2020 Exam Results and your children..

[Lou]

How did your kids do in their exams? Have they got the grades they wanted?

Seems like it has been a bit of a shambles this year to be honest. I do feel sorry for the kids.

Hopefully now the government is letting the teachers give the grades it won't be as bad now.

I heard BTECs are still not being changed though.

 

[baldelectrician]

My daughter did not bad, she will get an uplift as her teachers gave her a better forecast than she actually got

The Scottish Government actually apologised and said they would fix their mistake, the cynic in me notes that the youngsters are over 65% pro independence (not scaring the horses)

 

[pirate]

OK, here's my view, briefly...what is the better system?
1. a computer algorithm to decide results, or
2. The teachers who know the pupils

What computer has the ability to assess a pupil?
No, don't tell me how clever they can be...I know that! However, they are not so clever as to be able to grade results, no matter how clever the programming is. End of.

I just hope the smart people who wrote the algorithm get their fees taken back...it's a disgrace, and has caused such torment for the pupils.
yes, there are a few kids who had poor previous grades but who might have crammed like mad and made better in the finals...I was one in my day...but to prejudice a pupil's future on a computer programme is just stupid...insanely stupid...and why didn't the powers that be see that from the start?
You cannot predict human exam results by computer...it's not "logical" so it must fail.
Those who swot like mad will almost always better their grades...they will fail by computer, though. yet those who had good grades throughout were failed, or downgraded by computer too.
I recently had a clear-out and came across my old Report Cards from school...my English teacher wrote:
"He will have to put in a huge effort in order to scrape a minimum "C" Pass in his Higher exam." I got an "A".
It's another example of people just not having a clue...Covid-19 = no exams...ok, we'll let a computer decide...how fkn ignorant, stupid, uninformed is that?
Rant over.

 

[Taylortwocities]

My daughter ended up where she wanted. She needed ABB to do Psychology at Uni East Anglia, the original 'algorithm' results were BBB, but UEA changed their grade requirement to an unconditional offer so she was in. When the school produced the CAG she was awarded ABB anyways. Such fun (not).

This set of kids have gone through so much, no closure to their school years, no final exams, no leaver's ball, no finals day prize giving, no proper goodbye's to their friends - and then this cr@p.

 

[pirate]

Exactly...not fun at all...
Glad to hear she got her Uni place though!
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A very lame end to schooldays...Covid saw to that...but to kick the kids when they're down is shameful. I have plenty of criticism of the further education system, but that's nothing to do with the students...to hinder the students even getting there is dreadful.
I truly believe our school teachers do a good job, and the children do try hard, in the main, but to deny a pupil a chance at a college or uni place by computer is just cruel, as well as stupid. i know...I said "rant over" earlier, but this is a subject that gets me so annoyed. FFS, the teachers know!
Sorry...I'll say no more.

 

[Zerax]

Covid-19 = no exams...ok, we'll let a computer decide...how fkn ignorant, stupid, uninformed is that?

Well.... the simple fact is... that without a real exam, there are no "correct" results. Whatever method you use to create an artificial result will be wrong. This simple fact (obvious to most, especially our esteemed forum members) has not been explained to the ignorant, stupid and uninformed general public.

The problem that the governments have created is that whatever method they chose should have been stuck to... like sh!t to a blanket, rather than being swayed by the popular press/media because little Johnny (who's suffered enough with the unfairness of not doing proper exams) was expecting an ABB, but was awarded ABC instead. Oh... and he's very upset about it too !

The important factors should have been consistency of results across the country, subjects and years and allowing the correct number of university placements to be selected.

 

[pirate]

Yes, Zerax, without an exam there are no "correct" results...but there are historic grades and teacher assessments, which I truly believe cannot be assimilated by a machine. I knew a chap who got As for everything throughout his school years, yet was chucked out of Uni after 1st year...he just wasn't Uni material. However, he got the grades he deserved. That's being "human" I guess...
The government created a flawed method. You know that, I know that, and I am sure our members on here know that...so why did our Government not see that too? That's my problem.
You said:
The important factors should have been consistency of results across the country, subjects and years and allowing the correct number of university placements to be selected.

How true.

 

[littlespark]

I’m in a lucky position because my kids are not in serious exam years. (Different story next year)

why did England go ahead with their algorithmed results, when Scotland took a U turn just a week earlier?

Are the unis not being more lenient with their requirements, because they may not get a lot of overseas students? Or are they holding those positions open for them?

 

[Taylortwocities]

All good questions that us mere mortals are not qualified to answer. A lot of the blame lies with Ofqual, but Gavin drove the bus badly and, I guess, foolishly thought that a U turn on the algorithm would make bad headlines. But we can only guess. I look forward to my copy of Private Eye next week!

overseas students were always going to be an issue this year. The Unis earn more from them than UK undergrads. In the current climate they’ll surely take anyone up to their cap. They’ll not hold places for possible overseas students to start sometime in the future.
but uni life will be poorer without overseas cohort, IMO.
Luckily my daughter had already planned to take a gap year before starting uni in 2021. Hoping there’ll be a vaccine and the whole thing will have calmed down by then. We all in real trouble if it hasn’t.

 

[Zerax]

...but there are historic grades and teacher assessments, which I truly believe cannot be assimilated by a machine.

There's nothing wrong per se with using a machine to derive an exam result based on a set of valid criteria/conditions. In fact, it's the way most things are these days. Subjectivism was banned some time ago and replaced with objectivism... the logic being that if you provide a result based on someones personal opinion, that opinion can be challenged in a court or law.

The problem with the algorithmic result used (as I understand it from very limited knowledge/research) is that it appears not to have been compared to the 'teachers opinion' with any major discrepancies investigated. If you're a fan of 'westerns' it's the classic 'head them off at the pass' approach.

ISTR that if the 'teachers opinion' had been used... then some schools would have seen a dramatic rise in performance ! Opinion inflation seems to have backfired.

 

[Lister1987]

Should be getting my course result Thursday, o know I'll get a Pass bit anything higher than that would be nice, can't see it though as I don't see scope for anything other than pass/fail on 2365

 

[EricMark]

How can anyone pass an exam without sitting it? I can see how Universities may want results, but when I want to University I was given an entrance exam, it was made very plain the maths required for engineers is complex, and they did two engineering degrees, one where the maths was taught from scratch and one where it was assumed you knew the basic 'A' level stuff. So for University it is no problem having no 'A' level, any 'A' level student will have 'AS' anyway so why even try to guess result for University.

More to the point is employers, they want some school leaving certificate, and OK for a couple of years they will remember students could not take the exam, but in 5 years time there may be a job which needs 'A' level and this years students will not have a valid certificate, even more so with the 'O' level or think combined with 'CSE' now, so what is needed is a exam which does not need to be before September but does need to be available so students can show it to employers in the years to come.

Some could be random selected questions with an on line exam, but the same random generated papers could be produced for written exam, and if random then it does not matter if students talk about the questions, as they will vary, so there is no reason why schools should not open in the evening to conduct exams.

There are some exams where physical work is involved, art 'A' level for example, but the art 'A' level was a 12 hour exam taken over a week, so no difference to normal allowing students to take it in free time.

So in real terms only problem is schools and collages will need to test students without knowing the chances of passing so their score may drop, so simple scrap the scoring for two years so students can return and take just the exam.

 

[John-SJW]

My daughter was offered a sponsored degree, with work experience, in finance and business by Daimler Benz. They pay a good salary, university fees, all expenses and offer a new car after six months. Out of 550 she was one of five accepted. There was about 7 or 8 levels of interview. They know what they are doing on recruitment. All previous recruits obtained 1st in each year.

She was undermarked in her A levels, but Daimler Benz are not stupid knowing the situation, saying take no notice you are in.

So, the A level results to her are just numbers and letters given in an odd year, now onto the next stage.

 

[EricMark]

As said this year a see no problem, everyone knows what has gone on. The problem is likely to be in 10 years time. When we have forgotten which years exams were not taken, however one would hope by then people would have higher qualifications.
Once I had my electrical qualifications no one was interested in school reports, CSE or 'O' level. Maybe a non British born may be asked for English, and had I taken Welsh may be I would have been asked for my Welsh 'O' level, however what I can remember now of Welsh taught in school I could write on a postage stamp.

 

[John-SJW]

Unfortunately, at degree levels when applying for certain jobs, A level results are taken into account. Two applicants with exactly the same degree, then they drop to look at A level results.

In certain government positions and military they are more interested in what school you went to. You could be less than average, and not a graduate, but if you went to Eton they take you.