Meanwhile, Ofqual are making a spanking job of sorting the A-Level fiasco (this morning's news, and GCSEs set to be more chaotic)
It's a bit of a difficult one to call Chris as every single year those who have not done as well as those who have passed have moaned.
What does not seem to be mentioned a lot is that more people were upgraded than were downgraded and more people passed their "A" levels than failed, we all know the reason for that, It is not deemed newsworthy. For some reason our media only report on the negatives in this country and never the positives.
I do feel for those who were borderline between a pass and a fail and the downgrade has turned that into a fail I believe a C- is classed as fail but it may well be a D, a C- or a D will not open the doors of many universities. I believe that 300+ algorithms were used in deciding who was upgraded and who was downgraded. For decades people have been failing the exam and it is not so many years ago when a campaign (again headed by our wonderful media) was around to make the exams easier as too many people were failing. If people are failing it is down to one of two reasons. Firstly they are not clever enough (No doubt I will be lynched for that one) or secondly they have not put in enough effort or worked hard enough, both of those reasons will be enough to upset some, but it is what it is.
If all of those who have been downgraded and failed suddenly get their results changed because of all the shouting how will that effect all those people who have passed? what sort of message does it send out? It will show them they need not study as hard because if they fail at uni all they need do is shout and scream until it gets changed. Lets say in 5 years time two new GP's arrive at your doctors surgery to start afresh on patients, after a short while it becomes public knowledge that one of them actually failed all of their course work, but after shouting and going to the media were upgraded, the other GP passed everything, out of the two who would you want to go to and which of the two would you be comfortable sending your family to?
Now on the flip-side there are some genuine people who have unfairly been downgraded into the fail category, somehow the 300+ algorithms have failed them, I 100% think this has happened to some and I honestly feel for them. The unfortunates who have failed due to being downgraded have 3 choices available to them, firstly they can appeal the decision as steps are already in place to enable this, Secondly, again for those who were downgraded to a fail, they can re-sit the year as all those who were downgraded from a pass or border line have priority places for the start of the new education year (Usually September but the placing system is on hold at the moment until the appeals have all been looked into). This option will cost them a year of their lives, we have to remember that no one has gone from an "A" down to a "D". And the third option is to walk away from it all, they will not be the first to do this nor will they be the only one doing it, over the decades thousands before them have walked away.
Over the years people or I should say the media, have argued that pupils are taking far too many exams, as a result of that pupils now take less, if the amount of exams had remained as it was then it is my total belief less people would of been either upgraded or downgraded. I remember at school (Yes I can remember that far back) we were having tests nearly every other week and not once did the media get on it's high horse and champion our course, we accepted the results of our final exams, sometimes with smiles and sometimes with tears. Personally I think that if the student chose option two or option three they can hold their heads up high and receive a lot more respect than if they chose option one.
Bear in mind that all scenario's above are written to include only the borderline cases as it is these cases that the media seem to be jumping all over, also this post is not aimed at anyone on these forums I have only high-lighted Chris's quote as a way in to start my post. As you can see I am torn between two sides of an argument, whilst I believe 300+ algorithms is enough to get most of it right I am also concerned that some (Not all) students have been mistakenly marked down.
Oh and it's started raining.