Top Marks For Igcse!

[burndtjamb]

Look guys read that page carefully, it says clearly that percentage uniform mark is not the same as your actual score. It is simply a way of gauging how well you have done in such a way that can be compared across all subjects and examination sessions. For example, say the A* boundary for a subject is 80%, the percentage uniform mark will be fixed to 90% so if you got an 80% (The minimum for an A* in this example) your %UM would be 90%. If you got 90% raw score in this example, you would get a %UM of 95% (Halfway between A* and subsequent boundary which is 100%). CIE already gives %UM in some regions I believe, from 2012 it will be included everywhere which is why they have only started including it in the syllabus now.

 

[tempz]

The only part I did not understand was how the %UM was connected to the actual score, you compare 80% to 90%UM yet how are they related, surely it is just overcomplicating things?

 

[Sajjad619]

man now this is bad if they cancel the curve thing cause then we will not be able to score an A*

 

[HyDraZin3]

hey tempz, just tell me one thing is that 90% thing there in this 2011 examinations??? i think that if A* boundary is around 75-80% u will get an A* in ur report card. and guys are the marks written on the report card or just the grade???

 

[tempz]

No for 2011 May/June and Oct/Nov Exams, CIE decide the A* mark once they have seen all the grades, however it has nearly always turned out to be 90% regardless of the % of people scoring that mark so what they are doing is fixing it at 90% from 2012 onwards.

Basically what I am saying is to assume that the A* grade is 90% for all exams from now on as it most certainly will be.

This is a rather stupid system however because 30% of people can get the 90% A* in languages but in humanities such as Geography only 8% achieved A*'s because the mark was fixed at 90% regardless of how hard the exam was. What CIE have told me is that the A* is set once they have 'assessed the difficulty of the papers', but in practice this does not seem to work.

In reply to your other question, CIE mark all your papers, they then add up the marks, award a grade (B for 70%, A for 80%, A* for 90%...) and you get a certificate with your grade on together with a sheet which has your raw marks for each component and your overall %UM for each subject you took at IGCSE. You do not get to look at your paper and how it was marked, if you are a few % off a grade (eg. 2% from A*) you can request a remark which costs and if your grade goes up you are awarded a new grade certificate and the money is returned, if it does not go up or goes down then the money is not returned and nothing happens.

 

[basimnazir]

Threshold varies from year to year! Last year (2010) it was 45 for the A*....I will be appearing for May/June 2011 I wish we have less intelligent people then!

 

[burndtjamb]

No for 2011 May/June and Oct/Nov Exams, CIE decide the A* mark once they have seen all the grades, however it has nearly always turned out to be 90% regardless of the % of people scoring that mark so what they are doing is fixing it at 90% from 2012 onwards.

Basically what I am saying is to assume that the A* grade is 90% for all exams from now on as it most certainly will be.

This is a rather stupid system however because 30% of people can get the 90% A* in languages but in humanities such as Geography only 8% achieved A*'s because the mark was fixed at 90% regardless of how hard the exam was. What CIE have told me is that the A* is set once they have 'assessed the difficulty of the papers', but in practice this does not seem to work.

In reply to your other question, CIE mark all your papers, they then add up the marks, award a grade (B for 70%, A for 80%, A* for 90%...) and you get a certificate with your grade on together with a sheet which has your raw marks for each component and your overall %UM for each subject you took at IGCSE. You do not get to look at your paper and how it was marked, if you are a few % off a grade (eg. 2% from A*) you can request a remark which costs and if your grade goes up you are awarded a new grade certificate and the money is returned, if it does not go up or goes down then the money is not returned and nothing happens.

Just out of curiosity, how is it that you know A* has consistently been 90%?

 

[HyDraZin3]

Hey tempz my friends (who are now in 11th std) told me that only grades are written on report card and our school teacher told us that its not necessary to get 90% above for an A* if the grade thresholds are low.It can also be 80% above which would give u an A*

 

[tempz]

No for 2011 May/June and Oct/Nov Exams, CIE decide the A* mark once they have seen all the grades, however it has nearly always turned out to be 90% regardless of the % of people scoring that mark so what they are doing is fixing it at 90% from 2012 onwards.

Basically what I am saying is to assume that the A* grade is 90% for all exams from now on as it most certainly will be.

This is a rather stupid system however because 30% of people can get the 90% A* in languages but in humanities such as Geography only 8% achieved A*'s because the mark was fixed at 90% regardless of how hard the exam was. What CIE have told me is that the A* is set once they have 'assessed the difficulty of the papers', but in practice this does not seem to work.

In reply to your other question, CIE mark all your papers, they then add up the marks, award a grade (B for 70%, A for 80%, A* for 90%...) and you get a certificate with your grade on together with a sheet which has your raw marks for each component and your overall %UM for each subject you took at IGCSE. You do not get to look at your paper and how it was marked, if you are a few % off a grade (eg. 2% from A*) you can request a remark which costs and if your grade goes up you are awarded a new grade certificate and the money is returned, if it does not go up or goes down then the money is not returned and nothing happens.

Just out of curiosity, how is it that you know A* has consistently been 90%?

I have asked CIE who said that in French (Foreign Language) and English (First Language) and Literature the A* mark has been 90%, the A mark has tended to vary. The reason the A* mark is fixed is because that is the level they deem to be the best that can be asked of a candidate taking into account the difficulty of any years paper. If you would look on the 2012 specification the %UM has been fixed at this level from then onwards.

More evidence that shows they did not use a curve is that 50% on Spanish IGCSE students got A*'s whereas only 8% Geography IGCSE students got A*'s, these figures are highly out of proportion.

 

[tempz]

Threshold varies from year to year! Last year (2010) it was 45 for the A*....I will be appearing for May/June 2011 I wish we have less intelligent people then!

Also where did you get this A* figure from? And what subject is it for?

 

[tempz]

Right just to clarify the A grade for English Literature was 65% last year. I cannot see how the A* was told to be 90%?!

 

[HyDraZin3]

This grade thing is very complicated i actually wanted to know the perfect answer for this thing

 

[tempz]

I have made a thread explaining exactly how the grade system works.

 

[yellitgirl]

yeah i heard something like dis too...:S
my teacher was saying dat da curve system will no longer be used for 2011 IGCSEs....nd dats a BAD NEWS! (can b a good news too becox den getting a B will b as valuable aa an A)
please somebody reply to dis doubt......

 

[tempz]

yeah i heard something like dis too...:S
my teacher was saying dat da curve system will no longer be used for 2011 IGCSEs....nd dats a BAD NEWS! (can b a good news too becox den getting a B will b as valuable aa an A)
please somebody reply to dis doubt......

No the new system is improving faults laid by the old 'curve' system.

A curve is still being used, all that is happening is that marks from each component are being converted into a %UM first depending on difficulty and then these %UM's are added up and averaged to give a fairer grade.

I have explained it in more detail here:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5438

 

[halo9275]

No the new system is improving faults laid by the old 'curve' system.

A curve is still being used, all that is happening is that marks from each component are being converted into a %UM first depending on difficulty and then these %UM's are added up and averaged to give a fairer grade.

I have explained it in more detail here:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5438

Can please explain what is the meaning of %UM