Parents of GCSE 2025

This is the latest thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5344251-year-11-20242025-its-all-downhill-from-here?reply=144618960

Well. I will happily admit that I’m in tears reading this. You could change your DD in your post to my DS and I wouldn’t be changing a word. Thank you for explaining, in words that I’ve been unable to find to describe my DS, what a perfectly special, talented, beautiful, lovely DC your DD is and how her magic goal of 4 x 4’s ( as I’m calling the coveted results my DS is also desperate to get in his quest to escape his horrendous secondary school life, and hopefully start afresh at a college without his bullies and, instead, new friends-he-hadn’t-met-yet 🤞) will mean the absolute world to her.

I don’t know which thread, if any, is now going, my son is ASD/ADHD, will be blessed to get 4 x 4, my worry for him is exponential and I just want him to do his best, not the best.

Thank you for the beautiful post you wrote. You have cheered me beyond belief ( in a very strange, our DC are not alone, neither are we) way. 🙏

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5344251-year-11-20242025-its-all-downhill-from-here?reply=144618960

Hellllllooooooo!! I didn’t know what to do as couldn’t post on the other thread.. so, didn’t know if a continuation was in existence ….. whilst hunting, (to no avail!), I’ve found this thread….but doesn’t look like it’s in use? 🤷‍♀️.. I was just wondering if people have gone somewhere else….. ?

I had been feeling really much more positive in trying to get DS his 4 x 4’s, hearing about others quests and support….

Hope all good with your DS and you today! 😸

Hey how are we all? Mixed bag still here - DS has prepared us that he has probably failed Eng Lit - which is a shame as he felt OK coming out of the exam last week - but he reckons yesterday has brought his grade down significantly. Onwards and upwards for English Lang on Friday.

RE short course today and Physics tomorrow morning.

I had a look at this thread yesterday (i think its a follow on from the other one linked above). I have changed my original view on it as I agree with PP that it has calmed down on the over achievers significantly. I have a few posts on there but am still staying here.

Keep the faith everyone 😉

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5338534-year-11-20242025-half-way-half-baked-half-term?page=1

I have told DS that if he was in that situation and got discombobulated with the theme to just adapt another theme

So he could use responsibility but adapt it to power - he wouldn't get all the marks but might salvage a decent chunk of it.

He has RE short course tmw and hasn't really revised until tonight. He got flummoxed but I told him to just apply common sense to it and not worry if he can't remember exactly what the Islamic/Christian terminology is

Thanks! Bugger it. If it’d been about Responsibility as a theme he’d have been ok I think. But what’s done is done and 2 more subjects done and over with for now.

🤣 if it's An Inspector Calls it was either to talk about Power or the relationship between Sheila and Gerald

DS said it was OK But comp Science was much better

My son has had these subjects today too. He said English Lit was “alright” - tried to extract from him what the Q was but he’s at his Dads tonight so WhatsApp one word answers 😂

Depends on the subject, My DS has two extra for maths as hes doing further maths. Some subjects (like art, drama and music) have one exam and more coursework.

We had longer but less exams now they are shorter but more - designed I think to ensure that you should be able to make at least one exam per GCSE

Wonder why some of them have more than others?

I didn’t think to count them. Looks like he has 28 in total. It’s a lot isn’t it!

DS has 22 but it's over 19 working days out of 24 working days. So he has 2 days with 2 exams

I'm sure I only had one exam for biology (1989) one for maths and one each for English.

Now it's 6 for science, 3 for maths and 4 for English

It's his last double exam day today. As he gets extra time his English Lit is 2h 50m and then comp science at 2h 12m. A heavy day

25 exams is such a lot! DD only has 15 exams - 7 before half term & 8 after (or vice versa). Shes doing a few practical ones so although she wasn’t enjoying all the coursework it’s definitely reduced the exam stress and overwhelm. She’s my third and my other two had zero coursework. She’d agree that it’s made a difference. I think she’d struggle with 25 over 4 weeks! 25 over 20 days is one every day back to back with 2 exams on 5 of those days! 🥴

I'm still here, if that's ok. My ds2 is only 9 exams in to 25. He does not a lot. But seems ok.

@MagicalMystical thank you for that link - i have just shown it to DS and whilst he laughs at me for finding random stuff on IG and FB he was grateful for those tips 😃

My son seems to be doing ok with the actual exams considering he has an avoidant approach to revision (and by that I mean the barest of minimums). It’s a kind of ‘this is too much, I’m just doing nothing’ approach

This is where we are at too - Welcome aboard! We are all in this together.

Incidentally DS did Chemistry Foundation this morning and is finding the Edexcel papers are so much more accessible and easier to navigate than the AQA. He is so far happy with paper 1 Biology and Chemistry. Fingers crossed he gets over the line and achieves a 4 or 5.

I hadn’t seen this thread or the linked thread till now.

That linked one is not for me at all, you lot seem more my level so I’m posting here.

My son seems to be doing ok with the actual exams considering he has an avoidant approach to revision (and by that I mean the barest of minimums). It’s a kind of ‘this is too much, I’m just doing nothing’ approach and quite honestly, if I do anything other than love and kindness he gets stressed and it doesn’t result in any increase in work, and only results in an increase of cortisol so I have to just leave him to his own sweet way. It’s hard, but that’s how it has to be for us here.

So, I’m so relieved for him that whatever he was taught at the time has gone in enough and been remembered enough by him and he’s coming out of the exams feeling as though he’s done enough to do himself justice.

I haven’t heard from him yet to find out how today went but I gather from the other thread that it was a tough one so I hope my son is feeling ok.

I wanted to share this with you all by Hollie McNish because I think it’s great, and potentially useful for the Eng Lit exam later this week. I’ve sent it to my son but I’m not sure he’s watched it.

www.facebook.com/holliepoetry/videos/1914507442647292/?app=fbl

Totally with you here.

I'm staying here too, I get that some kids put even more pressure on themselves to get a 9 but in our house we need DS to get over the line to get four 4s. I am really worried about his English - have you seen the format of the Lit exam tomorrow? It's brutal

I'm on the other thread now (under a different name!) and it's so much more supportive for everyone now that the exams have started. Less people juggling their international rugby career and all their 9s and more just people doing what they can to support the child they have

Lots of people struggling and even those doing well are still worried about getting their grades and doing revision.
It's worth a look.

There's at least 5 of us in that position on that one - mainly with ADHD & other SEN kids. It's not all parents with superstar kids chasing 9s.

Plenty celebrating getting them through the doors and sat at the desk, loads of us despairing about getting any revision done, and lots of us feeling that we no longer care about targets, a 4 will be wonderful.

Understand if you would prefer to avoid, but it's a very mixed group there.

@OhCrumbsWhereNowthank you for the link but this thread is for those who find GCSEs challenging.

The other thread really isn’t good for my mental health which is pretty much shot to pieces at the moment by supporting my ASD/ADHD DD through this awful process.

Totally spot on. I have 2 dc going through this atm, so I know this too.

It’s been a rollercoaster. Exams that ASD/ADHD DD expected to be easy were hard and then maths, which she was dreading, was ok.

It’s chemistry today but she’s not nervous about it as she knows she has ‘no clue and won’t pass it‘. I’m proud of her that she’s going in and having a go. Revision has been non-existent. She has no idea what to do. She just goes into overwhelm. I’ve tried to help where I can but found it better to keep the pressure off. Any pushing just leads to meltdowns and shutdowns. Being supportive and letting her go at her own pace means she’s on an even keel for the exams she stands a chance at.

She needs 4 GCSEs to get onto the college course she wants to do. So the goal is those 4 GCSEs. Anything else is a bonus.

She’s not lazy. She’s not a slacker. She’s bright, funny and an all-round brilliant person. She’s struggled all the way through school and secondary school has been horrific for her. But she’s kept going and the end is in sight. It’s a wicked system that brands any child who isn’t a high-flying academic as a failure. I tell her that these exams don’t define her and she will get where she’s meant to be in life despite of them.

Good luck to everyone today. Especially those who find it so challenging.

Everyone is over here for the exam marathon: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5334092-year-11-20242025-in-the-thick-of-it?page=4&reply=144264430