Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

SAS wrote:Well done Amber!

I got slightly confused over Ambers results. I spoke to her at length on Friday.

They were passes in all 5 AS level subjects taken. She has contacted Norwich Uni already and advised them and they are quite happy.

She is going to ask for a re-mark on Art as her art teacher feels it is one/two grades too low.

She is now going to do her final 6th form year with 3 A level subjects, so all is looking good.

YadaYada wrote:

28 of the 30 pupils undertaking IGCSE gained an A* in the new further Maths exam, with over half of pupils being awarded the new “A* with distinction” grade.

See what I mean? Surely an indication of grade inflation gone mad!!

I am not sure how you see this as grade inflation. As you rightly point out these are selective students in a highly supportive school - high expectations, low pupil:teacher ratio etc - so surely we should expect half the class to be achieving the top grade and the other half the next top?

I suppose what I mean by grade inflation is exactly that; there seem to be ever more inflated levels of ‘top grade’ for our children to aim for. So yes, maybe you might expect half of CH’s top maths set to achieve the top grade and half the next best (and as I’ve said, I applaud their fantastic achievement!); but last year that would have been A*/ A, and this year it’s A* with distinction/ A*… I can’t really believe that the pupils in this year’s cohort are all so much cleverer or hard working than last year’s (even though my own DS is one of them!!).

If the ‘top grade’, whatever name we give to this, is to have any meaningful value then surely it needs to be awarded to only the most exceptional pupils. If the new ‘A* with distinction’ grade is given to everyone who might previously have gained an A*, then to me that does seem to be grade inflation.