Word document giving key information about severe grading under the new GCSE 9-1 exams: Page for ALL website April 2019
Pasted below:
June 2018 was the first year of the new 9-1 GCSEs in French, German and Spanish. Ofqual’s use of “anchor points” at A/7, C/4 and G/1 meant that the numbers nationally at each of these key points were protected during the transition from A*-G to 9-1.
Equally though, this meant that the existing “severe grading” was transferred across from the old A*-G to the new 9-1.
Ofqual are currently undertaking a review of severe grading in GCSE Fr, Gn and Spanish, and there is enormous support from a wide range of organisations for a one-off adjustment leading to a broad alignment with results for History and Geography, particularly for the pupils with KS2 Level 5 prior attainment (which covers over 60% of those doing GCSE French). For example, currently the “upper middle quarter” of above average pupils will get a 6 in History and a 5 in French. Those pupils (and teachers and Senior team) assume WRONGLY that they are worse at French than History. That is fundamentally wrong, and misleading, and undermines their confidence in the grading system
Average in Fr, Gn, Sp compared with the other EBacc subjects against KS2 prior attainment
French & History in DfE national subject transition matrices
Mathematically a 6 in History (26th – 46th percentile) is virtually equivalent to a 5 in French (27th – 52nd percentile!!!
In other words, the “upper middle quarter” of these above average pupils will get a 6 in History and a 5 in French