Today is results day for GCSE exams.  There have been significant changes in the way that grades are recorded and reported, and many people are confused about the new system.  Here is an extract from a report published today in the Evening Standard.

‘9 is the highest grade pupils can achieve in the new GCSEs and 1 is the lowest.

Grade 9 is the equivalent of a top A* in the previous marking system.

But, just 2 per cent of pupils are expected to achieve this in English and 3 per cent in maths.

Grades 9, 8 and 7 correspond with the current top grades of A* and A.

A grade 6 is the equivalent of a B while grade C is split between a “strong pass” at grade 5 and a “standard pass” at grade 4.

The Department for Education has claimed that the new system cannot be directly compared to the lettered marking system.

However, the current grade C and the bottom of grade 4 is a key point of correlation between the two.

What about the bottom end of the scale?

Grades D, E and F correspond to grades 1 and 2.

The lowest current grade G equates to the bottom of a grade 1.’

The summer holidays should be a wonderful time for children.  Most of us will have memories of breaking up from school, with the holidays stretching before us.  Although memories can be selective, I do recall that summer holidays were always sunny, and we did so much exploring and playing.

And children should enjoy the holidays.  But research has shown us that there is a summer learning loss, which is defined as the loss of academic skills and knowledge over the course of the summer holidays.  This loss in learning varies according to grade level, subject and family income.  A common finding across numerous studies is that on average students score lower on standardised tests at the end of the summer compared with at the beginning of the summer.

Although there is variation between subjects, summer loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about one month.  In Maths this loss can rise to about 2.5 months.  The intervening period between the end of Year 10 and beginning of Year 11 can be particularly important as the preparation for national exams looms on the horizon.

Now I would be the last person to want to take away the enjoyment that students have away from the school environment.  But perhaps on those occasional rainy days, or when they become bored despite the plethora of distractions, why not encourage them to boost their knowledge a little by watching a selection of video lessons?

My comprehensive series of video lessons for Key Stage 3 and iGCSE may be just the solution.  Why not use the links below, visit my websites and investigate the possible options – retaining information and avoiding the summer learning loss can be simply the case of slipping a few videos into the long days of summer.

www.ks3sciencecourses.com

www.igcsesciencecourses.com