Year 11 - 2024/2025 - Support Thread - the final stretch

[QueenMabby]

A new thread to take is to exams and beyond! All welcome.

They will definitely adjust. If everyone find something easier boundaries go up. So much to do now. Yikes! Going over poems before he starts bio!

I don’t think so as DD2 had a similar gripe regarding History A level a couple of years ago. But I’m not certain.

I mean, I think it is across the exam board rather than per text chosen etc. but don’t quote me on that as it’s just ‘think’

DD appears to be influenced by other students' reactions coming out.

She said ACC and R&J questions were just ok. She doesn't know how she has done unlike with hard sciences.

She has got 9s in Lit in the past but once got a 6 she wasn't expecting and she seems quite sad this afternoon.

She is feeling much more positive about Biology tomorrow afternoon.

Do they adjust grade boundaries based on the text studied

No they won’t do that. The GBs apply to the exam as a whole, not dependent on the text studied. AQA would argue that all questions are of similar difficulty I imagine. It might be that if a specific question was found more challenging then there would be lower expectations of what was needed to achieve the higher marks, when it was marked (IIRC markers will mark all of one question, so marker A will have R&J and marker B will have Macbeth etc) but tbh I doubt it.

Otoh if all students found the unseen poem a big challenge (all AQA students will tackle the same question) then there would be a general uplift. But as I say, the variance is not much year by year. Sorry. Your DC have probs done better than they think tho.

Oh sorry maybe my answer was a bit muddled. I just meant I assume a harder question would be marked accordingly. Who knows. Onwards and upwards 🤪🤪

Ideally, asap.
Can you physically go and speak to the practice manager?

Just spoken to the GP - no sick note on the advice of the British Medical Association - apparently they don’t do them for exams anymore and it’s up to the school to send in supporting evidence for mitigation. Even though she is known to the practice for her migraines and has even been referred to the pain clinic.

Ive emailed school so we will see.

Yeh that might be so. In the sense that there would be an expectation that a certain % would gain 30/30, a certain % 28/30 etc. So if very few candidates gained a high mark on a specific question then I imagine there might be board-internal moderation – I am not a marker tho so someone who is may well correct me. But in general as I say, the AQA line is that all questions are of a similar standard. ]

Of course a candidate may find question A easier than question B for a host of reasons, from “this is what we did in class last week” to “I really don’t like Romeo, he’s a wuss”.

Edited to delete double post!

Absolutely nothing to worry about! Examiner of 20+ years.

I don’t suppose anyone could comment or message me what the Jekyll and Hyde question was? DS is autistic and upset but won’t talk to me. I know Romeo and Juliet was unfortunately not a question in his favour.

Thank you @MrsHamlet

@whojamaflip im really sorry to hear that. Hopefully the school can provide the evidence needed.

Our exam coordinator said unless they’re actually in hospital, try and get in to school no matter what : if the GP union is advising no sick notes then this must be why. There’s no just no objective evidence if your dc didn’t make it in to school even if they were vomiting copiously etc

DS thought both Macbeth and ACC went well so this is good. Biology like many others tmrw which he is less confident with. This is definitely mentally taxing on us parents never mind the kids, am not sure mine knew what exams I had each day even.
Hope your daughter feels better @whojamaflip and you get some clarity on next steps
from the school.

@whojamaflip

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JCQ-A-guide-to-the-special-consideration-process-24-25_FINAL_accessible.pdf

Your child should be covered under "illness or injury at the time of the exam"

The caveat is that it must be applied for by the centre at the time of the assessment, which was today - but I would keep pushing them on it.

@ErickBroch sent you a message on question content from what I gathered from DC. Their summary was could have been better, could have been worse.
Hope your DC is ok, onwards & upwards!

Just helping DD put away books she won't need after today's Lit exam. A sheet with phrases to use to get a 9 fell out. She hadn't really looked at it. Sigh.

They are bombarded with numerous resources and she's mildly dyslexic so I'm hiding my frustration by typing on here.

Well done to them all for getting through Eng Lit. DD was happy with her Macbeth Q and managed to get ACC answered with some quotes. Tomorrow she’s doing Edexcel Triple Biology and currently cramming what half the questions cover and hoping to wing the other half. We had issues with the timetabling in y10 with v little time on Biology and she’s missed quite a lot if these lessons so it’s not one she’s looking forward to.

Aqa biology combined science here tomorrow, but focus very much on media on Wednesday and maths on Thursday.
She needs a good media grade to do A level.

@whojamaflip
I think I'd be ccing in the chair of Governors if you keep getting fobbed off...

The multitude of sources (with a lot of BS in some) is doing my head in. Bring back good old-fashioned text books. All the best to your DD.

Destie I think our school changed over to Edexcel for English lit.

That's the one dds school does.
It's not a common one - most seem to do aqa.
I'm sorry your ds found it tough :(...some of dds friends thought the questions were a bit odd.

Dds school teach AF and MofV, which few schools seen to do.