Y11 2025/26 The Final Stretch

Oh @happylittlebirdy thank you – I thought that was all done weeks ago but that was just the first bite. Phew, my student is taking Pearson Edexcel GCSE so all good.

Reminds me of the time DD (old spec) took a weird science GCSE (well all the school did) which was on different days from what felt like all the other students in England! I even rang the school to check haha

It’s Cambridge German today

Is anyone else having very vivid dreams during this period - nightmares really? Every night so far I have had really intense dreams, ranging from a dragon overheating our boiler so the house exploded to DD severely injuring herself on a piece of playground equipment. I was expecting some sleeplessness but this is very much not fun.

My son has messaged to declare Geography was very easy! Let's hope hes right and not being over confident. This was exam number 3 for him and its been very mixed! Just glad today has been better than Biology yesterday!

@clary that's unbelievably helpful thank you!

You’re welcome @Caddycat and I meant to tag @Callmejudith in the last post. Apols also for many typos!

Obvs for Spanish it’s different words, pero for but, different false friends and ways with negative but same principles apply.

DD isn't doing French as she took it early but just wanted to say @clary you are amazing. Thank you so much for your help. I will revisit this post when DD does her spanish exams.

@judith I have many tips 
Firstly past papers are great but be aware that there is literally one sample paper on the website with the new spec. Legacy papers are available and IMHO are more than valid as a revision aid but DC should be aware that the content will be different in the following ways:

• Listening now includes a dictation task
• Neither reading nor listening includes any questions and answer sin target language (French in your DC’s case)
• Reading now includes “which word is the meaning of XXX” from the text (usually a word not on the spec of fairly unusual word so context can be key

• Watch out for alternative words to the ones you know – for example le boulot/le travail for work; the exam will often feature the less-well-known word
• Watch out for false friends – four means oven not four; travailler is to work not to travel; professeur is teacher not professor; car is coach (or because!) not car
• For listening – use the five mins prep time, maybe note down some things to listen out for (it’s OK to write on the paper
• Again for listening use the tone of voice to help eg is it positive or negative?
• Again for listening use the repetition of the text to double check you are correct
• Exam technique in general – many of the answers are multiple choice so don’t leave any blanks – maybe eliminate one you are sure it is not then pick the most likely – you may be correct
• Watch out for negatives esp ne…que which actually means only (so not really a negative) – as in je ne mange que les fraises – I only eat strawberries, not I don’t eat them
• Often esp in listening many of the things in the answers will be mentioned in the audio so be careful to pick the right one “oh he said football so it must be that” but did he say he didn’t like football?
• Listen out for “mais” to indicate a change of viewpoint
• Don’t worry too much about text you cannot understand in L or R if not needed as part of the answer
• For the translation on the R paper, make sure you include all the words as missing any out may lose marks on that section; also make sure your translation makes sense
• Again on the translation – if there is a word you don’t know, don’t guess what it means and then make something up around that – go the other way round, work out what the rest of the sentence means and then see what word would fit for the one you don’t know (does that make sense?)

Wowo essay! sorry

@FlyingPandas which board is that for German reading today? AQA was last week and Edexcel is tomorrow? making me really panic now :)

@Tebheag you picked my curiosity as DD has done every single past paper so I went and found the 2018 to see what she had scored. 53/100, so a 7! Surely you know they got things pretty wrong when a 7 (an A in old money) allows you to get half of the questions wrong!

Apparently there were quite a few kids in tears at DS's school after sitting the biology paper yesterday. Definitely sounds like it was a toughie.

Have you shown her the grade boundaries for 2018 paper that was an awful paper. Only about 102 for a G7. Hopefully she will be fine still another paper to go I just hope they ask proper questions in that one.

He’s doing 9. But a number of them have 3 papers, French has 4 (albeit speaking is done now). If we’d listened to the school in year 9 he’s be doing 11, with another language and triple science as the extra two. We also vetoed additional maths. DS was cross with each of those decisions at the time, now he is just grateful. The local sixth form only cares about top eng lang and Maths plus top 6 from other subjects but it does care about grades so it feels like we made right decision. I think if DS had done additional maths his basic maths might have been stronger but we will see how that comes out.

@36and3 same feedback from DD. Hopefully it will be reflected in the marks scheme. She worked so hard to get from a 6 in Mock 1 to an 8 in Mock 2 and it felt a little disappointing that she didn't get to show that. She said not bad, just not amazing. Nothing for her today, normal school morning and maths revision in the afternoon. Maths tomorrow, history friday.

German reading and computer science for DS today. He'll have finished German by now which means that that subject is now officially done! Two out of the way as he's finished English Lit too. Maths tomorrow morning and then nothing till next week which is nice. He hasn't done that much revision for either maths or computer science which worries me slightly but he assures me it's enough. He's a nerd (bless him) and a natural mathematician so he's probably right but even so.

Good luck to everyone else...definitely agree the key is trying to take things one exam at a time, it's so hard when they're prone to anxiety though.

@Callmejudith past papers online. They have audio and everything there

Any tips for revising French listening and reading? He's doing higher AQA

Don’t panic me! I have a session with a student tonight on the German reading (Pearson Edexcel so spread out). The exam is tomorrow tho phew

Really? He must be doing a lot of subjects. Dd is doing 9 GCSE’s and has one whole day off each week and only two days the whole period with two exams.

I really hope they are all showing everything they know.

DS2 has geography today and maths tomorrow . I’ve suggested to him he go to the gym after maths tomorrow .

Im actually amazed with how well he’s kept it together this week - I really didn’t expect him to .. though I may just have jinxed it now 😊

They are already nearly 1/3 through Geography

I'm hoping that DS really focuses today at school and crams in some maths. It's by far his weakest subject so I'm pleased the non-calc paper will be over and done with in the first week.

He doesn't seem too tired (yet) I am just delighted they have half term in the middle of the exams.

Actually did mine in '91. Where did it go!

I’ve suggested to my son he feigns a headache after geography and asks to go home. He can then have an afternoon nap. And do a bit of light maths.

DD is 8 exams in and she is very drained now. Can’t wait for half term.

When she got in yesterday I ran her a bath, gave her an early dinner and sent her to bed. She’s having a lie in this morning too (Fortunately her school has study leave from 1 week after Easter).

No exams today, just a lot of maths past papers on the agenda ready for tomorrow. Then Latin on Friday.

I was a crammer - it works x