GCSE modules and IGCSE grade boundaries - I'm confused!

Q. I have a daughter in year 10 so she is doing some GCSE modules this year. I’m confused about how much these are worth in the overall picture and also the marking schemes. It seems the IGCSEs she is doing in Maths and French might have a lower grade boundary than the other subjects that are standard GCSEs . Can you provide any information or resources that can fill me in so I know if she is on track and I can help with the weaker subjects?

A. The terminology used in education and in schools plus the combination of different examinations taken at this age can certainly be confusing…
As far as grade boundaries are concerned, there have always been differences in different subjects. So, for example, 80% might be a grade A in English while 65% might be a grade A in IGCSE Maths and so on. The important thing to focus on is not the percentage gained by your daughter in any individual subject but what that mark means, in terms of grade. Exam boards publish grade boundaries each year but they vary year on year according to the difficulty of the paper. It may be that the IGCSE subjects have lower grade boundaries because they are more demanding. Your first step if you are concerned should be to consult any individual Head of Department to obtain clarity on this. Also, you could look up specific subject details given on AQA, OCR and Edexcel websites that deal with each specification offered in each subject.

As far as what an individual module is worth, again that will vary from subject to subject. It might be worth 20% of a total GCSE or 50% or some other proportion. Again the exam boards should give this kind of information on their websites but it will be subject specific.

If you or your daughter have concerns about particular subjects or do not feel that you have enough information, do not hesitate to contact the teaching staff for that subject or approach them at parents’ evening .