DS thinks he can teach himself to pass an exam in a week. AIBU to think he is wrong?

[user1494154933]

This is going to sound ridiculous and I wasn't going to post, as you'll probably call me stupid or irresponsible, etc.

My son is now 18. He isn't a 'genius' or anything like that. He did ok at GCSEs but didn't try hard at all. I used to try my best to get him to revise for him exams, he refused to and said it was pointless and exams don't help etc. which is ridiculous because as much as I do agree it's about memory, you clearly do need to know, anyway, he did ok and got accepted into sixth form, he decided not to go and got a part time job but did a part time photography course in the evening (he is still doing that).

I don't really know how it came about but I think I brought it up about how his exams were important and does he agree now he has matured and he was saying how he doesn't agree because exams aren't showing how intelligent you are, etc. and anyone can do them if they learn the exam technique. Last year (around december) he was telling me how he was going to prove it, he booked himself into the Maths AS exams for this summer (last year you can do these ones I believe). He hasn't learnt anything yet and I keep bringing it up (he spent £150 odd pounds for the exams (private candidate) and will sit them at his college he goes to part time) and he is telling me 'to wait and see'. He says when he has a week until the exam he will start learning the technique of it? I could slightly understand if a different subject, but he seems to think for Maths it works the best. I really don't understand his whole thinking behind this, but can't wait to be like WTF when he doesn't pass...

AIBU to think this is just stupid and not possible?

Personally I don't think it makes fools of anyone. I think it's obvious this guy is not the norm, he has a natural ability and his brain works in a way that allows him to learn so much in a short space of time. He is also not doing 3/4 other subjects at the same time. He is very lucky and I do wish him all the best because he has potential if he wishes to use it (wish I had it!) but I don't think that takes anything away from the majority of other people who don't learn how he does and don't have his natural ability for maths. People learn differently. We know this. he is one of the rare, lucky ones. That doesn't mean everyone else should try what he did because they would likely end up failing an exam they could have passed if they have gone the conventional route.

I do wonder though (not just based on this thread, I've wondered it in the past) whether it would be better to have shorter, compacted courses. So instead of studying 4 AS subjects together over a year, study 1 at a time one after each other and do the exams once each topic has been completed.

I think that's probably the benefit of hindsight, OYBBK.

I suspect a lot of kids that get good grades without much effort don't see that til later.

If he gets a B that will be fantastic given the way he's gone about this. It takes a bit more maturity to think 'actually that B should have been an A.'

I don't think I'm having to eat my words, tbh. I said a while back that if he passes I'd be wondering why on earth he only got a B at GCSE and that he should do something other than photography, and that's where we're at!

It's hard to explain. It's not like he has crammed for a week and managed to bodge together enough knowledge to get a good mark. Apart from a couple of subquestions that he left blank and a bit of a mess on the last question, he produced the perfect paper. The sort you'd project in your classroom and say 'why can't the rest of you lay your work out like this?!'.

It's like finding out that Picasso got a B in GCSE Art.

Does the igcse have an intermediate tier?

I don't think so? Wales have reintroduced Intermediate Tier but that's for first sitting this year I think.

I couldn't remember. But if he was entered for that it might explain the B.

I've offered to mark a C2 mock as well, but the third module is FP1 which I don't teach. Anyone who knows FP1 want to step in?

FP1 can be used as an AS module, btw, it gives AS Pure Maths instead of AS maths.

Also a slight reminder. Initially some of everyone's disbelief was based on the plan to just use past papers and mark scheme. But he saw sense and got a text book early on.
Good on him.

He said that you for all the well dones.

noble he's gutted about the last question and said he can't believe he put 25 instead of 15... I haven't seen it, so not sure what that means.

I can't believe the exam is tomorrow!

I don't teach FP1 either, so can't really mark that one. I would if I could though.

Which exam board is he doing?

AQA :)

My dd is doing FP1 with AQA, and is getting As on every mock. I know she's not a teacher, but she is very familiar with the exams and mark schemes, so she would be able to mark it (with me on hand to clarify things as necessary) if we can't come up with a teacher to do it.

Hopefully a teacher who teaches/marks that module will offer, but dd's offer is there if you want/need it.

CIE IGCSE does not have an intermediate tier. I don't know about EdExcel.

The curriculum and exam system just does not suit everyone.

My Dc gets better marks in Further Maths GCSE than Maths GCSE (throughout course and mocks - the final countdown will be revealed in August) and I have no idea why.

Lessons and the curriculum have to some extent made my oldest feel quite disaffected. He has not felt remotely challenged by the science curriculum since Yr 7. By Yr 8 he knew everything in the GCSE curriculum across triple science. It isn't the teachers, it is the curriculum. He is now applying himself to GCSEs because that is in his nature, but he is weary and bored with the effort. If he had a different temperament I think he would have spun off.

Not sure why doing photography is a waste of talent.

I hope this experience and his performance in this mock gives him confidence and motivates him to explore his potential and push himself - in what ever way that might be.

Good for user's son. He's obviously a very clever kid with an unorthodox learning style. What a shame he got so disengaged at GCSE level though.

I'm rooting for him to get an A in the AS level now!

I found GCSE Maths quite difficult, and got 32% in my mock. Then did Additional Maths and got close to 100%. Was the only person in our year to do better in Add Maths! In the real thing I pulled it together to get A* in both, and went on to do A-level Maths and Further Maths, then a degree, a masters and a PhD in maths. I still dislike GCSE Maths - all that fiddling about reflecting shapes, arsing around with similar triangles etc. Give me Further Maths with algebra and calculus any day!

OP, maybe your DS is the same and was just bored at GCSE.

Well done! Hopefully, he's understood C1 - from recollection, I really struggled with C2 until I'd gone over C1 to get it really clear in my head.

Good luck to your ds for his exam tomorrow op !

he can't believe he put 25 instead of 15.

Yep, he'd have got an A otherwise! Tell him to spend any spare time he has tomorrow double-checking his arithmetic

Right, exam all done. He isn't a happy bunny! He says he wasn't keen on the paper. He added up his marks and think he got a C, but depends on the grade boundaries.

noble he wanted me to say that he was really happy about the area under curve question as it was a trapezium??

Student Room people thought it was hard.

Oh dear! Well there are two more papers to go. He can knuckle down and try and bring his grade up with them.

I just did that exam...really hard, I did about 1 million past papers over the weekend and found some of the questions weren't like the past paper ones so were hard to interpret. Ouch.