Y11 2025/26 The Final Stretch

I always say 9s are like unicorns. I discourage kids from setting their hearts on a 9, especially for more subjectively marked subjects like English. A 7 is brilliant, an 8 is fabulous, a 9 depends on a sprinkle of magic on the day.

Oo your comment motivated me to have a look. I found this interesting information - %'s of marks in each subject over a few years. Looks like Sciences and Languages are the 'easiest' to get higher marks. Obviously they're not easy but you know what I mean!

https://www.bstubbs.co.uk/gcse.htm

4 next week. First day with 2 on the same day.
No study leave
English lit, biology then maths and German on the same day. Although think then German is complete

Could you just show a week at a time? And then the completed ones so its not so overwhelming?
Think I used to feel the same. So much to do and feeling like you aren't getting anywhere
Ds has 26 exams so working his way through the alphabet!

I was under the impression that the amount of kids that get 9 is pretty tiny ? I thought 5% was about the norm across all subjects .

Someone else though will probably know more

Ah well done her, I hope it stays - they (the school) should've learnt from last year to be more accurate, fingers crossed for your DD. The process seems unnecessarily harsh, such a long drawn out method. Oh well. I read that only 5.1% of students got a 9 in Art last year. Ouch.

5 next week for DS - 2 on the first day which I think he will find hard . His fav subject is the second one which sucks . I’m expecting the week to be a bumpy ride . I’ve spent a lot of time emotionally regulating him so far … it’s 100% different to the hands off approach with his brother … though I wish I’d found save my exams last year as I would have tried to help with his English lit too

English Lit, Biology, Maths, History and Latin (last 2 on same day) next week.

He’s feeling more relaxed and happier today which is great after a couple of emotional days. Conscious there are likely to be ups and downs though.

Similar to others with 5 next week, Eng Lit, Biology, Maths, German and History.

DD got her marks back for the portfolio bit of art and got an 8 which is she is tentatively happy about. Tentative because lots of people got moderated down in her schools art course last year so she doesn't want to get too excited.

Eng lit and business studies on Monday, then one every day for the rest of the week. It’s the first week of exams (apart from art) for my DC and feels a bit harsh having two on the first day.

Full week next week for DD with exam every day. Then every day Mon to Thurs the week after (with two on the Tuesday). So 13/22 will have been done by half term and just 9 after. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks.

Similar here
Monday English Lit
Tues Biology
Friday History & Latin

Also find out Art mark / grade - so that'll be interesting.. I agree with PP they shouldn't be getting them in midst of other exams.

We have one of two awful weeks next week with 6 exams. English lit, religious studies, biology, geography, maths and history. In theory they also have lessons when not in an exam. There’s no study leave at DS school

We’ve got…(and I say “we” because this is definitely a team effort between dd and I!)

Monday - English lit
Tuesday - RE and biology
Thursday - maths
Friday - history

English lit on Monday then biology Tuesday.

Just a small pencil case and 15cm ruler here too.
Drama apparently went ok, sociology didn’t but at least that’s the right way round for him. Had a bit of a meltdown over the fact he has another 2 on Tuesday today though :(. We have a chart we are ticking them all off on but not sure it was the right move as he can see them all and think it’s overwhelming him a bit.
Nothing on Monday here - what have other people got?

i feel like the end is in sight, ds has ict last week, id forgotten (awful mother i am) I asked if he had remembered clear pencil case, he told me the pen he had in his pocket was fine!

Im also told he definitely has his calculator safe, but I’ve not seen it.. DD was saying how odd it is that you need all this maths equipment for gcse, then at Alevels it’s just a pen and calculator, never need a pair of compasses again!

Everything crossed for a nice paper on Monday.

Also i can see she is really tired. So we are going to a friends for a BBQ tonight as she needs a break.

So do I

Tears today! Lots to overwhelm and confidence doing a nosedive. She’s worried about her spelling - it’s an issue - and up until now not been a worry but seems to have reared its ugly head in her mind at the eleventh hour! I reassured her that last minute panics are all part of the process.

DD got one coursework result - 8. We are blown away as she had been predicted 4s and 5s!

It may be for the best. DD was disappointed with her coursework grades and felt all the pressure was now on the written exams...

We had the same ruler vs. pencil case issue. DD wanted the ridiculously long pencil case to fit the ruler, but I'd bought a transparent but strudy looking one - with lilac edging - and suddenly the aesthetics won over the practicality. The 30 cm ruler will be carried in separately!

I didn’t realise until read another thread that they get all coursework marks before sent to exam board. Except DD hasnt bothered collecting hers. This child drives me insane!

@applecrumblespider DD was also optimistic about drama, she thought the questions were quite gentle. Nice to have another one crossed off the list, she's finished art and drama now, just 8 more to go!

We've got a 15cm ruler too. I can't see the graphs etc being big enough on an exam paper to need 30cm.

DS1 just had a 15 cm ruler last year - no issue

I do buy the folding bigger ones though they do break after a few months normally

DD thought Latin and Drama went very well. So she was chirpy and went out to dancing this evening.

She got a story to translate in Latin that she already knew and an "easy" drama paper. However friends outside school who did different plays for drama thought their exam was a hard one.

I saved the money I earned marking GCSE papers last year, to take my dd to a spa this July after her GCSEs. Feels apt!