GCSEs 2012 support thread

Chemistry tomorrow. English tomorrow. Physics and english thursday.

Shes ok this evening. I keep feeding her trifle and biscuits.

Chemistry tomorrow. She's done a load of past papers and scored well with them but she's convinced her mind will go a total blank.

Thanks Gnome. In that case I'll casually ask him to explain something about enzymes over dinner! Hopefully he will be able to give the answer!

BringBack1996 - now I would suggest that he lays off the heavy revision. He needs to relax.

DD has biology tomorrow. She was revising this morning by talking with he friend. The friend asked DD to explain a number of topics to her as she was still struggling. DD found this helpful. IMO the best way to learn something is teach it to someone else.

DD is now chilling out with her boyfriend. She will have a simple dinner tonight (cottage pie followed by cheesecake) then an early night!

DS's first exam tomorrow - what are your day before the exam revision tips that I can get him to do?

I have one doing A levels and one doing GCSEs as well as ds doing some GCSEs in Y10. It's all a bit stressful! My Y13 and Y11 dds set themselves very high targets and there's a lot of pressure for them to achieve (dd1 needs 3As). I'm just trying to keep everyone happy and keep the peace!

DS has a hard week this week

Monday-Biology
Tuesday - english lit
Thursday - 2x chemistry and english lit again

He was on facetime to his gf last night who is doing AS history at the moment. They were going over revision for germany, I could hear lots of mentions of Goebbels etc It was quite sweet really.

Hmm Ds has been taking exams, controlled assessments and coursework since year 9. It seems to have been relentless. On the whole he has knuckled down and worked hard, tbh I don't think I could have asked for anymore work from him. This is week is the first of this seasons exams but what a week.

Monday Biology
Tuesday none
Wednesday PE theory
Thursday Chemistry followed by Eng lLit (poetry section)
Friday DT followed by Economics

Maybe I'm a soft touch but I'm just planning my menu and shopping for the week so he gets lovely food every night. Yesterday he asked for fairy cakes today .

Good luck to everyone (and the dc of course)

DD has Biology on Monday and Chemistry on Thursday. Exam leave finally starts a week on Monday which I think will be a relief for all concerned.

DD has done 4 Chemistry past papers and been for a long walk with me today. SHe has done reasonably well on the papers, but is still making silly errors. Hopefully in an actual exam she will be more focussed.

DS has just come back from a 3 hour long latin revision class and is getting on with a biology practice paper! I think it's finally sunk in that he has less than 48 hours until his first exam.

cardibach - no it's AQA and he isn't doing Heroes.
The second one is all poetry I think, from Moon and Tides plus an unseen poem.

No problem Secret , glad they are useful. GIven that his exams are Tues and THurs, is it WJEC? ANd if so, is his third text 'Heroes'? If so I've got a guide for that, too :)

I have jsut read Jekyl and Hyde

Ds doesn't really enjoy this book and thinks the question on it will be tricky.

Although I don't like the amount of testing done at primary level, I do feel being tested frequently at secondary makes the GCSE exams less stressful for teens.

I have one doing A level and one doing GCSE this year, trying hard not to nag and be suitably supportive instead

I think it is a good point that the modules make them more chilled. My DS already has some of his GCSEs and he's retaking a few as well as sitting some after two years. Since yr 9, like you say, he has been doing public exams.

Will change for my DD in Yr 7 though as they are scrapping modular soon.
On the whole, modular system has helped my DS work in short bursts - more his style.

The thing is I don't want to have to say "I told you so" when the final grades come out. I don't know how they work out these goddamned module scores. He must have taken about forty odd exams already since the end of year 9 - maybe that's why he is so chilled about it all. He knows what grades he has already got in some subjects so, as you say Backforgood these are just another set of modules to them. He seems overly reliant on the school revision sessions. Oh, I don't know, maybe it's me that needs to take a chill pill.

I just keep remembering the "sick" feeling I had all through the May and June of 1978 and 1980 (yes, that long ago!) and turning over the exam paper with dread because two years worth of work was potentially going down the drain.

I think that's the trouble with me too Petal - my mindset is how we did our exams - all on this exam. ds is very chilled about it all - he's been doing GCSE modules since Autumn of Yr9, as far as he's concerned this is just another set. To be fair, he's come home for 5 or 6 hours today (slept at his friend's last night and is going back to watch the match there tonight), in order to revise, and he's got a very quiet week next week - Chemistry on Monday and Physics on Thursday, then nothing until the following Wednesday!

Right. Am now making a concerted effort not to mention the words "exam" or "revision" for the next five weeks. I've gone into slight panic mode and DS is very laid back about it all. Full on next week and haven't seen much signs of revsion. Thankfully there is no study leave so all lessons at school are geared around revision and he has been to quite a few after school sessions as well. He keeps telling me to chill and that everything is going to be fine so have decided that unless he asks me to test/help him with revision I am going to let him get on with it. It doesn't help my cause that he didn't seem to do much revision for all the modules and got A*s, A's and B's but this time it seems a bit "final" and I'm afraid his blase attitude is going to bite him in the bum and undo all his previous good grades to lower his final grade. Whenever I ask him how an exam went he always says "fine" - that's all I get. I don't want chapter and verse but a bit more info would be appreciated. Everything is on a need to know basis.

I suppose I am harking back to my own exams (seems donkeys years ago now). O'level and A'levels where it was literally two years worth of work to revise for an "all or nothing" exam. I seemed to live in my bedroom for about two months. I'll be glad when it's all over and then I suppose there is the anticpation of the results.

Bloody football finals, cricket all day on the tv, laptop and iphone doesn't help my cause.

Glad to hear that your DD is coping so well MML.

Just thought I'd say, I'm very proud of my DD and all the effort she's putting in to her exams. We have not had one bad word or stroppiness at all. She had a melt down just before they started, but sorted that together and things are just fine.

I've seen a few threads about teens that are being a real pita and not doing anything towards their exams and I can honestly say, we are doing OK! I'm not keeping her in at the weekends tied to revision books, but she knows that at some point, I will suggest we look at some work together. There is a fine balance between work and play, even during the exams and I think we've found it! (Oh so smug! Watch me combust in a weeks time and regret everything I've said! )

Hope everything is peachy for you guys too.

Yes a busy week here next week.
2 x Biology on Monday
Eng Lit Tuesday
PE theory Wed
2x Chemistry and Eng Lit on Thurs.

DS normally hoovers up food. I know he is stressed when he doesn't eat.
He normally stops eating a few days before an English controlled assessment. So far he has been fairly relaxed but I know the English Lit is the worst subject and I suspect he will go off his food next week. I have been encouraging a big breakfast and putting "exam treats" (ie chocolate) as well as snacks in his bag.

Those revision guides went down well cardibach, especially the M+M one, thanks.

Mine's eating like a pig, sue , but not healthy things, oh no. Any rubbish she can find! I am a bit woried about malnutrition