Thread 32 - Corona Cohort 'May' the Mumsnet force be with them for their venture to exams

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

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 31

CONGRATULATIONS ZEBRACAT !

Well, there's the shops, castle, zoo, and you can island hop to Guernseyq for all the German occupation stuff.
I haven't been for years but loved it last time we went.

The moment when you realise that the exam period is about to kick off:
DD: Mam, do you know the Greek alphabet?
Me: Erm, let me think…NOPE! 😳
Anyone else?

"where's my clear pencil case!" is how I know.

Year 11 ds asked if I had a notebook tonight for him to make some notes. That’s a first! He never writes anything if he can help it. Must be his first exam tomorrow… He even requested a highlighter 😮😮

@Volterra Hip Hip Hooray! to your DS

@Monkey2001 Thank you for that simple Tiramisu recipe, will definitely be trying that. I also just learned to make Chinese style egg fried rice (veg, prawns etc thrown in) so will surprise DH one of these days .

@crazycrofter At least your DS is asking for something...DS here is just absolutely quiet I can't get anything out of him. Wish he would ask for a pen, a rubber, but he won't because he already asked for a list of exam things during the Easter break😕. I know I'm being unreasonable.

Oooh, I had completely forgotten about clear pencil case! As I am picking up DS1 at the moment, I noticed he had one, so will talk to DS2 about putting stuff together for exams. He starts with a bang next Thursday with 2 exams on 1 day and is will be in isolation in between (Physics and PE). It is very unlucky that after his first exam ever (apart from music exams) he will have to isolate without access to phone - unthinkable for him!

That will be tough @Monkey2001 .

@shimy I hope he’s feeling ready and prepared. I’ve just made the requested omelette with ham, cheese and hot sauce. Not sure I could stomach that at this time of day!

Wow that's a breakfast of champions, crazy! Good luck to all the GCSE takers today! DD is very quiet.. 😬

Good luck to those starting GCSEs.

DS has a non uniform day today. Study leave starts Thursday.

Good luck to the GCSE candidates!!

Kicking off with RS here this morning.
First paper is worth 50% of final grade but DS’s class didn’t finish the content until last Monday; he spent much of yesterday telling us his teacher is rubbish. No idea why he hasn’t mentioned that before. 🙄

Good news on the firming choices Volterra. Good luck to all the GCSE takers starting this week.

Anyone else neurotically checking the exam timetable? I'm feeling incredibly stressed over SW trains being a mess for DD to get to school. This is where I really wished she was in walking distance! I guess displacement stress...

Wheres I am checking exam timetables to the point where I know that DD will do her add maths gcse in the same seat that DS does his pure maths a level 🙈

Gosh @alwaysplayspiccolo maybe it was a topic your DS's teacher suddenly realised she had missed out . Hopefully it's a small unimportant one.

Good luck to everyone doing Gcse's today. Ds2 has two tomorrow & two the following day. He hasn't helped his cause by revising into the small hours last night.

Ds1 has red weeping patches on his face that developed over the weekend.
They look like impetigo & are very itchy.
He's boarding, so i may have to bring him home if they don't take him to a doctor. Of course they may not want him in school with this.But he's still completing his coursework & needs to be there.

Haha @singingstones that’s impressive attention to detail! Hope it’s a lucky seat!

@Alsoplayspiccolo perhaps that means it will still be fresh in his mind?! RS here too. Traffic was awful this morning but at least it gave ds last minute revision time. Or time to ask me questions like ‘What’s the great commission? What’s the alpha project? What’s the parable of the sheep and goats?’ Fortunately I knew the answers 😂 but I’m not sure why he didn’t!

Maybe you should be taking the exam rather than your Ds @Crazycrofter 😂.

Good luck to the GCSE candidates !

It's really difficult when they board and need to see GP isn't it Cantonet I'm at station with DS and we've just been discussing how we are going to work it for study leave. Some no option to come back in between but others he could. I think he's starting to feel he is likely to revise more when he's there and I think it might be sensible to keep the routine.

Haha @Cantonet i think I could do quite well in RS! He’s not taking any medication now either - he’s decided he doesn’t like medication full stop - so let’s hope he can maintain his concentration 😬 I told him to take rest breaks if he needs to.

Hope your ds1 is sorted out. Dd had impetigo when she was little and it’s not pleasant - and also very contagious.

@Cantonet could he do an e-consult with his normal GP? With ours you can attach photos of rashes etc. Although DS is only 10 miles away for boarding I have found it a logistical nightmare keeping his orthodontist appts going to try and fit around his timetable, my work etc. I actually work very near his school but the orthodontist is close to home.

DD starts GCSEs tomorrow, she's got two tomorrow, 5 in total this week. She's gone to a friend's house to do past papers together today.

@crazycrofter I reckon I could make a reasonable stab at A level history the amount of time I've spent going through DS's revision notes with him. It is fascinating stuff.

I too am checking timetables, I put all the dates in my phone and have been carrying printouts around folded into my diary for months.

Wow, all this talk of clear pencil cases, pens, note taking has me worried. I'm still not sure DS has started revising. He knows he has an exam next week but asked me last night what subject and what day it was on 😱

DD (yr12) and I went to Aberystwyth for the weekend to check out the uni and the town. I was hoping the journey would put her off but even a rail replacement bus (3 hours across Wales), followed by a cancelled train and 1.5 hours standing on the final leg home didn't phase her. 7.5 hours to get home!!! She loved everything about Aberystwyth ( apart from the hill 😂) and could really see herself living there. I tried getting her to picture it in the cold and rain rather than glorious sunshine but she still thought it would be amazing. I wish some of her enthusiasm for life would rub off on her big brother

GCSEs start for DS today, 6 exams this week out of a total of 24. We were having the ‘where is my clear pencil case?’ scramble this morning along with finding a clear water bottle which must have a sports cap and have no label. I hastily reminded him to take his watch off and not leave his phone in his pocket. I think I’m more nervous than he is! Good luck to everyone’s DCs doing GCSEs.

DD finished her photography A level exam and was actually pleased with the outcome. She also completed the NEA and handed that in too last week so that’s one A level all finished. Hooray, so only 2 left to concentrate on with exams in June so can finally get on with some revision. Both exams are worth 40% as 60% were NEAs which she’s not had any marks for.

Glad it wasn't just us dashing about looking for a clear pencil case this morning. (And then washing it because it was bought for The GCSEs That Didn't Happen and has been gathering dust ever since.)

Good luck to the GCSE students starting their exams this week!

I asked DD if she needed a clear pencil case and she said she'd just carry her things. I think I'll buy one. I also mentioned the pen recommendations and the suggestion to change pens, she said she liked the ones she was already using but she'd like some more of the same please.

Clear water bottle? First I'm hearing of it. Is this a thing everywhere?

DD seems pretty laid back, maybe too laid back. She does appear to be revising though.