Are we ready for a GCSE’s 2019 thread?

Oh gosh, it is worrying. We have just been told DS isn't responding to treatment - which is already toxic enough - but therapy needs to escalate. The plan is for immunotherapy to start in next couple of weeks alongside current meds which will continue through exams. Terribly upsetting for us all and stressful for DS. Anxious about shortage of medicines and what that would mean.

If there's a 'no deal' and freight and lorries are held up at the border, food, petrol and medicine supplies will be running low when exams start. Car manufacturers are planning for up to 6 week shut down from 29th March onwards. We may have other infrastructure problems. As other industries are disseminating their contingency plans, I was wondering if schools and exam boards are doing the same.

Why would it make any difference?

Could I ask, has anyone checked with schools on their plans for exams taking place if the 'no deal' brexit goes through? Or have any teachers been given any information from exam boards about this?

DDs set play is Blood Brothers. I understood the portfolio/log goes hand in hand with the devising.
They did mock devising end Y10 for which DD got 0 for performance because members of group out on other school stuff on day! She got 19/40 for portfolio/log so good start to base proper one. DD stimulus is the statue "the anonymous pedestrian".
They also had mock exam paper which they all did really badly on as they'd not had a clue what to expect or how to manage their time!

Who said Drama was easy?? Ours is actually called "Theatre Studies" which I think better describes the new focus on analysis rather than performance.

Atia

I'm glad it isn't just me. I have just asked DD to break it all down for me too.

Her devised piece is 10% performance, 10% Self Evaluation (a 90 minute exam), 20% Portfolio (Log).

Scripted performance piece is a further 20% which will be picked by their teacher.

Final written exam (90 mins) is 40% of which 30% is for the set play which is "War Horse", and 10% is a self chosen play that you have to have seen live.

Does that all make sense ?? My mind is buzzing.

I just looked, prompted by this thread. In AQA the devised piece is 40% of the GCSE - broken down to 10% performance, 30% devising log! Didn't realise the log was so important when she was writing it

I got so confused by this log thing...... hadn't realised it was part of the devised piece

Correction to above - They did a practice portfolio (log), not the actual.....so only just been told this is done AFTER the devised piece, so they have everything left to do - EEEK.

DD is doing WJEC eduqas - Weird never heard of board!! Anyway, they get 4 stimuli: a quote from a play, a line from a song, a picture, and a quote from a novel. Each group can choose which one they want to do. DD group has chosen the novel by Maya Angelou "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you". Great quote, great for devising. This part of the exam is total 40%.

Dd is doing AQA drama - they did their devised piece at the end of last term. Doing the devising log was hard, but they had interim deadlines for each section which helped break it down.

How's your ds getting on with his log Zoflora?

DD is ocr - doesn't know when portfolio to be handed in, nor when she is doing scripted. Devised is to be performed before October half term.
Did your DC get to choose stimuli? OCR give 10 options each year. DD drama teacher chose which stimuli class using.

Blimey - Your DC's have already done one part of the drama.... can I ask which board?? DD is just starting devised piece with her group, due to be performed in November. They will do their scripted piece in February. Portfolio pretty much done. On top of that DD has a Grade 7 Lamda in Feb and the senior school play in March. Starting to get twitchy.

Thanks 😊 Today is more positive. They now have an "approved of" idea. DD is excited to think about costumes and staging although less excited to write her monologue that forms part of it. But this is good news, and i feel she is more hopeful now.

flatmouse sorry to hear that. If it's any consolation, DD1 had a similar issue when she was doing drama. In the end it kind of worked to her advantage as it possibly helped her grade that she shone out compared to the rest of the group, whereas if she'd been in the group she really wanted, it would have been very hard to stand out. Is there anything she could do where her part is kind of a monologue that she could rehearse on her own? (may be clutching at straws here)

flatmouse sympathy from me too. DD2 did devised piece last year and teacher didn't allow friendship groups to choose each other - but she did end up in a group of 5, 2 members of which did absolutely fuck-all except prat around. DD2 and the others put the whole piece together, choreographed it, did stage lighting, sets, costumes, music, everything.

It did come right on the night and the two useless ones were given a rocket by the group so they at least performed their very minimal bits well, but it was hugely stressful.

DD2 isn't the strongest performer, the written part is absolutely her strong suit.

Ds did his devised piece last year. They worked on it at break and lunchtimes and after school in the drama studio.
He is working on his portfolio now and then in October /November they are going to do their scripted pieces. His teacher told him yesterday that she was upping his target from a 7 to an 8 so he's obviously doing OK.

Funnily enough DD had to decide between photography and drama. We preferred photography. Her then drama teacher piled on the emotional blackmail and she chose drama. Unfortunately that teacher then semi retired and she got a teacher she did not get on with!
Will suggest weekends, although this weekend she has a PE trip. Think it will be before school/form time/break/lunch and then try to agree which revision sessions they'll miss. Unfortunately out of the 4 they are split into different "halves" of the school, so 2 have English revision Monday and 2 on Wednesday. I'm sure for 3 weeks they could attend each other's, ie all go on one day.

DD struggling with drama. Doing the devising drama part. Most put into friendship groups, DD is in the "stragglers" group being friendly but not really friendship group with any others in class. Unfortunately this group don't really know each other, at least one has no mobile phone, another is limited on what apps they use, so the work has to be done in school - no bouncing ideas around in the evening.
However time after school is limited due to different commitments/revision sessions 😥

All suggestions so far on theme have been shot down in flames by teacher, but with no explanation chance to justify.
She came home ranting yesterday and my questions only served to inflame the situation. Let her calm down and then chatted to try to understand. Have sent her link to exemplars with commentary so she can try to ensure that her portfolio is as good as possible to counteract potential poor performance.

Zoflora would dictation software help at all? Or has he ever tried mind-maps to help organise his thoughts? DD1 is severely dyslexic and found mind-maps could be a could start to get thoughts in order.

Hi all :) having a traumatic time chez zoflo and thought it would be cathartic to write it down.

So ds is doing drama and has already done his set piece at the very end of year 10.
The drama syllabus changed so it's now 30% practical and 70% writing. Ds is struggling so badly.

He is a very talented actor and did amazingly well in his roles in the play.
His teacher gave them a devising log which has approx 25 questions on it which is to be submitted for examination. It is all about the play, the roles, the themes etc.
Ds knows what he wants to say and relays it to me very well but is struggling to put it into words on the paper. This is common with AS and communication is not his strong point.

I've been so positive with him and said he obviously did well to get his grade 4 in English literature already but he said that is different. His teacher has already given him
10 days extension. Due end of coming week.

Ds is drawing a blank, he's so frustrated and upset with himself and is saying that he wishes he never chose drama etc. His confidence has taken a huge knock this last week or so.

Im going to call school tomorrow and ask his drama teacher to call me.
Ds says he thinks she is unaware he has AS but knows he is clearly struggling.
Ds hates any sort of "special treatment" but said he does want me to call her as this piece has to be perfect and he is just not
working to his best.
Ds has got right through secondary school with zero intervention, he's never needed it. Until now.

I just can't sit back and do nothing. We're all suffering in the house as the mood is palpable. Whilst I'm being sympathetic, I'm also massively frustrated with him but can't show him that and I feel guilty for being frustrated with him but it's because he's got so little faith in his abilities.

Wow that was long but I needed to get it down. This thread is proving to be a lifeline for us all and I can see myself ageing ten years by next summer

Night ladies, hope all of the teens are doing well.

Soursprout - Isn't it interesting how different schools approach these Eng exams. DD only started covering exam work in Year 10, and has covered, so far, the novel and the poems for Lit and Reading for Lang. They have literally just started Macbeth for Lit and are now covering Writing for Lang. Looking at the mix of schools and pupils and indeed results, I wonder which approach is best. Is it better to spend more time covering the exam curriculum, is doing early exams a good or bad thing. Do the DC's get bored if they start too early, what is the benefit, if any, of early exams, is it wise to leave topics untouched until the last year etc etc Or actually, in the end, does it actually make little difference.