what's the difference between A and A* when it comes to grades for the A level?

A* is just a grade higher than A, in the same way that A is a grade higher than B. The grade boundaries to get each grade vary with each subject and each exam season so no one can say with any certainty what % you need to get a specific grade.

Are you in England, Wales, N Ireland or International?

Let’s say you get all A*’s on the mini assessments, are these also not certain then (since it needs to be a national average)? Or does it depend on the school?

I wasn't really referring to this year, just to the general principles of awarding grades.

Many schools aren't giving grades to mini assessments as they believe this will lead to students complaining if their final grade is below one of their contributing grades. Each school can choose its own assessments this year and decide how the results from them can be put together with other evidence and a final grade decided. There is no certainty or consistency at all.

This seems a bit fishy. I’d rather know where I am, and exactly what I get on the mini assessments than having to wait for the final decision. I get my results for maths/chem, but not for biology because of the reasons you outlined. It seems very dodgy.

Teachers can't win this year. Every year a considerable % of people are convinced their grade is wrong and they deserve better. I deal with these every summer on results day and sometimes you can look back at the data on them, see they were predicted a D (which they will have been told), got a C and are now shocked it wasn't an A. The review and appeals process allows them a chance to check that but it's all done by people they don't know and can't put direct pressure on.

This year the government has thrown teachers under a bus. They have to make up grades, based on whatever evidence they decide is appropriate factoring in the disruption their students have suffered over the past 15 months. There is no real national moderation of it so when students don't get the grade they feel they deserve (sometimes with no evidence whatsoever) they know exactly who to blame and who to complain to. I can guarantee that there will be students with a bunch of assessments such as bcbdbbca*bbc who will be miffed and complain if they don't get an A* overall, just because they did once. I can understand exactly why teachers are reluctant to issue actual grades at this point as they hope this will reduce the many arguments later..

I’d say a good teacher would go through each assessment with each student, weekly, discussing their previous grades and what they have been getting.

It should not be private information if it involves the student.

I know some people who have (e.g.) 2 Y13 classes of 22-25 each plus a Year 11 class of 32. I'm not sure where they will find the time to 'go through each assessment with each student, weekly' as well as teaching their other lessons.

Schools are handing out the %, just not assigning grades.

A* is just a grade higher than A, in the same way that A is a grade higher than B. The grade boundaries to get each grade vary with each subject and each exam season so no one can say with any certainty what % you need to get a specific grade.

Are you in England, Wales, N Ireland or International?

I'm international , hence a bit confused since I'm trying to convert our grade system into the A-levels. What are the percentage boundaries for each of the grades you mentioned ?

They vary each year.

It takes a day, max.

Even assuming you could do it in a day (that's 3.5 minutes per student to go through each assessment), what do they do with the classes they're meant to be teaching at this point?