Are you confused about the new GCSE grading system? It has grades 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest.
As reported in Schools Week.
Grade 4 is a "good pass" according to Ofqual.
Grade 4 is a "standard pass" according to the DfE.
This must mean that "good" and "standard" mean the same thing. Call me old fashioned but I always thought "good" meant better than "standard".
Are you confused?
Well Ofqual has been warning that users will be confused about the new GCSE grades, so has decided to clarify things.
To clarify things, Ofqual has just sent out guidance to schools saying "grade 4 is a good pass". But they also say that they have other literature which says that grade 4 is a standard pass. But they have not sent this other literature out to schools.
So how do you rate Ofqual's clarification?
Is it a "good clarification" or a "standard clarification"?
We used to call this a "cock-up".
The Secretary of State for Education has called a grade 5 GCSE, a "strong pass".
Ofqual is correct in one aspect. Users will be confused about the new grades. Only an idiot could understand them.
