Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

Do you think they mark hard on the Mocks Onemoremum? My friend who had children the year above said she thinks they do.

Sympathies from me too Irian. Not easy any of this. Some old woman lives in my mirror, very scary she is.

Mock results are coming in, if you could all pass me some tissues and that would be great. U in Ethics, F in Maths, D in Science and D in Geography. Highest anyone got in Ethics is a D and teacher sent home a list of another year group showing what they got in the mocks and what they got in the real thing. The U's went on to get B's so I am trying not to panic.

Clearly I am going to have to get a Maths tutor. Am in the middle of sorting the Japanese speaking tutor who it turns out lives a fair trek away. I'm asking school if I can take her out for last lesson every other week as she managed to persuade them to let her drop one of her options so it is now a study period for her.

Nothing is ever straight forward.

My sympathies Irian! What's worrying me is this is just the mocks!! Only good thing is that DS1 is now suddenly Mr Studious and staying late every day after school for revision work (at least that what he says he's doing....) so perhaps a good kick up the backside was just what he needed!

Good lord the stress!!

I have aged 10 years in the last week. DD is going through mocks.

2 years ago DS1 was totally unconcerned re GCSEs - I mistook his lack of concern as confidence. It was, in fact, indifference His GCSEs were a disgrace....

DD on the other hand is heading for As (in theory) and her teachers are really hoping for good things. She has worked really hard and last night after 6 solid days of exams she had a meltdown. She couldn't remember any chemistry - swore she has never covered it. All suggestions that they were just mocks were met with renewed sobs and cries of 'they won't let me do A level biology and maths if I don't get an A !!" She has messed up her revision, her GCSEs and her life. I pried the laptop from her knee, the revision books from her hands and gave her a glass of water. This morning she thinks she may have 'exaggered a bit last night'. No shit sherlock!! But it is a tough regime - today is spanish reading, english and chemistry. She has a bad cold as well and is wandering around looking as if someone has punched her in both eyes I had a bit of a weep on her behalf after I went to bed.

Aargh went to 6th form open evening last week and our school want a minimum of an A in maths to take both Maths and Computer Science A-levels. They also 'strongly recommend' you take A-level maths if taking Physics or Chemistry (only Bs required in those), so everything is now hanging off getting an A in maths.

Maths mock results came in last Friday - got a C on last year's non-calculator paper, missed a B by a couple of marks and he apparently does better on the calculator paper (which they didn't do) but - aaarghh!

Only good thing - if you can call it good - is that he didn't do much revision for maths, concentrated on science (no results for those yet). I've got the big stick out and the maths revision books and we're going all out on the maths from now on...... just hope it will be enough!

SugarPlumTree that sounds exciting and scary at the same time.

DD's mocks start tomorrow. She's shopping with a friend today! She is behind on a CA she missed for French.

My DD is off to Japan next summer too ! Not with Scouts but to a language school which seems incredibly scary but I'm trying my best to chill out about it. She has to apply for a bursary from a local charity by end of the month towards it and is off to London to sit the Language Proficiency tesy tomorrow - too much really on top of her mocks but can't help the timing.

Her school let her drop an option she hated this year and take the GCSE as she has weekly Skype lessons. That's great but we need someone to do the speaking exam with her which has been a nightmare to find but I have finally had an email this week from Someone prepared to do it . It's really difficult as I am utterly clueless and don't speak a word of it.

Fundraising all done!! Thank god, got 2 more instalments to pay but we've got the money in the account so don't have to worry now. They don't know when they are going for their hoho yet. It's very exciting but a bit frightening.

auntpetunia - he'll have a ball.
My ds went to Sweden in 2011 and still raves about it now. He'd just turned 15 when he went. Stayed in Copenhagen before the Jamboree then HoHo in Poland afterwards.

Dd's unit have just heard they are doing their hoho first.
How you getting on with fundraising?

Sorry for hijack e eryone - its exciting to find someone else going!

Oh wow backforgood we can stress about that together after the GCSEs are over!! 3 week in Japan at 16 bloody scary.

Anyway it seems he's done enough revision now and is blowing Klingons up!

Glad to hear your DC seem to be coping with their mocks - fingers crossed they all get the results they are hoping for.

Have all your DC finished all their CAs/ISAs yet? DD is very stressed ATM - she has had both biology and French this week and hasn't done as well as she hoped, partly I think because she seems to be paralysed with the stress of worrying about everything she has to do and wasn't really focusing when she should have been preparing

Oooh! How exciting auntpetunia - my dd is off to the WSJ too!

I know Sparkling - have seen a couple of FB photos with the frost all over the tents and the ground, and steam rising from people's breathing! Rather them than me. Madness I tell you!

Have had no problem so far with extra time thanks for askig sugar he didn't surface till 10:30 this morning he's done some science and then sounded like he was on one of his games but when I went in they are all skyping while doing bbc bite size geography!! so I'm not going to nag he does seem to know what he's doing.
He should have been away with scouts this weekend as he's off to Japan in July to the world jamboree but too many of them where revising they cancelled it. Am glad it's bloody freezing here.
Good luck everyone

It's minus temperatures.

dd is camping all weekend!

Oh yes you can't mention Revision. DS1 is at football at the moment and i am assuming this afternoon will be spent revising, but i am not asking him!

Dd's don't start until Monday. Well, she had her 'practical' for her music last week, but the rest haven't started yet. She doesn't seem to be over-doing the revision, but is very touchy if I suggest it .....

It's the last Christmas end of term that they will all be together too Sugar, I don't think they are all going to stay at the school's 6th form.

Plus it's right ballsed up my plans for getting lots done before Christmas.

Hope everyone's DC revision is going well. It's hard to believe it's 'only' the mocks', and this all continues for months after.

That does feel like a very different end of term Sparkling. Bit hard to get your head round.

Glad it is going OK Auntpetunia. I gave up asking about the revision as well.are you finding any difficulties with the extra time ? DD'S Ethics teacher wanted extra time for her but none of the other teachers have mentioned it and Senco not happy.

Half way through ours. Seem to be going ok, he had a bit of a moan today as something was on the science exam that they hadn't covered in class yet.
I've given up asking if he's revised he'll either sink or swim and the results will hopefully focus his mind. My main concern is that he gets all the extra time and support he is entitled to he's dyspraxic and dyslexic so has either a scribe or access to a computer and obviously he has to have them in the mocks to ensure he gets them in the real thing. Think it's geography and English next week so hopefully he'll do some reading this weekend.

Hi Sugar. bit sad here. They all exchanged secret Santa gifts today, as it's the official last day as they now only go in when they have an exam. Lots next week but the week after next he has an exam on the Wednesday for an hour and he's done.

Feels like an odd end to the term when it's Christmas.

How is everyone holding up? Mocks over here and went ok overall, just relieved it is the weekend.

Doting GP's are the business! Paying out for the school bus is not so good - thank God we are in London!