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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Should DD sit Biology on Tuesday?

52 replies

stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 21:21

DD is currently sitting GCSE's, needs 4 B's 2 C's to get to her chosen college.
Currently already has a B in Stats and A in ICT, she is pretty confident in getting the other 4.
The crux is she has Biology and PE next week, neither of which she is well prepared for.
Would she be better not sitting Biology to focus on PE and upping her predicted grades in other subjects? Or going for Biology on the basis she got 2 marks of a C in a recent mock.
She is dyslexic and revision/ short term memory is a problem. She also tends to overload.

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Walkingonsunshine00 · 07/05/2015 21:23

Could you ask the school - who presumably know about her dyslexia and ask if she can do one exam when the catchup session is?

MinesAPintOfTea · 07/05/2015 21:25

She should sit it even if she doesn't focus ob it for revision. It might be a paper she does well on anyway.

TeenAndTween · 07/05/2015 21:30

Are you suggesting binning all of Core Science then? ie Biology, Physics and Chemistry exams?

If not, then do the Biology as any marks gained will help the overall science grade.

madrose · 07/05/2015 21:33

you maybe asked to pay for the missed exams. Biology is just one of the three exams that make up the core science GCSE.

stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 21:35

She only took Biology Teen and whilst enjoying the course is going to be a photographer so can't see she needs it and would rather not have a D on her results.

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noblegiraffe · 07/05/2015 21:37

As a teacher I would be severely pissed off if a kid I had sweated blood over, one who was two marks off a C in the most recent mock decided to bunk off the exam because they couldn't be arsed with it.

She should sit the exam.

stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 21:39

Sunshine-I think school would be fine for her not to sit so won't have a potential fail affecting league tables.
Pint of Tea- I agree,could fly through Biology if an easy paper with no revision and could do very badly on one of her certs.

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stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 21:42

Noble, under no circumstances will she "bunk off" if she chooses not to sit the exam I of course will let the school know, not least because I imagine they will have a total panic trying to find her assuming she had forgotten or had an accident.

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LeBearPolar · 07/05/2015 21:42

What's her back up plan if photography doesn't work out as a career?

I would encourage her to sit all the exams. Perseverance, and the ability to see a commitment through to the end rather than give up, is generally a useful life lesson.

stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 21:46

LeBear, she is already working as a photographer and has perseverance is spadefulls.
It is more not wanting a potential D and using her available time wisely to improve her other grades.

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cricketballs · 07/05/2015 21:49

Stay she will figure on the statistics as she is on roll - I don't understand how she has only been entered for biology but thats a different thread.

Any grade is better than nothing, why waste 2 years of study? By allowing her to not take the exam you are basically saying that if something is hard, just don't bother I'll remember to tell that to my DS who has worked his socks off for Entry Level 2 English this week and stuff the staff teaching, supporting and preparing your DD for this exam

noblegiraffe · 07/05/2015 21:50

She will be bunking off, you will just be condoning it.

wannabestressfree · 07/05/2015 21:52

We would go apeshit at school. You can't just pull out in case it's a D. Jesus.

Chipsahoythere · 07/05/2015 21:53

As a teacher, I would probably cry if someone in my class did this!

As a person, I would say, if you find something hard, you don't just give up and not bother.

dingit · 07/05/2015 21:55

If she was just 2 marks off a C, surely chances are she will up her game enough in the real exam and get her C.

BeaufortBelle · 07/05/2015 21:59

I'd make sure she did at least 90 minutes of Biology revision a day between now and Tuesday and jolly well make sure she sits it. It shouldn't be negotiable. I learnt three Bio topics the night before the exam nearly 40 years ago and they came up and I got a B. Never say never.

AtomicDog · 07/05/2015 22:01

wtf?
You can't just not sit exams at this late stage! Her results are already included in the school's results, whatever the outcome. If she doesn't sit a subject, she'll probably just have a 0 in one of her progress 8 slots in any case.

RabidFairy · 07/05/2015 22:01

For a start a D isn't so bad. Sure it's the not much coveted A*-C grades, but it's really not so bad. Secondly back in my day (2001) when I did GCSEs there w always the option to appeal a grade and potentially raise it from an almost C to a C. Finally it seems really rude and silly to not sit an exam after two years of study and hard work from her and the teachers.

stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 22:06

Chips she finds it all hard apart from Art and is very driven generally, her Biology teacher has been poor (general view from pupils , not just DD)
Noble I am not condoning anything, DD mooted not sitting the exam last week and we are discussing it.
DD took only one science as really struggles with dyslexia, when this was agreed by the head, she also said if DD wanted to drop any subjects at any point right up to exams then to consider it- This was at the end of year 9 so maybe I should phone tomorrow to clarify that is still the case. (Possibly where my relaxed attitude to sitting it is coming from)

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stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 22:09

That is what I need to be clarifying with school Atomic.

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cricketballs · 07/05/2015 22:13

A D grade is not a fail, what will be viewed as a fail will be no science qualifications at all given its a core subject

TheFallenMadonna · 07/05/2015 22:16

Dropping a core subject, a few days before the first exam, when you are C/D borderline, is madness. Surely she has more than one biology paper. A controlled assessment? What did she get in that?

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stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 22:18

Rabid and Cricket I think that is where DD is coming from, D will for her and most others at her school be seen as a fail.
Good point that it is a core subject, as DD may take photography to degree level this could assist her even at a D then?

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Tryingtokeepalidonit · 07/05/2015 22:21

And the government are telling schools to teach resilience. Irrespective of results this is a terrible message to teach your child. My DH died four months before my DD2 sat her GCSE exams, she sat everyone despite still grieving desperately. Sometimes things are hard, it is our responsibility to teach our children to face difficult situations not avoid them.

Also this smacks of arrogance, what is shameful about a D grade?

stayathomegardener · 07/05/2015 22:21

Madonna - a B in controlled assesment and yes paper one after half term is her stronger paper, has been getting B's in that.

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