Parents of Year 12s - exam time again! (oh no!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Just noticed we were running out of thread!

Are you sure she is capable of AAA? Is this a private school? What did she get in her gcses? Sorry if that sounds abrupt but at dds state school, if they had failed an end of yr 12 exam and got an E in another there is no way they'd be predicting 3 As. I just don't want your dd to go through what Dd1 did - she was at private school and they kept saying she'd get 3 As, even though her exam results didnt reflect that at all. She got four offers from good unis, ended up with CDE, which to be honest was what she was getting in her exams. She was gutted and I felt ridiculous for believing them. She took a year off and is now doing nursing and very happy but it was a huge learning curve!! Dd2 is at state school in year 12 and they are much more realistic!!

Her work this year has being all A work and previous exams A standard. It was anticipated that she would do badly as she's missed a lot of school and has barely done revision because of just how ill she has been. Yes private school... gcses A/A*s

If she was failing all year round I would rule out AAA however she has performed at AAA standard all year round...

Fantasy your poor dd has had such a tough few weeks. How is she feeling now? And how is her eye?

Hopefully school will support her in catching up ready to start year 13 in a positive way.

DD has her internal exams next week for her non AS subjects.
Just got to get through a 5 day D of E expedition first, starting tomorrow!
Unfortunately there's not a lot of room in her rucksack for books and revision notes . . .

Welcome mercime
There are several of us on this thread whose children are not A grade students.

DS1's grades are variable, but tend to be around the C-D range. He originally wanted to look at some universities this term, but has changed his mind and now wants to wait until he has the results from his AS and all of his internal exams.

He found out a couple of weeks ago that one of his teachers is leaving at the end if term. She gave him a lot of help and support when he started the course late (in November) and has been instrumental in his progress from E grade work to B/C grade work. I'm sad that she is leaving because I feel it's unlikely that her replacement will be as good.

I'm also concerned about the teaching DS1 has received (or hasn't received) on Russia. He has taught himself most of that course unit, which will end up being 25% of his History A-level. It will be interesting to see what he gets in that paper compared to the paper on Mao's China (which was taught really well).

Welcome mercime

I'm one on here with a DD who isn't an A / A student. She can't cope with exams and knows that she has messed up her only AS exam. Luckily her other 2 subjects are BTEC and she's got Distinction for the first year of both.

Something that's worth having a look at if your dc isn't predicted top grades is contextual offers. Bristol University for example do these. www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/

I would think other universities consider these as well. Ds2 will qualify as his school is currently in the bottom 40%.

It might be worth a look.

Newcastle have a Partners Programme which results in an offer two grades lower than the normal one providing that you meet at least one of the criteria AND sign up for and attend a week's summer school at the end of Y13.

Leeds have an Access to Leeds programme, subject to eligibility it would be an offer two grades lower than the standard.

For anyone looking at these or other schemes please check them individually. I've just put my postcode in and on postcode alone I would qualify for the lower offer at Newcastle but not at Leeds.

That's interesting Icouldbe. Dd would be eligible for the lower offer from Newcastle based on postcode, which is surprising. I don't really expect her to need lower offers, but it's nice to know it's available if it's needed.

I've just had a re read of our end of Year 11 thread and the results thread. I got all anxious again for everyone even though I knew the ending

Oh wow Kitten, I'm not sure I want to re-live it! Too much stress! It feels like yesterday, but also like a lifetime ago at the same time. So much has happened since.

Hes
Eye is swelling up again
thesecond
Is your DS OCR? As dd is and it's the same percentage. Maybe it's the topic? But dd has had two dreadful teachers both didn't know what they were doing the second teacher taught them according to AQA and then gave them the ocr mark scheme for there internal exam so they all gained knowledge marks but no analysis or evaluation marks now their old teacher is back she said she's done this to avoid looking back..apparently she was sacked from her previous job. So why employ a teacher knowing this?

I know Lobster, this year has gone so quickly, but boy have they packed in a lot!

I don't want to think about this Augusts results. argh.

Is your DS OCR?
Edexcel Route E: "Communism in the 20th century"
He loves the subject and is really interested in it, but the teacher who is doing the Russia topic doesn't always turn up. When she does, she teaches by asking the students to prepare presentations on each topic, and then when they're presenting, she interrupts them and goes off on a tangent about stuff that DS1 finds interesting but isn't on the syllabus. So he has experienced a lot of interesting discussion around the subject, but hasn't covered the actual syllabus. It's more the sort of teaching I'd expect at undergraduate level, where the students understand that they are expected to cover the core material independently.

Disclaimer: I only have his word for this. I haven't sat in any of her lessons.

TheSecond DS has a subject teacher who turns up, is engaging, they are all committed and seem to learn a lot. If he had a passing interest in the syllabus he would be an excellent teacher. Large chunks of work were covered in revision sessions in the last two weeks before the exam which is much better than not covering them at all I suppose.

I would prefer last year to be lost to the passage of time. I can remember the woe over maths quite clearly twelve months later. I'm laid back about August as he only has two results and one of them he's good at and the other he's dropping.

Sorry fantasy it sounds as though your dd is well capable of getting AAA then! Just didn't want to not say anything as we had an awful year! chocolate I do wish dd2 had done btecs. She absolutely rocks coursework! Glad to hear your dd did so well in hers. second dd2 had just been allocated a new teacher for history. It's a woman and she really likes her. Last year for Germany she had a male teacher widely regarded as amazing, in fact he was one of the reasons we chose this 6th form. However he was very esoteric and dd found him hard to work with, he didn't seem to 'like' dd much either. We ended up getting her an online tutor for that module.

Thesecond
I've beginning to wonder if it's just the topic that is hard to teach? Thankfully dds old teacher is back.
No thanks for the advice mer she has worked hard all year the grade boundaries and lack of practicing exam technique seems to have hit them hard.

Dd has just been offered some work experience during the summer hols :) She'd forgotten she'd even applied for it as it was so long ago and she'd assumed they didn't have anything for her. It's only a week, and it's physics that she was keen on back when she applied rather than computing which she wants to do now, but it will hopefully be good for her. Now we just need to figure out how she's going to get there on public transport etc, as it's quite a distance away. I suspect I'll be paying for a B&b close by for the week.

Well done to your dd MrsAD :) I hope she enjoys it!

Dd has come home with the first draft of her UCAS statement. It's too long.

Any lurkers of younger children. You don't have to get your dc to cram their life with relevant experience for uni. They only get 4000 characters to write about themselves.

I wish DS would get on with the first draft of his PS. I had to have a little sit down yesterday after I worked out that he had to press the button on it three weeks after he starts back in September. The conservatoire timetable is much earlier because of the need to audition.

Oxbridge timetable is early too. College want final drafts in mid September, which in school weeks time is really soon.

Ds1 has a lot to put in his. He has been writing things down from the work experience he's been doing so that he doesn't forget. Just has to write it and I suspect shrink it.
It's always easier to take words out though.
School have mentioned it recently so it's on the radar now.
It's funny how much will end up being just a line or two but will represent years of sport/hobbies /commitment.

4000 characters! I read that as 4000 words and thought oooh that's a lot.

DD's 6th form is having a year 12 UCAS day on Monday where they will all start the application process, including the dreaded personal statement.
She's planning to do most of it towards the end of the summer holidays though, after she's been to her summer school, and hopefully managed to do some more reading around the subject.
Good to make a start now I suppose, that can be drafted, re drafted and added to over the next couple of months.
It does feel like time is hurtling along at the moment and things are coming around too fast!