As you know the GCSE were cancelled to help fight the spread of coronavirus and all students will have their grades by the end of July.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO FOR PLANNING YOUR NEW ACADEMIC YEAR?
Although you need to have an understanding of your grades to make proper planning, the government announced that the predicted grades will not be shared by teachers since it would put them in a sensitive position and make them feel pressure by students and their parents. This policy certainly has a point, but we still need to protect ourselves and try to get some information from our schools and teachers within legal boundaries.
WHAT SHOULD WE ASK FOR?
Learning your predictive grades may not be possible, but we can still proceed with our career plans without this level detail. What you can ask to your teacher (or school) instead, would be an assessment of the level of risk. Let me explain.
You can mention your academic goals and plans to your teacher and try to get his/her opinions about the level of risk in terms of achieving these targets. Your teachers can tell you that you are in a safe position to achieve the targets you mentioned, or they may say that you can consider getting prepared for the exam that will take place in autumn. Although the answer would not be 100% predictive or certain, you may still get a glimpse of what awaits in the future, so that you would not get caught unprepared.
I suggest all of you to try to get a conversation with your teachers or let your parents do it for you. If you can communicate your plans and expectations clearly, I believe that your teachers will be more than happy to give you some form of guidance to let you get prepared for what lies ahead.
Please check your risk.
If you will need to attend that exam in autumn, it is never too early to start getting prepared.
If you feel that you are safe and will not need to sit that exam, you can always start studying your A-levels now.
And if you need any assistance to understand how you need to communicate with your teacher, we can have a brief conversation online, and I can help you organize your thoughts and arguments. Do not forget, communication is the key, and I am here to help you…