2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[donald]

Hi

 

My son got 12 GCSEs (4 A* 6 As and 1 B and 1 C)

 

He is doing his AS levels and got A in his Chemistry practical and 97% in both Maths last module practice papers etc so seems to be doing ok

 

However his recent report he got lots of Bs/Cs so how do they work out the predicted grades etc he still seems confident he will get As and I know everyone says it is a jump up from GCSEs.

 

To be honest we have told him as long as he tries his best thats all he can do.

 

I just dont understand the grading at all. Keep being told its on his GCSEs (even to do with his sibling who is wasnt as academic)??

 

Can any one please explain it to me? I dont think he is messing around

[Geoid]

Are they the teachers predicted grades or are they the Fischer Family Trust estimated grades?

Teachers predicted grades are based on the student and how well they are doing in the course.

Fischer Family Trust estimated grades are based on GSCE grades and what similar students (people with the same GCSE grades) have done in the past.

[donald]

Hi Fred

 

Thanks for responding it is the second, he mentioned its to do with what others with similar at the same stage got???

 

We have parents evening next week but its really worrying me as he wants to do medicine(by the way I sound like a pushy parent and I wish he would want to do a different course as he has really set his sights sooo high...that worried its a bigger fall!!..obviously I dont want him being mega disappointed and as long as he truely has tried his best that is good enough for us)!

 

Are they accurate predictions which is what I will be asking at parents evening...even wondering if they did this to make them work harder? Keep hearing the clever ones often dont do as well at AS/A levels ie get complacent.

 

??? is this bad??

Donald

[Cinnamon]

My eldest daughter is quite clever & she didn't do too well at AS level,but her poor (in her view) grades made her buckle down & get some really brilliant A level grades.

She worked very,very hard & it paid off(she got one of the highest English marks in the country).

 

Predicted grades are just that - a prediction & while it is nice for the pupil to have something to aim & strive for, but is important that they know that the grade will not be achieved without some hard work & a lot of effort.

I do wonder if the set them high to try to make the pupils aim high?

[lizinsa]

FFT grades are all based on statistics and use information about how he has done at each stage of his education ie SATs results at KS1,2 and 3 and his GCSE results and use this plus extra information to determine how he should do. They also give a likelihood of it eg he'll have a 62% chance of getting a B.

 

It sounds like he's disappointed, which as Cinnamon has said may spur him on further, however, as a teacher I take FFT grades with a pinch of salt, his teachers should have a much greater understanding of how he is doing and be able to use this to give you a more informed decision about his predicted grades.

 

I hope this helps and wish him every luck in the future, he sounds like a bright boy with high aspirations, you should be proud! If he does want to do medicine, make sure he starts doing voluntary work experience in related fields so his UCAS statement looks good!

[Couperwife]

we have used FFT grades at our school for years, we seem to be moving away from them and onto teacher predicted grades.

 

FFT is based on a million (slight exaggeration - but you know what I mean) different variations of the child. so as well as including school grades, they also take into account, free school meals, the qualifications the parents have, the area that they live, the number of people in the family

 

so basically, if you mess up in one section you can shine on your results day, or if you have a really good day in your SATs exams, you can fall flat on your face in results day.

 

I think that your support and telling him that doing his best is all you ask is great

[donald]

Thanks very much for the help I thought as much from reading the replies. The only advantage I can see is that it might spur him on (if he thinks he has got to get his finger out). He is bright too but dont want him getting too confident. We keep telling him we cant help him as we are not as bright as he is & have told him not to waste it etc!

 

I actually feel sorry for any teacher having to number crunch and fill out a load of data etc etc...everything in the world is driven by targets and common sense seems to have gone out the window! We have always been told to make sure we tick his ethnic box (mixed marriage/mixed religions etc etc) and I get frankly fed up with it, would rather he gets on on his own merits not for any other mad category they want to put us into. I have sent some of those forms back with comments on as they get longer and categories get categorised even further. (Someone must have made a lot of money and a living out of this stuff)!!

 

I know some of the best professionals have had knock backs and it only makes them more determined to succeed and prove themselves etc.

But at the end of they day I only want him to be happy in life and as long as he tries his best its up to him.

Feel much more reassured reading these posts. I knew I could get some sense from Omleters Thanks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

We're obviously in the Scottish system so I've no idea what you're all talking about .

 

But ....

 

We keep telling him we cant help him as we are not as bright as he is & have told him not to waste it etc!

 

Don't be so sure you can't help him. I bought revision guides (which I assume you can get for English exams too) called "Practice Papers" which are not actual past papers but are set out in a similar way. They have answers and tips at the back and an index which helps you do questions for a particular topic (good if you've just revised that topic). I did a lot of these with my YS even though I've never done Geography or Chemistry in my life and it's a loooong time since I did any English or Biology. He got 3 As and a B at Higher and I'm convinced these books helped him get them . I think even just sitting with your child while they do practice questions is beneficial - they are less likely to be distracted and if they do well, you can pile the praise on for confidence boosting purposes .

[donald]

Thanks will look up the books. He has us doing quiz on the internet to see which of us can score the highest and beat him! He does ask us to test him on formulas etc etc

 

The more I think of this I bet if I was fed into a computer I wouldnt be predicted to do as well as I did! I dont have a degree etc got rejected at 16 from my chosen career etc and bounced back and won a national award in the same profession that I thoroughly had a passion for. Now if I had listened to the comments after the first interview and believed them , I would have given up. Can still remember the interviewer offering me the lower level and being quite irate that I wasnt prepared to take the offer!! Thank goodness I didnt listen to her!

 

But I will look at the guides, the school do give him good help and I know some of the silly forms the teachers dont have much choice and have to fill them out.

 

Cheers

[Ms Marple]

Hi Donald, I teach Chemistry in an independent grammar school, so we are not governed by FFT or anything else the government cares to throw out in preference to good old-fashioned teacher predictions. We assess wherever we can using AS questions and simple grade boundaries 80%+ + A , 70%+ = B etc. This seems to work well for us and our pupils (all boys). What exam board is he sitting? You can find a lot of data on their websites. If you want some further places that both you and he could go for good online advice as in notes, questions and answers please pm me as I probably should not put the sites here for all to look at as it might look like advertising - although they are all free sites - mods please advise me here. They are the sort of places we tell our boys to go and look.

At the end of the day day there is no substitute for hard work. As an aspiring medic he will need an A grade in Chemistry. Wider reading around the basic material from lessons to further his understanding is vital, in the sense that 3 of us could pass over the same information but perhaps only one of the three will say it in a way that makes perfect sense to the listener/reader.