A Level exams shouldn't be cancelled

They shouldn't be cancelled because
1) It's extremely unfair on students that didn't get the predicted grades/mocks they wanted and were going to study hard to improve them. Now they are going to have to spend a ton of money (e.g. me) resitting then in exam centres in Leeds.
2) It's extremely unfair that students with high predicted grades to get given it as a lot of them either didn't get the grade in mock exams or could get lower in the real exam. I have many friends for example who got 9s in their mocks at GCSE only to get 5s in their real exam. Cancelling exams means that mant people get a free ticket into a top Uni. Also I know someone who is predicted an A in Biology but the highest grade he got in it was a C.

But yeah I don't see it fair at all that A Level exams will be cancelled more than likely and from what I've seen only people who are predicted the grades they want, want the exams cancelled which says it all about it.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

jae jae

21

But you can’t do anything now..they have confirmed it. However, today they’ll be announcing their alternative plans...

Reply 2

becky_e6

8

It's not just about getting predicted grades. Due to schools being shut, some people might have more responsibilities of looking after siblings or don't have access to technology or have don't have a quiet place to work.

Reply 3

Drunk.Peter

2

I don’t think they’ll be using predicted grades to give out grades. It’ll probably be CAGs or some alternative assessment. Lets see what Gavin says today.

Reply 4

Clauxery373277

OP

15

Original post by jae jae

But you can’t do anything now..they have confirmed it. However, today they’ll be announcing their alternative plans...

I know but it's extremely unfair and like I said only students who have got the predicted grades they want, want them cancelled.

Original post by becky_e6

It's not just about getting predicted grades. Due to schools being shut, some people might have more responsibilities of looking after siblings or don't have access to technology or have don't have a quiet place to work.

Doesn't matter. How is a lot fairer to just cancel them giving us grades we haven't worked for? It's unfair on Universities too. Plus I know students who have been in those circumstances before in previous years and still got good grades. My mum for example.

Reply 5

Clauxery373277

OP

15

Original post by Drunk.Peter

I don’t think they’ll be using predicted grades to give out grades. It’ll probably be CAGs or some alternative assessment. Lets see what Gavin says today.

True. Either way I'll have to resit them in the exam centres in Leeds so I've not won either way really as exams won't go ahead as normal

Reply 6

Smouncher

13

They probably won’t just “give us” the grades, there will probably be lots of in class assessments over the rest of the academic year. There is still time to work hard and teachers will take your situation into account. Teachers know that people make progress between mocks and their exams, and they will keep that in mind.

Reply 7

Smouncher

13

Also it wouldn’t be fair to keep them because students in different areas have had such different qualities of online teaching and some people have had more time off than others, so it wouldn’t make sense to have everyone compete in the same exam when some have a clear, unfair advantage.

Reply 8

Clauxery373277

OP

15

Original post by Smouncher

They probably won’t just “give us” the grades, there will probably be lots of in class assessments over the rest of the academic year. There is still time to work hard and teachers will take your situation into account. Teachers know that people make progress between mocks and their exams, and they will keep that in mind.

That doesn't matter. It's still extremely unfair doing that and there's a good chance students would've done a lot better or worse than the grades the teacher gives them.

Original post by Smouncher

Also it wouldn’t be fair to keep them because students in different areas have had such different qualities of online teaching and some people have had more time off than others, so it wouldn’t make sense to have everyone compete in the same exam when some have a clear, unfair advantage.

It's a lot unfairer to cancel them to be honest. Now grades won't be accurate at all and some of us (e.g. me) will have to spend over £600 just to resit them around December in the exam centres.

Also students in different areas have different qualities of teaching anyways so that doesn't make a difference. Also, every college year, some students have more time off than others due to factors like illness so this year is no different pretty much. And also like i said its definitely a lot less fair for teachers to give us the grades or to go off mocks because like I said those who got given bad predicted grades now are in the worst situation. A lot of us could've made serious progress for the real exams but instead we will get given grades off stuff like coursework and our mocks which in reality don't determine our final grades at all.

It's unfair that students who didn't get their predicted grades in their mocks get given them in the real exam. It's also unfair that a student who gets the predicted grade in their mocks gets given it as they might not get it in the real exam (like I said I know many who havent). So yeah the fairest way by far is keeping exams on. Also, online teaching shouldn't have to determine how much they know before the exam. It's the amount of work and effort they put in. Just becausr a student has better teachers around him doesn't mean he will get better in the real exam. Many students have gotten A* simply from revising using their revision guides/notes from school. So yeah, the only fair way is if exams go ahead. Now that they aren't it's extremely unfair and grades will be inflated/inaccurate like they were last year. Also like I said, why should students be given grades they didn't work for? So unfair that is.

Reply 9

Shakedown

11

I agree, for generations people have sat exams and the majority of predicted grades have been inflated last year.

It's not fair on previous generations and future generations who have had to sit them in examination halls under supervision

There are several ways to learn, simply not being in a classroom is a bs excuse given the number of online tools.

Students are currently looking for excuses not to do their exams, rather than it being something else

I want students to sit physical exams and not some bs coursework assignment lol

Reply 10

Clauxery373277

OP

15

Original post by Shakedown

I agree, for generations people have sat exams and the majority of predicted grades have been inflated last year.

It's not fair on previous generations and future generations who have had to sit them in examination halls under supervision

There are several ways to learn, simply not being in a classroom is a bs excuse given the number of online tools.

Students are currently looking for excuses not to do their exams, rather than it being something else

I want students to sit physical exams and not some bs coursework assignment lol

Same. Shame it's too late now and we are going to be graded by our teachers. Well there goes my Uni hopes. I'm not going to get given good grades from teachers.

And yes the predicted grades last year were so inflated. It's unfair on people to be given A's that they didn't work for and it's unfair to be giving people D's because they got it in their mocks for example. And yep it isn't fair on previous and future generations and tbh the only people who wanted them cancelled from what I've seen are people who got given the predicted grades they wanted.

And true there are many ways to learn. I personally learn better outside of classrooms and at home studying. And yeah it is just students looking for excuses, mainly those who were predicted high grades and/or got high grades in the mocks because they know they wouldn't get them in the real exam. Literally all my friends that know they wouldnt get them in the real exam wanted them cancelled too. It honestly is so annoying now man, I'm predicted C's so won't be able to go to even a decent Uni now pretty much.

Reply 11

Shakedown

11

Original post by Clauxery373277

Same. Shame it's too late now and we are going to be graded by our teachers. Well there goes my Uni hopes. I'm not going to get given good grades from teachers.

And yes the predicted grades last year were so inflated. It's unfair on people to be given A's that they didn't work for and it's unfair to be giving people D's because they got it in their mocks for example. And yep it isn't fair on previous and future generations and tbh the only people who wanted them cancelled from what I've seen are people who got given the predicted grades they wanted.

And true there are many ways to learn. I personally learn better outside of classrooms and at home studying. And yeah it is just students looking for excuses, mainly those who were predicted high grades and/or got high grades in the mocks because they know they wouldn't get them in the real exam. Literally all my friends that know they wouldnt get them in the real exam wanted them cancelled too. It honestly is so annoying now man, I'm predicted C's so won't be able to go to even a decent Uni now pretty much.

I feel your pain, I agree students shouldn't be given predicted grades at all, they'll expect their predicted grades for an easy ride into University without having to lift a finger.

I did my a-levels 10 years ago and i did quite poorly in my mocks but exceptionally well in the actual exams

If i was in this current situation i wouldn't have got into my university

This is why the British education system doesn't hold value like it used to, compared to other countries

Reply 12

Clauxery373277

OP

15

Original post by Shakedown

I feel your pain, I agree students shouldn't be given predicted grades at all, they'll expect their predicted grades for an easy ride into University without having to lift a finger.

I did my a-levels 10 years ago and i did quite poorly in my mocks but exceptionally well in the actual exams

If i was in this current situation i wouldn't have got into my university

This is why the British education system doesn't hold value like it used to, compared to other countries

Exactly. It's so frustrating and unfair yeah too. And if the students don't get given the grades they were predicted or better, it'll be like last year where students start rioting over grades most of them wouldn't have gotten in the real exam.

I'm just hoping so much that they at least give us choice as then I actually might have a future. But I definitely won't getting graded by the biased teachers at my college.

Reply 13

Thomas Bailey

2

I understand your frustration, but you need to think about the wider picture: the challenge of actually holding the exams, of marking them fairly, of ensuring all students get equal opportunities to improve, of pushing back university deadlines, of practical exams, etc. Some people are in a much less fortunate position than you. Try to remember that.

Reply 14

Shakedown

11

They have announced that teachers will be holding mock exams marked by them and moderated externally, so I'm glad

Reply 15

Thomas Bailey

2

Original post by Shakedown

They have announced that teachers will be holding mock exams marked by them and moderated externally, so I'm glad

Not quite, but I agree it was the right call to cancel them.

Reply 16

Aminah T

18

I believe that they should at least provide the choice to do exams (with reduced content) - for those who are not happy with the grade their teacher gives them :yes: