Despite the reports that English grades have fallen this year, I am happy to report that my pupils have received good grades.
I haven’t heard from everyone yet so if you haven’t already contacted me to let me know your results – please do!
Tag Archives: grades
GCSE results
Congratulations to all my GCSE English Language and English literature pupils who have all got good grades this summer. From the news it appears that nationwide there have been some nasty surprises for some pupils with tougher marking for GCSEs – particularly in English.
While there is an argument that a tightening up has been long overdue, it does seem to me to be singularly unfair to do it mid way through the course for many pupils. It is claimed that marking in January, for example, was less stringent than that of this summer. As discussed in earlier posts, the difference between grades can be substantial in terms of effects on university entrance and career prospects. There is no doubt in my mind that many pupils who have received a D this year would have received a C. As regards my own pupils, some who received a C for English Language would almost certainly have achieved a B in previous years. Is that fair when they are competing for university places with people who were marked under a less demanding regime?
Results so far;
English A level 1x B
English Lit GCSE 2 x A, 2 x B
English Lang GCSE 2 x A, 2 x C
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Easter Revision
Why not consider some tuition through the Easter holidays to help boost GCSE grades? The margin between GCSE grades can be very small yet make a huge difference in terms of university entrance and careers. Many schools run revision classes at Easter which are excellent, but another perspective, a different style of teaching or simply a new face can work wonders. Private tuition will be tailored to your son or daughter’s needs specifically – not to a whole class. I still have availability during the holidays – why not send me an email to discuss further?
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GCSE English Language 2
A cautionary tale to follow up my previous post on the importance of English grades.
I recently heard about a graduate who applied for a job in one of the major accountancy firms – a job that you’d imagine would place most emphasis on numeracy. His degree was in medical sciences but for various reasons he had decided he didn’t want to pursue a career in medicine. They turned him down and the reason given to him was that he only had a ‘C’ in English Language GCSE and they required a ‘B’. He offered to retake it but they were adamant that the first attempt grade was the one they took into consideration.
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GCSE English Language 1
A ‘C’ grade is the minimum requirement for university entrance and for entry to many careers, but it appears that your grade in this exam may reveal even more about your chances later in life and seriously influence them.
A parent told me this week that apparently research has shown that grades at English Language GCSE are indicative of later success in many other subject areas. Teachers often use those grades to help predict AS and A2 grades in other subjects. Those predicted grades in turn influence how well you do when applying for university. The grades are considered a reliable pointer towards success in acquiring good communication skills – something that is vital in numerous disciplines.
All the more reason to give this subject maximum effort now, so the lack of a good grade doesn’t hold you back later on.
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Sue Smith Private Tuition 
