Do you have questions about your child’s options following GCSE results day? Q&A with The National Careers Service - £100 voucher to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

GCSE results day can be an uncertain time for students and parents, and with that uncertainty increased this year we’ve partnered with the The National Careers Service to bring you an expert to help answer your questions about your child’s choices - including apprenticeships, the new T levels, A levels and routes to university or the workplace - following their GCSE results.

You can find out more about post-16 options here.

James Dudney, a qualified Careers Adviser, will be answering your questions. Read on if you’d like to know a bit more about his background: “James is a qualified Careers Adviser, usually covering the South London area. James has been a part of the National Careers Service London team since 2015 and his areas of expertise include working with customers with low confidence levels and helping customers identify transferable skills.”

Post your questions for James on the thread below - he’ll be online to answer questions on results day and periodically in the days following.

Please note the advisers will be giving advice with the education system in England in mind. If you're living elsewhere, any advice given may not be relevant.

All who post on the thread with a question for James will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Hello,

I look forward to answering your questions today.

Hi, my stepson got his gcse results today.
He was awarded
6 English lang and 5 for English lit.

His second mocks in March results were
Eng lang 7
Eng lit 6.
Predicted teacher results were
Eng lang 6
Eng lit 6.

Do we appeal?
Thank you.

@Zombieseverywhere

Hi, my stepson got his gcse results today. He was awarded 6 English lang and 5 for English lit.

His second mocks in March results were
Eng lang 7
Eng lit 6.
Predicted teacher results were
Eng lang 6
Eng lit 6.

Do we appeal?
Thank you.

Hello @Zombieseverywhere,

Thank you for the question.

It is very borderline, but as you say, the grades for the mock and predicted grade were a little better.

The English Language grade is seen as the more important of the two subjects.

The question you need to answer is what your stepson wants to do next. What are the grade requirements for him to get on to the subjects (or possible apprenticeship?) he is interested in? Maybe talk to the school(s) or college(s) to be certain.

If he wants to take a subject requiring the grades at the higher levels, then it would be worth an appeal. Talk to his school, as they will know him and the situation the best.

If not, the important thing is that he achieves as well as he can in the next level. A-levels, Level 3 qualifications, etc. become much more important later and for entry into University (if that is what he is aiming for).

I hope that helps. Best of luck to him.

Surely there is a serious concern now that students will take A Level subjects that they are not equipped for particularly in the science subjects which is a huge leap.

I have heard of results today of a student failing there mocks and now achieving nearly all level 7's

Thanks for your reply :)
He's planning on sixth form so the grades he's been given mean he can still go, however he's worked so hard the last two years that he's disappointed with the two grades.
I've advised him to contact school and ask for advice as to whether they should appeal for him or not.
Thanks again :)

Hello @Paddy1234,

Thank you for your comment.

In my experience, the majority of A levels are taken in the same school as the GCSEs, so there is some understanding of each student's styles and capabilities.

It's unclear how the educational institutions will be ensuring that students are going to be equipped for A level study, but this would have had to have been a necessary consideration in the years before now as well.

As a Careers Adviser who has worked within schools and colleges, we often ran presentations and workshops or had career appointments to discuss the differences between A Levels and other potential pathways. It's an important consideration.

Thank you and I do agree as my son sat down with his teachers after mocks to agree A level subjects

I think it is more moving to a sixth form institution and teachers not knowing the student.

My son is Aspergers & did terribly in his mocks. An assessment was due to be done with regard to him having special concessions in the actual GCSE exams. Obviously, this never happened & his results today have mirrored his mocks except in the subjects that included coursework & he got good passes in those. Can we appeal on this basis?

Also, do we go ahead & enroll him to redo the GCSEs at 6th form? Or do we try to enroll him on the college course he wanted (anticipating successful appeals)?

@GarlicMonkey

My son is Aspergers & did terribly in his mocks. An assessment was due to be done with regard to him having special concessions in the actual GCSE exams. Obviously, this never happened & his results today have mirrored his mocks except in the subjects that included coursework & he got good passes in those. Can we appeal on this basis?

Also, do we go ahead & enroll him to redo the GCSEs at 6th form? Or do we try to enroll him on the college course he wanted (anticipating successful appeals)?

Hello @GarlicMonkey,

That's a complex situation. Sadly, as someone external, I can't give you a definitive answer.

There is useful information about the appeal process here:

www.tes.com/news/exams-2020-guide-appealing-gcse-and-level-grades

It's always worth talking to the school and the potential college to get some further advice.

What does seem most important, moving forward, is that he gets the assessment, so that whatever happens, he gets the support he needs.

I hope that helps in some small way and best of luck.

Hello, I was just wondering if individual IB subjects hold the same weight as A Levels in terms of points? My son will be doing IB HL Maths and Physics a long with a BTec extended diploma. Thank you!

Do you have any thoughts on if it's better to stay at the school VI form where the teachers know my daughter & her capabilities or to move to a more 'adult' college environment?

Good afternoon,
My daughter missed nearly all of year 11 due to severe mental health problems. She returned to school about 6 weeks before the shutdown due to covid, sat some mocks and did well in her maths and 2 English subjects, gaining 7's or 8's. She has now been awarded 4's in these subjects because they included the November mocks when she was not present in school. I have spoken to school today and been informed that we cannot appeal but on this site it seems that it is possible to appeal, is this true? I do not feel the grades on the piece of paper we have presently reflect what she is capable of. She was diagnosed with ASD two days ago after a three year battle to access help. Thank you for any advice and good luck to other parents on here.

Hi James,

I have a slightly different question to ask about the GCSE results. My child had a top grade in Science, however, did not choose this for A'Level. My child wants to go into IT, should my child choose a Humanities A'Level (orginally chosen but not such a top grade for GCSE) or go with a Science A'Level instead?? Which is looked on better for Degree etc. courses. Careers at school didn't really help.

Anyone that lives in the cumbria area give any tips on nice areas/schools? Both primary and secondary. Thanks

I too am puzzled. Ds1 got good grades. Enough for his school 6th form. And I am very pleased. That's enough.

But some are a puzzle.

1. he was struggling with triple science. Might get a 4 or 5 in all 3. But today they gave him 2 x 7's in combined science. Suppose we should be grateful. But isn't that wierd? And when was the decision taken to put him down from triple to combined?

2. RE predicted an 8. Got a 5. Which was his lowest mark by far. Is that odd?

Is it worth doing anything about the 5. It looks odd compared to the other marks he got.

And generally, as a general question please: if it's only a grade difference , a 5 when you Were expecting a 6, a 6 when you are predicting a 7 then presumably it's not worth doing anything about it?

when is it worth doing something about it? is it worth speaking to the school at all or would you just appear like a fussy parent who should be just grateful that the child is going on to do A-levels and leave it at that?

Can you tell me a bit more about BTECs? I’ve had some great advice on here already but as poorer results than anticipated have meant they are now the only real option DD has any information in terms of how they’re perceived and how well kids tend to do with them would be great.

Dd is miffed with a 7 for Eng Lang - she got a clear 8 in her mock and is considering taking it in Autumn. I know her school will have marked much more fairly (harshly) than other schools. Also, I am aware (as an ex GCSE Moderator for a different subject) that not all exam boards are equal.

Is it worth the effort or will A levels supersede? If she does less well than a 7 (unlikely) will her CAG grade stand?

Hello! DD got mostly 4s today, with a 5 in German and 3s in Maths (which she will resit), Physics and Chemistry. I think the grades are fair and are probably close to what she would have achieved in the actual exams - she is pretty intelligent but has very little work ethic unfortunately!
She had planned to go to sixth form but sadly won’t be accepted now to do the subjects she wanted. One of the sixth forms she applied to were very helpful and offered her other subjects.

She’s inclined to accept that place (probably as it’s a ‘safe’ option) but she’s not really as interested in those subjects and I’m trying to get her to be really open minded about what she might want to do in the future, and not just to assume that A levels followed by university is the right choice for her. She is somewhat intellectual - she’s taught herself two languages and is very knowledgeable about 20th century politics, because she’s fascinated by them. But she just hates schoolwork (hence her grades) so I’m not sure she’d thrive at A level.

The local college is offering a 2 year course in Cyber Security which I’ve suggested she looks at. But time is REALLY short for making a decision so how do we find out whether it’s something she’d enjoy? My end goal is to help her find something that she will enjoy for the next two years, because she’ll only really work at something she enjoys. At the moment she likes the idea that it might lead to a lucrative IT career. Is that a good enough reason?

Hi James,

My son Ben, in his GCSEs, has got one at grade 9, and eight at grade 8.

He wants to go to the local FE College to do a BTEC Level 3 in Construction and the Built Environment, rather than stay on at his (very good academically) school, and do three A levels.

We think he will be wasting his (academic) talents, going down the BTEC route.
We are an academic family, with no tradition of Building & Construction in the family, and we fear that he will find the BTEC course very boring and pedestrian, and to be honest , not sufficiently demanding for him.
( The FE College does not have a great reputation).

What do you think he should do?

Hi
My daughter changed schools end of November 2019 through bullying and health reasons, her predicted grades in her old school were 5's, 6,s & 7's. The curriculm in her new school was different in a few subjects. Her new school failed her on all her subjects apart from two were they gave her a 3 & 4. She was having issues settling in and the teachers never really got to know her or her academic ability as they had never seen her books and marks from previous school. She was all about the actual exams and revised every night for them.
As she was only at that school less than 4 months i feel that her predicted grades should of gone off her previous school were the teachers knew her ability.
I have contacted the school saying all this but they have yet to reply can i appeal, she can no longer do the college course she wanted.
Thanks
Sharon

@0DimSumMum0

Hello, I was just wondering if individual IB subjects hold the same weight as A Levels in terms of points? My son will be doing IB HL Maths and Physics a long with a BTec extended diploma. Thank you!

Hello @0DimSumMum0,

I took a look at the UCAS Tariff Points calculator and it looks like A level Maths is near enough identical in points to the IB HL, so they very much equivalent.

Take a look here, if you want to explore it further:
www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Best of luck to you and your son!

@sheilads105

Do you have any thoughts on if it's better to stay at the school VI form where the teachers know my daughter & her capabilities or to move to a more 'adult' college environment?

Hello @sheilads105,

That is a question many parents wrestle with. From my own experiences, and students I have supported over the years, I would say that there are a few points to consider:

1. If she enjoys studying at her current school, can she study the subjects she wants/needs to and the school's 6th form performance. Personally, I studied A Levels in my school 6th form because my friends were there but, in hindsight, college may have been a better option. We're all different though and I might not have been convinced back then.

2. What are the colleges like - both in terms of performance, subject options and student experience? Obviously, under normal circumstances, this would mean attending open days, etc. to get a sense of it. There will be many discussions/reviews online to help with this.

3. Sometimes the way courses are structured in a school or college means that you can't study the exact subjects you want to, due to the timetabling. It's good to check details like these when deciding.

4. Does your daughter know what she wants to do? Schools are the main providers of A Levels but other Level 3 options, T-Levels, BTECs, etc. can sometimes be better options for more vocationally-focused careers.

I would also recommend looking through the information on our website to help research this a little further:

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-choices-at-16

Best of luck!

@CHIRIBAYA

Good afternoon, My daughter missed nearly all of year 11 due to severe mental health problems. She returned to school about 6 weeks before the shutdown due to covid, sat some mocks and did well in her maths and 2 English subjects, gaining 7's or 8's. She has now been awarded 4's in these subjects because they included the November mocks when she was not present in school. I have spoken to school today and been informed that we cannot appeal but on this site it seems that it is possible to appeal, is this true? I do not feel the grades on the piece of paper we have presently reflect what she is capable of. She was diagnosed with ASD two days ago after a three year battle to access help. Thank you for any advice and good luck to other parents on here.

Hello @CHIRIBAYA,

Thank you for your question.

From what I understand, there have been some criteria set down for when students can appeal or not. This is related to mock results and there is some information on this and the appeals process here:

www.tes.com/news/exams-2020-guide-appealing-gcse-and-level-grades

I hope this helps you and best of luck!

Thank you James. I think she will choose school VI form.

@poppy1973

Hi James,

I have a slightly different question to ask about the GCSE results. My child had a top grade in Science, however, did not choose this for A'Level. My child wants to go into IT, should my child choose a Humanities A'Level (orginally chosen but not such a top grade for GCSE) or go with a Science A'Level instead?? Which is looked on better for Degree etc. courses. Careers at school didn't really help.

Hello @poppy1973,

I come from an I.T. background myself, so the advice has normally been to have Physics and Maths as subjects, as these are useful for various applications within that industry.

But, it really depends on what she wants to do within I.T. and what degree she is thinking about. There are lots of Job Profiles on the National Careers Service website that describe various IT roles: nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-categories/computing-technology-and-digital

Generally, I advise looking at the current courses on UCAS and taking a look at the requirements sections for the ones she is interested in. These will explain if you have to have a Science and/or Maths or the other equivalent options. It also tells you have kinds of grades you need to achieve as well.

The UCAS search tool is here: digital.ucas.com/search

I wish her luck! It's a growth industry.