse to a level lit - some relearning of skills but fairly straightforward

@MrsHamlet I was glad to read this. My dd is now considering A Level English Lit which seems surprising as she is autistic and had trouble reading between the lines when she was doing 11+. However she has consistently well at secondary school and her teachers say she has good understanding of texts and a mature writing style. Her other subjects would be Sociology and Psychology.

I've taught a number of autistic students in literature. Once they get the "rules" of the questions, there's no stopping them :)

I've emailed the exams office and asked to see the scripts , 9 in one paper (dropped 2 marks) and 4 in the other has been a shock, has anyone ever found a whole question/section was missing?

I've also asked for one paper in a second subject where the third paper was so much lower, we won't query that as happy with the 8 but the first two papers achieved a 7 on their own.

In scripts marked online, missing sections out when you mark is quite hard - unless they're typed or completed outside of the booklet and there has been a scanning error.

DS has been in and signed on the dotted line for his apprenticeship contract. I can finally breath (I never like to count my chickens until they are well and truly hatched). I got the marks to go with DSs grades today and I think possibly if he had been allowed to sit the higher papers he could have got some grades higher than 5s but he got what he needs and thats good enough for me.

Me and DS have realised he hasn't got the grades he needs for maths or science a-levels. He got 6 and 5's. When he needed a 7 and 6's.
All I can do is hope the college are flexible. The university courses he wants all need a science. Refusing to revise has led him into a bit of a mess.

We've had the sixth form acceptance email too. A Levels in English Language, Criminology and Media Studies. She's going to find English a struggle, I think, but here we are.

Thank god that's over, for now.

Ds has so far had four 6th form letters from his only choice.

First one was a physical one telling him that he was down for a place to stay on at school, and he'd made his grades (he has!) to study his choice of subjects. All well and good.
Yesterday he received an email telling him he hadn't got the grades and he needed to come in and discuss it. Almost immediately afterwards he received a second email apologising and saying ignore, the correct one is below.
Which turned out to be an email to one of his friends (by name), saying they were disappointed he hadn't chosen the 6th form and was going elsewhere (they're not either!).
Today he received a fourth reminding him to accept his place in the 6th form which he did yesterday.
Him and his friend think this is very funny. I think bets are being placed with ever increasingly unlikely ideas as to the next email. He's just asked me if they offer can he restart in year 7. I told him only if he was prepared to do 5 more years of compulsory schooling including English for another 5 years. 🤣

I assume there must have been some tech issues, or something else going on though, because they're normally pretty efficient.

@ReformedWaywardTeen it sounds as though your DS has v good reason to want to leave. I really hope both your DC have a better experience of school soon. They deserve it x

We’ve just received the scanned scripts via email from school to check over two papers that missed a key grade by one point and were needed for A levels. Unfortunately we won’t know until next week if she has a college place or not based on the missed grade so an anxious weekend because they couldn’t tell me on the phone. Meanwhile tomorrows job is to look over the two papers in detail to see whether it’s worth the £40-£160 to get them checked. One section appears to have zero marks when she wrote lots!? She only needs one mark to go up to a grade 6.

One section appears to have zero marks when she wrote lots!?
Was it relevant though?

Can’t her school teachers look at them for you - you will have no idea of the mark scheme and if they have been unfairly marked. That’s what DD’s teachers are doing for her.

We had an email from the Head of English today asking if we wanted to have dd's English lit paper reviewed as it was one mark away from the next grade up. She just sent me the process for it and the price, no offer to actually look at it, though.