GCSE '18s (19) - New Beginnings?

[whistl]

Following on from the GCSE 2018 threads as our DC enter year 12.
This the first thread in our new home in further education

So sorry brainmelt .

Thinking of you all going through tough times.

Brainmelt just saw your post from yesterday and I'm so sorry for your loss. to all the family. Your DS has lovely, supportive friends and it must mean a lot to him.

Sorry to hear about your FIL Brainmelt

So sorry to hear your news Brainmelt xx

I am so sorry for your loss, Brainmelt. I'm glad that your DS has good friends who are mature enough to support him like that.

We are off to a university open day today. I find them exhausting, but DS2 is really keen, so I will try to feign enthusiasm.

So sorry to hear that brainmelt

Sticker - back when he was self employed he took out a critical illness policy which all being well should I know in with a percentage of his income in December.

He’s also found a private musicians hearing centre place (but it will be expensive).

So sorry to hear that brainmelt.

That's promising Alexander. We all tend to sign up for these things then completely forget about them when they're helpful.

Hi all I'm back! Have had trouble with internet. Hope everyone is fine and settling into 6th forms/colleges etc. DVD has started 6th form on Wednesday and after a day where she was a bit overwhelmed by so many new faces she has bounced back and busy doing 3 lots of homework already!

So sorry braainmelt for your loss

Sostenueto good to hear from you! And glad to hear dgd is settling in. DS has cleared out a load of books he won't read again so he can actually put everything he does want on shelves instead of on the floor.
Still a load of old exercise books lying around but hopefully they'll get sorted today as well.

Hiya loose! Xx
Dgd had her old English teacher running down corridor to congratulate her on her brilliant English results.
Tests already being thrown at the dcs already, no warning, just do this maths,biology,geography test! Psychology already doing initial experiments and its only 2 days in!

Can I ask everyone's thoughts on this?
DS was 3 marks off a 9 in a subject he won't be taking forward. The HoD has emailed suggesting a marking review (parent pays if unsuccessful).
So, my question is what's the point of having a 9 if the subject isn't anything to do with your A levels?
There would have been bragging rights two weeks ago, but GCSEs already seem to be old news, so that's not applicable any more.
Can anyone think of any benefit to having an extra 9, rather than an 8?

How many hours of lessons does she have for 4 subjects Sost ?(Hooray, you found us!) DD decided to concentrate on 3 in the end, as adding another social science would have been a heavy workload and she didn't want to take further maths.

Not really whistl but if it's unlikely to move down and you can afford it, I can't see any harm if the school have suggested it.

Hi sost!

whistl funnily enough DS has just picked up an email saying that the subject he got an A in was 1 mark out of 180 off an A*. We will go for a remark, even though it isn’t an A Level choice.

The main reason is that DS worked really hard for his exams and I think he deserves (as they all do) to get the grade he is entitled to. If that turns out to be an A, that’s fine (and as Oratory says, someone has to be at the very top of each grade boundary). But as I’ve said, I don’t think the marking system is fit for purpose and I want to be as sure as I can be that the paper has been marked correctly. His score on Paper 1 was a good 20 marks lower than any of the past papers he did, and in % terms significantly lower Paper 2 which is the harder paper.

It may turn out that he had a bad day/the paper didn’t suit him, and that’s fine, it’s the nature of exams. But if he really scored enough for an A* then that’s what he should get.

So if I were you I’d go for it!

We did the one mark off from A to A* but stayed the same.
We didn't do the 3 marks off a 9 from an 8 in a science not taking as an A level as only 6 above 7 and we have heard of the 10 mark drop so thought we'd stick at the old A*

Whistl a couple of DD's 8s & 9s were topsy turvy against expectations. A grade 9 doesn't seem to convey any special privileges over a grade 8, so we've ignored the discrepancy. The two grade 8s were actually in her A level subjects, but we're using it as an excuse to motivate her, telling her that she actually needs to prove herself now & do a bit more work. Obviously that doesn't apply to your DS.

As a point of reference, my DBiL received a prize for getting the highest mark in one subject in the country and he is still faffing around in academia and tutoring chinless wonders through their A levels to get into the universities their wealth demands! I don't think it was even a talking point in his interviews for Oxbridge (he has degrees from both.)

Been lurking and only posting on and off. Sorry to hear of your loss Brainmelt.

Dd has now enrolled at such form. She moved from her old school as they couldn't do her two priority subjects in the end as they'd timetables them together. Found out just before the end of the term. Her third option was full initial;y, but they were confident a place may come available but she choose a back up in case. In the end though, she can do all three preferences. Took a bit of sorting but done.

Dd is at a new school. She knows one good friend there but not in same form. She's doing drama, computer science and Spanish. She will also do EPQ.

She's had induction so far for two days. Says she has enjoyed them, and enjoyed meeting some new people. She also got chatting to a girl yesterday who's also doing computer science - think it's just the two girls and rest boys - so that's good. She gets her timetable on Monday and also starts lessons then. She's looking forward to beginning properly, and has spent most of today finishing the 'homework' set over the summer.

And she's loving not having a uniform for the first time!

Hi all and good to have you back Sost ! DS put his physics in which was I mark off a 9 because its an A level subject and may be relevant for post sixth form direction. Probably wouldn't have bothered otherwise. And Cherryburn I definitely agree its worth it if a paper is a much lower mark than expected otherwise you will probably wonder whether a mistake has been made.

Just picked up DS and held him to the coffee trip so I could get a run down of his week though promised I would ease off the questions in a week or two !! (or at least try). But basically he's had a great time so very happy. I feel so fortunate that he has found subjects and an environment he loves so will definitely not moan that I might not get to see him much - also glad that those of you who had hiccups with subjects etc seem to be getting sorted out.

The timetable was correct though which I'm surprised about so six hours per subject per week (which means 12 hours of maths) and fewer free periods than GCSE s. We'll see how it goes - I can see the further maths being dropped when play and band commitments pick up and he realises the step up is going to be big.

I hope those doing new subjects are finding them fun - I think we've got a few psychology and philosophy DC here.

Hi could I please join in a little - my da just done gcse now on first days of sixth form. Enjoying a LOT so far - new pupils have joined etc.

Ds