Y11 2025-26 Results Day and Next Steps

[UncomfortableSilence]

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

Bit of English intel now I am back at work and looking at data etc. For Lit, all grade boundaries shifted upwards from last year. For Grade 9 it was +6, for Grades 8, 7 and 6 it was +5. So it makes sense that a large number of students at the top end were disappointed.

Is that AQA

Good luck @Littletreefrog to your DS . Sounds like a thoroughly sensible approach to the travel .

Fingers crossed that all goes well

Good luck to all those starting today, especially at new places! We are tomorrow here (DS1, DS2 gets another day off). Got the kids up today to attempt to readjust body clocks slightly - they were not impressed at all this morning, house full of zombies!

Interesting about the English, maybe it was something about the questions in the paper? That does seem a big uplift in the boundary- anyone know how much they normally shift by? Not AQA here so just nosy but it is interesting.

@Drivingselfmad interesting. I remember them talking about how good all the topics were after the lit. Did Lan change much? That's the one DD was very surprised by. She got nearly 100% in Lit and History so her 6 in Lan was very much an outlier.

@Walkingbkwrm I know Edexcel Maths was 12 marks lower than a 9 last year so the papers must have been quite a bit harder.

Sorry yes, AQA

I hope his first day goes well @Littletreefrog! DS has decided to take an early bus for his first day tomorrow for similar reasons. He's refused to do a practice run just to suss out the route so fingers crossed he manages it right first time.

I've left him at home with half his bridging work still to do - hoping he doesn't decide just to skip it! I decontaminated his room at the weekend and took a whole load of clothes to the charity shop. He now doesn't have to do a death-defying leap over his floordrobe to get to his desk, so no excuses for not getting the bridging work done.

Good luck to those starting.

all three of DD’s reviews have gone up and were so thrilled - English literature up by 13 marks!! So only two marks off 100% and a top grade 9. Madness.

Which exam board?

Also, can I ask a general marking question to those in the know on this thread?

How do they set the grade boundaries? Is it a case of say the top 2% get a 9, then the next top 5% get an 8 and so on?

AQA all three subjects.

DD doesn't even have enrollment till Thursday and has been told actual start date will probably be the end if next week! Not that she's complaining.

She doesn't have any PE but they have to do an hours RE (catholic 6th form college) and an extra curriculum activity. Luckily there are a few she would be happy to do but she won't finalise that till she does her enrolment on Thursday.

That’s a very late start date @Monr0e !

No PE lessons here (DS is thankful) but there is a school gym (as in with exercise machines etc) that I think is open to sixth formers when not in use so he may well use that sometimes if his timetable lines up with when it’s available. Much more his style than enforced football :).

Thank you for the well wishes for DS.

He is back and absolutely shattered. He is the only boy on his course and given his autism, the awkwardness that comes with that and his unfashionable dress sense I am hoping they don't eat him alive! He says it was ok and he will go back tomorrow so that's a start.

That's brilliant @makemineadecaf, well done your DD! DS missed out on a 9 by 1 mark. I have to wait until school reopens on Thursday to sort out a re-mark - fingers crossed for a similar result.

Great news about the good start @Littletreefrog . Hopefully it will go as well tomorrow for DS1 and anyone else starting back 🤞

When have you applied? We applied on AQA Eng Lit remarking on the result day and heard nothing so far.

Did that include Physics? We’re waiting on the review of paper 1, so hopefully will hear back soon.

For those who have been remarked did you use ChatGPT or similar to guide your decision.

@Monr0e it's not Loreto in Manchester by any chance?DD also registers on Thursday and I wish it were sooner! She's very excited though

My daughter is moving into her boarding college (plus horse) this Sunday but teaching doesn't start until 14 September! Before that they have some boarders meeting activities I think. My car is absolutely to the brim full of stuff she says she needs 😬 and she hasn't even packed her clothes/toiletries/ make-up (or anything actually useful). The horse stuff is also yet to be packed. A bit of a mad rush 🤪

Very stressful and nerve-wracking (for me mainly). Daughter also joined a group chat of new starters that's stressing us both out even more as they all appear to know a lot more than us and she is blaming me for "being a child" and never reading anything properly 🥴

I still have to drive the horsebox over there at 4am on Sunday (to be there at 7am as it's a 3 hour drive and horse has to be settled in before enrolment at 9am apparently 🤦‍♀️). Roped in my brother to drive my car with all the stuff over (he doesn't yet know what he agreed to 🤣).

Also waiting for a Biology AQA review. I wonder how long non-priority review takes?

It is!

DD is also very excited. She has been sorting out her Our Pass and Scholars permit and has even sorted her online enrolment. The type if things I normally have to nag her about.

She is a bit nervous about the travel as we are not really on any direct route but she's using Thursday as a practice day and travelling in with a friend.

They might end up sitting next to each other and we'll never know! Dd has to get a tram and a bus, but has a friend to go in with so should be OK (and her sister who has just finished her A levels there just rolls her eyes and says she'll be fine)

Up to twenty days is what the service level agreement says.

Sounds very similar

DD has the option of tram then bus, or if I drop her off at the bus station she can get a direct bus. It's definitely not the easiest place to get to depending on where you ate coming from. We are South and it all involves either a drop at the met or the bus station. But it was her absolute first choice so we'll make it work for the 2 years.

She also has an older brother who went and he managed just fine so Im sure she'll be ok.

What is your DD doing if you don't mind saying? DD is doing psychology and drama A level and health and social care btec