Year 11 GCSE support thread 5 - finishing off the exams

DS and I are going to 3 university open days this summer. I know it seems ridiculously early, but it seemed like a good use of the very long summer break this year. (I suppose next summer they will be back to the normal 6 weeks.) Also DS isn't sure what subject he'd like to study so we are going to various different talks at the different establishments in the hope that this will focus the mind.

Is it embarrassing to say I'm quite looking forward to it?

Feedback from the Edexcel Chemistry was that it was "ok". Another detailed analysis from DS!

Sending soothing thoughts to you BTM, I'm currently eating celery and dust 'cause everything else has salt in it and is BAD for high BP!

SugarPlum/Horse, I have high BP - think it started due to the stress of DD's woes from the end of Y9 onwards. I am on tablets and can't see that I will feel less stressed in the foreseeable future in terms of exams!

Poor DS is feeling the strain - he and DD have had a couple of spats over the TV. All I want to do is avoid any big meltdowns...

Hello everyone, I haven't been on for a while but glad we are all on the home straight.

On uni open days, I went to them with my older dd. Most dc had parents with them, I would say, and some entire families were having picnics and a nice day out . They are long days in unfamiliar places, and it is nice to have the company/bag carrier/lunch buyer. My dd and all her friends initially said they'd go with each other and then realised that the subject talks are all at different times, sometimes on different campuses - it just wasn't practical. The unis often put on talks for parents about eg finance, and you get to see the accommodation, have a nice lunch, embarrass your child by asking questions of strangers on trains.....So if you would like to go, I'd go.

My word what a lot has been happening - I am so sorry for you and your DS, Mrs Bennett, and Littleham - gah!

My DS is still reasonably relaxed in general, though not this morning as he was heading off for Greek, when he'd initialled his urgently-needed passport application rather than signed it, and refused to extend his signature, in a flouncy sort of way.

Like everyone else we are feeling the strain and boredom of this extended period. Why do they have so many one hour exams? If they were 1 1/2 or 2, they could be over so much more quickly.

dd seems to have gone into a real 'dip' now.

Doesn't have any exams tomorrow, but has ducked out of her favourite activity of all (that she normally does on a Tuesday and is a real break from exams and school etc and gets her doing some physical exercise) ad has said she might have a shower and go to bed.....it's not even 7.30 yet!

simbo DS started on 11th May I think, and finishes with Further Maths on 19th June.

My impression is that while its ok for parents to attend open days, they should definitely suppress any tendencies to helicopter. Transport, look and listen but stay in the background. But those of you with older kids will know!

Think calm thoughts Horsemad, fingers crossed it goes down once this is all over.

We are doing triple science, too. Funny how different boards seem to have it on different dates.
When I went to uni there were no open days (that we knew of) and as my parents hadn't been they would have been able to contribute nothing, so I went alone to my interviews.
I think we may have to start thinking about it, though.
As far as dc assessment of a paper goes I work on the principle that there are no easy or hard questions - only those you do or don't know that answer to.

SPT I had a health check just before the exams started and was told I was borderline high blood pressure I dread to think what it might be now!

I am frantically trying to be Zen like...

This exam thing is not good for blood pressure. DD came down to announce she can't find her Japanese dictionary for the writing exam on Thursday. Sorted that with Amazon Prime order (I hope).

Still find it hard to believe you can take a dictionary in so said shall we check with Tutor (ex Examiner). DD agrees good idea, email Tutor who says no.

DD meanwhile found link to last year's paper where it does state they are allowed so forward that to Tutor and start drafting email to Exams office.

DD looking very pale muttering she only got a B on recent practice with dictionary.

Tutor comes back, is very sorry, yes you can - had been stopped but now started again.

DD gets blood back in her face and makes soup . Again.

I now just need to lower my blood pressure and normality will resume.

DH is taking DD to a couple of open days, but it's partly because while she's sure she wants to do engineering and probably electronic/electrical, there is a rather bewildering selection, with some of the 'good' unis starting everyone off with 'general engineering' while others offer more specialised courses eg robotics or mechatronics. So it seems like a good idea to go to a couple now to ask questions.

simbo, dds first exam was 5th May, and last one is 19th June, but she's doing triple science. She had a bit of a meltdown last night from stress/ fatigue over something non exam related!
Next Friday can't come soon enough. history tomorrow, then we are lunching with old friends to give her a break.

I know that it is really selfish but I don't know how to book summer hols next yr if we are going to have to be trekking up and down the country looking at educational establishments.
I don't envy anyone who still has 2 more weeks of exams left. Surely they couldn't have started when we did, ie mid May? We just have physics left on Friday.

There is no pressing need to look at universities until summer 2016 simbo - unless your dc particularly wants to do so. It also
a) depends on results and
b) depends on which A Levels they decide on and
c) needs a decision on what they want to study long term.

The UCAS application for this year group needs to be submitted between October and December 2016.

My older two went to open days at the end of the AS year. The only reason to go earlier is to help focus their minds on what they want to do later.

Edexcel chemistry was "pleasant " strange boy my DS! NO exams therefore no school tomorrow then it's RS on Thursday, still 7 here like linerunner 2 more weeks of this sunny am so jealous!

We're going to look at our local uni this summer, only because it's probably the only one in the country we haven't visited (viewed 12!!! with DS1 - not recommended!) DS2 only came to one Open Day with us which was Durham, which weirdly is one of the top unis for the course he was considering but is now having doubts about!

dd came out of Chemistry in one of the happiest post-exam moods I've seen. Possibly helped by waiting in the sun for me for 5 mins - she said it was lovely today and near to her perfect weather
Whether her good mood was tinged with a degree of "I'll never have to do this subject again" I don't know. She generally hates chemistry. She said it went well for her friend who hates chemistry too!
Also any paper she finishes is a good paper for dd and she had a whole 3 mins spare on this one!

Oh no, Errol, you have just punctured my balloon! Still want to know how many Y11s are looking (as in physically going to ) uni this summer. Should we be yet?

simbo - likewise with the 6th form. DD seems sufficiently disconcerted by the fact that the forms will be changed (going from 4 to 6) and that there will be newcomers. OTOH, those who have a move now, esp if it's to a college, may find the transition to university or whatever lies beyond 6th form easier,

DD said the (igcse) chemistry was fine - she reckons she got one question wrong, the colour of copper carbonate (she wrote blue, then thought of anhydrous copper sulfate, crossed it out and wrote white, crossed it out again for blue, crossed it out again for white.) I have to say as someone working in chemistry with 2 degrees it is a pretty much irrelevant piece of information anyway, I don't see any point learning colours without any notion of why they're coloured.

She said she wanted to have a nap all through the exam - glad she's got a couple of days clear now before physics U1 fri PM.

I think we're lucky that there is a very good 6th Form in our dcs' school. It will be different in format and there will be newcomers, but much easier for those already there, much less daunting.