Y11 2023/24 thread 5 - results!

[Techno56]

New thread as no 4 is nearly full

I'm just relieved this bit is over. DC very happy with results and is able to do what they want for A level.
Will have this stress again next year for DC2 who told me they don't care about grades so what difference does it make? Eek!

I hope this whose DC haven't got passes, ie below 4, are able to find something they enjoy. Their achievements, even if not a pass, should be celebrated. They've still worked hard. It's a shame it can make them feel like they're not good enough. :(

@PugInTheHouse
A 4 is a low C in old money so a 3 is not a pass.

The school are advertising 100% pass in English, I wonder if they mean just Eng Lang then as I know a few of DSs friends got 3s or lower in Lit. I always thought a C was a pass, a D was a fail. I didn't think a 4 was considered a low C, just a bog standard C but either way I always assumed a D/E so 3 or below was considered a fail.

A 3 is a pass. All grades 1-9 are pass grades.

Old and new grades here

Yes they will just mean English Language. Like if people need English and Maths for a course it's Eng Lang.

Very relieved here. Grades better than expected and place confirmed at the preferred 6th form.

That makes more sense then! They said 91% pass rate overall for all GCSEs which I find hard to believe actually. Its a small private school, less than 50 in the year group and I know of several who didn't get 4s in numerous subjects. I assumed they were including grades below a 4.

@Bunnyannesummers
Thanks so much that's reassuring to know.

She's accepted formally both offers and will withdraw one at the end of the weekend once she's thought more but she's now paranoid accepting both is not allowed and will invalidate them I'm sure about pp said that's ok to do (but I get not ideal as providers need to know what spaces they have)

I hope the photographers from the print and other media have behaved today and not just focused on young women with a certain appearance.

Congratulations to all those who did as expected or better, and commiserations to everyone else.

DD is the same, having it reviewed, very frustrating.

It's been a bloody nightmare with our Internet here too, so it's been unnecessarily difficult to get the forms sent off to the school but hopefully we've done it.

Stressful morning here - we are trying to negotiate everything from California so I have a very stressed teenager who has had very little sleep due to the time difference (tbf no one in the house has)
1st the school sent his results to the wrong email address - only managed to get them when chasing up by phone and email after several hours.
All grades as expected or better, majority 9s, couple of 8s and a 4 in English language
Was predicted an 8, got an 8 in mocks, thought he did well in exam so is gutted especially as 6th form college want a 5 in English Language and he's convinced he won't get in. He got an 8 in English Literature.
Waiting to see if they will accept - he got a 9 in Maths, CS & physics which is what he wants to do at a-level.
Have asked the school to check as they typed the results in and they have already made one mistake with his email but also asked about remark (they haven't sent his marks just the subject and grade)
It feels like it's going to be a long day.
We've told him how proud we are and that it will get sorted.
DS should be over the moon and currently looks miserable

DD did well overall but not in English. Don't understand what happened as she was predicted 8/9 and felt exam went well. Asking for exam to be remarked but no idea how much it's likely to change.

Not in reality.

All the colleges near us require resits in English and Maths if 3 or below.

4 is what is required

Proud “auntie” here. Best friend’s DS passed everything including English and Maths. Maths was always touch and go as he never achieved above a high 3 in mocks but he knocked out a solid 4 in the real thing. We were also prepared for the odd 3 in other subjects but in the end he passed everything 🎉

In reality they are all passes. If a school is reporting 100% pass, it could be 4+ or it could be 1+.

If colleges etc want 4, that's different.

There was a photographer at our school, the school chose the children to be photographed, it was the highest achieving girl and boy plus the child that had made the most progress, he had on average a 3 grade uplift on his predicted grades which is very impressive.

Yes, only the difference is 4-9 is a Level 2 pass and 1-3 is a Level 1 pass.

Yes, definitely go in to speak to them. My DS got 3 in English Language (and in fact 3s in most subjects, with 4s in Maths, Eng Lit and Science). But he’s enrolled today on Criminology, Law and Psychology BTEC Level 2, plus a retake of English Language. If he does well at end of next year, he’ll then move onto Level 3, which is 3 A level equivalent or he could then move onto A levels next year.

For everyone whose kids are disappointed today, there’s always a way back. I had to retake 3 O levels (including Maths) but I now have a Masters in a high level job where I manage people with PhDs. I’ve recruited young people for over 25 years and it’s the ones who’ve overcome adversity, setbacks and failure who are always the strongest candidates and go on to have the most influential careers.

And for those who passed, huge congrats to them, their mums and their teachers! Almost their entire lives have been plagued by ‘austerity’ (resulting in huge teacher recruitment/retention problems), a pandemic and ongoing cost of living crisis. But they’ve survived it all. Hats off to them all!

Fingers crossed for both of them, I feel for DD, maths not being her subject, she tried so hard and the thought of having to retake because of 1 mark is frustrating.

Thanks!! I couldn't work out why DS didn't have a numerical mark for Eng Lang (he did get a 9!) but had a D, in a column marked End 1. Sorry for the stealth-brag, but that D makes sense now.

Three separate pieces of data for Lang and school systems can only cope with 2. We have to report the two grades, so the mark gets lost. School will have it though.

I’m sorry to hear that. She must be so upset. But A levels certainly aren’t off the table if those were her mock and predicted grades. She could retake enough at college and then start A levels the following year. Or go through the BTEC system, which might suit her better as a mix of coursework and exams. I’d also suggest getting advice on allowances for anxiety, as they can provide reasonable adjustments in exams.

So proud of my DS, his sisters all 9s was a hard act to follow but her metastatic bone cancer diagnosis last year meant a grade dive in his mocks.

I spent the run up and start of GCSEs living away from home for 2 months while DD had proton therapy which was hard as DS and I are close.

We'd have been proud of him whatever as we couldn't have asked more of him as he really knuckled down. But he smashed it, five 9s three 8s and a 7 in German - and he never made it to Germany!

Well done to all the kids today and give them a big hug. Spending the last year on a teen cancer ward makes you really appreciate what is important.