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

"and is consoling himself with the fact that he knows, and his teachers, and I and his sisters, all know how hard he has worked whatever the results"

Amen to that Oratory - same story here

Another Dyslexic DC here who struggles with History (and most of his GCSEs). His teachers have always historically been surprised with his exam results (not reflecting his ability) but this time round he has worked very hard and is consoling himself with the fact that he knows, and his teachers, and I and his sisters, all know how hard he has worked whatever the results - and life will be easier next year if he can just get through the next 8 weeks !!

I agree with PP that it does seem simpler for boys in terms of exam week dramas (been there !). DS has a small group of relatively sensible supportive friends who talk occasionally of revision but mainly memes and gaming stuff.

Thanks Teenmum - good luck to your dd, sounds like she has been putting the work in. That's a happy outcome that the love interest is off and away next week

When does she finish her art Sostenueto? My dd's art is all wrapped up (a relief - although she enjoyed it, because it is so time consuming).

Scooby - My Dd has, on the whole, worked quite hard but she's also had days when she has just chilled out. I don't think she did much revision last night (DD with DF) ...she's out shopping for small presents for teachers tonight and she's out partying tomorrow night BUT I do expect her to get her head down from Saturday 10.30am onwards. I'm actually finding DD finishing on Friday more disruptive at the moment they are downing books in the very last lessons...but they have worked hard over the last few months.

Looks like from mumbled message this morning the date went OK - he brought her a costa and they walked along the embankment..thankfully he finishes for exam leave tomorrow so won't be around next week because he's normally a weekly boarder (one less distraction - just the camera and the guitar that seem to have more appeal that revision)

HMC - Wishing your DD best of luck with the remainder of History exam - I bumped into a girl consoling herself with Pizza in the F & C shop last night ..she hadn't found the History exam that easy.

We stuck with the whole Tassomai package - touch and go whether DD will finish it depends on how diligent she is next week...although I expect that she would have done 100% coverage of the topics - even if all not completed (I think she is at 96% coverage on Biology and 35% coverage on Chem/Physics)..

Cherryburn - 6% of the total mark - thank you for that. I will point that out to dd. Also, I hadn't realised that last year 72% was A equivalent - good to know. Presumably an A started from the low 60's then. I had (wrongly) assumed that a grade 7 (A) would be 70%, a grade 8 (A) would be 80% and a grade 9 (A**) - hmm - who knows?

DD would like to hope that she still has a shot at a grade 7 - and based on what you have told me and think she still might

Yep no point worrying all is not lost. My dgd should have done history as she was a level 8-9 as with geography and the history teacher was gutted. Trouble was dgd was bored and would have preferred studying ancient history which interests her more so she chose art, which she now loathes with a passion and is not really putting much effort in but still getting 6-7.

Aagghh, cross-posted! You clearly didn't need my explanation! Apologies!

Thanks CeeCeeMacFay - yes that does help (not that I want to sound happy that other students had issues too, but you know what I mean)

What a lovely thread this is - I should have come back earlier!

hmcAsWas my DS did that paper yesterday and is dyslexic. He could easily have made a mistake like that so I feel your pain.

You probably know all this, but just in case...
Yesterday's paper was out of 60. The other 2 papers (or course-work) are out of 50 and 40. So the whole igcse is out of 150. If she did drop all 10 marks that's only about 6% overall.

The grade boundaries tend to be quite low, presumably because there is so much content and the papers can be very tricky. Last year I think it was around 72% for an A*.

So although it's a real shame, and she must have felt awful when she realised what she'd done, it's really not the end of the world.

All the best to her for the rest of the exams.

hmcAsWas your right to put it behind you as the last thing you want is for it to effect future exams.......I always try and look for the positive and by making this mistake now hopefully she will be super vigilant in the rest of her exams about reading the question.......it's also why I warned up thread about the student room posting the unofficial mark scheme pupils can look at this and become distraught as there answers aren't the same!!

If it helps hmc my ds said lots of his friends made mistakes on the paper and his best mate who is an A * student messed up a 10 marker too.

That's the way to think hmv!

I avoid asking about revision now as I get a cold stone stare and a flouncing off with mutterings of what do you think I'm doing in my bedroom all this time! ( cos I have x- ray vision as if!)

Yes you are right Sostenueto - both dd and I can be terrible catastrophisers

She will smash Paper 2 !!

Gosh try not to worry hmcthatwas if points are lost it can be made up on the next paper. Think positive!

Thank you mmzz and Bluebelle for being interested – yes I have been trying to make her feel better and say constructive things. She still has paper 2 on sources where she hopes to do better, and she also did very well in her course work (27% of the total grade); she can write excellent essays when she doesn’t have to memorise zillions of random treaty names and dates, German names and terminology but can refer to them in her textbook. I have gone forensically through her answers for the history paper (probably shouldn't have, but it is my subject) and I reckon she will have scored 50-55%. It was marked out of 60 so she lost 10 marks with that question from the get go

It sometimes feels that GCSEs are designed to trip up dyslexic students. She feels particularly cheated because she did know all about the Munich conference and its significance – if only she had made the right connection. It pulls at my heart strings when she tells me that she has worked as hard if not harder than many of her classmates but they will outperform her. Still – that’s life I suppose

No more dwelling on it – looking ahead to the next paper which is English next Wednesday.

How is revision going in your households?

Back. Yes plenty of drama queens in dgds sets. Dgd just trying to shut it all out if she can. Just paid for prom ticket, leavers sweatshirt and yearbook. £100. Expensive leaving school when she's actually going back into 6th form dgd will be home late today as she is doing the background for her exam piece as it will be printed and has to dry before exam. Another holiday Monday ridiculous!

hmcAsWas how many more history papers does she have to do and what are the marks can you try to put the error into perspective my saying it was only 10 marks out of ..... whatever all the marks for all the papers come to?

I wish your DD the best of luck for the rest of her exams.

Hi - I have briefly contributed to earlier threads but you haven't seen much of me to date on these threads

DD did her IGCSE in history yesterday and despite revising long and hard ballsed it up. As a dyslexic she sometimes forgets the names of treaties and specific dates - although she knows all the big themes and lots of detail. She answered a 10 mark question on the Munich conference thinking it referred to the League of Nations Disarmament conference, so she will have got 0/10 for that!

Gutted for her as she does understand the Munich conference and if the Q had said " The Munich conference re Czechoslovakia" it would have triggered recognition and she would have given a detailed and correct answer

DDs favoured sixth form has announced today that they are going to 3 subjects in Y12 and very few subjects will now offer AS. She is going to be soooo upset. She found it hard enough to choose 4.

Best to everyone doing Art and Geography today!!