Year 12 - 2024/25 - Support, Discussion and Looking After Each Other (Thread 2)

@TheLivelyViper there was nothing wrong with ChatGPT’s questions - it was the suggested answers that were wrong. They were so wrong as to be impossible in economics, regardless of the spec. How dangerous is that for our Y13s?

In my profession (law) we know that ChatGPT makes up cases. Just invents them, and invents quotes from them. It seems it also invents demand curves not previously known to economics. I don’t consider it a safe resource for my DD’s education (and neither does she).

Yes fair enough, if you got good papers then it's not a big deal. If there's any good YouTube accounts for Economics, sometimes they give you practice questions they've made up, but for A-level, there's actually quite a lot less content creators than GCSE.

I find that you need to attach the whole offical specification and the offical mark scheme for Chagpt to do good quality questions, I'd download them onto your computer or one druve etc and then attach. Also be specific, so AQA A-level Economics, topic x, and say exactly what type of question you want. I'm not sure what they are but I'd give it a past example of one and say I want a 30 marker source question etc, and it's worked well in the past for me, just have to give it all the content. But once you attach the one time, it then remembers it forever afterwards. Sometimes it's just trial and error with AI tbh, but I haven't used it for Economics so not sure how good it is. Might be better for other areas.

Yes @TheLivelyViper I get all of that, but DD had already spent the summer devouring past questions and their mark schemes from the exam board’s website, her CGP study guide and Uplearn. In the final week I wanted to set her 2 full papers in the expected format, using questions she couldn’t have seen before. I asked ChatGPT to set such a paper and mark scheme, but there were serious errors in the mark scheme including representing a demand curve going in exactly the opposite direction to which it should, and selecting the wrong answers for some of the MCQ. Although it looked the part, ChatGPT’s product was unusable.

So, all in all, £20 for some decent practice papers set by a tutor as a final-week revision tool was money well spent.

Yes i get that, I shouldn't have mentioned AS but I was generalising. I was saying she can adapt the A-level paper, by just doing questions on the topics she's done. So I don't know her exam board, but for example let's say she's done all of topics 3-6 but not other ones, let's say those topics are Paper 2, but Paper 2 also has topic 7, she can perhaps only do Section A or B, and then cut down the time accordingly (because obviously she hasn't done a full paper). The questions will still be to A-level standard, she can just adapt what she does, so I'm saying you can still use the offical past papers for practice if you want. Just only do what you can, so only do the topics you've done, and then just do those questions. Normally if you Google 30 marker or 25 marker in x topic for x subject for x exam board you'll fine free questions people have done, or teachers have made up (YouTube is great for this). So you can also do that, if the issue is that you can't find any 20 markers (or the equivalent) for this topic, on any of the past papers.

Also Chatgpt is also great for this, just give it the officak specification, and say what specific topic you want questions on and the form (so 10 marker using explain or 30 marker with historical sources etc), give it an example of one (from a past paper etc) and it will make really realistic ones for you, as long as you give it the right detailed info. It's also been great at predicting topics for the final exam, if you put in all the topics that have come up since the original exam, like per question so q1 was x topic etc. I know that this year it worked for some people I know, and multiple times predicted more than one right question. Obviously don't completely rely on this, the people I knew didn't trust it fully, did lots of proper revision, but actually after it got many right, found themselves annoyed they didn't trust it.

Though there's no issue with what you did, just saying you don't necessarily have to buy them, unless you want to. It sounds like they were useful and I hope the exam went well for her.

@TheLivelyViper Perhaps you have misunderstood me. We didn’t use AS past papers. Full A level papers would not have been good preparation for today’s exam as we knew she would only be tested on content they have covered. So she has done practice papers based on the A level economics covered in Y12, not Y13. The practice questions were A level standard.

By the way, even if they're in y12 or y13, they can and should use A-level past papers. Yes they may not be able to do the whole paper, but they should just slightly adapt it. So for English they may have done all of paper 2 content, so they can just do a paper 2. The AS questions tend to have less marks and the mark scheme and expectations will be lower than A-level. Its better to just practice with the A-level ones so they get used to the length needed, writing in timed conditions, and also the mark scheme etc. Just do the questions you can do (I.e the topics you've covered).

Obviously by now, they should definitely be able to do a whole paper. Perhaps even 2 out of 3. But even where they can't do, perhaps do Section A of a paper if you haven't done the content for Section B. In terms of timing, just cut it down to how long it is for one question. So a 30 marker for Sociology should take you 45 minutes. A 10 marker, 10 to 15. So calculate it off the benchmark (which they should know, but if not ask teachers) and then do that, so then they're used to the time limits for the real thing. No need to get offical Y12 papers, just the get the free past papers, on the exam boards website and adapt them to what you want to practice. It's better in the long-run.

So pleased the NASA trip went well, @JustHereWithMyPopcorn! What an extraordinary opportunity.

@bluefineliner FWIW the happiest med student I know is my nephew at Newcastle (now 2nd year). He almost didn’t apply there as a false rumour went round on TSR about a sky-high UCAT cutoff which, if true, would have ruled him out. They ended up having to go to Clearing to fill a few places that year due to enough would-be applicants having been put off.

DD has done her Econ resit this morning and is pleased with how it went. I had purchased a couple of Y12 mocks from an online tutorial company (official Y12 past papers not being a thing) and there seems to have been a notable similarity to the questions used by the school. So that seems to have been useful preparation! A nice confidence boost at the start of term, anyway. Once she has that prediction sorted she’s ready to go with UCAS.

Hope all our Y13s settle well into the new term.

Good luck to those resitting or doing further mocks. I'm glad DD doesn't have these to consider too, she's been so wrapped up in UCAT she's done nothing else. She weirdly can't wait to get back to lessons again though, I think it is more comfortable for her as it what she loves and is good at!

We are now scrutinising uni websites and admissions policies to refine her final choices ahead of the last few open day visits before the early UCAS deadline looms.

Exciting birthday preparations @JustHereWithMyPopcorn I am relieved DD is April born so can put this off a while yet 😂.

Someone up thread asked how his NASA trip was, he had an amazing time thank you. He was exhausted when he got back though.

Congrats to you DD @bluefineliner that's fantastic news!

So DS has settled on a party so madly trying to organise stuff. I've bought a load of 18th banners etc. which he is horrified by! 😂 I was down in Cornwall last week and have bought him a very nerdy present from Tintagel which he has been desperate for since he was 14. That's now added to the birthday present list. I've asked what he wants but he just says 'nothing'. 🙄 Probably end up just giving him some cash at this rate.

DS is also starting to get his usual back to school anxiety. He's had it since he first went to school, it makes him very depressed. The fact the have put out a HUGE chunk of maths homework to do before going back has not helped!

What topic is he doing it on? There is a good website called Parallel History which for quite a few topics has good sources. Has he managed to fine 3? If he's not happy with it, changing it is always better in my opinion.

Parting words from DD: "It's my last first day of school ever!" <looks for tissue, sob!>

Good luck to all

@JessyCarrgood luck to your DD for the Economics resit! And to all stressed YPs and parents, hope the year starts (and continues!) well.

DS is stressed over History NEA. First (partial) draft is done but he struggled to find good sources and not completely happy with the ones he got.

Stress here too, as DD has her Economics exam (resit of the Y12 mock) today. She’s worked pretty hard for it (between French jaunts!). Fingers crossed.

DS is quite stressed too, @gingercat02, and generally he’s never stressed! He was in today to help out on y12 induction day and starts proper tomorrow. A combination of ‘it’s the last year’ and how daunting the next ten months are going to be. Not long is it!

DS is quite stressed about going back tomorrow. I came in at lunchtime abd he just looked at me, said Last Year Mum. And shrugged 😪
He'll be fine when he's back in the groove, but I just felt sad for him.
We've had a walk, a chat, pulled pork and cake. Hopefully that will help.

From https://printfromyoursofa.co.uk - not received them yet but will report back on quality etc once they’re here. Website was very easy to use though, was simultaneously adding photos from my phone and my laptop at the same time.

Oooo, that's a good idea! Where did you get them from?

I’ve just had a brainwave on the 18th birthday presents dilemma - I’ve ordered a set of playing cards that are personalised, each with a photo of DS from baby through to current day (55 photos in total). Nice way of gathering together all my favourite photos of him through the years without being too twee. We all play board games and card games together so hopefully he will like!

In case anyone is interested in booking Edinburgh open days for 4 Oct or 25 Oct - booking is now open.

NB checking trains is advisable if relevant to you. We are travelling from London, and the King’s Cross - Edinburgh route is disrupted for planned engineering works across the weekend of 25-26 October.

Fantastic result @bluefineliner, all that hard work paid off
I was surprised to hear about the results on the same day, but it’s so much better than waiting another 4-6 weeks, like in ESAT. The dreadful wait.
last two days of holidays and DD is doing a puzzle.

Mine has the same classes and a couple of teacher changes but they're ok ...however. Zero late morning starts and only one early finish with three twighlight sessions and he is Not Impressed (me neither tbh)

Oh well, only about 150 days to go!

Thanks for the lovely comments. I was glad she got her results immediately as I don't think DD or I would have coped waiting for weeks.

Now personal statement....

DD has spent the day being dramatic about her new timetable and changes of classes and teachers, back to standard DD for a while now!

That’s brilliant news @bluefineliner, congratulations! 🥳

Fantastic @bluefineliner- well done to your daughter!