My school has been the same. I am predicted an A for English, and am aiming for good universities. My year's AS results last summer were terrible, with 90% below a D in the exam, and just one A in the entire year. Because of the bad AS results, our teachers decided not to risk putting us just in for the summer exam and so we took it in January so that we could have another go at it if necessary.
And it definitely is necessary. My entire year (120 English Lit students) all got BELOW a C. Not one person got above a C. How is that right?! People may say it's the teaching, but they've been teaching this course for years, why would suddenly they be teaching it wrong. There is definitely definitely something going on here. Exam boards have been talking about making it harder to achieve high grades so as to reduce the intake for universities, and I am starting to wonder whether this is what AQA have started already. How can it be that our top student, who is predicted an A* came out with an E?
I am most definitely recalling my paper to see what on earth went on here. My results say that I got '70' and apparently it is 72 to get a C so i'm hoping that if I get it remarked it will at least secure me a C grade. My whole year is retaking, which I think is absolutely shocking. Our university places are going to be hugely affected by this. If AQA have got harsher on their marking, then there is NO way they can continue to call it the same exam, because our C's against A's from previous years make us look incapable when it really is not the case at all.
These results affect our university places and will ultimately affect people's future lives. So so pi$sed off.
AQA need to sort it out.