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 !

Apparently the history exam was ok. That's all he said via text as I'm staying in my bedroom in the hope that I keep covid to myself. I feel really rotten. I haven't had a cold for about 4 years, so not been ill for a long time. They report on the news that covid is now a mild disease. I wouldn't call this mild. I sat next to a relative of dh's on Sunday who had just flown in from Spain 2 days before. He tested positive Tuesday. So that's where I got it. No one else is ill yet. So hopefully I'll keep it to myself.

@icanbewhatiwant I hope you’re feeling better soon. I had it in late March and spent about 3 days in bed just exhausted and dozing so sympathise. I then had continued heavy cold like symptoms for another week followed by tiredness for another couple of weeks. But it does get better after the lying in bed phase so hopefully you will soon be feeling a bit better. Just look after yourself as best you can.

Good luck to those with exams today. None here and I am taking DS out for a few hours to get some clothes and visit the local cat café 😊.

Sorry you're feeling rotten @icanbe.
Are you well enough to go on a Netflix Binge?

Ds2 has Chemistry GCSE today.
He wants to turn up at school at the last minute. The trouble is we could be stuck behind a very slow tractor or behind the Milk tanker or waiting for the oil man blocking the road for 10 mins.

Ican hope you're feeling better soon. When DD and DH has it recently they were in bed for 3-5 days, then felt 'fine' but exhausted. The exhaustion got better over time. But I agree, Covid isn't mild.

icanbewhatiwant hope you feel better very soon. Good luck to everyone with exams today. DS is home now, so lovely to see him.

Good luck for the final day before half term. DS very pleased that he is 25% of the way through (and 40% of PE/Physics which are less secure than Maths) although yesterday was not the start he would have chosen. He said it was a good thing he started before half term as "A levels start in 2 weeks" was more pressing for him than "A levels start in 4 weeks" so he said he started revising properly earlier than he would otherwise have done.

Sounds like a mixed bag so far, but on the whole, bearable? The PE one sounds unfortunate if enough content wasn’t covered in class.

DD’s Early Modern history was good. 2nd paper out of 3, no NEA part with Pre U’s. She doesn’t want to think about potential grade boundaries, English lit and Spanish tend to be very high, in 90’s range.

Hope anyone with exams today, all goes well and they all get some recharge over the following week. Enjoy the break away Oblomov, and keep resting up Ican.

Sorry you’re feeling rotten @icanbewhatiwant . It’s annoying that people think it’s mild now as you get less sympathy. I had it at Easter for the second time and felt really unwell/ just lying on sofa for 3 days and then started to perk up, but cold symptoms and cough lasted another couple of weeks.

Hope today’s exams go well!

@icanbewhatiwant i hope you recover quickly, I definitely don’t want to catch it as it sounds like it takes a while to recover. I’m knackered enough as it is (menopause).
@Monkey2001 my DS hasn’t got out of bed yet, first time in forever he’s had a lie in. 1 exam down I think 7 to go. His DB has done 12 exams and doing chemistry today, I think he’s having a harder time of it.

Good luck to those with exams today. DD has just left to go to a friends house for breakfast and then into school 11.00 - 1.00 for Yr13 celebration assembly (no other yr groups on the tennis courts). Got a very last minute email last night saying they are expected to wear normal 6th form clothes so basically gone from fancy dress to own clothes only to uniform only. DD is feeling very bitter about the whole thing. Seems such a sad way to end her 15 yrs at the school. Fingers crossed it's better than she is expecting.

Hope you feel better soonest @icanbewhatiwant. Also hope your family take care of you - do you have a bell to ring? ;-)

Thanks for the well wishes. I thought we must have had covid without noticing as all the dc's mates have had it. Obviously not. I just sent a text to dh asking for toast. I didn't feel like eating at all yesterday. So that's a good sign. I feel lightheaded if I get out of bed though. Dh suggested I get up, shower then sit in the garden. I'm not sure I feel like that.

Ds2 hasn't gone in to school. I text him to ask why he wasn't up (I wouldn't usually text) he said he's going in later. Not sure what that's about as he usually goes in all day today. I'll leave him to it.

@Heifer yup, all a bit miserable. DS had hoped to wear Spiderman costume, but as exams are still happening it is all being kept low key. He is taking cake in to Physics.

They have leavers assembly at 1:00, but what are the Geography students doing at your school? Do they not even get the reduced leaving do?

@Heifer ha ha. A bell would be good. I am just texting them. Ds2 did a FaceTime from the kitchen last night to see how I was, and to ask if he could cook some chicken things that were in the freezer. He showed me the dogs on FaceTime. He's the only one of my 3 boys that would FaceTime me. He's the most caring anyway.

There are about 6 or DDs friends taking Geography and apparently asked if it could be put back an hour - but didnt' happen. They start at 9.00am and they seem to think the exam is 2 hours so most will finish at 11.00am but definitely soem will have extra time. (AQA seems to be 2.5 hrs so assume it's a different board). Tough luck it seems! Apparently they have to finish by 1.00pm - which is also a shame as lunch is from 1.10 so many of the teachers won't be able to pop over either as they will be in lessons. On the plus side, DD has taken her fancy dress costume and will be getting changed to go to the pub after and then a night out apparently - could get messy...

Love this - thank goodness for facetime (and a caring son)

Have a nice 1/2 term everyone.
ican I hope you feel better soon.

Heifer likes sound of messy pub crawl. Ds1 told me that none of them are staying for the bbq after the 1pm mass that I am attending. I thought that was very rude and I told him so. Apparently 100 to 150 of them are going on a pub crawl to the next town. I told him to pace himself!

DS just has a normal day of school today! Economics last lesson.

In the car park of DD's school waiting for her to come out of chemistry (she has extra time). It's a pretty site, lots of trees and all covered in bunting for the Jubilee, its quite relaxing sitting here.

@icanbewhatiwant when I had covid (end of March) I had the headache / lightheadedness / temperature for about three days when I mainly stayed in bed. Minimal coughing and no sore throat. Then I was up and about (DD had it too but DD/DH were out all day so we could emerge from out bedroom) but tiring very easily. Went back to work (office job) on day 10 and was in bed by 6pm that night, it took about 3 weeks for my energy levels to get back to normal.

DS is still at school, had a chat this morning and he says history was fine yesterday. Will be picking him up this afternoon. He's helping at sports day.

Get well soon, icanbewhatiwant.

I’m panicking over all the talk of geography mess today - DD hasn’t got hers until after half term.

DS just home from combined science chemistry, saying it was a really difficult paper (he got 9 in the mocks and has put in a decent amount of revision since January).

My son stayed home today, think they did last day last week amd just exams now!

Ds also says it was hard @Alsoplayspiccolo . His mock result was fairly mediocre I think but he’s revised lots since. He said the questions were worded strangely.

DD back from AQA Geo. When she opened her computer she got a message saying 'this computer will restart in 30 minutes'...a tad of a panic resulted as they got her a new laptop for the exam. Later, after a rest break she had to log on and it turned out that they'd written the password down incorrectly so more stress while they sorted that out. All a bit of a mess but she said the questions were okay.

I’m trying not to rage at whoever set this year’s exams, crazy.
What is the point of acknowledging how much teaching this cohort has missed, and what a detrimental effect lockdown has had on MH, only to write papers worded in a way that is unfamiliar from previous papers?
Im sure someone somewhere will pop up to say it was all based on content they should know, but if the kids haven’t had enough practise of exam technique because they’ve been trying to finish the spec, they won’t recognise what they’re being asked.

Luckily, DS is so laid back, he’s pretty indifferent to it all, but lots of kids will be beside themselves, thinking they’ve done really badly.