GCSEs 2012 support thread

No books in the exam for WJEC English Lit now, Secret.

DS is lucky then circular they have done all the English Language CAs in year 10 and so he can resit the paper in Jan if he needs to.

DS is doing a last Physics read through and then back to school for the concert. The french teacher has put back the CA by a week as there is too much is going so that's a help. Was chatting to some year 10 mums this afternoon and everyone was about the work load.

circular Those of us with DC just finishing Year 11 have had two years of the dreaded CAs.
Some were more demanding than the GCSE exam itself. I recall DS sat a 4 hour paper on Mice and Men in the first half term of year 10. Not sorry to see the back of them.

LapsedPacifist I did O levels in 1974. I have to say that the Maths was infinitely easier then as was the English Language, Geography and much of the science. French was much more rigorous, we had to speak and understand the language and Eng Lit - well we didn't have the books in the exam for one thing.

Kex - I think the issue with the CSE / O'level divide was that it was generally much harder to get a Grade 1 CSE than a C Grade O'level. The courses were totally different. So once in the CSE stream, very difficult to progress to A'levels. But with GCSE's being the same courses for Foundation and Higher, it makes it too easy for the teachers to force Foundation on some that are capable of more, for nothing but league table benefit. There are teachers at DD's school that regulary threaten their groups with Foundation if they don;t consistently get at least a B in their tests.

Agree that a D grade English candidate would have problems making that kind of progress in 6 weeks. It has taken my DD the whole of yr10 to get from a C (eoyr9 level 5a) to an A/B borderline (A in CA's and mock but target is B) in Eng Lang. And that's with 10 hours 1 to 1 tuition, and weekly sessions at a study centre.

Webwiz - It's certainly seems to have DD's teacher in a panic. They are all being rushed into doing extra CA's to help if they are on the cusp of two grades. Unfortunately for DD, the one she has just got back is below all her others.

Apparantly, it is not possible to re-take just the paper, as the CA's will have expired and need to be taken again. Guess that comes from starting them in yr9.

Hopefully, if it was exceptionally difficult, the grade boundaries will drop.

That should be "degree in History" obviously

I tool my O-levels back in 1977 - the so-called Golden Age of academic standards according to all the right-wing media. I have been constantly astonished by the rigour of some of DS's GCSEs compared to our exams back then. DS has to analyse and discuss primary and scondary sources in History for example - we didn't even do this for A-level ! . I'm doing a history degree in History at the moment and have only just learned how to do this!

It was all chalk and talk back then - teacher talked at us and wrote important dates on the blackboard while we listened (in COMPLETE silence) and took notes which were then spewed out verbatim during the exams. Rote learning pure and simple - cramming in oodles of "facts" for 2 years with very little analysis or debate. And this was one of those grammar schools which everyone seems to think were so wonderful.

DSs had a bit of a "moment" when he got back after his last exam on Tuesday - it didn't go very well . We tried to reassure him that it didn't really matter, but he got quite tearful and depressed saying there was nothing to look forward to - that AS exams would be even worse, it was impossible to get into Uni without 3 As at A level, and there were no jobs for graduates anyway. It makes me SO angry to hear our youngsters denigrated and belittled by pepole sneering at their academic achievements.

Yes it was the AQA higher paper for English Lang circular DS went in confident as well but isn't sure how it went.

Webwiz / Magenta - was that AQA Eng Lang higher paper by any chance?

DD sat that one, went in confident as good CA file. Came out worried, mainly due to longer question(s) in second section.

Agree, O'level Eng lang (1977) much easier. Maths was harder thoguh.

Expect it will be a nightmare for those that will be caught up the few years of transition. My 2 girls are 6 school years apart, so won;t be affected. Although I expect there will be more to worry about for DD2 in 2017 to 2019.

DS is my third to do GCSEs BringBack1996 and I certainly realise how much work goes into them over the two years. Balancing 10/11 subjects with all the modules and CAs is not easy particularly if you have a disorganised child (DS). You can take an individual paper out of context and say oh my 7 year old could do this but that would bear no resemblance to the actual experience of taking the exam.

I think that some of the O levels I took were much easier than today's GCSEs - English language was a turn up do a comprehension and write a story type of exam.

It's a bit off topic but I've been looking at some of these threads about the proposed change back to O level style examining and am getting pretty narked at all of the posters saying GCSEs are not worth the paper they're written on and that they are too easy! Now I'm feeling pretty hormonal at the moment but even so, it's really getting me down that all the work of our DC will not be acknowledged because people thing the exams themselves are dumbed down and easy :(

Well at least for today's rehearsal for the concert they have been given specific times throughout the day to come out of lessons rather than using up the whole day. DS is getting really tired though and has already had one night this week when he went to bed at 7.30pm. It will be a miracle if he gets through it all without having to resit anything.

DS didn't like the English Language paper he did magnetadreamer he said everyone else came out saying it was easy but he didn't agree. He has good CA marks so hopefully that will balance it out.

My DD is in Yr10 and has taken 10 GCSE modules, one a complete GCSE and has CA's in Chem Biology and English thrown into the mix. DD can't wait till August if only to see in her very tired grumpy words " what I'll bloody have to resit!" I'm hoping nothing because she has worked her socks off since April. DD's main worry is English Language, she now wishes her teacher had put her in for the Foundation paper as she thinks English has gone so badly. She also thinks if she had got a C on Foundation she wouldn't feel so pressurised if she then attempted a resit at Higher level. I'm now going to forget about exams till sometime in August!

webwiz - Oh yes work experience starting w/c 2/7 too. DD has 2 x 1 week placements., and still has to fit in a pre-interview for one of them.
Also have school concert next week which will mean being pulled out of at least a day's worth of lessons for rehearsals. And music school performances Saturday and Sunday. And D of E practice expedtiion the following weekend....

That's late for physics - your poor DS still having papers in the midst of all the CA's etc. DD said the other triple science set did thier CA's during the main GCSE fortnight.

Like you, I'm getting stressed just keeping track of it all,.
As well as trying to diarise sixth form open days/evenings for next term.

Poor DD was still working on her French preparation after i went to bed last night.

DS is in the middle of a year 10 nightmare as well circular he has two concerts, school play rehearsals and work experience thrown into the mix as well

I'm just trying to keep him on an even keel and the thing that comes next in the front of his mind. Physics GCSE tomorrow so he'll have to read through his notes before tonights concert and then he'll be preparing for the french CA in gaps in the play rehearsal on saturday. History CA is sometime in the next week as well as year 10 exams. I'm completely stressed out about it all never mind him!

First post to the thread as DD1 in yr 10. She only had English Lang and first papers for Chem, Phys, Bio before half term. Then First Geog after half term.

But just when she thought it was all over and she was looking forward to a couple of weeks gentle introduction to the new units and starting
Eng Lit course, the controlled assessments have been sprung on them.
So in the space of three weeks, CAs in 3 sciences, French and Geog. Extras for Eng Lang as an insurance policy for those on cusp of two grades to avoid resits. Maths mock - 2 papers. And first music composition due in.
She's feeling really stressed now, as apart from chemistry, all the papers went worse than expected. And all of this will affect her predicted grades for 6th firm applications next term.

Any other yr 10s just been landed with similar?

One tomorrow and one next Wednesday then Thursday off plus the Prom then back to school on Friday for a week of Sixth Form induction. This year's GCSE's seem to have gone on for far longer than in previous years - not sure if they have, but they do seem very drawn out.

DS3 has been very steady. Neither of us are expecting miracles, but I'll be very cross on his behalf if steady hard graft isn't rewarded. I feel very protective of this particular DS - Lioness rather than Tiger.

Well done to everyone's DC for reaching the end! DS has got over the worst of it now (3 exams today!) but still has three to go next week. Even so he can definitely relax now, the worst is over :)

All done here too! dD currently relaxing with the Pringles....

DD still has one more to go! It's getting really boring now. She's got the last unit of her Science on Monday then she really can begin her summer.

The last of the national exams is on Wednesday, so I might actually be able to relax at work then too! Although the yr9's start the same day on their first English module! And so the process starts again!

I'm so happy that I've only got one child. Once it's done it's done and I never have to revist GCSE's again!

Phew finally finished, last exam today (Latin) which went well said DD. She was in tears last night fearing that she might have got a B in English and not being allowed to do A' level!. Just the stress of the the last few weeks and the attitude of some of her peers who think anything less than an A* is a fail is getting to her (the teachers are far more relaxed). I bought her a bunch of flowers and a card to say well done and we are proud of her for her hard work. Just upgraded to Sky HD so she can have it all to herself for a few weeks!

Another one with a Year 9 as well.
So in 2014 it will be GCSEs and A levels.

Whatever the results well done to everyone's DCs they have all worked so hard.

Catch up with everyone in August for results.