A level results 2018
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Re: A level results 2018
This situation is made worse by schools which 'give in' to pressure to give crazy predictions. At DS's school they would predict what you got at AS unless you were close to the next grade; very sensible. Even now they could use the AS papers as 'mocks' and do similar ...
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silverysea
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Re: A level results 2018
Dd’s school gave her lower predictions than grades obtained, and several friends got higher than they obtained. An inexact science! She is a bit miffed about that and denied that it made her work harder - I agree, it burdened her more than motivated- luckily the course providers she wanted looked at her other attributes via interview, PS, WEX etc I guess and THEIR assessment was correct. But I prefer the former situation, it must be said!
And she had the same grades required on all offers. Wasn’t after just a Uni place, but that course- one firm and one insurance is insufficient in my opinion and added extra stress.
And she had the same grades required on all offers. Wasn’t after just a Uni place, but that course- one firm and one insurance is insufficient in my opinion and added extra stress.
Re: A level results 2018
Some schools still get their students to take the AS as well to get a clearer idea of where they are at.......
Re: A level results 2018
Absolutely.Tinkers wrote:.
My sister (secondary school teacher) has already told DD (starting A levels in September) to make sure her course choices are not just aspirational ones but a decent spread of grade offers of places she would actually still want to go to.
DD (with Yours Truly in tow and sometime DS2 as well) has amassed quite a collection of open days, campus tours and the odd free taster day over the past nine months. Probably more than most normal people will have done
.A few have been discounted
- 'liked uni but typical offer a little beyond realistic' /
- 'totally up themselves and don't even bother if you aren't predicted the typical offer' (my alma mater
) / - 'liked the city, but not a campus uni, made me realise I prefer campus' /
- 'campus, but just didn't do it for me and really didn't like the town'
etc
However, she has still got a good spread, including two which should be pretty safe bets and on gorgeous campuses, too
. Two more to go, one of which may well make it into the top five, other one really didn't impress her big brother, but the weather forecast is good for the day we're going, so it at least stands a better chance on that score.I particularly can't understand people (or rather, their DC) who post on here and elsewhere that the DC concerned has never had any intention of going to the university they named as their insurance - it is not compulsory to have an insurance choice, so why put everyone concerned through the hassle?
.
Last edited by ToadMum on Sun Aug 19, 2018 2:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Re: A level results 2018
The advantage of over-inflated predictions is the opportunity to receive unconditional offers. A student from DSs school was predicted much higher in two subjects than result achieved, one result massively under predict but had unconditional in the bag. Under-inflated predicts can result in no offers. DS who did better than his fellow student had no offers. Also if you drop a grade you may still get given a place.
Parents and schools should manage expectation obviously but the system favours over-inflating results.
DS was aware of the reasoning behind his predictions and fully intented to exceed them. He correctly predicted his grades in two of his subjects..... the teachers predicts were all incorrect.
Parents and schools should manage expectation obviously but the system favours over-inflating results.
DS was aware of the reasoning behind his predictions and fully intented to exceed them. He correctly predicted his grades in two of his subjects..... the teachers predicts were all incorrect.
Re: A level results 2018
Congratulations to everyone's children. I have seen your dd's story over time silverysea and it is lovely to see that she is going to be doing what she really wants to.
I have a very happy dh (not quite the same, I appreciate) - all of his students have done as well as he could have hoped for them which is always a happy result...
He would not agree with you Tolstoy; he says that universities get to recognise schools that over-inflate predictions and that they then are less likely to offer unconditionally (or at all). He definitely feels it is better to be as accurate as possible with predictions, not "what they could do on the best day ever with a strong following wind" but "what they're likely to do on a normal day with the amount of work they've shown evidence of so far". He's obviously delighted for them when students exceed his predictions but it's definitely important for him and his colleagues to try and get them right.
I have a very happy dh (not quite the same, I appreciate) - all of his students have done as well as he could have hoped for them which is always a happy result...
He would not agree with you Tolstoy; he says that universities get to recognise schools that over-inflate predictions and that they then are less likely to offer unconditionally (or at all). He definitely feels it is better to be as accurate as possible with predictions, not "what they could do on the best day ever with a strong following wind" but "what they're likely to do on a normal day with the amount of work they've shown evidence of so far". He's obviously delighted for them when students exceed his predictions but it's definitely important for him and his colleagues to try and get them right.
Re: A level results 2018
I'm really not a fan of unconditional offers, having offspring who received one and immediately stopped working, so I don't really see it as an "opportunity" to receive one. However, when there are places that won't contemplate an offer without a prediction of 3 A* but will then offer 3 As, why would the school predict anything less than A*?
(The answer, obviously, is to do as the entire rest of the world does and apply when results have been received but for some mysterious reason it's just impossible for UK education establishments to do their job in the same timescale as those of the rest of the world.)
(The answer, obviously, is to do as the entire rest of the world does and apply when results have been received but for some mysterious reason it's just impossible for UK education establishments to do their job in the same timescale as those of the rest of the world.)
Re: A level results 2018
It's reckless to over-predict imho. The school gets a reputation and unis know who to believe. What's the point of an offer the student won't achieve? They just end up in clearing with potentially little choice and no accommodation - not great.
I'd ban unconditional offers to anyone yet to sit A levels.
I'd ban unconditional offers to anyone yet to sit A levels.
Re: A level results 2018
Well, hopefully at worst at insurance choice rather than firm, assuming a sensible insurance choice was made. It's true that some courses don't provide enough variation to make that possible, but as with medicine the solution is presumably to have a back up course in mind rather than just a back up destination.
You seem to be under the impression that universities make an individually tailored offer based on the expected attainment of applicants when that's clearly not the case for the vast majority. Some of the "top" (discuss) establishments will do so for a minority of candidates but by and large, there is a standard offer for applicants from various types of establishment (see, e.g., Exeter for one of the most obvious examples), and if they think you're good enough they will make that standard offer and no other. It's yet another game and if you're not playing it when everyone else is then imo you're just letting down your pupils.
You seem to be under the impression that universities make an individually tailored offer based on the expected attainment of applicants when that's clearly not the case for the vast majority. Some of the "top" (discuss) establishments will do so for a minority of candidates but by and large, there is a standard offer for applicants from various types of establishment (see, e.g., Exeter for one of the most obvious examples), and if they think you're good enough they will make that standard offer and no other. It's yet another game and if you're not playing it when everyone else is then imo you're just letting down your pupils.
Re: A level results 2018
Do you honestly think that unis give out offers to candidates just because their predicted grades match course requirements? That's naive in the extreme.
