GCSE Support Thread 2013

We made it! Ten days' break now with no exams

Well I have got very little more out of him but he did come home whistling - so, even if it is bad news, at least he is a happy teenager.

DD (not doing GCSEs until next year) said that several of the Year 11s left the exam hall in tears after doing the Biology IGCSE. I guess it was a hard paper this year.

Got an 'OK,'better than Mondays' for AQA Eng Lit. Liked the unseen poem .
In a good mood tonight as no more English.

Edexcel Music tomorrow a.m. then nothing till 10/6. Suspect there will be some serious cramming going on throughout half term and the week after.

DD also had physics, and I got the same response as about all the others. It was ok.

Nothing now till after half term, thank goodness, and just English, geog and maths to go now.

Planning on doing something nice over the weekend, then easing back into revision towards the end of half term.

physics 'ok but not as good at chemistry and biology' - she said she wasn't always sure which 'kind' of answer they wanted so put both - not sure what to make of that!

But lots of maths-type questions, which she prefers. And liked the eng lit paper as got to write lots of ideas she'd already had - and apparently a moving poem about a girl leaving home, but not sure who it's by?

Dd1 said it was all 'good' (eng lit and physics 2&3). However since she is the epitome of an unreliable narrator, make of that what you will.

DS said Physics was ok but he couldn't for the life of himself remember how to do gradients... He had a mind block and a bit of a panic, then pulled himself together and did the rest before coming back to it. That in itself is progress because he would have a tendency to do things in order.

That's the bulk over for now. Nothing till the 3rd.

ds1 said Physics AQA P2 and P3 were 'good'...!
He said there was a really bizarre 1-mark question about the space programme, tagged on at the end of something else.

He was also happy with Eng Lit (WJEC). He felt View from the Bridge question didn't go so well, but really enjoyed The Lord of the Flies question.

Dd said P2 was ok but P3 was very difficult (though I think that was probably down to the fact that she ran out of time to cover everything in her revision!) She is one very happy girl now as she never has to study science again!

English Lit here today, seems to have gone OK. She was doing Carol Ann Duffy poems... Biology was OK to Good this morning.

German yesterday was really split, she and the other girl (there are only two taking it) liked the Reading paper, but hated the Listening paper.... However, they haven't had a German teacher for the last four terms, so I'd be amazed if we pull that one off. Stand in is a music teacher who speaks German!

Any reports on Physics?

My son has sent a strange text saying OK, but a lot didn't make sense but his spelling in the text is appalling so that might be a bad dyslexic day for him and the not making sense was more a dyslexic thing or it might mean a bad paper- I'm not quite sure which yet.

Pity because he got an A in yesterdays mock.

Eng lit here today. All day maths revision tomrrow, and then 3 sessions during halfterm of 3 hours each (bless the teachers, they are really working hard, only hope it pays off).
thank god its halfterm!

MrsBartlett - DD1 aslo said Latin went well today :)
Biology for us too this morning basilionbond, Eng Lit p2 tomorrow and then half term - breathe -

Eeek - it's the biggie for my DS today......Physics! He wants to be an astronomer, so this is vital to get him onto the A'Level next year. Shall be chewing my fingernails all morning.

English lit in the afternoon too.

Good luck to all :)

Biology this morning then a massively long break because of half term - the most concentrated burst is over now it's all dribs and drabs from here on in

German was apparently annoying because the cd kept getting stuck for the listening bit and of course they had to sit in silence while it got sorted out... But all seemed ok in the end.

Another here whose weakest subject is phsyics, and has it tomorrow along with eng lit. She prefers the poetry one to the one earlier though. Just hope physics goes ok.

Mumslife, the same subjects and the same story, "I do not need revision". On Sunday, before Chem and Eng Lit1, her classmate came to our place and they baked a cake (and burnt it).

WJEC Eng Lit here tomorrow. DS is Yr 10 so this is his first exam of this round. Science and History modules after half term.

Yes ds1 was happy with the German higher papers too. Almost half way there now! He's done 8; 9 more to go, 3 of which are tomorrow!

Aview I thought as much about the poetry, but there's no telling her.

DD1 said the German higher was really easy. Hope her confidence is not misplaced. Physics tomorrow and Music on Friday.

DS isn't very well at the moment so I think an early night will be the best preparation for tomorrows English lit paper. He did poertry for a controlled assessment so tomorrow is Romeo and Juliet and Animal farm.

Physics a bit of an Achilles' heel here, so fingers crossed for tomorrow.