GCSE 2018 no. 6: stress, struggles and success (hopefully) *Title Edited by MNHQ*

The Emotional Assistance Rabbit cools off in the garden after a stressful Physics session.

No cash for grades here - we are rewarding effort ( which has been good) with Reading Tickets.

I can’t reward DD for revision as I honestly have no clue how much/little she is doing. Could reward for results but as I have no idea whether she will pass based on minimum or maximum effort don’t feel that is fair either. Plus I have twins that will sit their GCSEs when and if DD sits her A levels, so thinking of expense ahead !!

Brainmelt I think your DS is well prepared but the two shelves sound quite daunting, especially to onlookers! I’m not convinced DS used any of the revision materials I bought him. He seems to do a lot on his laptop or on the bits of paper scattered round his room!

My parents bought me a CD player to take to university after my A levels. I had an unconditional offer, but they didn't try to bribe me to do well. Same applies here. I think the cash already spent on prom related activity and a holiday in Early July are more than enough.

No cash for grades here, either. The good grades are their own reward. I'll buy him a new phone or something, I expect but that's not dependent on him making particular grades.

I can remember some of my friends' parents giving them money for grades, £10 for an A, £5 for a B, £2 for a C was the going rate in 1981!

No cash rewards here either.
It has taken a full hour to put all papers, folders, notes, handouts, guides, textbooks, etc back in order. They take two full shelves in his room. It is madness.
loose thank you, always, for your positive outlook on everything.

Cash for grades: DS1 made it clear he wanted minimum £200 for an A and that would probably THE ONLY A he'd work for. Couldn't be arsed to aim for lots of them (clever enough, just lazy).

DD would bankrupt me.

DS2... would probably see the fin. incentive as too much stress.

No cash for grades here either!

No grade incentive here although DD's DF offered to buy her an Applemac for 6th form which I am contributing to and DD is also going on a school trip to Japan with school in 2019. I'm going to treat her to a photography course and maybe a trip to the theatre too - just for working hard.

We don't offer cash for grades - DS1 would barely get anything and DS2 would get hundreds of pounds.

When DS2 did his GCSEs we paid for half a laptop, contributed towards a school trip to Mexico and bought him a suit & smart shoes for prom / sixth form (he normally buys his own clothes from his allowance).

For DS2 we've bought him a suit, paid for him to attend an overseas orchestra tour and Physics summer school and paid for the Chromebook he'll need for sixth form.

RS (pah!) here today, then a Biology paper afterwards. Tomorrow will be Eng Lang all day ready for the exams on Wednesday and Friday (eek)

I can see why people might offer grade based incentives. This approach wouldn't be fair on dd - she works very hard but I would be astounded if she gets any 8's (apart from Art). I shall be giving her money at the end of exams - but it will be for putting in so much effort and not grade dependent, and its because I think she deserves to enjoy her summer and be spoilt a little

For her brother however I can imagine a money based grade dependent incentive scheme could work. He's able but lazy - currently in Y9 so we hope he might change....but more money for a higher grade might encourage him to focus

I've heard of lots of people offering rewards for grades but we didn't do it with DD and won't with DS. We do reward for effort though so we've bought DS his ticket for Reading Festival. Slightly less healthy than a trip to climb a mountain!

sandy We aren't either, however DS1's best friend will get the following:
9 = £60
8 = £50
7 = £40
6 = £30
5 = £20
4 = £10
For every GCSE The boy is predicted 9 grade 8's.

DS is doing a day of Biology today. Going over content and then papers. Will also look through all of his flashcards for various subjects.

Ljikk DS1 has already had history and geography (paper 1) and has English Language this week (all CIE).

Has anyone heard of financial incentives being offered for grades? We're must definitely not but DS1 told me ones his friends had been offered £50 for a 9.

We're in the camp if rewarding effort so DS1 will get a trip with DH to climb a mountain over a long weekend in July.

DD has already sat IT exam, some of her classmates are going into school on a couple of Saturdays to sit as a buffer in case of any weak results. DD obviously can’t do this as she has already sat it as one of core exams so keeping everything crossed that she will achieve enough in her other exams.

She is very independent which I keep telling myself is a positive for the future but I feel in the dark about her GCSEs and strictly no questions are allowed.

She has a French speaking exam next week, finishes school at lunchtime on Friday and then that is it full on exams

We have biology and chemistry paper 1s and both PE papers next week.

lljkk - I think some of the iGCSE Cambridge exams were last week..

Loose - DD will also have completed two subjects by the end of next week too French and Computer Science .

When are the earliest exams, for anyone's DC on thread? Sorry, I tried to read thread, but it's long & didn't see the info. I wish everyone well thru this stressful season, which seems to run 14 May to 21 June for us (not fully weaseled all date info out of DD).

My yr9 DS is doing almost no revision; any excuse will do, why not. I guess it's start of make or break time whether he'll ever find self-motivation and be suited for A-levels or going onto University later.

Teen yes, this time next week it's computer science and RE for us. Good thing is, by the end of next week, both of those will be finished. Maths seems to go on forever!

Brainmelt I think sometimes having something different to focus on can actually help and he will start study leave today afresh and ready to go!
I think DS is motivated by the fact that a couple of good friends are revising hard and he's quite competitive with them. He is also rather typical of boys at his school in that they prefer to go flat out on revision in the last weeks before the exams!

Well I guess for some of us this time next week our DC's will be on route to their first exam...eek!

For anyone whose DC are doing Computer Science, I found this site very good - they have video tutorials for every are of the syllabus. They are also running Webinars (Mini mocks) this week each evening - although cost £10. I may sign DD up to one of them because she is feeling uncomfortable with the topics they did for homework.

craigndave.org/free-ocr-flipped-classroom-videos-for-gcse-computer-science/

DD certainly a little more snappy over the weekend so I guess so nerves are kicking in...

I had so much gibberish coming out of my mouth on Friday morning after DD had done her Spanish but chum hadn't. Sometimes there is a definite advantage in speaking for a living! On Tuesday morning I will have to decide whether to spout Sarah Milligan jokes or Bill Bailey. Speaking of which, he got some Macbeth into his routine. Apparently the poster's soliquoy in Act 2 scene 3 is the first known example of a knock knock joke (so get that in your Eng Lit papers, DC everywhere).