This might be a bit of a silly question but am a bit confused about DD's coursework grade she just got back. She got 30/40 which she was told was just 1 mark off an A* (which she was disappointed with - but I think is a minor miracle given her performance in her mocks!!). However: if the coursework is worth 25% of her grade then is she not given a percentage of the 25% so, say, 22%? Or how is the final, overall mark calculated?

This grade is a guess as the boundaries have not been set nor has the work been externally moderated.

Forget it and focus on the rest of the exam!

So the coursework is marked out of 40 and is worth 25% of the overall grade? In that case, the coursework mark (30/40) will be added to whatever marks she gets for the exam papers (which will be worth 75% of the total, ie 120 marks) and then the raw score will produce a scaled mark (ums) which will translate to a grade. She will just get an overall mark and grade.

There are no UMS now everything is linear.

argh, dd1 here is doing music and coursework is 60% of the mark-and they don't even get to know any of the marks before results day-and it's a new course so has no idea how she is doing at all anyway. very stressed and sorry she chose it instead of something the teachers have experience of. she has 3 offers but they are all 3xA.

is it worth her ringing the unis and making a fuss, if she gets a B in this one on the day? or going for remark?

Do both. That is what I would do in your position

DD1 did A level Music last year and DD2 is doing it this year. DG

Do not ring the uni - decision will have been made and you won't get through to the right people.

What gets me is that the same piece of work can be marked by different people and get a completely different grade. Also why do i.e Art students know how they did on their coursework? If it's hopeless, we could start organising alternatives. Instead, it's all loaded onto the one day.

So if we are not happy with the mark, that's just tough? No uni.

DD2 has had History and Geog coursework results back and I have received an email stating that any appeals have to be lodged within three days.

It would be better if either all or no coursework results are released before the exams. DG

Wow you really have to be on the starting blocks.

I agree that the results should either be given out promptly, or all together, though I understand that for example, dd1’s final performance concert (30%! Yikes) was last night and it is going to take time for examiners to listen to all those recordings. But other parts (totalling another 30%) were completed months or weeks ago! If we knew she had not done as well as hoped, damage limitation could begin.