'A' Level grades - how about a sensible discussion....

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ellal

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"The education secretary has admitted high-performing students from low-performing schools are at risk of being penalised as fears over A-level results “fiasco” grow.

Mr Williamson told LBC there was a “danger” of bright pupils in such schools not getting “the grades they want to”

"Exams watchdog Ofqual has said the biggest reduction in the proportion of students awarded A-level grades of C and above after moderation was recorded within those from underprivileged backgrounds."

So in other words, the elite (private) school pupils will benefit...

So much for the frequently lauded goal of 'social mobility'!
 
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what we could have done was make people wait to take there exams and keep everyone in school / college / uni for an extra year.....

you couldnt do online tests as there is no way of policing it for cheating.

they couldnt do tests at the time as the country was on lockdown, which 5 minutes ago everyone was demanding and advising we should have done it 2 weeks earlier, and now it sounds like everyone whinging we were in lockdown and that we shouldnt have been ...

imo kids should have been forced to perform online learning, and those that didnt parents got hefty fines for not ensuring it happened (people i work with just let their kids skip the online lessons) then, they should have all sat there exams over multiple weeks keeping the social distancing rule. the only flaw in this plan is that the virus could have spread via the exam sheets and those that have to mark them...

i think the government have done the best with what they can

what would you have done Ellal?
 
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The exam sheets come off the printing presses and could have been sealed in cellophane packs without anyone touching them.
Each bag could have passed through a spray of sanitiser before dropping into a box. Once full the box is then automatically sealed and sent to the warehouse ready for distribution. On arrival at the school/college one person is delegated to receive the shipment and ensure it's secure storage until exam day. On exam day a person is delegated to retrieve the boxes of papers and distribute the sealed packets to each desk/work station, which are segregated from each other with Perspex screens ensuring social distancing. On arrival the students do the hand sanitising business before sitting down and touching anything. They sit the exam. They then put the papers into another cellophane sleeve which has a self seal flap. This is then placed in an opened box on the floor by the invigilators desk. Box is then sealed, sanitised and despatched to the examining board for marking. They have their own sanitising protocols which they have to adhere to when opening and marking papers.
Yes it would cost money to do this, but not exactly an earth shattering amount and, in my opinion, would have been a method accepted by the vast majority of people involved. However, when I sent this to my local MP in early April I received no acknowledgement.
 
By the way, my stepson got his results this morning. As expected he got a Distinction in Media Animation.
Not bad for someone who was virtually written off by junior school as being unteachable because he has Aspergers Syndrome but managed to get into an Academy of Performing Arts, leaving there with Distinctions in all his exams but no guidance as to what he should do afterwards. He found a place at college with a course he liked the look of and the rest is history. Each year he passed with Distinctions and at the start of this year we attended a 'Parents Evening', where we were told he has practically walked his way through the entire course and would be suitable to apply for a Degree course on AI starting September 2021 in affiliation with Cambridge Uni.
Very proud of his achievements and what an inspiration he has been for others along the way.
 
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conny said:
The exam sheets come off the printing presses and could have been sealed in cellophane packs without anyone touching them.
Each bag could have passed through a spray of sanitiser before dropping into a box. Once full the box is then automatically sealed and sent to the warehouse ready for distribution. On arrival at the school/college one person is delegated to receive the shipment and ensure it's secure storage until exam day. On exam day a person is delegated to retrieve the boxes of papers and distribute the sealed packets to each desk/work station, which are segregated from each other with Perspex screens ensuring social distancing. On arrival the students do the hand sanitising business before sitting down and touching anything. They sit the exam. They then put the papers into another cellophane sleeve which has a self seal flap. This is then placed in an opened box on the floor by the invigilators desk. Box is then sealed, sanitised and despatched to the examining board for marking. They have their own sanitising protocols which they have to adhere to when opening and marking papers.
Yes it would cost money to do this, but not exactly an earth shattering amount and, in my opinion, would have been a method accepted by the vast majority of people involved. However, when I sent this to my local MP in early April I received no acknowledgement.
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even with that there is still a high chance of spread, all it take is a teenager to cough or sneeze and it go onto the paper.

but then of course you could quarantine the paper for 2 weeks for the virus to be dead.

or better yet do it all electronically ....
 
sxturbo said:
even with that there is still a high chance of spread, all it take is a teenager to cough or sneeze and it go onto the paper.

but then of course you could quarantine the paper for 2 weeks for the virus to be dead.

or better yet do it all electronically ....
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I'm not for one minute suggesting it can be eliminated by this method but it would certainly reduce the chances of spread massively. Of course, until the students were sat behind the screens, they and the invigilator would need to wear masks to further reduce any possible spread.
 
conny said:
By the way, my stepson got his results this morning. As expected he got a Distinction in Media Animation.
Not bad for someone who was virtually written off by junior school as being unteachable because he has Aspergers Syndrome but managed to get into an Academy of Performing Arts, leaving there with Distinctions in all his exams but no guidance as to what he should do afterwards. He found a place at college with a course he liked the look of and the rest is history. Each year he passed with Distinctions and at the start of this year we attended a 'Parents Evening', where we were told he has practically walked his way through the entire course and would be suitable to apply for a Degree course on AI starting September 2021 in affiliation with Cambridge Uni.
Very proud of his achievements and what an inspiration he has been for others along the way.
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congratulations to him, its nice to hear a positive outcome.

i do believe that all children providing they have the correct attitude can be nurtured to achieve good things.

well done to him again :)
 
Middle son got into his 1st choice uni. So Kudos there (we won't mention the fact that uni's are desperate to but butts in seats, due to lack of foreign students) But anyway, good stuff. Youngest (learning difficulties) sadly flunked it all.
 
Pleased for your middle son, hope he goes on to achieve great things with his life. It's not the end of the world for your youngest either. He can possibly re-study and try again or maybe Uni isn't for him and he could quite easily achieve his ambitions through other routes. If I had my time again I would still have no interest in going to Uni. Probably would have gone down a different career path, such as joining the RN which was my intention if I didn't have a job by the September, but further academic studies was the last thing on my mind.
 
conny said:
Pleased for your middle son, hope he goes on to achieve great things with his life. It's not the end of the world for your youngest either. He can possibly re-study and try again or maybe Uni isn't for him and he could quite easily achieve his ambitions through other routes. If I had my time again I would still have no interest in going to Uni. Probably would have gone down a different career path, such as joining the RN which was my intention if I didn't have a job by the September, but further academic studies was the last thing on my mind.
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Thanks, uni! err no he can't pass anything, except water. I've suggested the armed forces to him.
 
noseall said:
My firstborn is off to his first choice University, so I am pleased and proud. I do think there will be some kind of Covid stigma attached to the 2020 applicants though.
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Good grades from Uni will dissipate any lingering stigma.
 
noseall said:
My firstborn is off to his first choice University, so I am pleased and proud. I do think there will be some kind of Covid stigma attached to the 2020 applicants though.
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OOI (course you can choose not to answer, as it's NOMB) what's he studying (reading, to be more accurate)
 
I was listening to the radio this am and the discussion about A level mocks
Ok I am 60 now, but I don't remember mocks when I did my A levels?

What surprised me was that mocks are not standardised, they are operated by the schools and some will make them hard, to shake up the pupils, some will make them easier, to stop students panicking. But that means there are no standards to measure the mocks against?
 
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