Christmas half term - Year 13 (another original thread title!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Carrying on from previous thread

I'm so rubbish with thread titles. Anyway...

This time last year there was lots of chat about tests/exams/mocks at this point. Are there fewer of them, or is everyone more chilled about them?

That's fantastic MrSlant I'm so pleased for your ds.

Lobster that's lovely too It's fab she's so excited!
Half of students don't make their offer on dds first choice course. It's going to be difficult to mentally or physically prepare for right up to August.

DD starts Mocks today, she is not easy to live with in exam sessions!

She applied for Liverpool accommodation at the weekend, it's not processed unless she firms them/ uses and needs them for insurance but has made it very real.

DDs mocks have just had to move to March, because they are so far behind due to staffing issues that they won't get all the work covered in some subjects.

And they wonder why the DC feel anxious

Hardwick, that's rubbish for them :( mostly for the stress it causes.
Dds mocks aren't til April. It seems odd, but they do lots of waymarker exams and they seem to get really good results, so it's one thing I've decided not to stress about.

Mrslant
That’s sums dd up I think

I’ll start on the low...
Dd has had more mocks back and the key issue is waffle
Dd is really struggling she waffles loads and that is affecting her grade because even in her head her point is waffle.
Any tips/tricks I need, please

On a brighter note...
Dd has all 5 offers in 🎉🎉 her final one from Goldsmiths so she is very very happy and head of sixth said he’s proud of her

We just need to work this waffle on

Fantasy I also have a waffler. In his case he has been told in the past he has to write more, and expand any point he is making (this is for English and Music A level) . His waffling technique consists of then writing the same point over and over again, filling more pages but with not much more "information". I tried to explain it to him in the following way, imagine someone reviews your favourite film and just writes x happens y happens and did I tell you it is a really good film x happens y happens, yes it is definitely a good film, and okay it has a lot of black humour/romantic interludes/jazzy bits (insert as appropriate) and that is why it is a very good film.... Bad answer eh?? Would you be satisfied with that review/analysis? Would you care what the person wrote and what his opinion of that film is, after all you can watch it yourself, you don't need to know what that person has written really...

What does that actually tell you about the quality of the film and how the film is made or how it differs from any other film? What conclusions can you draw from the film maker's craft or what was he trying to "tell" you, what do these facts lead us to conclude, might these facts be viewed in a different way? Why not?

Ds1 nodded when I gave him this spiel. Essentially I think it is nerves, the fear that anything is better than nothing. I keep trying to get ds to do worked examples - small scale analysis of language and techniques to he can revert to this when he panics instead of getting carried away with big waffly themes and ultimately saying nothing.

March Hardwick, that's hardly any time to get to grips with anything that needs to change. You'd think if they had staffing issues they would at least prioritise the A level and GCSE year candidates. I had to book the orthodontist yesterday and was shocked to realise 16 weeks has us into exam season. Where have the years gone?

Thank you for all the nice comments about SlantJunior, he deserves to do well but has always struggled academically even though he's bright. I have just been out an bought him a fabulous 18th birthday present that was way more expensive than I can afford and I don't care!

OYBBK the percentage of children who actually get into Oxford/Cambridge must be tiny if 50% fail having got this far. I don't think I could cope with the stress.

Ds also has mocks in March and his real exams start 6 weeks after that - (IB student) seems a bit late to me...
We have the exam timetable and it will all be over on 17th May - 4 months to go!

I can't believe how soon the IB is over.

MrSlant, fortunately most oxbridge students don't have the torture that is STEP 2 and 3. The birthday present sounds exciting :)

nettle
Sometimes that is the case it’s less likely now but she did 5 pages for history and got 15/25 and for 5 pages you wouldn’t expect that.
Her teacher said the waffle is what brings the grade down

Kitten - yes, scary how quickly the time goes. He will have his results first week of July.

I have managed to put the wind up DD.

I am seriously stressing about all the work she has to do. She has course work for English and History plus her EPQ plus ongoing syllabus work and mock revision. I queried why they were not encouraged to complete their coursework last year but she said no one had suggested that. And now I have upset her and worried her so THANKS FOR THAT MUM.

Sigh.

Also, do I have the only child who was actually considering putting her lower offer as her first choice and her highest offer as her second choice. And then act suprised that if she achieved the higher grades she could not decide to go to her second choice as her first choice would have confirmed her place?

I give up.

They are impossible aren't they Ursula. I swear nature designed teenage so we wouldn't be so sad when they left!

Well, we have an unconditional offer. I am gobsmacked, whatever the deputy head put in his reference must have been dynamite. After we'd stopped dancing round the kitchen I had to point out that now he'd had such good predictions he still had to work hard and pass exams.

I can't believe it!

Oh and you realise you had children earlier than your peers when you tell one friend about the unconditional offer (telling everyone I see including the postman ) and they say "Oh, so will he choose what course he wants to do now"!

Oh that's great news MrSlant.

I noticed on fb this morning that an associate of DDs had received an unconditional from Chester where she had previously received a conditional. I doubt any of DDs will become unconditional.

Well we aren't really shooting as high as some of the rest of you! His extra-curriculars (I've forgotten the posh word for them, when they count towards your application) and his actual job are probably as relevant as his coursework if not more so.

Kitten and Lobster, DS just recovered from the fever and flu what started last week, and now picking up his excitement on getting his first choice offer! He is connecting with his future classmates on FB groups and just happily told me that the ratio of boy:girl is quite balanced for Materials Science! I’m happy to see him sinking into the joy and excitement that he well deserves!
I’m already in discussion with DH on our family holiday plan in Europe and then UK before DS embarks on his remarkable university life!

Coursework is one thing we don't have to worry about. Although it is not very good, at least it is OVER. School insists they give it in before first week in Dec.

Ursula I can understand that, it is not her fault her second choice has offered higher grades than her first Presumably she is now going to put her first choice as her only choice? I'm terrified ds is going to accept a second choice offer that he doesn't actually want to go to, just because he thinks the grades are do-able. They get so caught up in the idea of the offers and grades, it is almost like a card game. They forget it is an actual university place.

Ds is with his music tutor now. I can hear beautiful Bach.

She can't make her bloody mind up where she wants to go.

MrSlant That is excellent news about the unconditional offer. My guess is that it is his super curricular activities that show his engagement and enthusiasm for the subject (or it may have been a cracking reference)

Oh does it make the back of your neck prickle Nettle? I love hearing my children play but none are as skilled as yours, it must be amazing. DS3 was playing The Bird Catchers song on the flute last night and it was so lovely but he had a strop because it sounded great until one bar which he had decided was a rubbish tune. Told him to make his case with Mozart

Well done MrSlants Ds. We are still waiting to hear from any of ds1 applications. He's keeping himself occupied to take his mind off it. Last week he took a very old computer apart and rebuilt it with components he has been given and taken from broken items. It works very well.

Well done MrSlant's ds!!! That's fabulous! I hear you on having had children earlier than your peers as well, my friends from school seem to have toddlers/babies at the minute and here I am with an adult dd. At least my work friends/mum friends are a range of ages ago some of them know what I'm talking about (a lot of my work friends know more than me because they've been sixth form tutors for years).

Dd has her mocks this week, which means I will barely see her as she'll be hidden away in her bedroom "revising" (I think there's some revision going on but there's also some you tube and messaging friends going on as well)

That’s great news mrslant

Dd rang me today and she is so excited that she has all 5 offers in and she actually thought she wouldn’t get one back with her health issues
She’s so excited and her dreams feel like they are turning into reality
Our phone call did end on a negative though one of her friends is extremely sucidial and they took her to get help but dd feels guilty to some extent as she can’t help her friend

Well done MrSlants ds. I’m another younger parent, my peers all have infant school aged children so when I’m with my youngest I fit in but with dd1 I’m 10years younger !