New gradings for GCSEs in 2017

[KB]

Yes the work they cover is changing. Your best bet is to check which exam board the school sits - should be on their web site - and then look on the exam board web site for details. That way you can see in detail what they should be studying.

[Guest55]

Yes, the syllabuses have changed (again) and can be found on the relevant exam board website:

AQA: http://www.aqa.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edexcel: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

OCR: http://www.ocr.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[topsyturvy]

Thanks a lot Guest55. Will review

[topsyturvy]

Thanks KM

Any parents here with DC taking GCSE in 2017? Will be good to be here as the journey takes to GCSE

[Lillie]

Thank you all very much for your time and helpful replies. It's a lot to digest and goodness knows how the schools cope.

I feel concerned about these changes and changes to the pass boundary. It will affect those kids taking exams now as well. Those achieving borderline passes now will not count as a pass in the new system so the whole thing could be a shock to the system. It could also diminish the credibility of those borderline passes achieved today.

[Guest55]

No - a grade C is still the standard - these changes only affect the NEW gradings.

[Lillie]

I understand the new boundary changes will affect the new grading system only. However, the forthcoming changes imply that simply getting a C grade (which is currently a pass) is not good enough and I think that could devalue the current qualification.

The whole raft of changes and toughening up of the exam back to something more like the O-level also implies that the current exams are not good enough and I don't think that's fair on those kids taking the exams now either.

[Guest55]

Lillie - I really don't see anyone is thinking like that. Students can only sit what is the current syllabus.

Does anyone remember when all the changes have happened? Are there 'different' standards depending on when you sat GCSEs? There aren't and I can't see these happening.

There have been so many changes - coursework, assessments, linear only ... A* to G grades will be seen in the timeframe they were taken and 'grade C' is what the DfE performance tables will use.

[um]

Ds1 was worried that in later life, he'd be seen as a bit of a 'dinosaur' being one of the very last to get his GCSE grades in letters, rather than numbers

So dc1 has his GCSEs in 'letters'.
Dc2 will have his Maths and English grades in numbers and the rest in letters
Dc3 will have all her grades in numbers.

As for dc4 and 5....who knows?

[quasimodo]

http://www.aqa.org.uk/about-us/supporti ... transcript" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;