Thread 27 Covid Cohort Snow or Like Spring? Let's Do This Thing!

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

previous thread found here

Hi everyone. A bit of an update - DS has decided that he wants a gap year and has plans to sail across the Indian Ocean from indonesia to S Africa. So he isn’t booking accommodation and I’m not too sure what that means for all these offers in the uk and Canada… I guess he still chooses a firm and an insurance, on results day he either tries to defer his choice in each country, and if they don’t go for that he will do fresh applications next year.
I think this plan will be good for him and Give him time and space from social life and social media to sit and work out what he really wants from life, and how to achieve it. And I guess after three months of serious ocean sailing he will either be fired up to study oceanography or make an entirely different plan…

How exciting Delphigirl! And whilst slightly scary, it’s also a very mature move, the planning of trip itself will provide lots of learning beyond the classroom.

@Delphigirl that quite a challenge - my uncle was a ocean sailor when I was young. Loved his tales about what he’d seen. He used to take me out on a little Topper aged 2 but much preferred the big yachts. Will he go with a team or solo?

Wow @Delphigirl: that sounds like a glorious plan - I’m jealous! Will he be on his own: and hire a boat? I can’t imagine the logistics!

Great plan @Delphigirl! I’m a big fan of a gap year, as it does just seem like a conveyor belt that they’re on! Hopefully he’ll have no problem deferring.

Today is the exams /advance notice announcement isn’t it? How exciting 😂

Umm... Interesting.
Advanced notice of topics to be studied or a choice of questions.
@delphigirl unis often prefer to be asked about deferrals before exams, so they can plan their future intake better. Many will defer the offer until the following year. Gap years are a brilliant idea. My 22 year old did one and she grew up a lot, gained confidence, earned money & developed resilience. She didn't learn any of those in her Gdst girls school 😟

Delphi, that is so cool.
My ds also announced he's thinking of deferring, and that maybe he should of applied to Oxford. He is thinking of moving to London and working for a year for the trading company that is being set up by his mentor.

@Delphigirl that does sound exciting!

I heard on the news early this morning that today they will release info on the exams. reduced content for History and English Lit (bound to be the bits they've already done!) and formulas for the sciences. I don't think there are any formulas in Biology that they need to learn(?) so I'm hoping some content cut from there.

Wow @Delphigirl, I am assuming he will be crewing, not solo?! I crewed (as cook) in the med for a yacht re-positioning from Gibraltar to Majorca, it was wonderful.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn we should also find out which areas of the syllabus will be converted in the high mark questions.

Hi all - he will be joining a planned voyage on a good-sized yacht (112ft) as crew - I would be much, much less sanguine if he was striking out single handed!!! Fferny1 - that is interesting re advance notice of deferral - he is going off to offerholder days so I will get him to broach deferral with them then. Not sure how it works in Canada - will add that to my list of things to look into if I ever have 10 waking minutes when I’m not working!
@Monkey2001 - that sounds like great fun - I must say I’m jealous of his opportunity, as is DD2 (aged 15)

DD will be getting her mock results this week

Here is the letter the DfE just published - guess we'll have to look at each exam board? They are required to publish the info today.

It says "advance information about the focus of the content of exams should be provided in 2022 for all subjects at GCSE, AS and A level except GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and geography and GCSE, AS and A level art and design.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/advance-information-summer-2022-letter-to-responsible-officers/advance-information-for-summer-2022

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I've found biology advanced info for OCR - they just list the topics in order of those carrying the highest marks for each paper, 6 for papers 1 and 2 and 4 for paper 3. With strict advice that all areas of the syllabus may crop up. So not much help...

AQA Psych just list the major focus for each exam - no mention of rank order. And no advanced info for research methods (the thing that they all hate anyway) due to its integrated nature.

AQA Business not even available yet, along with quite a few others judging by their twitter feed - AQA tweeting it will all be uploaded by midday - it's not as if they have had this date sprung upon them!!!

Basically, I don't think DD is going to be impressed

Fortunately I don’t think dd or ds were aware of this advance info, so they won’t be disappointed! It does sound a bit underwhelming!

I've just been on line too - doesn't look terribly helpful to me but DD will be a better judge. No list of formula's that I can see. But at least it in order of importance although I thought they were going to give an idea of how important...

Says other content may be referred to as well...Hmm

@Delphigirl - exciting plans! Hope the deferrals can be sorted easily.

@Wheresthebeach AQA isn't even in order!

Just popped in to check how to get the advanced info. Thanks @Horace123 I have managed to find Edexcel advanced info for DD. I’m not sure it’s particularly helpful but will ask DD when she gets home. Now to find DS GCSE subjects…

@Delphigirl how exciting!

@Seeline - I've just downloaded pages of AQA Geo guidance. Can't imagine anything much has been cut from the size of the damn thing. Sigh.

@seeline DS does Edexcel for Biology, I'll go take a peek.

Has anyone looked up OCR for English Lit and Edexcel for History? Just trying to save myself a fruitless hour on the internet!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn OCR here: ocr.org.uk/qualifications/2022-advance-information/

[quote Wheresthebeach]@Seeline - I've just downloaded pages of AQA Geo guidance. Can't imagine anything much has been cut from the size of the damn thing. Sigh.[/quote]
Yes - Psychology is the same. I shall have to compare with the spec to see what has been 'left out'. Although it hasn't been left out because it can still appear anywhere in the papers....

This lot of DCs will have the same issue with people not believing that they have earnt their grades because 'they were told what the questions were' - except they haven't been...

Thanks @PaddingtonPaddington !

The AQA GCSE combined science info is quite helpful as it tells you specifically what won’t be examined - it looks like they’ve cut quite a lot out for biology.

Just looked at the info on that link @PaddingtonPaddington all it says is the Hamlet extract for drama and poetry will be from Act 1. I assume that is going to be helpful to them. Nothing about any of the other texts.

They've done sooo much on Hamlet - first play they did, it's almost a shame that the help has been given there!