Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

Think I am being a bit stupid and can't find it but her tutor coming Friday and will know. Just emailed the examinations officer to check what it is DD says she has lost, whether she should have something g more like an exam timetable and when study leave starts.

Yes, I am sure the teachers/school hate us too!

SugarPlum, I had some success googling the AQA iGCSE which DH says is the one for DD - put in the name of the board, etc plus mark scheme?

Sorry yours are having such woes, BTM and T&T. Why they have to leave CAs till now I don't know. (DD only has one MFL speaking left AFAIK)

She did the first part of her physics ISA retake today - not stressful because the first attempt was good, just not as good as she thought she could do, and she really cares about physics. She refused to redo the biology ISA because the teacher is the one who really winds her up and was being stressy about it even at parents' evening, essentially saying DD shouldn't do it because it would be a lot of work (TBH not sure it is) - but then last week in class was apparently badgering DD to do it after all. Grr... if the teacher had just been calm and supportive in the first place (like the physics teacher) DD would have done it. It's a shame, because I think it will cost her a grade overall.

Sorry BTM, didn't see your post, really sorry to hear that All those extra bits are a lt to cope with.

Tween I have ceased to care what teachers think of me and I am sure you are doing the right thing. Good the other teacher is helping.

Tilly xpost with you. Sorry your DD is fighting English too. DD also has 2 speaking MFL CAs left - talk about leaving everything until the last minute!

Excellent result Erroll that will hopefully give her a good confidence boost. The bullshit comment has made me

Something that is kind of like amexam timetable has appeared but no sign of English Language - anyone got details of the Cambridge IGCSE ? I did try and Google but not effectively.

Beginnings of a revision plan encouraging HSM.

Not too bad here except English.
Every English lesson DD gets stressed by teacher who thinks she doesn't listen and isn't trying. It's not that, it's that teacher doesn't 'get' how dyspraxia is affecting her .... (teacher also thinks I'm an interfering pain pushy Mum, whereas I think I'm helping DD to actually have some chance of passing the exam).
otoh By virtue of going to revision sessions by other teachers, she is finally making some progress (I think)

Poor DD has gone into a decline - got 2 MFL Speaking CA's to do, a Biology ISA to retake and now the English "teacher" has said that she does need to do an English CA as they do count for 10% of the marks

SugarPlum, glad to hear your DD has had a shift in attitude the right way! And a revision timetable on your DD's wall HSM!

I shouldn't laugh at the 'dog poo related meltdown', but having had them myself on occasion I enjoyed your turn of phrase, and sympathise.

DD is on track - all mocks results in, pretty much what she was expecting. Except the last one today which she'd been most dubious about, Eng. Lit - one mark short of A*. She says this means she can officially write bullshit. But apparently it was only the poetry paper which she says is the easier one and that An Inspector Calls is much harder. Anyway, the one Easter revision session she's going to do at school is the English lit/lang day, reckons that's worthwhile as it's technique whereas the others she'd prefer to revise at home.

Spotted an easter holiday timetable on DDs bedroom wall. Suspect there is a revision plan beginning.

How's everyone bearing up ? DD hard at work with her photography at the table. There was a dog poo related melt down earlier. I'd like to say it was her but it was me too All sorted now though. A definite shift in attitude which is brilliant.

Going back to fairenuffs question about why they don't have the exams right at the end of term - they've got to be marked and moderated, that must take quite a while and the results need to be published a bit before the start of the new term so that students who don't make the grades needed for what they'd planned can sort something else out. I don't really think they could be much later than they are.

Lyn
My understanding is that you can be entered for any combination of higher and foundation papers (this is what I have been told for MFL and science at least).
Changes to entries can be made quite late, so should not be too late to change.

At least you had an English Lit mock! I don't think DD has even practiced any English Lit questions at all . It's only in the last couple of weeks they've been trying the English Lang questions and she is massively struggling with those.

Just having a bit of a panic (again!) after looking closely at his exam time table.

DS did really badly in his English Lit mock (Unclassified) but got an A for his course work. He has now been entered for the Foundation exam for English Lit and English. He says it's because he doesn't know how to answer the exam questions. He says if he gets a C on the exam paper, he should end up with a B over all, and seems happy with that.

Does this sound right? Do you have to do Foundation in both or could he have done Higher in English but Foundation in English Lit?

Is it too late to do anything?

She is doing triple, but wishing she had done double (and so am I!)
There is also a lot of drama and moaning about revision

Oh yes, Home Economics was by far my hardest subject (in 1981) and I didn't even have any passion fruit in my practical

That sounds like a pretty good attitude to it BTM. Is she doing triple science ? DD isn't even trying with science and I found myself agreeing that is for the best in the circumstances.

Went to see my Mum today who was telling me how tough she found it when I did O Levels and how she sorted tutors. She must have me muddled with my Brother, I think I was actually pretty well prepared by school overall for the exam. She might be remembering the stress that was Home Economics and the issue of obtaining passion fruit in 1986.

I think DD is both resigned to it and reassured by it - if she is there doing it she must be learning something!

She is worried that they haven't covered all the science yet, despite it being a 3 year course FFS

That is incredibly poor but sadly isn't totally surprising Lynette.

BTM that is very full on, how does she feel about that ?

Definite shift in DD'S attitude and she is buckling down a fair bit more.

Lynette, that's crap - if he's targeted an A, they should be making sure he knows how to do everything for an A.

DD has gone to revision this morning. She also has her Easter revision timetable and will be there all day every day

Lyn I'm not surprised you are cross in that case!

I don't know why they start the exams so early. They could have another six weeks of lessons/revision time and finish exams at the end of the school year, instead of mid-late June.

But Teen...DS is able at maths - top set and he's targeted an A, but he'll only get a B if he hasn't covered everything.

I'm a bit cross with his schools maths department right now.

Lynette They may have made a conscious decision not to teach some of the harder A/A* to the B/C pupils, preferring to consolidate the rest of the syllabus instead. Certainly for my DD some of the harder stuff would take a long time to grasp and then she'd probably still get it wrong, whereas getting solid on some other things may be better use of her time. (Not saying that is the case for your DS though, I haven't checked back the thread to see how bright he is).

DD came out OK today. She missed one lesson for a chat with pastoral care which she said was helpful. It would be nice to give her a w/e off but she has an MFL CA on Monday and another to prepare for, and other stuff that needs to get done too. We'll just have to make sure she takes good relaxing breaks in between. Off to a matinee show on Sat anyway so that will be fun.

I totally agree about teachers getting stressed about results. In one way it's good the teachers care (when I was at school I we were often told "It makes no difference to me if you don't do well) but the stress is definitely being passed on - I have had to tell some teachers that DS doesn't work well under pressure and if hey want the best out of him they need to back off, and if he's been taught something he will retain it.

I've also got DS a last minute math tutor who is brilliant, and has identified what hasn't been covered in school- there's no point in the math teacher at school insisting DS MUST do loads of revision if he hasn't actually be taught everything he needs to know.

I only have 1 A Level, did my degree as a Mature Student and then got offered a salaried position to do a PhD as a Research Assistant (but got pregnant which was the end of the PhD before it started !). My Dad was a Careers Advisor in London and came across many many people who changed paths, started late, failed exams when young etc. I know things are a bit different now but think the same applies. What is different though is the amount of stress the teachers are now under to get results. Good in one way but the stress transfers down to the children.

It is lovely to hear of dancing Headteachers

Hope DD has come out OK T&T

I think as well as planning in some treats for them it is quite important that we factor some in for ourselves to look forward to.

DS came out of school happy today. Have to hand it to his tutors , they are really trying with him.