Y11 2023-24 thread 4

We were out for dinner last night and DS actually opened up a bit about exams (the trick I've discovered is to keep feeding him!) He said Biology 2 paper is really difficult - so much content. He is fine with most of it but says homeostasis topic is enormous and they could ask about any of it. Also, far more required practicals than paper 1.

I got him up about an hour ago and he had slept well and has had (what he calls) a good breakfast. I'm taking him into school soon as they are having a 2 hour revision session with the biology department ahead of the exam.

He's my only, so I just have to do this once - thank goodness!

Good luck to all our DC for their exams today!

DS keeps telling me that this is going to be the longest summer holiday of his life after GCSEs. He cannot wait for the rest.

got a little more out of dd about English last night. Looks like she did her best with it and is pleased that she was able to do that. Unfortunately in the past her best is a 4 and she flunked paper 1. but at least she knows she has done her best, and managed an English exam without a blind panic and we can go from there. Would love her to get a 4, so we can be done with it forever!

dd1 did A levels last year and there were so many last year who dropped grades. My cousin is an admissions tutor at a big uni and he siad they had an unprecedented number not make their offer grades.

I am impressed with the numbe rof you who have kids who actually allow you to help with revision /flashcards etc. None of mine have ever allowed that! This year is the closest I have got to actual content, and even then I am only there to 'support' not actually help.

Ouch44 - sounds like he has got the right approach, hope things turn out well for him.

And in response to all those saying that a two year gap is really awful, I’d like to add that a three year gap is also really awful, but it is relentless every year for years! (GCSEs then ‘ucas’ exams (year 12, for predicted grades for ucas application), then A levels, then gcses, then ucas exams (year 12), then A levels again! Aargh!!

our worst year was GCSE and A levels on same year 😩

DS seems OK this morning after yesterday's big upset over English. He's positive about biology and says its his better one of the two.

I just need him to stay positive for maths on Monday, if someone offered passes in maths and English and fails in the rest I'd take it! (He has 2 gcses already from 2 taken last year)

Can't wait for it to be over so he can have a lovely summer.
..

So glad to hear that it all worked out ok in the end for your DS! Yes we’re both really concerned for his Uni place. He needs AAB but predicted higher. Insurance offer is the same but they do take lower grades more likely to go into clearing but it’s a competitive course.
By all accounts this years exam was worse than 2023 which I know had teachers complaining to AQA. And grade barriers are going to be lower- so likely even less than 50% for an A! Teachers on X/Twitter are attempting the paper and confirming it’s horrendous and started off with awful questions.
DS seems ok this morning and started revising for his exam this afternoon! But he’s a laid back child. I’m sure others won’t be able to cope so well.

My eldest did AQA a level physics last year, and yes, they were terrible terrible papers. When the results came out, I was really shocked to see that the grade boundary for an A was pretty much 50 per cent… So someone getting half of it wrong is considered to be an A grade student. I was really angry and disgusted with that, as obviously the papers have been set much too hard, and anyone aiming for a B initially, is likely to not be able to access much of the paper at all - which to my mind is a failure on the part of the exam board. Why would they do that - when surely it is important to encourage more young people to do subjects like physics?? And they seem not to have learned from it, if they are doing it again this year. On a positive note, my eldest dc was hoping to go to a university that never tends to have courses in clearing, and we were really worried about the results. But he is there (just finishing first year), and it turns out that quite a few of their friends fell below the grades offered, but were still given places - so I do wonder if the unis that (on principle) don’t like to go into clearing are more amenable to being a bit flexible if you miss your grades on offer day? So try not to let your dc panic. And good luck to them for the rest of it!

Oh it was very much for SPAG - I don't think she had a clue on the technical content but was a teacher so could help with the flow and how it actually read. DS will go down the science route so neither of us will be of any help!

Last weekend of revision coming up for most !! And Monday final maths ever WOOP

@Lalux dd is currently wavering between history or law. History I can help with , law, not so much.

DD is up and breakfasted. The shower stage takes an age though… I’m not getting involved

@Pharos and @Countrylife2002 I clearly remember DM proof reading DBs PhD thesis.

Biology today then 4 next week finishing with 2 on Friday. First gap days in the middle on Wednesday and Thursday.

And same here. I keep saying to him that if he doesn’t revise for paper 2s it kind of wastes the hard work he did on the paper 1s. His response - just chill mum

It's really hard to stir them up, isn't it?

DD currently in bed, will rouse her after the dog walk.

She's got a warm up session at school at 12:30 for Biology.

DS2's mock A levels start soon after DD finishes....

Same here - The puff went out of DS at half term. He had most of his exams before HT so now is lulled into very slow pace revision and I don't think he is going to do massively well in his science papers. He's cutting massive corners. Self study + too much time = not enough revision! It's mega frustrating.

Completely agree the 2 year age gap between my DC has been great until now. I’m absolutely done in!

DS has AQA Alevel physics. It was an absolutely horrendous paper. There were a lot of complaints put in by teachers last year and this was even worse. Kids panicking in their exams and unable to understand the questions. DC is at a school where they’re predicted A*/As and they all came out saying it was terrible so I feel bad for the kids who find it harder tougher generally or who’ve not had the teaching they’ve had. Reddit was full of kids saying there goes there Uni grade and even kids saying they wanted to kill themselves after that and a lot of crying in the exam hall. Exams shouldn’t be like that!! I know grade boundaries will change but exams shouldn’t be that tough!

DS has another hard exam today and luckily he seems to have been able to get round to revising again. I’ve had a bad nights sleep again worrying about it and really glad DC2 doesn’t want to do physics Alevel!

DD has pretty much given up on revision. She was doing so well before half term.

DD1 is still asleep. I've been watching cartoons with DD2 thinking about how lovely summer mornings are without exams in them

I'm WFH today so I'll wake her up at 9.30ish for some revision and last minute cramming - she doesn't need to be in school until 12.30.

My dd looked at me in horror when I expressed relief that at least when she’s doing Uni exams she wouldn’t be coming to me every evening with flash cards! I have a horrible feeling she will demand to do it over zoom!

Biology today and then the final week for most.
DS has 5 next week. Double on Monday and Friday but a whole day off on Wednesday and Thursday, so OK, I guess.
Then, I only have results day to worry about 🙈

Nearly at the last week. Exam today then four next week. She's going to be exhausted.

Morning all

Eng lang 2 yesterday was 'decent' according to DD, but not sure what that actually means! However she is not taking it for A level, so that is it, no more English exams ever yay!

DD still very tired and negative about the remaining few exams. Biology this afternoon is an important one, so I am expecting stress when she gets up soon, despite her liking paper 1.

I am one of those parents with a huge age gap between DDs, so my eldest went through this years ago. It wasn't anywhere near as stressful as this time, but different personalities dealing with it. Oldest DD turned out really well, went to uni, good job now and she didn't get the highest grades in everything so I know it will all be fine eventually.

Try telling that to a hormonal, highly strung, drama llama DD2 at the moment 😂.

Good luck for all exams today.

DS2 is year 8 but has LDs and severe ASD and will not be doing GCSEs (mostly fixated on trying to teach him to read and type.) So this is IT for us and I have to say I'm quite relieved! (Though obviously would rather DS2 were in a position to be able to do them too, because - well, because lots of stuff!)

Thank god, after this week there's just another 4, though 2 on the last day, Friday. DS did what I'm assured was LOADS of biology revision this evening, and I took him through a topic (mostly genetics, reproduction, chromosomes, DNA - my god, it made me feel so STUPID!) which took about an hour and a half, though we were watching the news for some of it ... anyway, I think he knows his onions. Which is more than I could say for myself. I did GCSE Biology back in 1989 and the amount of content they do now ... it's staggering.

Good luck, everyone, for the last day of the week!

My advice would be to not have a two year gap, a levels and GCSEs at the same time is brutal, especially when they both want you to revise with them. I'm learning lots though 🤣

After this it will be a degree but she will be at uni doing that. Middle is doing apprenticeship and then I have 8 years before anymore GCSEs. It's going to take that long for me to recover.