GCSEs 2012 support thread

If anything I think it is a good sign that they all found it tough, that was the grade boundaries should be a bit lower than normal.

Another awful report from Aqa physics (Phys2 new spec) to add :(

So sorry about the cat, it's awful when something like that happens but particularly on an exam day :(

Another report of a hideous AQA physics, DS is convinced one of the questions wasn't on the syllabus

Very relieved though as that was his last exam for two weeks and then the end is in sight!

Orm re the cat

for Orm & her ds too. How awful

Another hard physics report here. Am mentally downgrading a lot of dd's target grades now . On top of that she seems to have lost her History revision book

DD did the first module of OCR Gateway Physics today, sounds like she had a better time then the poor DC's doing AQA. Minor angst for me, I logged into the SIMS Gateway this afternoon to find it was flashing DD as Unauthorised Absence. I ended up ringing School to see if DD was actually doing her Paper. I had visions of her going into meltdown mode and going home. Thankfully it was a glitch. DD rolled her eyes and said Mum!!! You didn't ring up!

That's terrible about your cat orm Your poor DS, too. Definitely speak to the school as I believe they can inform the exam board.

DD1 returned from Chemistry IGCSE this afternoon - and informed me that she put that bitumen was used for heating

She was only hoping for a C as it's by far her weakest subject but I'm wondering about even that! It's going to look bad on her certificate as the rest ought to be higher

She's wilting too now, losing the will to revise and we're having battles over it. Tomorrow is her 5th exam this week and she seems to have lost the impetus to bother or care. I'm trying to pep her up as tomorrow is Sociology and she's potentially very strong on it. But this afternoon she said "who cares what grades I get anyway?" and I don't know how to get her out of this defeatist frame of mind.

Another " well that was the hardest so far....we hadn't been taught some of it" AQA physics 3 experience :-(

Being ds though he knows his target is 65 UMS from this paper ( out of 100?) so thinks that's still doable.

He's resisting the Islam paper tomorrow to increase his chances of A* rather than A ( mad child, we said A in RE is quite ok!) ...he got a b before. The funniest thing though is its a very multicultural school which possibly 50% Muslim and many got Ds in that paper - including a poor lad who was expecting a real trouble from his parents.

Orm - so sorry about your cat. I understand there is a standard compensation scheme which adds a set percentage according to the event which occurs - death of a pet is on that scheme. Your school can advise, I'm sure.

Another report back here of a horribly hard AQA physics unit 3 paper :(

DD just got home and said she was in tears at school before physics as she was so stressed - I think it is the cumulation of a couple of stressful weeks but at least the rest of the exams are after half term.

Fozzie, I am sure they moderate the marks in circumstances like those described, so try not to worry. No doubt, someone who knows will be along soon to explain what happens. Sorry your DD had a stressful experience. My DD did OCR which was OK apparently and she enjoyed the paper.

Orm - so sorry about the cat - what a terrible thing to happen.

Bruffin - DD also thought one of the AQA Physics (further paper?) was very hard today. She talked with her friends afterwards and they all got similar answers so it probably wasn't as bad as he thought.

MaureenMlove - dd wasn't overly enthusiastic about it. She said it was alright and that she answered everything. She said it was harder than last weeks. She was a lot more positive about last weeks paper compared to this one.

My DD had AQA English Language Foundation paper yesterday. Apparently there was a question asking them to write a 'radio script' which was never listed or covered in the syllabus. Having read TES it looks like a lot of teachers are unhappy with this question and I know that my DD's school is going to complain. Can anyone shed any light on what will/may happen?

Any reports from LO's on 21st Century OCR Science Ideas paper yet? DD said she failed big time. Interested to know if anyone else's LO thought it was hard.

Bugger I meant Orm's ds. Think I've lost the plot with all this.

...especially orm's lad - poor cat too.

Oh cardibach I'm so sorry for your dc. Poor ds just before his exam :-( hopefully it didn't affect him too much. something lovely for dinner and a big hug. Hopefully nothing for him tomorrow.

Bruffin sorry iPad corrected you to griffin???

I highly doubt it put her off her stride Idontknowwhy - if it had been a thread in which I had been discussing her that might have been another story! It's just amusing that these threads are thought to be such works of literary genius that youngsters should study them imo!

Sorry to hear the physics has been tough. Hope the dc managed to do themselves justice regardless.

WJEC Physics paper was very hard last week, too, IdontknowwhyIcare . I hope it doesn;t cause them a problem.

Really bruffin Oh no. DS was already worried about it and then our cat was killed by a car right in front of him as he and DD set off for school. I suspect he wouldn't have been in the best frame of mind.

Oh griffin, we are just the same. I've just collected ds from school and he said that AQA physics was the hardest paper he has done since he started gcses in year 10 (and he has done every physics paper since 2007). Hopefully the grade boundaries will be lower, but why do they make the papers so different in difficulty to previously?

Glaurung that's hilarious. Hopefully your dd wasn't too distracted by the thought you were possible reading said thread whilst she was answering the question.

DS just called and said the AQA physics this afternoon was horrible. It was the one he was most confident about and he said he couldn't even understand half the questions!