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
Sue Smith Private Tuition 