Underwhelming GCSEs

[26374hsg]

So, I thought GCSE results day was supposed to be a happy affair, lacking the drama of A levels as most get what they need and move on. However this year I have been really surprised by the results. I had brought into the narrative that a bright kid could coast, apply themselves somewhat towards the end and come out with 7-9s. But instead bright kids from primary are more at the 4-6 end and the ones that do well appear to have worked really hard for it. Have we got used to higher grades through Covid or underestimated the amount of work involved?

Appreciate that this is a highly unscientific observation from a middle class town where the vast majority are state educated in excellent comprehensives. Would be interested to know other experiences, especially as gap between private and state has widened again this year.

No its the same as it ever was.

My bright kid who did sod all got 2 Bs and 7 Cs. My bright kid who worked got 9 A* and 2 As (or equivalents).

There will be some that say they didn't do much and got all A* but in reality they can't coast like in the days of O levels

Following with interest
we live in a pretty MC area and the kids go to a the local state secondary school with an excellent reputation
50% apparently got a 5+ in maths and English. Which means 50% did not!

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I think you have to put the work in these days.

That doesn't seem at all surprising to me. Boundaries are set so about 1/3 don't get 4+ for maths, and same for English.

So your 50% 5+ maths and english excludes anyone who passed either with 'just' a 4, and there will always be students who work exceptionally hard and still miss that magic grade.

The teachers at the schools have to know the exam board mark scheme and then teach it. High grades in English come from "applying" the mark scheme in the exam.

@TeenToTwenties

Boundaries are set so about 1/3 don't get 4+ for maths, and same for English

so the system is set up to fail the weakest third however well they do? Blimey

More or less, yes.

As someone starting med at uni this month and who got good GCSE 9 grade 9s an 8 and 1 grade 7 aswell as 3A* at A level the way I see it is hard work will be rewarded for sure but also working smart means its much easier.

You can get away with less work at GCSE for sure but it's still not easy to get a 9

The reformed GCSEs have an awful lot to cover in a short space of time. Some subjects, like Maths, ideally need practice and consolidation along the way; others, like Eng Lang, have very specific mark schemes that can trip up even those who think they are very articulate on paper. So the capacity to 'wing it and pull it out of the bag at the last minute' is actually very limited.

We also do have to factor in the effects of Covid. Those who sat GCSEs in June were in Y7 and Y8 when lockdowns occurred - important years in terms of getting to grips with the secondary school environment. Some students will have recovered from that hiatus, others will not really have done so.

The fluctuations of grade boundaries, syllabus scope and examination approach in 2020, 2021 and 2022 will also have made teachers' lives very difficult in trying to assess whether students are working to certain grades and so manage expectations, I'd imagine.

I wouldn't say my child worked particularly hard (inner city comp). But he worked smart and did lots of past papers and went to all the extra sessions laid on by teachers. He came out with 9999888887. His sats suggested he would get all 7s.

Mine worked really hard and self-educated alongside school. Got mine 9s and one 8. I think it is pretty hard these days. Not just knowledge but knowing how to answer effectively.

Reminds me of when Michael Gove said we needed all kids to be better than average. The system is set up so there's always kids who fail. The grades are a bell curve

My child got 9s and a couple of 8s in the subjects they worked extremely hard for. The 2 subjects they didn’t really focus on they got 6s. I think your assumption is right and the new GCSEs require a huge amount of work and great memory. We’ve heard of lots of children getting less than predicted this year.

I did O levels and I did very well - but I am pretty sure I also worked hard, don't recall coasting tbh.

I also don't recognise the OP's narrative of coasting to come out with top GCSEs. No one I know thinks that's how it works - including my two more able DC. Both achieved good results but in both cases, they worked hard to get their top grades. Like @newmum1976 says, with subjects they were less bothered about (DD maths, DS2 Eng lit and Spanish) they for sure did less work - and came out with 6s. Fine for what they needed for sure. But not top grades. They had to work for their 8s and 9s.

I don't think you can coast and come out with 8s and 9s.
I think to get 8s and 9s you have to be bright and work hard.

I do suspect a bright student with a good memory could work hard /pay attention in lessons, attend school revision sessions, and get 6s without loads of extra in a number of subjects. Though then they could well come unstuck in A levels as they won't have learned how to revise.

So why do schools bother trying to ensure every kids gets a pass when it is a set up to ensure a third never do?

It's a sham.

I think its media reporting made you feel this. Even the couple of covid years where top grades were a little higher, it still wasn't the case that children could coast and get all 7, 8 and 9.

Because they want their kids to pass.

Because without the pass you have fewer options at college/6th form, and you are destined to retake for the next 2 years.

Ah so it's a third nationwide, I thought the poster meant per school.

I see now.

Wrt a third of kids not achieving the magic 4 grade, I really think our current system massively lets down a large amount of kids. My 16 year old has minor learning difficulties and was never going to get grade 4 in anything at GCSE. The fact he achieved three 3s on top of his 1s and 2s is practically a miracle. He's just started a vocational course at college and has been put into the Level 1 course. This is fine and he should be able to easily cope. Then next year hopefully he'll move onto the Level 2 course. Which is meant to be equivalent to Grade 4 GCSE. So at 18 he'll have a GCSE equivalent qualification.

Why is he allowed to study below GCSE level aged 16, but at 14 had to study at GCSE level and try to work towards that grade 4? And not just him but so many kids who were not yet at that ability. Why can 16 year olds do Level 1 courses but 14 year olds have to do Level 2 courses? There should be something like a Level 1 diploma in General Education for the children who are unlikely to get to grade 4 in GCSEs. Then at least they feel they leave school with something rather than it being 5 wasted years if they fail to get to grade 4. It could be assessed just in class work throughout the two years and maybe scored as pass (just made the level), merit (securely made the level) and distinction (totally aced it). I just feel like it's madness that under the current system a third of kids are leaving school feeling they have failed.

The context in which they are educated is also so different to when I did GCSEs 30 odd years ago. Then, really the only resources available were the teacher, the text book and a couple of past papers. Now there is so much extra they can access in self study, that I think GCSEs are much more like A levels or higher courses now, and it is the ability and motivation to work at that level that sets the majority of grade 8 and 9 students apart. My DS got 99999988887, but accessed so much ‘stuff’ outside of the classroom / set homework.

I hugely coasted and did very little work and got 1xA 3xBs and 7xCs. Bit me on the arse in my as levels and I had to resit everything in my ALevel year to pull it all up to Bs

My son took GCSE's in June. Was in middle set for maths and sitting at a '3' in his mock. He got a 3 in his gcse. So I presume the group below his didn't hit that all important 4.
He managed to pass others,it's just such a shame there is so much pressure to pass these days,its horrendous.

@AmyandPhilipfan

I really agree with thus. Something better needs to happen for all the students who are passing a level 1 qualification, which is what those 1, 2 and 3 are. So they can come out feeling thet passed level 1 and can move onto level 2 rather than I failed school.

My youngest is at a special school which is slightly different, but finding qualifications he can do rather than coming out with nothing is hard. The functional skills english and maths is well established but there isn't such clear level 1 courses for other subjects.

Absolute agree! 👍 My DS didn't do too badly, but because of a near miss of a pass at Eng Lang is now doing another year of Level 2 coursework, despite getting a decent number of passes on everything else (4s and 5s) I am so proud of what he has achieved, but he feels like a failure because he is essentially "repeating" Y11 whilst his peers have all advanced. The outcomes and options are not great for those who can't get those magic 4s on English Lit and Maths. It feels like they are set up to fail from the start.