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GCSEs- can someone explain please

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My daughter (year 10) is sitting her science GCSE this summer. Today she came home from school in a bit of a state because she's just been told that she's been moved up to higher science. According to her that means that she she can only get a mark between A*-C, anything below is an automatic fail. Apparently when she was in lower science she could only get a C grade or below, even if by some miracle she scored 100%. I asked big brother about this, convinced she'd got it wrong somewhere, but the smug so and so said that that was right and I only didn't know about it because he's higher everything :roll:

I am reasonably convinced that A*-C are really the only worthwhile grades at GCSE, but someone achieving a D has possibly put in some effort but had an off day or rotten questions, whatever, so surely there should be a mark to recognise a near miss :?

When I sat my O-levels (several hundred years ago :shock: ) we could be graded from A-U regardless, no higher or lower papers...........I'm not clear on why they need to distinguish in this way, surely if you could achieve the whole range of grades some would do better than expected, some may do worse, but at least they all had a mark :?

Oh, and to complicate it further her French teacher is negotiating swapping her from higher to lower and then getting her to sit her French GCSE a year early as well, as she thinks the lower option would take the pressure off the speaking and listening bits which they generally concentrate on more next year.

Aaaaargh..............I'm confused :shock:

Have my children interpreted this right, or is it all losing something in translation :?

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It was the same in my day (oh I'm so old)

Very annoying as with Maths the highest you could get on the lower paper was a B and I'm entirely convinced I did very well and would have got at least an A on the higher paper (can't remember if we had a*s int hose days if we did they were rarer)

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No Kate, she has got it right!

 

When I did my GCSEs (in the 1930s) I was entered for lower Maths and I could only get a grade C or below (not that that was ever going to happen) :roll:

 

The same applied to Chemistry, I was entered for the higher exam with the chance of only getting grades A-C.

 

It is a strange system, but it works when the teacher and pupil agree on the ability!

 

i took my German GCSE 2 years early and it really took the pressure off!

 

Hope this makes sense :?

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I was in the first year to take GCSE's (have a guess what age I am!) and I strongly remember that the blurb my parents got was emphasising how _unlike_ O' Levels/CSE's all results would count and someone getting a G was still getting a GCSE pass. I think everyone knew employers would only count A-C grades as valuable but at that stage the idea was certainly to level the playing field and allow pupils of all abilities to take the same exam.

 

How long before they come up with a new system do you think?

 

Jo

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I was in the first year to take GCSE's (have a guess what age I am!)

 

Jo

 

I reckon you are 35 or 36 :wink:

 

I think she should stick with the higher paper as she has the chance to get a good grade which I am sure she will.

 

In my opinion a 'd' is the same as a 'u' anyway. Most employers sat the old 'o-levels' so only consider A to C anyhow.

 

I was a straight 'c's man myself, I was threatened with being placed in the lower paper for maths, I buckelled down sat the higher paper and got a 'c' if I had sat the lower paper I reckon I would have got an 'f'.

 

A very astute teacher she was, she was looking for a reaction and got it.

 

Try not to worry, even if she were to fail them all it's not the 'end of the world ' although it seems it at the time. I know people with very good degree's who don't possess a single GSCE (A to C).

 

Kev.

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You can retake anything.

 

Part of my dilemma (and the reason that her French teacher wants her to take French a year early at the lower level) is that she probably won't get the chance to resit GCSEs :( .

With our planned move both children get one crack at GCSEs but won't be around to attempt any resits. Since hubby leaves in Feb we're only staying here until the day after the last exam and then flying off to join him. They will both go into school in NZ and will sit their GCSE equivalents (NCEAs), but having done so much work toward GCSEs daughter's school doesn't want her to waste it, hence taking exams early.

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I was the last year doing Olevels and even back then it was the same :?

 

If you did a CSE and got a grade 1 it was the equivalent of an Olevel grade C no matter how good you were you could score no higher if entered for the lower class exam and although at the Olevel you could be graded lower than a C it wasn't actually worth the paper it was printed on :?

 

The problem for my year was retakes we only got one shot as the course we had studied was ending so if you failed a retake you had to do a full 2 year GCSE course :roll:

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Then dont worry about it

She gets a crack at them, she gets the opportunity to try something different which may suit her even better. Plus these days you don't need exam results to make something of yourself. Anyway she can always retake them if she ever comes back to the UK and decides she needs them.

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It is right Kate. It seems really serious, but it's not really...it's just because they've s"Ooops, word censored!"ped the intermediate tier in nearly everything, Martin's year, (people in year 11, are the only year left who get to do intermediate tier, well either that of people who left school this summer).

 

Basically in Higher Maths and Science the paper goes from A* - D and foundation goes C - everything below it.

 

I had my last modular science exams today! Just means I have three sciences to do over the course of this year for the final end of year exams in June...these ones are actually written! As I'm only in year 10 at the minute, I think I'm doing Psychology and an AS level next year.

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i am in my gcse year (and have mocks nxt week! :shock: )

it is right, in some subjects there are a higher and lower paper. a higher paper goes from A* to D, and lower paper from C-G. this means if you get lower than a D in higher you fail, but this is highly unlikely as you only have to get a few marks to get a D in the higher, wheras you would need loads to get a D on a lower paper. the highest you can get on a lower paper is a C, if you get top marks. if it is modular, like some sciences, then if you take the lower paper and do well, you can re-sit the module and take the higher paper, and the highest grade will stand!!!!!

in terms of languages, i took my french in year 9 (and got an A* wahooooooo! :lol::lol::lol: ) and then spanish in a year in yr 10 (again A* wahooo!! wahooooo!! :lol::lol::lol::lol: ) and i took higher papers, just because the only difference is that they are a bit longer, and it is easier to get grades as mark boundarys are lower!!!!

good luck!!!!

 

p.s. i am not a bof, and i have a life!!!!!! 8) oh, and chickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

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I left school with a B for O level English and naff all else. Oh some D's, F's CSE grade 5 or 6 and one U.

 

I was one of those kids who didn't want to know school at all and just couldn't be asked to do any work. Infuriating for teachers to see a bright kid refuse to work as well.

 

Of course I now have a degree, and a post graduate qualification and I'm signed up for a masters programme.

 

Oh and I'm a teacher - who loves school!

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I left school with a B for O level English and naff all else. Oh some D's, F's CSE grade 5 or 6 and one U.

 

I was one of those kids who didn't want to know school at all and just couldn't be asked to do any work. Infuriating for teachers to see a bright kid refuse to work as well.

 

Of course I now have a degree, and a post graduate qualification and I'm signed up for a masters programme.

 

Oh and I'm a teacher - who loves school!

 

That's so inspirational :D

 

My friends son was not engaged with school work and left with naff all much to her horror :( He did a dead end job for a while loved the money, but got bored ridged, and took himself off to college on an access course, and has just gone to uni to study Law, because he wanted to and was ready to put the effort in :D

 

karen x

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The GCSEs tend to be higher - A* to D and foundation C to G tiers. Despite everything the government would have us believe it is not easy for all students to achieve C. Plenty frankly find it a downright struggle. In my experience (10 yrs teaching GCSE subjects) it is easier for borderline students to get a C on the foundation tier (but only if they realise they will not get it on a plate). It is a tough decition for departments to make - they are so target driven these days and have to try to equalise the students attainmnet with their aspirational target that comes from the FFT data. Aaaagh it makes my head hurt.

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Don't talk to me about target grades. I have one boy in my year 11 group (who were taught naff all last year by a series of supplies) who has a target grade of B. I have more chance of parting the red sea than getting him anything better than a U!

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