So how'd you do?

Exam season looms....

And whichever side of the fence you are sitting, you'll be asked "So, how'd you do?".

Since the movement away from letter grades to numbers, away from A*-C headline figures, towards the mysterious P8 figure. How to answer the question of "How'd you do?" has become really hard.

Many schools and MATs will have a certain P8 figure in mind, however, the way P8 will be generated won't be known for a few more weeks; and that number means absolutely nothing to students, parents, or, if we are honest, most teachers.

So how are we judging that statement; against which parameters? The students who has struggled to access the curriculum since they were in primary school will be, quite rightly, thrilled, to pass GCSE examinations with a 1. However, for a child for whom school has always been their "thing" would count anything below a 9 as "not great".

This can be really hard to communicate on results day.

On an individual level; I've been there when the really academic student has got a B instead of an A in their A Level result and seen the sheer disappointment on their face. In those instances it is really hard to know what to say. Other than "all you can do is your best", "If you did your best, then be proud of what you have achieved".... That same advice is equally hard to give can be given to students who find academic examinations tough; especially if they are balancing what they know is good for them, compared to their friends who may have a completely different set of expectations.

When considering a larger group of students such as a subject cohort, year group; more holistic analysis can be carried out. Many schools will have various automated systems in place so that once results are downloaded (the day before public release) they can automatically find out the performance of significant groups.

This analysis is really important to consider trends and patterns within the data, to give indication as to what the direction of development should be, which areas needs review, more focus, evaluation.

Ofqual released their Top 10 Things to know about Examinations in 2023 on 10th July and these should be considered when considering your data picture. Here is a summery of the points made in their blog;

1. GCSEs, AS and A levels are returning to pre-pandemic standards this summer.

2. National results will be lower than last summer. It will be most meaningful to compare this year’s results with 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic.

3. Grade boundaries might be higher or lower than in 2019.

4. Senior examiners will review the quality of student work, and will make allowances this summer where national performance is lower than before the pandemic due to disruption.

5. Exam boards will use data as a starting point for grading.

6. Grade boundaries will be recommended by experienced senior examiners based on all the available evidence, including their expert judgement and data. There is no cap on the number of students that can get a particular grade.

7. Marking is happening as normal. The same grade boundaries will apply to everyone taking the qualification.

8. As usual, good performance in one paper or section can make up for poorer performance elsewhere.

9. Ofqual’s approach to grading this summer allows the pre-pandemic relationships between subjects to be re-established. We will, however, require exam boards to award GCSE French and German more generously.

10. Universities are aware of the approach to grading in 2023 and took this into account when making offers.

Whatever the data picture in your school; I would urge everyone to keep at heart; the same question; "If you did your best, then be proud of what you have achieved". If they didn;t do their best; why? What needs to change to make that possible?

Remember; what has been achieved by a student, teacher or school, is more than the number or letter on a piece of paper. Schools are more than exam factories. You are more than an exam result.