Gcse Exam Results, What A Lot Of Fuss.

[dave50]

When I left school in 1975 after taking my 'O' level exams I don't recall the results being one of the headline items on the news, nor did we all gather at school to collect our results and hug each other in tears. We left school, the results came through the post a few weeks later, we looked at them, said 'oh dear never mind' (well I did) and went out got a job and got on with life.

[jourdain2]

There certainly wasn't any fuss in 1965, when I got mine, but I think that I was one of a tiny minority of parents who didn't bribe their children with cash for good results. I expected them to do their best and they did - and they did very well. Probably no press coverage in my day because education had not become so politicised.

[Cloverjo]

Ours were printed in the local paper, I seem to remember, as well as being available by post or pick-up at school.
Only the very, very clever ones got any As at all (no need for A stars or grade 9s, or whatever they use now). There was definitely no squealing or hugging. Just a resigned shrug or a "That's ok then."

I don't begrudge today's students their good results. It's just a shame they don't differentiate the bright from the very clever.

[andy-hughes]

It's one more in a series of cultural changes.

I left school in 1971, and of course there was no hullaballo then, but there was no 'prom' either, or Facebook, or interent, or computers ... etc. etc.

Times change.

I do wonder why the papers seem keen to take a picture of one random success - there are thousands of them out there. My niece got five A*'s and four A's, but no-one from a national paper took her picture!

[FinnyMick]

My daughter got 8A* and 7 A's.

[andy-hughes]

FM - //My daughter got 8A* and 7 A's. //

And a pic in a daily?

[FinnyMick]

In the local village rag, that was all.

[jennyjoan]

I agree what a lot of fuss - will they all get jobs?

[FinnyMick]

Not if they go to Uni and get a meaningless degree in sociology and the like.

[Peter Pedant]

o god you are an old sobersides Dave 50

left school in 1968 and I remember the girls hugging the boys and more ( hur hur hur) and not over O levels

// I agree what a lot of fuss - will they all get jobs?//
was a theme in the seventies - lots of O levels and some really crip jobs around

does anyone remember CSE's these were introduced to give a bit of paper to those leaving schools

inn the good old days only 20% were expected to get O levels and 5% A levels - the rest got diddly squat to show for 11 y at skool. CSEs were amalgamated wiv O levels and the whole point was that grading was extended to those who otherwise would be empty handed. - cse grade 1 was counted as an O level
= pass rates went down

[trt]

When I took my 11+ exam, I thought it was because I was 11 years old.

Nobody told us what it was for, or why we were taking it.
It was just a day out at the Grammar school, try and answer some questions, with a better lunch than we were used too.

[EDDIE51]

Colover Jo the new system IS to separate the 'bright' from the 'very clever'. What used to be just A or A * is now grade 6 to 9 , with 8 and 9 being even higher than the old A* . Next year over 20 subjects will be marked on the new system! A grade 4 is now considered a good pass!

[fiction-factory]

I'm not sure 4 is considered a good pass. 4 covers the top of the old old D to low C and 5 is the old high C/ low B. Some A level and other college courses that used to require a C for entry are accepting a 4 but some require a 5. It may take time to settle down

[Prudie]

Yes and I heard a 3 was the minimum pass level and required a mark of 17%

[fiction-factory]

Also, eddie, the new 6 is equivalent to a mid/high B. Grades A and A* are being replaced by numerical grades 7, 8 and 9 (with 9 being generally for the better old A*). But given the way pass marks for each grade are adjusted, and the slow upward grade inflation, it's difficult to get a clear picture.

[jim360]

depends on the exam. You need 17%, I think, on a paper where grade 4 is the minimum grad you can reach; or 50% on an "easier" paper.

Why they don't just report the actual marks is beyond me. But there you go.

[albaqwerty]

I'd love to know why the need to re-name 'pass marks'

Must be a bit of a pain for the more mature employer to suss out if the interviewee is any good?

[beegeebee]

When my results arrived by post from my Grammar School and opened it. my father took it out of my hand and simply said "oh only one distinction, your sister had three ! Praise indeed! However, my eldest sister living and working in America at the time, said I would be able to enter the U.C.L.A. on my results but neither parent would hear of it.

[fiction-factory]

The 17% figure for Maths wa son the higher tier paper Prudie. I know you were fullya ware of the old higher/foundation and even intermediate) tiers. The Higher paper used to contain some easy questions which overlapped the middle part of the Foundation paper at the start but now they go straight in with questions which I know some candidates floundered on. After many years of papers becoming easier, this year some , some new topics were introduced (or reintroduced)

[fiction-factory]

Here is a sample paper for Maths so you can make your own mind up as to how easy or hard they are
http://mathsmadeeasy.co.uk/gcse-maths-papers/9-1-h/EDEXCELS21H.pdf

[237SJ]

I think it is nice to see a little bit of happy news amongst all of the crap that is happening around the world now so don't knock it.