Year 11 GCSE support thread 4 - more exams

Thanks Sugar.

Every child is different in their approach - DD is very anxious, but does work (though not in a completely swotty way) whereas it's uphill work getting DS to focus in and do anything. But he doesn't worry about it, or at least not outwardly!
I'm sure your DS will be different and will hopefully have learned from seeing what happens with your DD.

DS did History (medicine) today, BTM.

Oh dear BTM, really hope it has gone better than she thinks

Thanks for the reassurance. DS is very different and should in theory get some decent grades when the time comes, unless he has peaked academically. It's DD'S attitude that is driving DH and I nuts, she really isn't trying to revise. Just feel we have given her a lot of support and she isn't doing her bit. I know she gets anxious but feel she is using that as an excuse. Just needed to know it can be different next time round.

Sugar I don't remember DD1 having as many papers as DD2 (same school, 5 years apart). DD1 did art, drama and IT so had more practical/portfolio stuff and I'm sure there was a speaking/listening element to English too. However, I did have a really boisterous 3 year old at the time so I may just have blanked the whole summer from my memory

DD said her History went badly - not sure if she wrote enough or the right things She did Medicine today - did anyone else's DC do that? It's her favourite subject and A'level choice, so I hope she did better than she thinks.

SPT, my second one has worked much more methodically than his elder bro! I'm expecting A levels to be less stressful with him than DS1 as he's a grafter and DS1 is a procrastinator!

Sugar, yes, it is completely different going through it with DS compared to his older sister! DS talks to me, for a start... And they have very different strengths.

Motherstongue I will be back here in 5 years time. DS has science tests this week apparently . Question for those who are on second or third child going through please - it can be very different second time around if your children are very different can't it ?

DD is revising for Japanese tomorrow. To most people it would look like she is watching a Ghibli Studio film but she assures me this will help her tune in for the listening paper. Lampshade cat is next to her with his best pissed off about life face on, they look quite sweet.

Text received from DS. History was exactly as he thought it would be. Churned out 11 half pages finishing with 30 seconds to go! Planning to do history A level so he's quietly confident he's done well enough. Fingers crossed! (Again..)

Greek and Latin tomorrow so hopefully all the revision over 1/2 term will pay off.

DD not happy at starting back this morning, very grumpy and she's way too young for exam stress. Not looking forward to going through it with her in 5 years time!!!

Thanks LineRunner
I think days like these you turn to crossing off how many have been done on the calender!
dd says so many things about WW1 she'll never need to know again
Perhaps not the best attitude to her learning but I'm sure after that exam she can be forgiven!

My DS had History this morning as well (iGCSE, CIE). It was the sources paper, which he said you can't really revise for and he seemed fairly happy with it. History is his best subject though, so I was expecting it to go reasonably well. He's got tomorrow off and then Geography (AQA) on Wednesday afternoon. I think that all of his post half term exams are second papers, a few of them are quite short and he's completely finished his worst subject, so it really feels like we're on the downhill strait.

Impressed with all your DCs Summer plans. My DS has very little organised, and that little has almost all been after considerable nagging from me.

DS says History was fine.

He is now listening to Metallica while playing Tanki revising English Language skills

I went up to see him and he muttered about me nagging him. I told him I had his interests at heart, which he acknowledged. I told him that I don't have a problem with him having some time off, but I have a big problem with that time off being spent gazing at the chuffing lap top. I am encouraging him to cycle to town to pay a cheque in for me.

DD3 said her History went 'surprisingly well', but that she couldn't remember the name of someone important (so referred to him as 'an important person' ). She thought she had waffled enough so I'm not sure what to think but at least she is happy.

DS said it was a gallop to get it all written down in the time, Juggling. I hope your DD does well on the 80% she did. DS reckons the grade boundaries might be relatively low this year because it wasn't one of the easier papers. (He studies these things )

dd not happy with History (OCR) as didn't manage to finish the paper. 15 marks not attempted - she says this means one fifth of the paper - or more positively 80% was answered. Also wrote a lot for those she did answer (hence the running out of time) so hopefully picked up quite a bit on those.
Still, as she well knows, not the best strategy. Poor dd
But at least this is the first one where timing has been a serious concern. That's something

And as I said to dd at least it's done now!

Well OCR history was deemed 'fine', only one complaint that most of the Germany sources were extracts and not pictures or cartoons. DS now consuming second slice of chocolate cake and playing on the PS4 while I heave a sigh of relief and try to concentrate on work!

History was fine apparently. The last question was along the lines of explain how a source passage showed how the women's movement changed in one period and another. One twin who I am sure got it right took that to mean you explain how it changed - the changes which were in the passage. The other took it to mean because of the word explain they wanted to know why the changes happened, which was not in the passage at all so I don't supposed he did very well on that last one.

DS home after Edexcel History. Said it went well, so fingers x'd as it is one of his A level choices!

He is absolutely hyper though and being a complete pita to his brother who is meant to be revising Maths. Think it might have something to do with the crappy sugar filled cereals that DH bought yesterday.

Another one with history this morning, probably in the park with her mates by now. She did a lot of revision yesterday and was feeling quite confident.

I told her about this thread. When she tells me how the exam went, I expect her to ask me what mn thought of it

Another 2 weeks of exams and another one who's got history at the moment (finishes about now.) DD wants to do it at A-level and has done no revision over 1/2 term, despite my 'gentle reminders' (rather than 'full on nagging') to do some. History is one of her best subjects and she said she'd do some revision on the bus but inside this morning as she left, I was going 'AAAAAAAAAH!' while trying to be outwardly calm!

Glad to be starting again, though DD hasn't got one until tomorrow. We are on a countdown till the end which can't come soon enough.

That is sad tbtc - I am struggling with a ds who appears to be saving up his days calories to binge on a sugarfest. Don't really know to do or say - I hope it is a phase - have talked and talked until point of exhaustion about healthy eating.

DD also has history today, but it doesn't finish for another 45 minutes, so I guess she's doing a different board. The week off was welcome but I think she's quite glad to be back into it this week and working on getting exams over with rather than waiting for them to happen.

Just picked up dd who was quite positive about the history paper. Re tomorrow, then dreaded maths on Wednesday.

Hi everyone, this thread has kept me sane over the last 3 weeks of mayhem and stress! Can't believe the exams are starting all over again this week after a relatively relaxing half term week - DS has history today like many others here, he wants to do it for A level so high stakes! I also work from home so will be picking him up later. English lang tomorrow, then maths, music and biology. Roll on Saturday!