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

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Just noticed we were running out of thread!

I looked at AQA UMS yesterday and gave up. I have a degree and a further qualification and couldn't get my head round it. I managed to understand it at GCSE but I've slept since then. It was easier to throw £28 at the problem and request copies of the papers .

I took mine in 1977 as well! Our results came out the day Elvis died. I got a B a C and an E and was very happy.

Thanks Cats and everyone.

I think the agreement is that D doesn't mean lack of aptitude then! Which I have tried to say to her since yesterday. I will try and convey the MN feeling without letting her know I've talked about her.

The courses DD wants to do ask for the higher grades but I agree it's ridiculous.

I took my A levels in 1997 and Cs were perfectly acceptable

raspberry Classics graduate here (a long time ago). The language skills needed for classics really aren't the same as for MFL. I think loving the subject is a better indicator of suitability.

I'll come back and chat a bit later, dd has roped me into helping her sort her slight catastrophe of a room out today. But new thread wise....

I think we should keep one running separate to the new university applications one that's going, even though there will be some overlap. I think weve had a really nice inclusive group and I think that's so valuable

. Whatever they want to do next in life we want the best for them and although they all need different grades to get there, the actual value of the grade isn't important. What is important is that they have what they need.

What do you all reckon?

Also, should we keep the new Year 13 thread in Further Education or move it to Secondary or Higher? The pedant in me likes it in Further but we are a bit harder to find in here.

I'll fill the old thread up by saying I may be starting the new one with a name change. I will need someone to talk to as I have no-one in real life to hold my hand next year, I have to spend half an hour explaining to DH what the issues are before I get to the nitty gritty and by then he's inching towards the tv remote or has bailed with "whatever you think best dear". On the other hand DS will be chasing one of only ten places so it has the potential to be really identifying. I think my best bet is to be vague with a name change to make me feel better.

Thank you all for being there for me throughout GCSEs, especially during the period of the maths paper of extreme failure that ended up as an A (the opposite of this week's AS paper of extreme wonder that ended up being a C).

Am glad it's not just me that doesn't understand the info on the AQA website kitten. I have decided to email the college and ask as it looks as if I may not be the only parent who doesn't understand.
Kitten I agree about the general Y13 thread as well as the uni applications one. I had been hoping that AS levels would have made it much clearer whether dd should apply to uni (or not) but it hasn't really because the subject she is most interested in is the linear one that hasn't been examined this year. What I want to happen is the pathway that would work best for my dd rather than jumping onto a uni bandwagon just because everyone else is doing it.

kitten I feel that we are more likely to stick together if we keep the new thread in FE (especially with all the problems with TIO recently). I know several of us invite people from other related threads to our one, so we should be able to capture new people who want our support. I'd really like us to stay together because I feel I can say anything on here and be supported, whereas a lot of other threads have some pretty vicious posters!

I agree about keeping this thread going too. With advance apologies for repeating myself on occasion.

It's been a lovely group.

Anyone with DC doing GCSEs in 2019? Am hoping we can gather a similar support group.

Thanks Nohaudin. That's good to know

I definitely agree, this thread feels very cosy and warm compared to a lot of others. You have all been a wonderful support over the past 3 years and I'm definitely going to need you all this year (I have a useless, clueless, naive and easily distracted DH too Knitting!)
As to which topic we should be in, I think as long as we can all find each other (when tio isn't working ) it doesn't really matter. We can signpost other people to it when needed.
DD is another one cracking on with PS today. Yesterday definitely felt like a checkpoint to get past. I like the stopping halfway up a mountain analogy Kitten, now we've checked the map and that we're headed in the right direction it's time to crack on.

(With plenty of gin in a hip flask for when it gets a bit rocky! )

I would value a continuation of this thread, particularly for those of us whose DCs are not certain they will be applying to university yet.

oh lovely :) I'm glad we are staying together!

Lurkers - you are most welcome to join in. To reiterate, this is a group where we celebrate whatever level of achievement is gained and commiserate and support when things go wonky. No judginess allowed.

Knitting, I compeletely understand. It's good to know that you won't be just vanishing.

I survived helping sort out the Room of Doom. Well, I say survive. I've been left lying on the floor in a puddle of exhaustion looking at the piles of stuff that need to be taken down to the bins, while dd has swanned off to go and do some gaming. How did that happen?

I refuse to help dd with her Room of Doom. Of course this is exactly what she wants, and she happily lives in squalor, but I just shut the door to it and occasionally remind her that some sort of basic hygiene should be applied to her room.

Dd has been and bought more files and file dividers in order to be organised for school starting back. Still no start on her personal statement.

I'm such a sap!

It started because it seemed impossible to fit more folders into her room. We went shopping, I had an idea how she could fit them in with a bit of reorganising. Next thing we knew we were emptying every drawer......

This thread is a little more realistic than some I have seen on MN where everyone's DCs only seem to get As and As and only go to Oxbridge.*

Its the MN outlier :)

Well done to all the DCs for getting through this latest set of exams.

DS2 very down yesterday with his AS results. However raw marks have shown he was marginally off the grade boundary in two of the three, and the third may well look at a remark as completely out of kilter with his performance through the year and how he felt the exams had gone.

All of his subjects are linear, so 24 hrs later it is starting to sink that they don't effect his overall A level grades, he can build on these and learn from where he slipped up, further develop exam technique, and if truth to be, despite having struggled a bit with illness during Y12, get a bit more organised (and focused) for Y13.

We've been into college today, DS asked for a copy of his papers and I paid for it. The deadline here is next Thursday so if people are thinking about this then don't think for too long. You can then take it further if there looks to be something amiss with marking/addition/whatever.

Hi, I've been lurking. My DS is going into Y13... Unfortunately for him me I am also his Head of Sixth form It could be an interesting year for us, so I think it is time for me to de-lurk and say hello.

DH is another that leaves the detail to me Icouldbe.

I have bought DD some storage boxes, but I'm not allowed to help. It's very comforting to know she is not the only one.

DD has her files and spent a fair amount of time sorting out her files and notes from last year and getting organised.

She tells me that EPQs are starting next term, which is news to me as her school wasn't doing them,bad they were mostly down the 4AS and drop one route still.

Welcome LadyMacnet and massive good luck to you for this year. That sounds ermmmm challenging!

boys, I think it's really common for them to have a trickier year in year 12 and pull it together in Year 13. It's that transition where they are learning how to really do it themselves, whilst all sorts of other things seem really interesting and much more distracting.

:) I certainly hope so kitten I had it much easier first time round with DS1 and I think am only now starting to really appreciate that. To be fair to DS1 though he is being very supportive of his brother.

LadyMac that sounds a bit awkward. My head of sixth form has a son who is just finished y13, it was fine, but mostly because his son is almost a model pupil (he was a head prefect, and has just gained a place at a very prestigious university).

Boys, it is perfectly possible to improve grades from y12 to y13, but he will need to seriously up his game. Y13 is generally harder than y12, and he needs to know all the y12 stuff as well.

Ds1 has finished his work experience for the week. He has had a fantastic time and learnt so much. I meant to send some biscuits for him to leave for everyone who has been so helpful but forgot. He took himself to the supermarket without prompting and bought some himself!
I think it's a sign he is growing up. He is still considering his options re subjects next year but wants to work through his options by himself. Some good advice I was given is to let him, so I'm leaving him to it. I'm pretty sure he will do the right thing for him.

Yes please to staying together - you guys have kept me sane.

There's a Uni application thread???

bjitches