Pass mark for GCSE maths

[Liverbirdie]

Nor sure about grade boundaries. Nobody will know officially until Wednesday, students on Thursday. Grade 1 is a pass as was a a grade f, low passes, but still passes with a U grade being a fail. Entry level and level 1 passes (gcse are level 2 qualifications) are for those students not able to pass gcse’s. We have some students who will achieve a grade 2 on Thursday and for them that will be amazing progress given their starting point.
As mentioned a grade 4 is a standard pass and a 5 a good pass. In a linear scale an old c grade would be somewhere in the middle. A grade 9 is in the top 15% of the country kind of like an A***. An 8 is near an A* equivalent, 7 an A and a 6 a B.

In Maths there are Foudation and Higher papers. In the foundation, the highest grade you can get is a 5 and you would need a certain number of marks over 3 exam papers to get this. Here comes the confusing bit. If you sit the higher paper you can achieve grades 5 to 9. You will need less marks to achieve the grade 5 than on the foundation paper. Last year it was around 40% compared to 60 on the foundation I think. Certainly not 16. However if you get less than the 40% you will fail. The grade boundaries move year on year. The dilemma that the school faces is whether to enter borderline 4\5 students for the easier foundation paper or the harder higher.

The content in every GCSE subject is harder than it has ever been. As is the volume of what is studied. We had students who sat 24 exams in 10 school days. The programme this year was ridiculous. My daughter also gets her results on Thursday. She has worked hard and tried her best. That’s all we can ask for.
Disclaimer - I work in the system and love it, but don’t always agree with it 

I bet you spell-checked that 3-4 times, just to make sure....

 

[Karl102]

I bet you spell-checked that 3-4 times, just to make sure....

😂😂😂😂 few typos in their....... sorry, there

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I agree with the breeding inadequates.

I did my GCSE's in 1996 and my A-Levels in 1998 - I was very good with my mathematics doing Maths and additional Maths in GCSE and Maths and Further Maths in A- Levels. An elderly ex work colleague handed me his O-Level mathematics exam paper and it was bordering on/if not a bloody A-Level paper when I did it! Definite dumbing down of exams as well. Granted, I haven't seen any recent A-Level exam papers but i would be surprise if that trend has been stopped!

I did my O level maths in the early 70's, grade A or B was acceptable, a grade c which was a pass meant a re-take as it wasn't good enough, a d was a fail

 

[USER1999]

Anyway, it looks like the pass mark is not 16%.

It is 19%. Much more sensible.

 

[MegaSteve]

Education is as much about indicating you can be educated...
Exams are an indication you can take information on board and understand it...

Rarely needed my education [for what it was worth] in the workplace...
Got by with not being scared of a days work and by being able to take information on board, understand it and apply it to the job in hand...
So, in a way, my days of learning how to learn [at school] have stood me in good stead...


Spell/grammar check away... Not fussed at all...

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I did my O level maths in the early 70's, grade A or B was acceptable, a grade c which was a pass meant a re-take as it wasn't good enough, a d was a fail

There were also CSE's don't forget, the level below.

O level at C was still a pass. I presume your school had an issue about the C grade but to the outside world there was nothing wrong with a C.

 

[MegaSteve]

The big difference between 'back in the day' and now is my five O levels opened up a world of opportunity...
Nowadays, at best, being a shelf stacker or barista would be best opportunities without another five years of [expensive] further learning...

 

[Deleted member 21784]

The big difference between 'back in the day' and now is my five O levels opened up a world of opportunity...
Nowadays, at best, being a shelf stacker or barista would be best opportunities without another five years of [expensive] further learning...

I’ve been asked by my old head of year to write a piece for his school paper as to the wonders of apprenticeships. My school pushes people down the uni route . My article will highlight that uni isn’t for everyone so don’t feel like you have to just to fit in

Mate of mine from school he did a levels and uni .. 30k plus worth of debt.. I left after gcse for an apprenticeship so by time he finished uni I was already in a full time job earning 35k

I have stayed for 15 years in same job and now on 67 and he is just catching me (will no doubt overtake me in a few years) but he is still paying Student loan whilst I am debt free (apart from house and car)

Uni is taken up far too often by those who would be better suited to on the job training

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Uni is taken up far too often by those who would be better suited to on the job training

^^^^^This is very true

 

[Karl102]

I’ve been asked by my old head of year to write a piece for his school paper as to the wonders of apprenticeships. My school pushes people down the uni route . My article will highlight that uni isn’t for everyone so don’t feel like you have to just to fit in

Mate of mine from school he did a levels and uni .. 30k plus worth of debt.. I left after gcse for an apprenticeship so by time he finished uni I was already in a full time job earning 35k

I have stayed for 15 years in same job and now on 67 and he is just catching me (will no doubt overtake me in a few years) but he is still paying Student loan whilst I am debt free (apart from house and car)

Uni is taken up far too often by those who would be better suited to on the job training

Partly agree with this, which is why more investment is needed by the government in this area. Schools are under pressure to enter pupils for an academic suite of gcse’s That include eng, maths, science, language and history (called ebac).

Apprenticeships are golden and we need more of them....

 

[Karl102]

Just been on telly, it's 16% gets you a pass. 😳
In the old days it was 7/10ths.

16% how's that a pass.

Just spoke to a mate and this is the AQA Maths higher paper. This would indicate that schools have entered a lot of middle ability students on the chance of getting 29% (this was the grade 4 pass mark last year) in the higher as opposed to more marks in the foundation paper, so lots of students have not done well hence the low boundary. Still all rumours atm!

 

[Deleted member 21784]

Partly agree with this, which is why more investment is needed by the government in this area. Schools are under pressure to enter pupils for an academic suite of gcse’s That include eng, maths, science, language and history (called ebac).

Apprenticeships are golden and we need more of them....

People just don’t realise what can be learned on the job

My apprenticeship was 2 years. I went to almost every department on the underground. Made a lot of tea! But watched how things were done.. and had a go at the signalling side of things

Roll on 13 years my control room.. 33 of us is the roster.. a 3rd of it are ex apprentices and a further 3rd are ex apprentices from years ago (all late 50s) we all late 20s early 30s. I’m second oldest of my batch. The rest are either ex forces from the ex forces recruitment drive or people actually promoted into the roll

Just shows what apprentices do!

 

[Kellfire]

One problem with apprenticeships is that many employers use them as a fast fix and to get virtual slave labour that they can shift on easily.

 

[Tashyboy]

GCSE aren’t overly vital anyways considering you need to stay on at college for a level or go into apprenticeship now.. so it’s the results of them that actually matter

Lowering the marks to allow more people to get their courses ..

Non story really

Actually that could not be further from the truth, some employers cutting off point for jobs or apprenticeships to even get an interview is a minimum C in maths and English etc.
PS, my bad it was deffo 16 % pass mark, but Missis T said that was a year or so ago. However said spokesperson on the telly went at great lengths to stress that it was a " tough paper" that year.

 

[Deleted member 21784]

Actually that could not be further from the truth, some employers cutting off point for jobs or apprenticeships to even get an interview is a minimum C in maths and English etc.
PS, my bad it was deffo 16 % pass mark, but Missis T said that was a year or so ago. However said spokesperson on the telly went at great lengths to stress that it was a " tough paper" that year.

A levels are more vital, gcse are to get into college and 6th form. Or apprenticeship.. most will let you in if you fail so long as you re sit them

You can’t even leave school at 16 anymore unless it’s some form of education / apprenticeship

 

[Tashyboy]

Nor sure about grade boundaries. Nobody will know officially until Wednesday, students on Thursday. Grade 1 is a pass as was a a grade f, low passes, but still passes with a U grade being a fail. Entry level and level 1 passes (gcse are level 2 qualifications) are for those students not able to pass gcse’s. We have some students who will achieve a grade 2 on Thursday and for them that will be amazing progress given their starting point.
As mentioned a grade 4 is a standard pass and a 5 a good pass. In a linear scale an old c grade would be somewhere in the middle. A grade 9 is in the top 15% of the country kind of like an A***. An 8 is near an A* equivalent, 7 an A and a 6 a B.

In Maths there are Foudation and Higher papers. In the foundation, the highest grade you can get is a 5 and you would need a certain number of marks over 3 exam papers to get this. Here comes the confusing bit. If you sit the higher paper you can achieve grades 5 to 9. You will need less marks to achieve the grade 5 than on the foundation paper. Last year it was around 40% compared to 60 on the foundation I think. Certainly not 16. However if you get less than the 40% you will fail. The grade boundaries move year on year. The dilemma that the school faces is whether to enter borderline 4\5 students for the easier foundation paper or the harder higher.

The content in every GCSE subject is harder than it has ever been. As is the volume of what is studied. We had students who sat 24 exams in 10 school days. The programme this year was ridiculous. My daughter also gets her results on Thursday. She has worked hard and tried her best. That’s all we can ask for.
Disclaimer - I work in the system and love it, but don’t always agree with it 

I can only apologise Karl, I didn't get 16% of that. 😖

 

[Simbo]

How anything below 50% can be deemed a pass is beyond me tbh. Below 20 is an absolute joke. How is that showing you have a firm grasp of the concept? Jeez, you must get about 10% for writing your name and the date on the paper.
Society all set up for the feel good factor of having exams so only the really really dumb are going to have to say the word “fail”
On the other side how many employers are going to look for candidates with a “pass” at 16-19%??
I know the apprentices at my place all come in with grades in the top 3 bands, equivalent to an old A,B or C pass.

 

[Deleted member 18645]

One problem with apprenticeships is that many employers use them as a fast fix and to get virtual slave labour that they can shift on easily.

Sky .. cough.. cough... cough. Sky …

 

[Papas1982]

How anything below 50% can be deemed a pass is beyond me tbh. Below 20 is an absolute joke. How is that showing you have a firm grasp of the concept? Jeez, you must get about 10% for writing your name and the date on the paper.
Society all set up for the feel good factor of having exams so only the really really dumb are going to have to say the word “fail”
On the other side how many employers are going to look for candidates with a “pass” at 16-19%??
I know the apprentices at my place all come in with grades in the top 3 bands, equivalent to an old A,B or C pass.

Whilst i agree that to get a pass for such a low score does appear shambolic. It was on a higher paper, I imagine there are two main reasons that the kids taking these papers are doing so.

1, The more genuine reason, they are relatively intelligent and its accepted that they'd attain a decent percentage in a test that was simply on the basics. Therefor they are hit with harder questions and rewarded with better grades for a lower percentage.

2, the schools take a flyer and throw as many kids at the paper as possible, hoping that it'll lower the average required and also help the schools figures with more kids artificially getting a better grade than if they'd sat the easier paper and still struggled.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Back in the day in Scotland at O-Level we did Arithmetic and separately we could do Maths. I don't think Maths was compulsory but Arithmetic was. Arithmetic is 'sums' - the stuff we use day-in, day-out. I recall it being taught to reflect that. Maths O-level moved into the more esoteric 'difficult' and 'what's the point' stuff - like calculus - and that was a bafflement and turn-off for many. Arithmetic all could relate to. We all need arithmetic - we don't all need maths - and it certainly isn't for everyone. That what was 'arithmetic' is these days taught as Maths is, I believe, a mistake.