GSCE 2021?

Discussion and advice on GCSEs

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
loopylala
Posts: 255
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2016 9:14 am

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by loopylala »

helen0209 wrote:DS1 received his predicted grades in November but also sat all mocks before the Christmas break.
Same here. We needed the predicted grades in order to apply for 6th form and some of the application deadlines were December.

My DS has most of the results back for his mocks which exceeded some of his predicted grades so hoping that the end of year grades will enable him to progress to the next stage in his chosen subjects.
ToadMum
Posts: 11945
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by ToadMum »

Might be of interest...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... =immediate

Page summary:
Conditions and requirements, and corresponding guidance, applying to GCSE qualifications being awarded in 2021.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
PerpetualStudent
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:52 am

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by PerpetualStudent »

Very unhappy DC in my DD’s y11 today as yesterday they were told (for the first time) they will be doing 30 exams over 3 weeks in May. They have just finished their mocks (haven’t yet got all the results back) and had been led to believe that was probably that. Some are being asked to dig out examples of marked GCSE coursework from more than a year ago (not from a subject that actually requires coursework).

Anybody else getting these little Easter surprises?
KS10
Posts: 2516
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:39 am

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by KS10 »

Lots of teacher supervised tasks but spread out to minimise stress - basically not 3-4 per day.
kal12003
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:50 pm

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by kal12003 »

Dd has just finished two weeks of mocks to be told they have another full two week time table straight after half term...
PerpetualStudent
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:52 am

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by PerpetualStudent »

That sounds terrible kal :shock: KS10, your school’s solution sounds so much more humane.

DD’s year group won’t know how much of the syllabus is being covered (or if it’s all of it) until after Easter. Some subjects haven’t actually covered the whole syllabus yet and other subjects haven’t done any revision since mocks. It really is like they cancelled GCSEs only to replace them with ‘not-GCSEs’ which carry just as much weight but you have less time to prepare for.
loobylou
Posts: 2032
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by loobylou »

We have been told 2 weeks of exams straight after Easter (off timetable) then another 3 weeks of lessons then 2 weeks of exams again. The school has said that they will be basing the grades on the exams and that approx half the course content will be in each set.
Initially ds was very upset as friends in other schools are being told they are just getting their predicted grades with no more tests/exams but he's accepted it now and is knuckling down.
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by PettswoodFiona »

DD had mocks in November, these were mostly paper 1s with the expectation they would be sitting paper 2s in Feb.

Latest is that assessment will be 'the best of your tests', so if they did well in the November mocks this will be part of the evidence, if they have lots of good essays submitted, this will be too.

They will still be having stage 2 mocks in April, but rather than just paper 1s it will be all papers and in a condensed period of 2 weeks. The school had said they will report back on whether they will use the mini-tests but we haven't heard yet if they will or not.

It sounds like a lot of stress but the school are emphasising it isn't a 'be all and end all' and there is other evidence they can use. DD is motivated but then also not full throttle. She is staying on at her current school for sixth form (provided there is no disaster!) and has a good insurance option too.

DD is a bit bereft about the fact she had a slew of 9s predicted but the press and employers is talking about no one believing they are real, when she has had these on the cards for a long time and has worked hard for them, she has discounted GCSEs as credible results and is really focusing n A Levels results. Very sad when worked so hard for.

She could have gone to a top public school but turned it down as all the cost and moving on added a new dimension it wasn't worth her (and us) worrying about. In addition I think her current grammar is doing a very fine job indeed and I think any school, fee paying or otherwise, would be hard to compete with it at the present time.

For DD it is absolutely the right thing she is staying where she is happy and thriving, but I do think there are some DCs who are being seen to be staying on just to keep on side for the school so perhaps the distance between results day and starting at a new sixth form or college may give them the fresh start they need.
Moon unit
Posts: 654
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:14 am

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by Moon unit »

I think that whatever grades students got in 2020 and 2021 they will be taken with a pinch of salt.
Oxford are allowing current year 12s onto their Uniq summer school this year with lower GCSE grades than previously for this reason.
I think the issue is the grades are just not comparable between schools.
Some of our local schools gave mock grades or above for all subjects last year.
Some others gave lower than mock grades in many cases.
I think most unis will regard the gcse grades as a rough guide but not much more than that.
Particularly demoralising for those with very high predictions in my opinion.
PerpetualStudent
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:52 am

Re: GSCE 2021?

Post by PerpetualStudent »

Yesterday DD’s year were told that school will finish immediately after their revised two weeks of exams. Not completely sure when everything starts because dates keep shifting (everyone is a bit shell shocked at this point). Their year will finish abruptly on 28 May - it seems. Unless it doesn’t. Is everyone else finishing then or there abouts?
Post Reply
11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now