How can you award a grade based on estimates
- Thread starter Jedi boro
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atypical_boro
Well-known member
I suppose uni admissions were always based on this, conditionally. But now you just don't have to fulfil the conditions. I was accepted onto a course with requirements of my predicted BBB, I got CCD and then found it way too hard. So I can well imagine there being some repercussions of this.
Jedi boro
Well-known member
But you’ve seen students today with As across the board yet the margins between A and B is so marginal especially under exam conditions that to award them across the board is very curious.
Boro in Devon
Well-known member
I agree, but what are the other options ?
junos_boots
Well-known member
There isn't that much coursework anymore
tripleheader
Well-known member
Don't forget a lot of the students work is marked and continually assessed throughout the course. And those marks would have contributed towards their final grade. A better way IMHO, than purely based on a final exam like back in the day where you passed or worse, failed because of exam nerves or whatever.
My views on this has gone full circle, and continual assessment is the way. The kids these days have to work so hard, good luck to them.
My views on this has gone full circle, and continual assessment is the way. The kids these days have to work so hard, good luck to them.
Lefty
Well-known member
As I understand it from talks with my son's tutor, it isn't just based on whether a teacher liked you, it's also about your performance in class and in mock exams. This then formed a basis for expected grades from the teacher/school. The exam boards then look at how accurate schools have been in previous years to know what confidence to have in these predictions.
Lefty
Well-known member
Hopefully my son is lucky/rewarded in that he already had already sat a TMUA exam for Maths and managed a very good result which his chosen Universities knew about and had already given him reduced offers.
Concrete Dreams
Well-known member
The estimated grades will be based on data collected throughout the year in mock exams and formal assessments. If subjects have a coursework element, that will have been taken into account. It is not just a simple, ‘I like you, here’s a grade 9.’
The adjustment in grades will be so that results fit the bell curve that is used to award grades every year. This system allows the awarding bodies to control the percentages of each grade based on the difficulty of exams each year and how students have responded to them. The past performance of schools will probably have been taken into account as well.
Lefty
Well-known member
And vice versa. I’d say more suffer from nerves and pressure of the final exams mind you.
Mock exams are set by the pupils' teachers. They can make sure the kids are prepared. The final exams are set by exam boards so the teachers have less control.
Nobby_Barnes
Well-known member
But they didn't know the mocks would be critical at the time so why would they have 'made sure the kids were prepared' ?
There is no other way to do it...
Overseas students won't be coming and plenty will defer so Universities will be desperate for students, it will all work out. Many will get in with lower grades...
Primus84
Well-known member
Mock exams use previous exam papers and are used not only to assess progress so far but to identify gaps in knowledge to go over before the real thing.
Some of the suggestions on this thread are absolutely laughable.
boromike85
Well-known member
Using mock results means students that did badly but improved are not rewarded. Exams are marked confidentially so there is no bias but teacher marked exams will contain bias. Teachers know their students, or at least think they do. They will mark more favourably for students that they think are good than for students they don't like or think are bad. I have no evidence but I know that is how people act when interviewing so it seems like a reasonable assumption.
I don't know what a better solution is but it is hard to keep biases and interpretations out of these sort of things. It's not necessarily intentional. I know I had teachers who were surprised at some of my exam results because I didn't really put any effort in during class.
I don't know what a better solution is but it is hard to keep biases and interpretations out of these sort of things. It's not necessarily intentional. I know I had teachers who were surprised at some of my exam results because I didn't really put any effort in during class.
Nobby_Barnes
Well-known member
Agreed, nothing else they could do given the time scales IMO
Jedi boro
Well-known member
Exactly there’s a reason teachers don’t grade their own exams.