Starting Year 11-GCSE2021 (title edited by MNHQ)

Typo, meant say one

One set is not good enough for revision. Hope the mocks go well for you all🙏

DS2 had his GCSE mocks in the fortnight starting 9 Nov; they finished last week. He has been, rightfully, chilling since then. They are told to treat as for real with candidate numbers and all the etiquettes of taking the actual exams in 2021. They were told that these mock grades could potentially form CAGs, so they had to be taken seriously. Those who came more than 30 mins late - were disallowed from the exam. That was a stupid decision, as the kids were subject to the vagaries of public transport.
DS1 takes his A Level Mocks in January, and then both will have potentially have a second set of Mocks in Feb and March, respectively.
The hardest thing for GCSEs is to find a suitable bank of practise qns as only the 2018 papers are available online. On set is not good enough for revision. Hope the mocks go well for you all🙏

My DS is having his mocks at the end of January. I don't know how this is all going to work out with Wales already cancelling exams, children in the rest of England and Scotland on and off school with covid and isolating and not everyone having online learning and even if you do it is nowhere near the quality of inclass learning.

[quote Toobuktim]@UncomfortableSilence I understand your rollercoaster of emotions - this tidal pull of will they/won’t they is hard enough for the actual exams, let alone the mocks. When you are mentally prepared to walk out that door and get started, only to have the door closed in your face, it’s so hard. I’m glad they have delayed them for her, but the school should have been prepared for this!
I think our school are having a mix of Teams mocks and delayed sittings for those in isolation. One way or another they will sit them and hopefully all before the Christmas break.[/quote]
Thank you, you've summed the feelings up perfectly

@UncomfortableSilence I understand your rollercoaster of emotions - this tidal pull of will they/won’t they is hard enough for the actual exams, let alone the mocks. When you are mentally prepared to walk out that door and get started, only to have the door closed in your face, it’s so hard. I’m glad they have delayed them for her, but the school should have been prepared for this!
I think our school are having a mix of Teams mocks and delayed sittings for those in isolation. One way or another they will sit them and hopefully all before the Christmas break.

It really does prolong it and the revision.

She wants to get her sixth form applications in soon too so told her to have a good read of the specs tomorrow while I'm at work as she's still a bit undecided.

uncomfortable glad they’ve got something sorted although a bit of a mixed blessing that they’ve postponed them as it just prolongs the agony.

First day of GCSE mocks here - 2 down eleventy million to go (or that’s how it seems) and then a second set of A level mocks first 2 weeks back in January. I seem to remember from when ds did GCSEs that there are more gcse mocks in January too!

I thought you were saying she was 13 years old. Must not skimread!

Oh sorry Kitty I did misread

Yes, definitely more important

Had an email from school, they are writing a new timetable and will do them before they finish for Xmas. She can go back to school next Tuesday as her last contact with the child was last Monday.

Kitty, my friend said her school did it this way too on Google Meet, really can't believe they didn't have a plan in place ready to go

Several pupils in DC's school couldn't take their mocks due to SI. They just took them when they returned to school.

DD halfway through mocks. Today the paper 2 of maths and she was really anxious and need pep talk and texts. Came home with a sort of smile- at least no tears. Hope the rest of the week goes well too. So far no isolation and days off, but still on edge waiting for the call! It is difficult to know what to say/do at times. Looking forward to end of term. Take care and stay strong

I’m guessing though Kitty that the exams your 13yo took weren’t GCSE mocks? Schools are stricter for mocks because they’re supposed to replicate the actual exam conditions. But yes I’m surprised there wasn’t a contingency plan ready to go. Poor planning.

Worked really well.

Uncomfy - you said you were "devastated" for your DD because she couldn't take her mocks - that's an overreaction that isn't healthy for you or your DD.

Great news Asper, long may it continue.

Thanks for the advice Eleanor **

Unfortunately you are so very wrong in your assumptions that I am making things worse for DD, I've raised my girls in a supportive encouraging way that they know that however they do in school they will always be able to achieve. There never has and never will be any pressure to succeed so you can step down.

Rest assured I wasn't sitting here this morning blubbering, however there is nothing wrong with feeling upset that after working so hard she didn't get the chance to sit them.

Oh and yes you did come across as rude making assumptions about what type of mother I am.

[quote Titsywoo]@EleanorRising that is uncalled for. Do you have a year 11 this year? If not maybe take your nasty comments off to another thread. This is a support thread not AIBU.[/quote]
Actually, I don't think it's uncalled for and it's certainly not nasty. This might be a "support thread" but it doesn't need to be an echo chamber! We need to take the pressure off these young people and that starts in the home.

I have a DC in Yr11. They've been off school after testing positive for COVID. Done their mocks and are now off again because a classmate tested positive. It's a challenging time and we as parents need to show them how to face it.

@AsPerMyLastEmail that's great to hear, you must be very proud of her.
After much back and forth we've finally received official confirmation that isolating DD won't return until Wednesday missing her first mock tomorrow. Just glad it's now resolved. Looking on the positive she has longer to revise for what would have been tomorrow's exam as that will now have to be rescheduled.

@EleanorRising that is uncalled for. Do you have a year 11 this year? If not maybe take your nasty comments off to another thread. This is a support thread not AIBU.