Y11 2023-24 thread 4

Re English Language v English Literature passes and resit rules.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding

About 1/3rd of the way down, Table 2.

If you pass lit only there is no Government requirement to resit Lang.
However I guess a school or college could require it themselves, plus you don't know what an employer (or university) might require later.

DS did a practice maths paper yesterday and missed out a four mark question. I asked him why and he said he just didn’t see it. It wasn’t on a separate page, it was directly under another question. He couldn’t figure out how he didn’t see it either. It’s one of life’s mysteries I think but thank goodness she has probably done well on the other papers, she must be so frustrated!

@Christ0nABike and @Tebheag good to know I'm not alone with a non language kid.
I'm just glad we're nearly done. I'm blocking results day out of my mind!

Ahhh so frustrating Dd missed the translation in Spanish! Luckily she is a grade 9 student so should so well in the other 3 but howww

Honestly, I am counting the seconds! 😂 only four more exams to do and hopefully we can all breathe again. Until August....

They are not wrong though. I cant wait to get my evenings back. I've revised more for these then I did my own GCSEs 🤣

My DS just accused me about being more excited for these exams to be over than he is!! 😂

Just got back with DS, he said AQA Higher maths was easy and he finished the paper in 45 mins! 😮😮 He said he went back and checked everything again because he was worried he must have missed something. Apparently they all came out saying the same thing. It's a bit worrying though as now I'm assuming grade boundaries will go up and it's already 90% for a 9.

Spanish was OK and, other than a bit of difficult Spanish in the translation, he thinks he 'cooked'.

Just got home and she seems quite positive about maths now "except for the last question". I'm guessing she's been on tiktok and looked up some answers!

Imedia went alright, she was happy enough with what she put. She said after speaking with her friends they all had the same answers for maths so she feels she has done well but is worried she's getting her hopes up for results.

Going to start chemistry and history revision in a bit, anyone else staring to feel mildly hysterical and excited about it almost being over.

My eldest is ill and still has three a levels. 😔

Same feedback (and same mock grade!) from mine. I’m beginning to think he’s telling me they’re all easy so I don’t nag him to revise.

Must say it’s very cathartic to remove revision books from his room: one pile for his younger sibling, one for charity/friends, one for the fire pit this weekend

Thank youmy DS had similar mock result just didn't want it to stress him out too much.

Report back on Latin was eeeeeeasy…

A level choice and a firm favourite so never really in doubt.

Further maths and chemistry tomorrow with a well deserved evening off after that.

Ah shame 😕

@boredwithfoodprob no it's English language they need to have unfortunately.

I suspect we are on final week, so sod it all mode

Aqa Spanish was good. Apparently, it all just popped in to his head, but he got a 3 in his mocks, so I'm slightly 🤔
You may want to wait for someone more reliable

Hi Anyone heard back from their kids about Spanish writing?

I could be wrong but I'm sure I read that if they pass English Lit but not Lang then they don't need to retake the English lang?

My DS finds English hard too but like yours found the literature side easier than the language. I think because it's a bit more black and white and he's fairly good at learning facts/quotes whereas the language requires creativity which he struggles with.

Agree 100% on intermediate and having more practical maths taught. In fact I watched a documentary where the man who created the first maths GCSEs and now is calling for a total rethink!

DS said edexcel foundation maths was OK, he reckons he's done enough for a pass in that paper. (But then slipped in that it probably won't be enough overall for a grade 4 as he did badly on paper 2 - which is news to me!)

He really would have benefited from functional maths and English. Bizarrely he's much better at Eng Lit than Eng Lang - I mean he can read and write very well but wants to be an electrician, so I don't know why he really needs to have an English Language GCSE, there's not much need for flowery language and a fertile imagination for writing stories when you're wiring up a house.

Hopefully I can persuade him to do some chemistry later for tomorrow, but we're on the home stretch with just 2 exams left.

@steppemum yes! Totally agree! I work with teenagers and we offer the FS qualifications- they are brilliant. But we are not a school and only work with students who have EHCPs.

Functional Skills Maths and English would work so well for so many students who struggle with GCSE content and would get them the required grades to enable the next steps.

Totally agree about the maths. Given so much rides on it then they really should look at the way they are tested.

In regards to social groups, my eldest didn't go out. She has a history of social anxiety and preferred to speak with friends whilst playing games online. But since she went to college she has made more friends and does go out with them occasionally. School wasn't her place, college most definitely is. My middle has a few friends that she's had for a while, between them and her boyfriend she is more social.

Totally agree with this!

I agree. These were the grade overlaps I had in my head. DP did the intermediate paper back in the day and went on to do A Level maths getting a B grade, so it wouldn't necessarily stifle opportunity to progress with a subject.