Exam grade guidance finally released

[noblegiraffe]

www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcses-as-and-a-level-awarding-summer-2020

Looks sensible. A rank order required within grades so that the can moderate up or down as required.

It does look sensible.

As I have mentioned to you before rank ordering students within grades in English and English literature in schools with mega huge year groups (can anyone beat my 420!) will not be fun...

Unless I've missed it, I can't see anything where they take into account the GCSE results for students taking A levels - surely that's pretty important?

I guess that comes under prior attainment?

Some A Level subjects don't have a GCSE which happens before it.

They tend to use GCSE point score over 8 subjects, not the grade in that particular subject. Just like at KS2 the English result affects GCSE maths predictions.

It's really hard for A Level students to know which Uni offer to accept

My DS was going to go for a AAA course and he is a 'pull it out of the bag for exams' type, always has been. But it does mean his classwork is not AAA, so is there any point in him accepting the offer he was going to go for and should he just go for a lower offer somewhere?

Teachers know which kids have the potential to 'pull it out of the bag' so don't worry about that. All students will have improved in this final run up with help and guidance from their teachers. This is taken into account. Students who have never 'pulled it out of the bag' over 7 years of learning however, are unlikely to get the benefit of the doubt

Does anyone else find this situation deeply, deeply ironic given that Gove removed coursework from most subjects as teacher assessment couldn't be trusted ?

That would be to produce a target grade, though noble : of course, prior GCSE attainment ina relevant subject affects performance. My entire A Level class (year 12) has target grade of A - A (and one B!). The ones who got grade 8 or 9 in English Lit and/or film, are far more likely to actually get the A at A Level so I would definitely take that sort of thing into account.

Does anyone else find this situation deeply, deeply ironic given that Gove removed coursework from most subjects as teacher assessment couldn't be trusted

How is it different from hospital consultants insisting on dragging you in and making you wait for little more than "hand shake introductory sessions" and then after tests etc., another session just to tell you a simple result. When it could all have been done by letter or phone.

Or how our local GP surgery used to insist on me having regular blood tests before giving me repeat prescriptions and now they don't care anymore and issue them anyway. Or the way GPs can suddenly deal with everything by a phone call when for decades they've been saying that having face to face consultations was essential!

Different times, different conditions. None of it is ideal, but needs must. When there is no alternative, compromises have to be made.

station all I can say is that if Gove were still education secretary I think different processes would be applied. He did not trust us even one little bit.

Piggy I don’t think the DfE will be looking at individual gcse grades for individual students. They’ll be using them to judge the relative strength of a cohort.

Small sample sizes will be really dodgy here.

Gove was right about coursework, tbf.

I don't think so either but I think it is evidence that we as teachers could consider as prior attainment, is what I mean.

Kazzy, I don't understand what your point is. Mine was that the Conservatives, who decided they didn't trust teachers at all (see Piggy's message) now have to rely almost completely on teacher judgement.

Piggy I had to turn the press briefing off the other day when Gove headed it up. I had a almost uncontrollable urge to punch the radio

I mentioned the rank order when they first cancelled the exams and I was well and truly poo-pooed. Well I was right.

Mine was that the Conservatives, who decided they didn't trust teachers at all (see Piggy's message) now have to rely almost completely on teacher judgement.

What choice do they have? In a perfect world, not sensible, but compromises have to be made and there is nothing else to base results on other than teacher assessment etc. Needs must and all that.

As someone who still teaches coursework, I really don't think Gove was right!!

@kazzyhoward - why would they use gCSE results for a-levels?

My DS (a-level) noticed that coursework will not have the same stays as before, and will only be used as guidance. Eg. History, was worth 25% (?) of the Marks. Now, it will only be used as an indicator of general ability.

He also said that he’s curious as to what the exam questions would have been, and how he would have done, although also relieved at not doing exams!

Status, not stays.

Piggy Maths coursework was a farce. Such a farce that Labour got rid of it before Gove even got in!

I know it was : but Gove then applied an anti coursework diktat to subjects that positively were enhanced by it.

I’m curious about a level resits and how that’s going to pan out ... sisters son got a D First time round , but was predicted an A previously ( and for this year ) and needs an A ... family view was that getting the A was going to be a stretch ...

I was surprised to see that for students who choose to sit an exam in the future:
"If they choose to do this, both grades will stand."

Really? Currently if you have a remark, you have to accept that grades can go down as well as up.

It’s not a remark, Bojo. Currently if you sit a qualification again and get a lower mark, you can use the previous higher grade.

There is a bit about resits in the document but it is very vague.