GCSE '18s (20) - half term beckons!

Pretty sure they will use the AS to do the prediction for that subject- it's more tangible and makes up part of the A Level.
Or is he only doing the AS in a subject that he's not going to continue with?
No ASs here and she will have dropped down to the 3 subjects she is going to continue with when she goes back.
For those doing an EPQ - have they decided the subject yet?

So there was DS in shocking mood last week, slaving to get English essay, Philosophy essay and 2 Politics 9 markers finished. Didn’t go out to party on Sat eve, still printing stuff out at 11pm on Sun eve.

Turns out he’d mis-read instructions - Politics not due in til Friday, English not due in til next Monday...!

So he is now in excellent mood - offered to help make dinner last night, did a couple of hours of music practice, completed his CV for work experience over New Year. I now need to work out how to hack into the school homework server and move everything early.

I am thinking that having only one AS level to do will be like a walk in the park compared to having four at once, as students used to.

The only complication is that the internal end of year exams are at the same time as the AS level and those results are used to predict A level results for he university applications. So, you'd think the external exam trumps the internal ones, but maybe not this time. At least, I think that's how it works!

Taking g dgd to school today as dd and myself doing Xmas shopping in city. Very windy and wet hate Xmas shopping! Buying a Dictaphone for dgd which will come in handy and pair of converses for dgs. Dd 1 wants saucepans and dd 2 wants a block of kitchen knives. Are they both having trouble with stroppy teens?

11 geography pieces of homework to do including a presentation during the holiday alone! Then there's biology and maths ( 5 tasks) and revision for psychology assessment with learn rest of unit not covered as it will be in assessment....... And every teacher saying ' take it easy and relax during half-term'

Sorry, I was conscious as I wrote it some are still taking AS s, and I believe some doing all four ? But perhaps with them not being universal there won’t be the pressure there was.

Don't say that! DS1 has an AS in May!

And following DD1 s experience I am indeed very grateful we have no AS s.

I have stood down :)

I think we should all be very thankful that A Levels are now linear! You know from GCSEs that he has the capacity and drive to step it up when required and in the meantime the schools will keep them on track with regular topic tests/exams. In an ideal world they’d work steadily for 2 years, revising/making notes as they’re going along. But they’re 16/17 and I bet very, very few have the discipline to take that approach. And there’s also the possibility of burnout (and us nagging becoming a constant background noise!) to guard against. I wouldn’t worry this holiday.

Thank you Cherryburn, wise words as usual, and I do want him to enjoy this year.

It’s just difficult to know how much they should be doing - though I guess they are all different in that

I’d leave him to it Oratory. He’s probably knackered (I think they all are) and has also had to adjust to boarding (I know he loves it, but it’s still a change.) And in truth, they probably can afford to take their foot off the gas a bit at this stage. Not that I’d say that within DS’s earshot

Grrrrr... DS worked so hard in the six months pre gcse but is now definitely back in laid back I've got ages mode. Doesn't have much homework for the two week break but the making notes and practising questions as he goes along seems to have gone out of the window - so, I just don't know whether to give him a break and leave him to it for a bit or step up the nagging (which could be counterproductive !).

loose DS has to fully read one of the syllabus novels during the 2 weeks of half-term. A thick one too... he's already put about ten hours and needs another ten.
We were in Leeds this weekend. God it was cold Imo, the city's not particularly beautiful like say Edinburgh or York, but there's so much going on! We had a wonderful time.

That's me being honest, saying what I'd never admit in real life!

EllenJane yes, I know what you mean!

I am trying really hard to motivate myself about DS2's GCSEs but a bit of me wants to throw a toddler-type tantrum and get off with it. I won't but that's what I'm hiding when I'm trying to encourage to start off on the right track so there's less to do in 2020.

This week definitely went fast!
DS has just realised he had 2 English assignments due tomorrow. Sudden end to complacent lolling around following completion of first one and some frantic activity!

The WW 1 film is in in cinemas next week but only seems to be in a select few. I may try and find one near here.

Gone from daily texts and calls from DD2 to a few days silence - but I am assuming that’s s good thing and probably as it should be

Can’t believe a weeks gone already.i think you’re DD s right Alex, when you’re very busy and living away from home and things are going well it’s easy to shut home off and not think about it (hence the relative lack of contact) I know I did in my first year at uni and playing sport.

Well that’s dd dropped off at the station. She’s on a replacement bus for the first half of her journey.

She was saying yesterday she only realised how much she missed us when she was back home. She seems to be taking far more stuff back with her than she came home with!

whistl I bet you can understand why those of us going through it for the second or third or fourth time last year were a bit jaded and in the 'it's up to them to get on with it' camp.

I threatened DS2 with DS1 testing him (since he had not prepared himself but was claiming it was unnecessary). Nothing annoys DS2 more than getting something wrong with DS1 pointing it out and being able to say why its wrong.
They are doing / did the same GCSEs with only one switch, so DS1 is well-placed to know what answers the exam board look for.

For the sake of brotherly love though, its something that I can only do sparingly.

It just feels like the GCSEs were too recent to be going through this again.

Hopefully he will realise what wpuld have happened if Mum hadn't known best, Whistl.

DS has announced all homework is done, has a good idea of what his EPQ will be and has gotten to the next stage of testing for a work experience opportunity for next Summer hols (online strategic thinking test) and all is good this end!

I am invigilating Oxbridge admissions tests on Wednesday which is always interesting.

Whistl this all sounds very familiar - you did the right thing! Hopefully he'll do well in the tests and make the connection.
I must say one of DS's teachers was a bit sneaky - they have put more homework on Google classroom this week (in addition to the half term homework) and it's due in tomorrow!