GCSE's ever day this week

[IdontknowwhyIcare]

Is anybody else DC doing GCSE's all this week, last week and part of next week? It all seems so relentless. Ds has been revising well and seems to think he has done well so far (fingers crossed). History today, the wording caught a few of them out, although he says he read the other questions went back to "that" question and managed to understand what was required.
He and I are happy that he can let up after the last exam next week (physics Monday) but how much do they need to keep revising ready for the summer along with learning all the new stuff? I realise I'm lucky that he has revised given some of the other threads on here but I think he needs a rest to be honest.
Anyone else just a bit concerned?

[accidentprawn]

at my school they start next week.
on monday i will be in a cookery gsce - they are cooking in the kitchen with the equiqment that i would love to have.
tuesday a sewing gsce thats a paper.
thats me done for next week!

[Zippylovesgeorge]

Eldest is doing them - has 5 this batch - one last week, 3 this and the final one next Monday. Bit of a breather then till mocks for the final batch this summer.

[petal2008]

My DS did two last week. Got three this week and one next week. Says he has been revising but unless Jeff Stelling & co on Soccer Saturday or Lionel Messi have set up these sessions I am puzzled as to when this was . Have offered to test later so we will see!

[cinnamonnut]

Did my GCSEs last year (in sixth form now) and to relieve your worry a bit, it'll all go by so quickly - May/June was a little bit relentless but it was all over soon and everybody did fine.
Be supportive with supplying food before exams etc

[IdontknowwhyIcare]

Oh yy to the food. Its biology today, apparanetly he's pumped for this one. Yesterday was history and there was some intial confusion about the way the question was worded but apparently all was well in the end (I hope).

[BackforGood]

I think it depends on the exam boards. ds hasn't had many - some science practical thiniges with initials Aii or Iaa or Aia or something and some history. His written Science papers are in March.
Mind, he's not noticably started any work yet

[LizzieRH]

@BackforGood The science practical as GCSE and A Level is the ISA.

[MaureenMLove]

It is relentless, isn't it? DD has been doing real GCSE's in amongst mock GCSE's for the last few weeks!

At my school, I have a lot to do with rooming for exams and I have been busy doing it very week since November! Our exams officer told me last week, 'it's nearly over, just a couple in February and some in March, then we're done.' Er, that's only because schools are shut for the majority of April, the long hard slog of summer GCSE's start in May!

I'll be glad when we get to 23rd August and it's all over!

[scaryteacher]

Mocks over here and results starting to come in. Mostly pleased, but areas to work on have been identified.

If ds can get those grades with little revision; what could he achieve with a lot?

[BackforGood]

Thanks LizzieRH - I struggle with things when the only communication route is through ds! What does that stand for then?

[BackforGood]

Oh *Scaryteacher - that's what I say to him so many times.......

[LizzieRH]

@Back Investigative Skills Assessment involving a pratical, data write up usually in table and chart fr

[LizzieRH]

(sent too soon)
... Form and question on the topic of the experiment. They are quite hard yet easy to revise for. Once you have done one, ie you do one each for bio, chem and phys or one each for science and additional science, the revision is a few terms and avoiding common mistakes. The why it's a called a skills assessment. (Not a teacher but a recent student who got A*s in all three sciences)

[IdontknowwhyIcare]

Lizzie are you a science teacher? Ds needs help with ISA's. I just started another thread to ask for help. Basically his report today says his coursework? and exams give him A/A* but his ISA drags him down to a high B. Help what can we do? Please.

[IdontknowwhyIcare]

Oh Lizzie, I was so excitied with your help I didnt read to the end of your post I see now you are a student, congrats on 3A*. Same still applies though if you can think of any help.

[BackforGood]

Thanks LizzieRH - that sounds right - he said there was a practical then he had to go off in a room with his "writing lady" as it was on a test paper so he couldn't do it on the lap top.
Idon'tknow my ds is the opposite - does well in these ISAs, but his lack of revision lets him down in the Modular Exams.... doesn't learn though

[SecretSquirrels]

GCSEs , controlled assessments and mocks. It's just relentless. Some of DSs classmates are also doing retakes of earlier papers on top of this.

[OrmIrian]

DS1 just did an English controlled assessment. After several weeks of literary 'appreciation' of THe Hitcher he now hates the poem and is feeling quite stabby about his English teacher too - which is a shame as he used to like English. At least the CA will mean an end to the Hitcher. He missed a guitar lesson because of it today so he's even more aggreived.

But nothing else for a while now.

[glaurung]

dd (year 11) has had several controlled assessments this week and last but aside from that it's not been too bad. All her exams are in the summer, except for one maths module in March.

Hopefully Gove will sort the GCSE mess out and we will be back to just terminal exams in the future - the children really don't need constant pressure for 2 years but the schools should be able to organise it so they don't have relentless exams even under this system if they want to imo.