Year 11 GCSE support thread 5 - finishing off the exams

DD is saying that she still wants to get an A for maths. Hmm.

Simbo, Errol is right, with maths if she understood it earlier in the year it will have come back to her even if she didn't revise.

Judging by Twitter, I think the DCs sat through that exam trying to think of witty Tweets for later rather than doing the maths

DS now struggling to get back into the revision zone. I'm trying to keep him motivated saying this is the second last day he has to come home from an exam and start revision straight away but we are all thoroughly fed up now. I might just have to make some banana later

Fingers crossed :) Thanks for the reassuring words.

My ds has just text me saying-
"It was alright (maths calc).Not as easy as the non calc xxxxxx"

My ds has just text me saying-
"It was alright (maths calc).Not as easy as the non calc xxxxxx"

I was surprised to hear how low the grade boundary for a C on the Edexcel higher paper is - something like 28% ? This was from one of the tutors DD had.

Somewhere I might have seen that an A is 60%? So if those are right on an average year (and that is a big if as might be total rubbish), then a fair amount of leeway to drop marks.

One of DD'S friend's said this morning that they are getting 3 marks for the fire alarm on Thursday. No idea if true.

EdExcel saying not to discuss the questions online for at least a day seems a bit ... erm, hopelessly naive?

doglover - it may be that the B/C grade boundaries would be lower for this paper if it was relatively harder questions - so don't despair.

simbo - maths isn't such a 'revisy' subject as some. As your DD's assessment of the paper seems in line with other people's it sounds like she wasn't just sitting there in a funk.

DD has just come in to say that EdExcel is issuing warnings about not discussing details of the questions online until at least a day after - it's not just igcses which are done in different timezones!!!

My DD said it was ok, better than the last one, but as she didn't revise and is feeling depressed (see higher in thread) I am not sure if she is just saying what she thinks I want to hear now that she has freaked me out. She went straight to her room so I have no more info than that. It is her weakest subject apart from physics. I'll be glad when this is all over. Do you think they know what they out us through? I found myself wandering around Tesco this morning sending her positive mental energy. The trolley was pretty empty when I got to the checkout; as was I. I don't usually do this kind of stuff btw.

Yes, Edexel higher level paper. She (and we!) would be over the moon with a C ........ she's been desperately trying for a B ....... but we know that this isn't realistic after her reactions to the 2 papers. She isn't an emotional girl so to hear her so devastated is heartbreaking.

I think she needs to get a C for sixth form but has never wanted to take maths any further! She excels at English, music and media but has always struggled to apply knowledge in maths :(

Text saying it was better than paper 1. Well that's something.

DD text and said maths was hard.

I text back saying 'you could do some of it though, right?'

And the reply was 'yeah xx'

So there we are.

Torres, my DD did the Edexel maths.

Oh, I'm sorry doglover - was she doing the Edexcel higher? It sounds like there were less 'easy' questions than usual, which will have made it worse for those who struggle. But it's likely that others will have found it similar.

Hard too for her that she's still got so many to go, when a lot of kids can see the end in sight.

doglover that sounds awful, poor girl. Does she need a particular grade in maths or will she be (like my DD was 3 years ago) delighted with a C?

(I kind of cried a bit when DD got a C. With relief.)

Any news on Edexcel maths? DD is asked to text me and never does so I rely on what I read on here.

Was it Edexel Maths doglover?

I was thinking of buying DS a little "Well Done, You've Made it to the End" present for Friday. I'm now thinking we parents deserve a little gift too!!

I think you're right!

DD thought the maths was harder than previous past papers but good - challenging rather than tricksy. She's confident she's done well on it - but then, as her definite A level choices are maths, FM and physics that's just as well!

Just had an emotional text from my dd in floods of tears about maths exam this morning. It's her weakest subject and she's worked so hard for it: she found the paper " .... really, REALLY hard ..... ".

Poor girl. She's still got 11 exams to go and sounds as though she's been hit for six by the 2 maths papers :(

My smoke alarm went off at 2am last night. Leapt out of bed, heart in mouth and careered around the house desperately trying to find the source of the smoke/fire. Eventually decided there was none, so stumbled around in the dark, opening windows in case it was just the heat that had triggered it.

The DCs slept right through the whole thing which is good that it didn't interfere with DS' sleep before his Maths exam, but worrying that they didn't register it at all.

I then spent the next 3 hours lying in bed, fretting about DS' Maths. This is going to be a long week.....

I was thinking of buying DS a little "Well Done, You've Made it to the End" present for Friday. I'm now thinking we parents deserve a little gift too!!

DS did the AQA Maths and he says it was 'ok' but none of them managed the final question. He reckons a couple of questions went 'off spec'. He needs an A in Maths to be able to do A Level.

dd says Maths was OK apart from the last question so I think that's quite encouraging, especially as she didn't find the last (notorious) paper too bad either. So hopefully looking like she's quite good at Maths which will be useful generally and particularly as she needs an A level to go with Biology and Maths might do the trick (along with probably Geography and Art) - and since she doesn't fancy Chemistry or Physics
dd says her friend who found the last one difficult thought this one was easier so hope that's the general feeling?

Cam they resit Maths in November ?

DS said that the way the maths questions were worded on Thursday made it more difficult than today's paper but although he said it went okay overall, he definitely stuffed up on a question or 2. He has a media mock this afternoon (he's spent more hours on that bloody subject than any other).

Yes - Edexel Maths paper today harder than the past papers. Oh flip. She does want to do it at A Level.