GCSE Support Thread 2013

Spanish oral done and dusted yesterday and course work for 3D design more or less finished.

DS has just decided he doesn't want to do 3D at AS any more, so trying to choose another one. He's doing maths (and further maths, but that only counts as one option choice at his school), physics and chemistry. He would like to do engineering eventually. It seems to be between geography and biology.

How bizarre!

I keep telling DD to work harder

KatyMac Grade boundaries for science seem to be all over the show.
DD got 41/48 in Biology CA but teachers think the boundary for an A is 42. That's 87.5% !

DD is one mark under a C in Biology, one over a C in Chemistry, Physics not taken yet and 50-smething in the CAT - how that adds up I don't know

Notfluffy, anything DD reads/watches/plays, "Hobbit" and LoTR, for example, or the wizards' world of Harry Potter cycle.

MsAverage interesting suggestion thanks.

I'm not sure it would work for us as DD has ASD, so she doesn't really do any form of fiction either!

DS is my third and thankfully final one through the exam system. He's taking 11 GCSEs and an ICT thing but English Language is done and Drama will be done soon. He swings better completely stressed and completely laid back but with no middle ground

DS is away on a study weekend with school, it's really happening isn't it?

Creamteas, my DD also struggled with compulsory RE. We had a long conversation, where we compared RE with a Assassin Creed or Twilight or Harry Potter or any other imaginary universe. It is not a problem that you have three-in-one deity or dragons as long as the events within that universe are logical and not contradictory to the conventions taken. And from that point we had a gigantic corpus of Christian literature to explain and justify anything in the Bible, that's really helpful.

With 4 kids I worked out that at least one of them will have summer exams every year until 2021. (Assuming Gove doesn't go completely berserk.)

Dd2, y10, has done two maths modules, and has the third unit, plus Eng Lang and Core Science. She's hard-working but gets stressed.

Dd1, y11, has all her gcse's to do (grammar school - all linear). The product design project is in, the drama performance is next week ... I'm trying to ensure she does something every day as she's far too laid back about everything for my liking!

DS doing GCSEs this year. All of his are also only examined at the end of Y11 so lots of exams for him. Was here last year as DD in Y12 now. So also have AS exams as well as A Level maths because she has done the whole course in Y12.
Fun and games here!

Y11 DD here too going 11 gcses (although art is finished - hurrah!) She worked really hard over the Easter holidays, went back to school on Monday and then came down with a sickness bug on Monday night and missed most of this week - aaargh! I am trying not to let her see my panic that she only has 3 weeks left as she still doesn't feel well.

Can I join please?

ds1 does a very traditional route, so has almost all his exams at the end. (He hasn't done modules: though he has done controlled assessments in most subjects.)

He's only doing 9.5, so has "only" 17 exams; starting three weeks' on Tuesday!

He's studying hard and revising effectively, and is allegedly on track for hs very high targets. Fingers crossed.

DS is in year 8 and taking IGCSE mandarin. Exams are in May so starting to get a bit stressed now.

Yr11 DD, 9 GCSEs plus ICT and BTEC Sport in all.
Already has Eng Lang B (yr10), Maths A (yesterday).
ICT finished and provisionally an A. Btec Sport nearly done.
Physic(a*) s, Chemistry(a) & Biology(a) Unit 1s done last year, and a Geography unit(b).
So left to go is French, Eng Lit, Music all before half-term, and the final units for Bilolggy, geography, Chemistry & Physics after half term.

Put like that, doesnt sound too bad.
Good luck to all

Can I join, my household is going to be full of stress next month. Ds is in year 11 and has maths unit 3, 2x french, additional science, history, r.e , english lang and lit, drama.
My dd1 is year 10 she is doing liniar maths this yr which consists of 2 exams and all her core science so biology, physics and chemistry. She has Autism and is predicted C's in both, they have put her into higher teer exams much to our disaprovement as we know she will easily get the C in foundation but quite easily end up with alot lower grade in higher. School are currently ignoring our concerns.
Then with have dd2 yr6 sitting her sats, including the level 6 papers.
Roll on the middle of june when it is all over

For all of you worried about maths I just want to give you some hope. My DS is was I don't know completely rubbish at maths. As far as he's concerned numbers are just marks on a piece of paper quantity time size means nothing to him. I've spent years threatening bribing cajoling even begging him no improvement. I've got shares in maths tutors some who've just given up. Last September he was predicted an E. Then after Xmas everything changed (I dont know what has happened if I did I'd bottle it and sell it) although at the insistence of the ed.psych he was moved into a higher maths class, at the parent teacher meeting his teacher said he'd get a C in the foundation paper this spring and he's been entered into the higher paper this summer and predicted a B!?
Good luck to all our DC's and especially those who struggle with a particular subject my DS is living proof that it is possible to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

notfluffy I'm with you on the problem of RE. My DC simply cannot comprehend why anyone would hold such 'irrational' beliefs. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of choice over this subject.

The RE papers are before half-term, and when we drew up a revision timetable, this subject is virtually non-existent. It will be touch and go for DD to get the grades she needs in subjects that are important to her (the magic C in English and the B's needed in subjects she was to do at A level). So we decided that the potential of making a C grade in RE needed to be sacrificed for the greater good

She took a BTEC last year & got distinction*........but I'm very worried

Then next year she has 6 GCSE's (assuming 2 Science - but that hasn't been decided yet) and 2 Btecs

So that is 9 GCSE's & 3 Btecs in total.......

Did I mention I was worried?

DD has 8 GCSEs (Eng Lang, Maths, 3x science, Geog, French, RE and just handed in her coursework for ICT Nat Diploma.

Maths, Sciences and Geog should be ok and predicted A-C. She has some good module results banked already in Sciences and Geog as well (Maths is linear).

But the others are a real struggle. She has ASD and really struggles with anything other than literal interpretation of facts. Also, she has a scribe usually but can't have one in French so I'm not sure that anyone will be able to read a word she says anyway.