Y11 2025-26 Results Day and Next Steps

[UncomfortableSilence]

We can use this thread to continue our discussions for now.

Does anyone know if AQA English Lit is taking the full 20 days to come back? Trying to work out if we will receive P2 back before deciding whether to submit P1. Thanks

Ours was back within a week. Actually that included the bank holiday so even less. Just paper 1.

Thank you!

My DD bought a large Ralph Lauren handbag at TKMaxx to use as a school bag (my own bag is from Temu 🥶). I'm sure it's not practical at all and she will need a proper backpack

DD alternates between her fake Goyard, her real longchamp and her Eastpak rucksack, same as when she was in year 11. She did put forward an argument that she could do with a new sixth form bag but thus far, I have ignored her.

10 calendar days. I was actively chasing the school

Has anyone else not bothered with remarks if it didn’t effect next steps? I’ve checked my DD’s Lit Paper 1 (I’m an examiner and an english teacher) and it was definitely under marked. But she’s said she’s not bothered and is happy with a 7 - which as I’ve said all along, is a great achievement. She’s into college and not doing Lit anyway, so I feel like it’d just be throwing money after what is essentially a vanity remark. But then I see so many other parents chasing remarks, and I wonder if I’m doing her a disservice?

DC has a Longchamps but with the laptop and her English Literature books, it’s bloody heavy! I did suggest taking her backpack instead as the weight is more equally distributed across her back but she has refused so far. What with a 20 minute walk to and from the train station to school, I’m hoping she’ll soon change her mind.

It’s all personal choice. We’ve had three sent off all were upgraded and one we’re still awaiting the result. Different reasons behind doing so for each: one was her only grade 5 and Dd was bereft at the idea of having any 5s (that went to a 6), the other two were “vanity marks”. I hate that phrase. But yes they resulted in two more 9s (one of which is an alevel subject). We’re hoping this remaining remark will go to an 8 (one mark off).

Ultimately these grades go on their ucas form so I can’t fathom “vanity marks” - they are a stepping stone to our kids futures, regardless of whether they’re continuing at alevel. So dd now has a couple of 6s and the rest 8/9 which we see as a big benefit to her future as a result of 3-4 remarks.

The actual problem is twofold: 1) cost - not everyone can afford it and if grades are downgraded, it’s obviously a costly risk. 2) level of school support with reviewing papers and giving timely advice.

We didn’t bother with the only one we thought about. It would have been vanity to get DS the extra 9 m, which I think it might have done. But he has 7 9s already. He wasn’t bothered and we wanted him to know how proud we were regardless. We can’t see it will affect anything as academic DH knows he treats 8s and 9s as the same grade when he admits to his University

I thought Unis weren’t interested in gcse results only A levels, T levels and Btechs results?

All unis will require a certain grade in english lang and maths. This may well be a 4, but for some unis it may be a 6. It may be higher for specific courses (eg 7 in maths for economics if not taking maths A level).

Then certain unis (Oxford, somewhere like LSE for econ IIRC) will look for a certain number of GCSE grades of 7+. Also for subjects like medicine and vet med GCSE grades need to be x number above y grade (so often eight grades above a 7). Some unis look at overall GCSE profile for all courses – Uni of Bath is one.

So yes they are relevant. But for most YP tbh if they tick the Eng/maths box then not really a factor for unis. Certs not as important as A level results or even PGs.

I guess the reason some say ‘vanity’ remarks is for situations where a kid has got a 7+ and can get into college etc - but it’s sent for a remark simply because it is close to the next grade up (I’m not talking about cases of clearly unfair marking btw). To me that’s unfair, when many kids (majority of the kids I teach) can’t afford to do that. Several of my high ability students were 1 mark off a 9. They can’t afford to get a remark and neither can the school - and they feel less than. Which is unfortunate when an 8 is superb and a 9 will make no material difference to anything. Unless as some say, if unis really do care if you get 8/9s, in which case I think it’s even more unfair that some can afford to pay in the hopes that the mark will be tweaked upwards slightly and get a higher grade. The playing field is never level.