Y11 2025-26 - Trying not to melt and pushing through the final weeks

This is excellent and will stand him in good stead for a-levels and university, or anything really. My boy feels burnt out. He's so tired and finds it hard to fit any more revision in these last few days. What a slog.

Hoping all kids with exams tomorrow are well rested and recovered after maths today.

Interesting reading the range of grades kids need for ALevel. At DD school it's a 7 for maths and 8 for further maths.
DD was another one to work out she needed on average 73 for each exam to get a 9 currently hit and miss! She is busy revising Geography now after finding a gap in what she was taught again.
After tomorrow she will only have 3!

Can someone answer this? A few hours later there seems to be unoffical mark schemes available. I am old but on Tiktok and keep seeing videos of people saying - only 20 marks needed for a grade 5 or whatever. Who are these people that release them? Surely they cant memorise all the questions and answers from the exams? Or are the papers released and someone really quickly answers them?
Reddit seems to have them all just a few hours after.

DD didn’t enjoy DT today. She said the paper took her longer to complete than normal and she missed a question that she didn’t notice. She said she’s just too tired now.

Che’s taking the evening off to watch a crappy romcom after a bubble bath.

No exams tomorrow so just all day revising Chemistry for Friday.

Then finishing strong with Physics and Further Maths on Monday!!

DS wanted to go swimming tonight, so we just did that 🙂. On one hand, I’d love him to be more studious, but on the other, I’m glad he’s keeping things in proportion and not burning out.

4 still to go for him I think.

DD has 2 left. Chemistry & Physics.

She will sleep for a week after I am sure. And I will let her. She has given her all to these exams they have been a lot more exhausting than I imagined they would be bless her

My DD said exactly the same. Higher maths Edexcell…but hopefully never have the worry about it again

I am barely getting a response about exams now. Just a ‘yeah fine, can I take my iced coffee upstairs I going for a nap’ 😬

There’s a separate thread that has been started in Education about today’s Edexcel paper.

DD also found Edexcel maths hard as did her friends, but doesn't seem upset about it. Think she may be past caring!

Yep Wednesday for us!

Friday chemistry
Monday physics
Tuesday Spanish reading
wednesday Spanish writing

What's the deal with edexcel then, I wonder? Why try and trip up students, if that's the overall effect. I heard that many found the Maths A-level paper really strange and difficult too. Are they trying to reduce the number of 9s achieved overall, as a differentiator?

His last exam is Tuesday afternoon poor thing

Snap. Can't come soon enough.

Son said Edexcel maths higher was challenging but he ‘enjoyed it’ 🤨

Tomorrow he has extended maths and music technology (not a GCSE but some other kind of level 2 qualification). They should both be in the afternoon (I assume it’s an unusual combination that he’s doing both) so he has to start one early and I assume he will be supervised in the gap between them so he doesn’t rush out and tell everyone the questions.

Thread party sounds ace. I’ll bring virtual 🎂. Is Wednesday when we are all done? Last exam Monday here for DS1 but I think there’s a Spanish exam scheduled after that. In Wales anyway.

Sorry to all those whose DC found the maths and textiles v hard.

Yes geography tomorrow plus just chemistry and physics to go - he’s lying on the floor at the top of the stairs apparently it’s comfortable

My son has, then chemistry, hospitality and catering, and physics left.

He’s shattered.

Yes geography here tomorrow as well

Yep! Geography, chemistry and physics to go…

Dd the same exam @Fizbosshoes. she found it hard and hadn’t been taught alot it. I would interested to know that your ds thought.

DS has. Maths is forgotten and now he’s on water. And it’s raining… fieldwork later

DS had design and technology (WJEC) this afternoon. He did product design, DD (4 years ago) did graphics but they do the same written exam.
Im pretty sure theyve cut the length of the exam. It was 2 hrs today, but ik sure I remember it being longer when DD did it and she said they literally need half the amount of time.
DS was less confident about that than maths today, saying there could be something that would catch you out. So I'll get a debrief on that shortly.
3 more to go..... Although chemistry and physics are pretty heavyweight to do last! (Although tbf i cant think of an "easy" last one!)

Anyone DC got Geography tomorrow?

Another one who found the Edexcel Higher a bit WTF. She is a very natural and able mathematician and consistently got 9s but she said the wording of the questions was odd and not something she had come across. She said she worked her way through it all but it was a slog, it’s really thrown her.

She’s just bloody knackered, as all of them are now, she looks pale and I can see she has lost her drive for it all. She’s always been super motivated so it’s unsettling seeing her like this.

Park that paper now and she has a day off tomorrow and then onto Chemistry….roll on 11am Monday.