GCSE Support Thread 2013

Highers start tomorrow, hope DS is ok this time, last year he had a total meltdown - he was also having operations for cancer at the same time so totally understandable and missed them all, so lots of support for this year.

Oh boy will be glad when this is over. PE today, then RE Friday. Trying to keep momentum going with studying difficult, it's hard isnt it to gauge how much/little they are doing? And how much is iPhone staring.....

Merrylegs Your poor ds, I hope he gets through today OK and is feeling much better soon.

DD1 has a genetic condition with regular episodes where she can become extremely unwell, one trigger is stress, so we will be monitoring her carefully.

Her school are not allowing study leave much to her disappointment.

Another joiner in if that's OK?

Biology and PE today - DS's best subjects - (his A level choices) and he is really ill!

Boo!

Have dosed him up with neurofen and just hope he can keep his head together for the day.

Then nothing for the rest of the week so will prob keep him off tomorrow- study leave doesn't start till next week.

Gah.

Stress.

Sonnet - she might have been doing a different exam board from French. Or, she might just be better at French!

whoops - meant to say "How Bloody unfair!"

Mrshod - the wrong paper!! how bloddy unfair!

DD1 had physics today too and thought it was okay. She said she was expecting harder. Not holding out too much hope though given her verdict of yesterdays French was the complete opposite to what everyone else on here posted :)

Have just found this thread, hoping for tips dd1 has Biology today too and RS on Fri.

Will be great to share support, just starting to feel anxious, she's done various bits so far, Art and Drama and Music comp and performance done, Maths is done and they are allowing her (after lots of persuasion) to use Maths lesson time for other subject revision.

She seems quite organised and not too stressed so far, she has made herself a revision timetable and folder, but next week I think the nerves and stress might properly kick in and I hope she can fit in all the revision she still needs to do. Eng Lit 1 and Chem on Mon, Phys and Eng Lit 2 on Thurs, Music on Fri and Hist and Geog the following two weeks.

She got her Music comp/perf grade yesterday; she's been taking this after school in an extra group as they couldn't timetable her for it, she's only had half the teaching time, she thought she would do well to get a B and she managed an A, so she is very pleased.

Good luck to all.

No news re biology yet. It's one of DS1's preferred subjects but not expecting miracles He will only say 'alright' when I ask him - same answer whether he comes out with a C or a B. Not looking forward to the next month or so.....

My DD sat her first Module of RE yesterday - said it was "hard". I am incredibly stressed out as she is a bright girl to whom everything comes so easy, however, even she has realised that she needs to revise a lot more for these GCSE's. She has an English paper next week, then French Oral and the Sciences after half term. I can't MAKE her revise (Year 10 - thinks she knows it all). But what is really annoying is that during this week her other subject tutors are still giving them tests! Maths and History today and tomorrow. Where's the sense in that - as if I'm not worn out from it all already...

Had a text to say Biology (unit 3) went ok. Not sure if that means good or just so so, but at least not bad!

Physics here... Waiting for her to call. I've gone to work today so she's cycling home to an empty house, well apart from dogs
Hope it's not too bad. I don't hold out much hope though as Sciences and Maths are not her thing at all!

'Just looking for a pass' seems to be my mantra this week...

Biology here too, would be reassured by signs of nerves! I guess they can't win!

Biology here too. DD was extremely nervous this morning.

I think the school ordered the wrong exam papers, a clerical error and it wasn't noticed until after the exam. It appears that subject teachers are not allowed to see the paper before the exam, or surely they would have noticed. Apparently 1 girl did put her hand up to say it was the wrong paper and told she was mistaken.

Does anyone have experience of how this sort of situation generally turns out with regard to marking? I have heard of a school where the whole group had to resist.

Biology this morning, dd is hoping for a good paper to maintain her excellent score so far, good luck to all.

by which i mean, from the start of year 10 they learn the exam codes as well as the subject content. to avoid 'wrong paper'.

Ok everyone. It gets worse. My son did well in GCSEs last year now totally flunked and having to start again in September. Luckily as he is basically a good and lovely boy his school will let him do it. It's very hard as a parent as you can't really do much to motivate a 17 year old who actually wants to do well but can't make himself do it.
There are moments of relief 2nd son, year 8, severely dyslexic goes around saying 'stupid boy' in the style of Captain Mainwaring at his bro at every opportunity.

My dd did RS today and they were given the wrong paper.

aaarggghhhh! worst nightmare! my pupils have to write the code for their exam at the top of every sheet of paper they use, so that if someone gives them the wrong paper, they can point it out.

My ds also said the same about the french - the listening paper quite tricky but the reading much easier.

Biology tomorrow then RS on Friday.

Fingers crossed and good luck to all the dc's for tomorrow.

Russians and cream, Ds had exactly the same reaction to French, as did all his class.

DD has biology as well.

She is sitting two papers, but has just noticed that only one states she has the 25% extra time she is entitled too. Hoping that this a typo and the scribe and time will be there in the morning.....

That's interesting DD1 doesn't have physics tomorrow. She has biology. she doesn't have physics till next week.

RS 'ok' acc to ds but it's his weaker of the two papers so he's hoping he can make up marks on the philosophy paper

Physics and PE tomorrow - absolutely no revision has happened for PE and lots for physics which is about right considering the ludicrous amount of time and effort that went into his PE coursework last term to the detriment of other subjects ...

Russians DD had the same verdict. Listening was difficult, but reading ok.

mrshod that is terrible. So either the school didn't check the label or the papers inside the package were different from what was stated. I'm guessing the exam board would have more sympathy with the latter