Finishing year 13 in 2017

Anyone do Aqa Biology today?
I can't believe some of you are 2/3 through.We've only just done the first one.
I'm not too stressed with Dd but it's taken the weekend and lots of wine to reduce my blood pressure after CE last week.We get the results this week and I'm nervous about that .
Tillymint that sounds very difficult and puts exams into perspective.
Juggling we all voted for different parties here!
Mirabelle thank you for the calming sensible words.

Thanks Mirabelle, I think I will look back and wonder why I spent so much time fretting on DS' behalf. I am sure it is because I didn't do any work for my own A levels and I ended up on a course I didn't want to do at a uni I didn't want to go to (luckily I was able to transfer at the end of Y1). My own DM couldn't have given a fig quite frankly, her entire focus was on making sure she had my dad's dinner on the table at precisely 5.15pm each evening as he walked through the door.

Heavens Horse, can't believe your DS is 2/3 of the way through, my DS has only done 2 exams so far, one 'meh' and one 'ok'. Five more, two this week, three next.

BTM, hope your DS is getting sorted, there is nothing worse for a parent than to see their child suffer I think. Good on your DD for managing her stress.

The election has been fascinating and I am glad that so many of our young people were engaged and went out to vote.

I've found the election quite a nice distraction this week. I think it has probably been good for DD to see me focused on something other than her, with me out and about posting a few reminder cards through letter boxes, and staying up watching the election specials as the results started to come in.

Definitely, Mirabelle!

I actually don't feel all that stressed about it, probably because
a) DS's illness this year has been so all-consuming that anything else pales into insignificance
b) DS had already started on GCSES's before half-term. Both at once seems strangely supportive rather than doubly stressful
c) DD is managing her own stress way better than she did for the GCSES

I will probably eat my words at some point in the next 2 weeks

Good advice from Mirabelle.

We are sort of bearing up; I feel a bit stressed today (not entirely due to exams) but have tried to keep a lid on it.
DS is fine, still doing the work. He is 2/3 of the way through, so the last push now.

I can't wait for 23rd June!

It is really hard for you all and it's really important to try and take a little bit of time for yourselves in amongst it all if you possibly can to give yourselves a bit of headspace. Apologies if I sound a bit lecturing but much easier on the outside looking in.

A clutching at straws emoji would be a handy new one ono!

I need it for DD's Geography which is at least all done now with second paper, on Friday, going a lot better than the first 😊

Ono40 sympathies !
I'm sure he will have done better than he thinks.Am I right in thinking he has a Unconditional offer?
This is such a nerve-wracking time and as parents we feel our children's pain too much.(ds2 is in wales with friends and I forgot to pack his phone charger - phoned me up in tears at 8am with only 3% charge.I currently feel so bad !).
Two days of respite before Dd exams start on Monday .I'm praying there are no curve balls this time.

I got him out for a walk this afternoon to clear his head for Monday which is politics. I am clinging to the previously cited theory of doing better than you think you have [needs clutching at straws emoji]

Thanks for your thoughtful post Mirabelle - I think those are some of the anxieties swirling around at the moment
Though I'm excited for DD for the opportunities ahead it does all add to the pressure.

Sorry to hear about nerves, ono. Can hevtake a rest break at all? I agree thst it doesnt sound like he would lose a lot of marks.
DD was pleased with the History questions, thank god!

Probably only 1 mark surely?

History was OK apparently but nerves got the better of him I think and he says he will have lost marks for not knowing what a non-conformist Christian was for the source question. Oh well....

Good luck to everyone doing History this morning! I am in nervous cleaning mode - bathrooms tick, hoovering tick, beds changed tick, dusting tick. Might have to do some actual work to pass the time. DS was quite nervous when he went off this morning, dread to think how nervous he would be if these exams actually counted for him.

Hang in there all of you. It's the worse time at the moment with nerves well and truly set in and you're having to cope with this in the context of a fair bit of the population very edgy after the attacks and pissed off with the election. It's also hard as unlike GCSE's there's the whole leaving home bit potentially but no certainty until about 5 weeks before they are due to go

Theres so much to worry about Horse!

My biggest worry is what if DS hasn't revised properly?

He has done a lot of work, he is very conscientious but what if he hasn't done it right??

HSM, exams are horrible

Ono, I am praying that DS isn't just writing everything he knows in his GCSES - he has worked so hard to learn it all.

Nerves have well and truly set in here (more for me than DS). He is at the overprepared stage and I know what happens when he gets like this - he writes reams of information but doesn't apply it to actually answering the question. Roll on tomorrow.

HSM, my theory is the worse they think they have done, the better they have actually done. They tend to focus on what they got wrong/forgot/didn't do and they forget about what they actually did well.

Oh HSM, surely that's to do with her feeling anxious? When's her next one?

She reckoned it had gone well - nothing really nasty.

Coincidentally she was talking about rosemary this afternoon - said that the town had sold out after the head of 6th form recommended it. I told her there was plenty in the garden. we then speculated that maybe if you inhaled something distinctive while memorising something, it might aid later recall if you smelled the same odour - y'know, like Proust (shame they're not allowed to eat in exams....)

DD just came out and text to say it was OK and at least that's one done. Phew!
Next one is Friday - History.

How your DD get on Errol?