Gcses 2019 support thread 5

Oh and some of the sellers of these second hand books had buy 2 get one free or buy more than one and get 20% off, so it worked out cheaper to buy in one hit, even if there was a bit of searching around to see which seller had what.

Arewedone I am definitely fretting on and off. the worst is when another email from the dreaded sixth form pops into my inbox (yesterday it was the recommended reading list), and I keep worrying what we will do if he doesn't get in.
I got on ebay and have just bought dozens of books from the reading list second hand. Most of them could be picked up for £2-4 second hand (ones that couldn't didn't get bought!). Ebay can be amazing! Not sure whether he will need all of them (although knowing him, he will come home from overseas and get stuck in). And I figured for that sort of price they were probably not bad books to have around.

Dd was given her password today for some of the Cambridge exam board results due on the 13th Aug. Typed it in to see her name and subjects listed with the empty boxes saying pending award. I didn’t think I was thinking to much about it until I saw those boxes waiting to be filled but my stomach sank, think I’m more concerned than I thought😬

oh trigger, so pleased for your dd!

soursprout - when ds was trying to decide between geography and Chemistry A level, his lovely Chemistry teacher (who I have had a crush on since we met him in year 7, such a nice man) said do things that you enjoy. Unless you need very specific things for something you KNOW you want to do (eg medicine) then you are best studying things you like, as you will be spending a LOT of time with those subjects at A level.

We have just come back from Oxford uni open day ( aspirational /inspirational trip) and it was a relief to see with the exception of specialist courses how the range of A levels can be quite broad for many subjects.

Great news tigger

DD is set on her a-level choices and they're the right ones for her I think. Most of all she enjoys the topics which for her makes a big difference in terms of confidence.

I like to think they'll all tumble into the right combo for them before the end of the first term of 6th form!

She has chosen Chemistry, Maths, Music and History. I am worried that by trying to cast her net too wide, she’s going to miss the mark

For what it's worth the only person from my school to make it to Oxford did Chemistry, Economics and German - she ended up studying law after that very eclectic mix. I think your dd's choices are fine, if similarly eclectic, although if it were me I'd advise sticking to 3, but I know lots of people like to do 4, at least to start off with.

My ds is doing Spanish and history but still isn't sure what to do for his 3rd choice - politics, law and geography are all in the frame. I think geography would be best, think he could get a very high grade in law, and that he might get bored with politics. He's going to see what his GCSE results are like and then decide. Science definitely isn't an option for him. He could do well in Maths GCSE as it was well taught at his school but I don't think he'd want to do A level.

It's all such a worry when it looks like our dc are walking into making a mistake but won't be talked out of it! They have no idea what they put us through
Soursprout we were told if you don't yet know your future plans to make sure you have a science and an essay writing subject so it sounds like your dd is choosing wisely keeping her options open.
trigger brilliant news about your dd. Honesty won out at the end of the day! Phew!
Pointy hope the rheumatology appt gives uou some answers.
Maud glad your son has worked things out. Alk that stress!!!
Dd's induction day went really well amd she came back pretty happy with her A-level choices but she has added in AS law which worries me! We've just had a real struggle keeping up with 11.5 GCSEs and she hasn't learnt to keep things simple. A friend said AS law was more work than her son's other 3 A-levels!!! Oh well, shall keep quiet and hope sense prevails at some point 😂

Chemistry maths and history sound good to me

Triggers - that’s fantastic news, I’m so happy for you

That's great news, Trigger, common sense wins!

DD1 did induction yesterday - it was a bit meh, but at least her friends were there. Rheumatology appointment tomorrow, I hope we get a line on some answers.

Soursprout I can’t offer any advice but feel similarly about ds’s options. He’s chosen Geography, Psychology and Government and Politics- I feel he should change Politics for English (which he’s very good at).

Chemistry and Maths will get your dd into many science degrees- if she had Biology as well it may perhaps be better?

Reading everyone’s updates I’m so glad that everything hopefully is settling down again - I’m sure GCSE’s are actually sponsored by Clarol or Schwarzkopf with all the grey hairs we must be getting!!!!

Sorry Maud cross posted. That is a better outcome.

Congratulations triggers on the school winning the appeal (not that it wasn't common sense, but that often seems to get lost in these things). I am absolutely sure she will take the warning and won't do it again, and you can now face results day feeling a bit easier.
Maud he is probably more likely to change his mind again if you keep quiet and let him do what he wants to do, than argue and have him put up defenses that he will find it embaressingto tear down. Might be worth looking at your local universities (ie the ones he might go to if he were to stay at home) for Politics and History (and any other options he might be able to take with Politics and History A level ) and find out from them if they would take him with the BTEC. If they would, probably not a huge problem. I have very little knowledge of the area, but there are voice grades, and also musical theatre grades out there, that could be done (DS is hoping to take some musical theatre grades next year, we got him a singing tutor out of school, as there was no way of doing it within it, and she is suggesting he try for one of these, as that is where his interests lie, I don't know more than this. The musical theatre grades she is suggesting are apparently new). it is hard to see the BTEC genuinely leading anywhere without the music performance side of things, but I am no expert. And if it doesn't and yet the BTEC can count towards university courses in History or Politics, what has he really lost?

Stand down everyone, after spending the morning there he's decided he loves the first choice college anyway, and he's too late to audition for that music course, so he's just going to stick to his three a-levels and maybe just join a band instead

Honestly, bloody teenagers!

Buffy Oooooh, dislocated....... nasty. Did it pop back easily?? DD used to dislocate her elbows, weird joints, the pop and relief when they went back in was great .

Maud you made me laugh this morning, thank you. But, yes, there is always something, just when you thought you had it all sorted......

Triggers Such good news, was awful when we all though she was going to loose the whole paper for being honest.

Eatthatfrog DD not changing schools. The English dept proactively sent a reading list out, Class Civ she asked for a reading list herself, and History have just said visit some lectures/museums. Nothing for Biology at all.

That’s fantastic news @triggers34
Such a relief!

Maud my dd was quite keen on that course and nearly signed upon the spot for it back in November. She has now changed her mind, thankfully. I can understand your reservations.

So I've had really good news this morning. The schools appeal against loss of 37 % of marks for accidental phone in exam , self reporting has been a success. Suspected malpractice has been downgraded to a warning.

I hadn't actually told dd until now so it's been good to give her bad news good news in one go.

Oh, he's changed his mind several times this year already - we've gone from being obsessed with Spanish and wanting to study it at university to absolutely no interest at all, from English Lit to History to Geography, from Film to Media, now music production/performance...

I had a quick look at that Tonmeister course. It looks fascinating but there's no way that ds will be doing maths or physics at A-level! We will be thrilled with level 5s at GCSE...