Myths about grade boundaries

After watching the video, the two main factors influencing grade boundaries in 2022 are generous marking and advanced information. WJEC, the examination board for Wales, did not give out advanced information to the very high majority of AS and A2 level subjects, as well as the GCSE subject examinations.

"Grade boundaries are likely to be lower than in previous years", England's exams regulator Ofqual stated, meaning that grade boundaries are likely to be lower, which further backs up the statement. I think you also have to realise that several examination boards have made mistakes including throughout their exams and throughout their advanced information, as well as the applied impacts of covid meaning that there are a much higher proportion of students who are sitting exams for the first time this year, as well as potentially sitting subjects that they wouldn't be able to study if they had normal examinations the year before (in terms of grade requirements). All of these have to be taken into account by the examination boards, so yes the things people including myself are saying are partly true, and aren't just "posting wrong information".

Next year, obviously covid depending, hopefully examinations and grade boundaries will be set equally back to precovid years.

Reply 2

whufc_32

Original post by Muttley79

I think everyone should watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNcxYtFd5rc&t=24s

Then stop posting wrong information about grade boundaries,

It’s not just plain wrong tho. It would be illogical from Exam Boards POV to increase grade boundaries numerically after how things have been presented by the media and the way they come across in these interviews. I would say it’s safe to assume boundaries won’t be higher than 2019 and in many cases, even lower. Feel free to disagree

Reply 3

OP

They have said what proportion of grades will be awarded if that demands higher grade boundaries they will need to do that.

We can't have another bumper crop of A*/9s - they've said where the proportion will be.

Until ppapers are marked nothing has been decided.

Original post by whufc_32

It’s not just plain wrong tho. It would be illogical from Exam Boards POV to increase grade boundaries numerically after how things have been presented by the media and the way they come across in these interviews. I would say it’s safe to assume boundaries won’t be higher than 2019 and in many cases, even lower. Feel free to disagree

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Jake9920

After watching the video, the two main factors influencing grade boundaries in 2022 are generous marking and advanced information. WJEC, the examination board for Wales, did not give out advanced information to the very high majority of AS and A2 level subjects, as well as the GCSE subject examinations.

Where has generous marking been mentioned? My colleague is an examiner and his training hasn't sugested any deviation from the mark scheme. I know AQA have had to give 9 marks to everyone and surely that may push boundaries UP rather than down.

Reply 5

Jake9920

Original post by Muttley79

Where has generous marking been mentioned? My colleague is an examiner and his training hasn't sugested any deviation from the mark scheme. I know AQA have had to give 9 marks to everyone and surely that may push boundaries UP rather than down.

Never in a million years would exam boards deviate from the mark scheme, no one has suggested that. At 7:01 in the video you provided to 'debunk' any 'myths' surrounding grade boundaries, they mentioned generous grading. If the confusion between generous grading and generous marking is the problem then I stand corrected.
Also, grade boundaries would never go up, especially with the difficulty of the past two years, and the number of students and news reports/ articles that have been complaining about the difficulty of these exams.

Reply 6

Interea

The idea that you can raise grade boundaries and still have more people getting higher grades certainly sounds a bit weird at first, but I really didn't think it was as confusing as it seems to have been for many! I've never understood why people like predicting grade boundaries for exams, but with the misunderstandings this year it seems to be causing more trouble than it's worth...

I guess it's not something you worry about so much in a usual year (you just trust the boards to do what they always do), but discussion of the changes this year has highlighted how little people actually understand the difference/links between grade boundaries and grade distributions.

Reply 7

gdunne42

21

Sensible people are saying that nobody knows what any grade boundary will be for any qualification from any examiner in any subject.
1. first and foremost it depends on a statistical analysis of the marks actually awarded to candidates when the papers are marked, as @Muttley79 has said, staff marking exams have not been told to be lenient or generous with their marking but to apply the mark schemes rigorously.
2. Typically achieved marks and boundaries go down when papers are hard compared to previous exams and go up if candidates find they are easier. Some exams have been easy this year and some have been very tough.
3. Many if not most Candidates are likely to have found exams harder than 2019 because of the impact of covid on their education
4. Candidates are likely to find some exams easier because advance information has told them what will and will not be tested on each paper so they know what to revise (given variation in the accuracy and usefulness of advance information).
5. Ofqual have said they want the distribution of grades awarded to be more generous than 2019 but less generous than TAGs in 2021. So in general people can expect better grades and grade boundaries will be set to deliver that.

With so many variables. anyone who thinks they can predict boundaries for a specific examiner/subject is deluding themselves.

We will all have to wait until August.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 8

sxphielol

Original post by Muttley79

I think everyone should watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNcxYtFd5rc&t=24s

Then stop posting wrong information about grade boundaries,

The government has all ready said they won’t be higher than 2019, this is more reliable than youtube, look at accurate sources that have been published instead.

Reply 9

Jake9920

Original post by sxphielol

I’ve seen you post nonsense about grade boundary’s everywhere, just stop. You can’t know what the grade boundary’s are going to be stop stressing out students by saying they are going to be higher. The government has all ready said they won’t be higher than 2019, this is more reliable than youtube, look at accurate sources that have been published instead.

Exactly, no-one knows at the moment and when students are asking for advice about being stressed or nervous the last thing they need is to be told the boundaries will be higher.

Reply 10

Original post by Muttley79

Where has generous marking been mentioned? My colleague is an examiner and his training hasn't sugested any deviation from the mark scheme. I know AQA have had to give 9 marks to everyone and surely that may push boundaries UP rather than down.

a wise man told me the distribution of grades will be more skewed than symmetrical. Which means more people get 7/8/9 (^_^)

Reply 11

username4158250

Original post by Muttley79

I know AQA have had to give 9 marks to everyone and surely that may push boundaries UP rather than down.

I don't think the grade boundaries would increase after the 9 marks awarded in Physics because it wasn't supposed to come up anyways, I'd bet almost everyone couldn't do it or get near 9 marks. It's the same if they had removed it but not subtracted the total marks for the paper?

Reply 12

Original post by dahlia06

I'd bet almost everyone couldn't do it or get near 9 marks. It's the same if they had removed it but not subtracted the total marks for the paper?

Disagreed, myself and others in my class managed to that question pretty easily

Reply 13

username4158250

Original post by Oongie

Disagreed, myself and others in my class managed to that question pretty easily

Then you revised the wrong topics, I'm talking about people who stuck to the advanced information where circuits were listed as not assessed.

Reply 14

OP

Original post by Oongie

a wise man told me the distribution of grades will be more skewed than symmetrical. Which means more people get 7/8/9 (^_^)

No- they've already decided the grade distribution is between 2019 and 2021 ... then grade boundaries will be set to achieve that.

Reply 15

Original post by dahlia06

Then you revised the wrong topics, I'm talking about people who stuck to the advanced information where circuits were listed as not assessed.

Nah we just got taught electricity/circuits so well in year 10. The topic is very easy as well, i was confused as to why they decided to drop such an easy topic

Reply 16

username4158250

Original post by Oongie

Nah we just got taught electricity/circuits so well in year 10. The topic is very easy as well, i was confused as to why they decided to drop such an easy topic

It is easy, my physics teacher is dreadful though as I guess most schools are, but it was odd they removed it out of everything.

Reply 17

Original post by dahlia06

It is easy, my physics teacher is dreadful though as I guess most schools are, but it was odd they removed it out of everything.

good luck for physics and FM

Reply 18

whufc_32

Original post by Muttley79

No- they've already decided the grade distribution is between 2019 and 2021 ... then grade boundaries will be set to achieve that.

Original post by Muttley79

They have said what proportion of grades will be awarded if that demands higher grade boundaries they will need to do that.

We can't have another bumper crop of A*/9s - they've said where the proportion will be.

Until ppapers are marked nothing has been decided.

You’re missing my point mate. Assuming papers in 19 and 21 were of equal difficulty then the boundary will be exactly half way. If we take this assumption away then this years paper would have to be extremely easy compared to 2019 causing the numerical boundary to increase by over half of the numerical difference between and 19 and 21 which is like a 10 mark swing in many cases. I really don’t think papers were THAT easy so that’s why imo we can be confident that numerical boundaries will not be higher than 2019 in large majority of cases.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 19

OP