GCSE Re-sit question

Oldernotwiser

robpw2 wrote: »

if a child takes the lower tier the highest mark they can get is a c yet that would be for around 80% of questions correct,
Its not about protecting children its an achievement to get a d just as much as it is to get a c .
A fail would be to get less than 20%
I got a d in english a subject i really struggled with and was told numerous times that there was no way i was going to get more than an ungraded as i was useless at the subject , yet i worked hard for my d and im proud of that mark no matter what you say or however you try to rubbish it

Have to agree with bestpud, to all intents and purposes, grades below C are fails under another name, however much of an individual achievement they might represent. It was in about 1980 that the decision was made to stop calling them fail grades and to call them all passes but it didn't change the standard and the way people looked at them. Consider it a genuine pass if it makes you happy but don't apply for jobs where a GCSE pass in English is required or you'll have your illusions well and truly shattered!

Lovaabargain

bestpud wrote: »

Are you sure there is no-one at the school before they re-open? It may be worth trying, and perhaps in person too, as they are not taking calls at dd's old school, but there is staff there and they seem happy for people to ask about GCSEs.

There will definitely be people at the college so don't delay with that.

Good luck with sorting something.

The earliest I will be able to get hold of anyone at school will be next Friday, there are no teachers in before then. ( I work there & I've already checked )

Thanks for all the helpful replies, ds now doesn't know what he wants to do! he doesn't want to really re-sit maths but both his dad & me have told him it's important as without any experience then prospective employers will look at the exam results. He's still only 15 ( well 16 tomorrow ) & doesn't know if he wants to go to college or look for an apprenticeship or something else!

I'm hoping that he'll go to the college next week for the enrollment day & get some advice from them ( hopefully he'll let either me or his dad go with him)

Oldernotwiser

Lovaabargain wrote: »

The earliest I will be able to get hold of anyone at school will be next Friday, there are no teachers in before then. ( I work there & I've already checked )

Thanks for all the helpful replies, ds now doesn't know what he wants to do! he doesn't want to really re-sit maths but both his dad & me have told him it's important as without any experience then prospective employers will look at the exam results. He's still only 15 ( well 16 tomorrow ) & doesn't know if he wants to go to college or look for an apprenticeship or something else!

I'm hoping that he'll go to the college next week for the enrollment day & get some advice from them ( hopefully he'll let either me or his dad go with him)

I'd get him down to the Connexions office as soon as possible; it's their role to offer him unbiased advice and guidance, the college's priority will be to fill its places. They'll be able to discuss his options with him and tell him about training opportunities in his area. In many places, employers offering apprenticeships choose to take on young people who've already done at least a year at college anyway. Don't let him believe that it'll be easy to find an apprenticeship at short notice, particularly without Maths and at the start of a recession; many areas have very few decent apprenticeships going and the best will all be filled by now.

He does have choices, but he mustn't think that the whole world is open to him at the present moment. He sounds very young and is lucky to have his parents to guide him.

bestpud

Lovaabargain wrote: »

The earliest I will be able to get hold of anyone at school will be next Friday, there are no teachers in before then. ( I work there & I've already checked )

Thanks for all the helpful replies, ds now doesn't know what he wants to do! he doesn't want to really re-sit maths but both his dad & me have told him it's important as without any experience then prospective employers will look at the exam results. He's still only 15 ( well 16 tomorrow ) & doesn't know if he wants to go to college or look for an apprenticeship or something else!

I'm hoping that he'll go to the college next week for the enrollment day & get some advice from them ( hopefully he'll let either me or his dad go with him)

Oh gosh, don't let him give up yet! Once at the college he will quickly realise there is many others in his position, I am sure.

Plus, if he ever wants to go back into education at a later stage, he will still need to re-sit as maths and english are almost invariably required, even for mature students.

And, like you say, many jobs stipulate maths and english gcses as well - even quite 'lowly' ones!

I'm sure he is just feeling a bit dented right now though and will come round. Sometimes, at his age anyway, it can seem easier to not go at all rather than face a possible rejection. Are his friends going to college as that may help him get there!

cgcockcroft

as a maths teacher myself he really needs to resit it. this year i have been a yr11 tutor and so many of my class were told if they didn't get a c they would have to resit. also if there were studying a btec or similar they had maths and english bulit into them, called key skills. it will get to a point where he goes for a job and he won't get it because of the maths GCSE. my sister and brother in law are both having to resit their maths gcse as they want to be a teacher and it's a lot harder to do it at 25 then at 16.

duchy

You could get the paper remarked-they don't usually reduce the grade-it stays the same or goes up (although there is always a rider to say it COULD go down but in this case if he needs a C for the course it hardly matters if it drops down from a D as a D is useless in this instance anyhow) Be aware you have to PAY for it though-and the money is usually only refunded if the grade improves.
I find it a bit odd that neither you or he knew what he needed to achieve to be accepted for the course he wanted. Colleges will be open on Tuesday and you should be able to get confirmation of if he's got enough and if not what his options are with them.
Good luck hope it works out. I know I was a basketcase on Thursday waiting for the results-fortunately my son got enough to confirm his place but I did meet a girl who had 2 Ds where she needed Cs and was interviewed the same day by the head of the 6th form and was offered a probationary place (ie she has to work her socks off for the first 6 weeks to convince them they were right to accept her) so all is NOT lost even if a kid doesn't meet the stated criteria sometimes !

Lovaabargain

duchy wrote: »

I find it a bit odd that neither you or he knew what he needed to achieve to be accepted for the course he wanted. Colleges will be open on Tuesday and you should be able to get confirmation of if he's got enough and if not what his options are with them.

I couldn't remember at the time of posting whether he needed the maths as he had all the paperwork in his bedroom & was away on holiday with his brother until yesterday;) (Having now checked through the paperwork, his place was conditional on gaining 5 passes at grade C or over but did not specify maths so his place should be ok if he wishes to pursue this option - I will also get him to contact Connexions on Tuesday so they can discuss his options with him & will get him to look into how he goes about re-sitting his maths.

Thanks everyone!

aaranj

Lovaabargain wrote: »

DS2 got his results today & he's pleased to have passed 7 GCSE's but has failed his maths ( he got a D), does anyone know how he goes about re-sitting this exam & will he have to pay?

TIA

i thought a fail was anything below E
that is what my school told me anyway

Lovaabargain

aaranj wrote: »

i thought a fail was anything below E
that is what my school told me anyway

For A levels anything below an E is a fail but for GCSE's anything below a C is a fail.

physio101

hey, if he is doing a course at college or staying on at school to do A-levels most places will now put you in to do a Key Skills Exam, a level 2 qualification is equivilant to a GCSE grade A-C, key skills are a fairly new government thing to help improve the standards of maths, english and ICT. alongside his course he will sit these exams- its 1 exam and at level 2 its multiple choice and he will also have to build a small portfolio with the help of his tutors. if its a part of his course he wont have to pay extra for this and if he under 19 then he will get this free anyway.

hope that helps