Normal kids only thread GCSEs

[Allotment123]

This is a thread for normal kids and parents. DD is going GCSEs this year, hoping to get 44,55,66 to get into her chosen 6th form. Anyone else got normal kids who might do a bit of GCSE study, or might just spend the evening annoying their siblings or decorating their nails...

Actually have just checked- some subjects want a 6 in that subject but only a handful, the vast majority just ask for a total of 5 GCSEs (9-4) and 4s in English and Maths.

The 6th forms attached to schools here are asking for points and grades, so one wants 35 including 5s in English and Maths andcmyvDS's school wants 42 including 4s in English and Maths. The fe college is foingvitvin grades and is asking for 4's but for A Level says they would prefer higher in the subjects they want to do. I have an ' average' year 11. He's working really hard after not great year 10 mocks ( 2 hours revision a night) so if he doesn't improve, I think probably we'll have to look at vocational courses because he can't really work any harder. He's doing practice papers and flashcards of facts, quotes etc.

I have a normal DS - he didn't excel at school - potentially 5/6 - felt overwhelmed and also a bit lazy and came out with 4/5 and a couple at 6. Went on to do A levels and got 3 C's - he's now at Uni and doing well. I totally identify with you OP. I really worried about him, put in a tutor for maths (to achieve a pass). I found nothing on MN - everyone seemed to think that less than 8 was a fail, same on the A level threads - I wouldn't dare suggest he was aiming for grade C. I remember when he passed his GCSE's I started a thread praising the young people who got 4/5's because they deserve praise too. I hope your thread goes well.

My child is predicted 4-7's with lowest in English.
My colleagues have children who've scored 9x9's.

My ds came out with
2x4 3x5 2x6 2x7 and music diploma with merit
Now doing A levels
He could have done better but didn't have the drive and bad mental health.

My ds was predicted a 4 for English and spent the holidays hoping he had passed as without that he wouldn't be able to do his chosen A levels but he ended up getting a 7 in Eng Lang, it was a total shock! But then some he was expecting to do better in he got lower.

Nah all abnormal here. I’m intrigued though, what IS the norm for GCSE?

Plenty of kids with SEND are able to get 'normal' grades at GCSE.

A 5 is about average (roughly equivalent to a C in old money).

I knew what you meant by ‘normal’ . The kids getting all 9s at GCSE are in the absolute minority ( as per statistics published each year) but those kids parents are all on mn. I absolutely hate the new grades 9-1. It’s like a 7 isn’t quite good enough for top set kids, which no one would have said about an A in the old system.

Yes for an individual subject, but how many does the average child receive?

I don't know, but I would assume the 'average child' receives mainly grade 4-6s with maybe an outlier 7 or 3.

GCSEs all pretty much test the same thing: ability (and willingness) to learn and retain a vast amount information and regurgitate and apply it accurately with good enough written skills to explain what you are trying to say.

Aside from SpLD / SEN, this to my view means that if you can do 3 different subjects you can likely do 8.

The average attainment 8 score is 48.

@TomeTome that’s a good question and I don’t actually know the answer to be honest. In the old days there was the “5 GCSEs at A-C” measure, but I’m not sure if that’s the case or not anymore.

I found GCSEs the hardest stage of my education. I think I struggled with having to learn so many different subjects, some which didn't come naturally to me. I found A levels much easier in comparison.

A normal kid in this context is obviously one who is going to get normal exam results- as the OP actually defines in her post, those hoping for 4s, 5s and 6s.
Everyone trying to take offence??!!??

Agreed. Everyone knows what this means if they're being honest with themselves. Just some want to be contrary.

Attainment 8 takes the top 8 GSCE scores, counts maths and English twice, then divide by 10.
So an average profile could look something like this.
Maths 4
English 5
Science 4
Science 4
Art 6
Drama 6
History 5
PE 5
= P8 48

I'd like to see the A* - U back again!

Yes to pp who said there is much faffing /design work with highlighters!

I also think the talk about multiple 8/9s on here really distorts the typical picture. When we were at school back pre-millennium it was perfectly acceptable to aim for c& above as a good target, but people seem to write off C equivalent (which is a pass) almost as failure now. Kids much feel a lot of pressure!

Surely 9s are in the minority? What are the % awarded of them from total grades awarded?

Also feel a bit sorry for the kids doing GCSEs now as they got Covid disruption for a couple of years but their grades won’t look as good as those awarded during Covid marking years (I do appreciate those cohorts had much uncertainty with exams not going ahead etc.)

I’ve honestly never known what the average was (and have children across the ability range). Wasn’t it 3CSEs (80s) back in the day? If we’ve got to a stage where the average is 8 grade 5s then that’s an incredible improvement isn’t it?

My DC did GCSEs in 2022. I think the 'average' number of GCSEs passed that year was 7.7 per student, so assume that ranges from a grade 4 up to a 9.

Ask MNHQ to amend the thread title OP. It’s not ok.

A 5 is a highC / low B.

Thank you for this thread. It is very much needed. Nobody ever talks about the middle students, the choices they can make and the success they can have in their lives.