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 !

He went to the same school as Isaac Newton ( a few years later) so physics was pretty much compulsory.

🤣🤣🤣

I did O levels not GCSEs - I feel old

"A few years later"
I did physics o level but never really understood it and still can't get my head around wtf electricity is. DH did physics at imperial but is yet to explain it to me in a way I can understand.
I started maths biology and chemistry a levels but did a big swerve after the first term, gave up chemistry, did music instead and then a music degree.

Oh no @Crazycrofter re. your ds2.
I believe it can have that effect in some individuals unfortunately. Are you going to go back to the Doc.? Sometimes it's one step forwards, two steps back dealing with teens & ADHD.

DS repeated his Btec yesterday.
All went well. He had individual invigilation, rest breaks & did the long 15 marker question at the end of the paper first. But then ran out of time doing the second to last short one. So only completed half of it. But then was worried afterwards because the last question was dependent on the one before 🤦🏼‍♀️. One was a training plan & the longer mark one was a critique of said plan. So I'm not sure how he's done as they go in with pre- prepared notes.
I guess we'll see soon enough.

He got a Merit in the last exam & found it really hard going without breaks so I'm hoping this one will be better but who knows. He's incredibly grumpy tonight.
I get the bit about time running very slowly now & he admitted he's fed up of working hard & just wants the exams over with now.

@Monkey that sounds like a plan.
I'm sorry you're still on tenterhooks but like you I agree a year out is a good thing. It certainly was for dd1 and was the making of her.

I've just finished watching heartstoppper. Oh my God it's so sweet.
Do teenagers still act like that, or is it just artistic license?

Another all girls school here. No physics A level but an A at GCSE, does that count?!

DS is currently out at someone’s house to celebrate her birthday. On a blinking school night!, but it is one of his best friends. He seemed to think his traditional (for the last month or so) Wednesday down the pub would continue through exams!!! Even though it’s not heavy drinking (very strict rules as he has to drive to school most mornings). We quickly told him that wouldn’t be a good idea.

Bad timing wise, after years of being single there is a girl on the horizon. First proper date is at the weekend. I am so pleased for him as he’s always been the permanently single one of his friends but the timing could have been better. At least she is doing exams too so hopefully she get will take it casually until after exams.

*they will take it casually, rather than she get!

I take that back, DS has just arrived home from friends house at a very sensible time!

I'm in the group.
Went to a girls school ( convent)
Did the three sciences for A level + gen. Studies.

@Seeline I did GCE O'levels too, but like to say GCSEs because it's what everyone else says these days . In my head, everyone still does GCE O'levels, after all if they are doing Advanced Levels (A'Levels) then surely the one before that must be Ordinary levels? <shrug>*

I was the last year of O levels (1987), which I have always felt ages me a bit unfairly!

I'm in the Physics group too, my A levels are Physics, Chemistry and Pure Maths (it was a choice of pure, pure&applied or pure&stats in those days, or you could take separate pure and applied). Did them at an FE college, I was one of only two girls in Physics in the first year and the other dropped out for the second year. I did O levels too.

@Shimy and @icanbewhatiwant another short DS here, he is 5'5" same as me (DH and DD are shorter). We are a very short family.

@Cantonet my DS did that sport exam on Mon too but it was his first attempt. He found it OK, said it was easier than some of the past papers he had done but he didn't quite finish. He got a merit in the anatomy and physiology one last year and is hoping for a merit overall.

I don't know why ds2 is short. I'm only 5'2" dh is 5'9" I think ds1 is about the same height, they look the same height but dh is bald and Ds has curly hair, so he's probably shorter if I squashed his hair. Ds3 is 13 and almost as tall as ds2 I realised a few weeks ago that I am now the shortest...that's how it should be as I'm not tall and I have boys...but it was still sad to realise my youngest has over taken me.

As for school, I did GCSEs the first year they were taken, exams in 1988 we had to take 2 sciences, so I did biology and physics. I won't share my grades though!!

@EspeciallyDistracted I did Pure Maths too - never met any one else who only did pure.

O levels here, and I only took biology…I got an E.
When DD was doing GCSEs, I made it my mission to redeem myself by learning the spec so that I could help her. She was given 9/9, so I like to think I played a part in that. 🤩

In other news…drum roll…

…DD has finally pushed the button, firming Birmingham and insuring RHUL. 😁

I did double maths, physics and economics but went to a poorly performing comp. The maths dept decided not to teach the whole A level syllabus as they wanted to ensure everyone could pass rather than focus on people who wanted top grades. My mum had to go and see the Head to insist that I was taught the whole syllabus as I needed an A for Maths at Bristol. I was the only one doing FM and mostly taught myself. I also did S level maths (self taught) and the teacher said he was willing to bet I would fail! I have never shared my grades with DC but schools have improved so much since then!🙂

I did physics and chemistry O level, biology would have been much more useful than physics to my career as it turns out, so I took some undergraduate biology modules with the OU a few years ago, I really enjoyed them. I'd love to have time and money to study again, it's in my plans for when the DCs are a bit older but I am undecided whether to stick with things relevant to my career or branch out into something else (the older I get the more the latter is tempting).

I can't seem to stop MN bolding my posts now 🙄

Another oldie O level sitter here. I didn't do physics which severely penalised me when for maths o/a level (like additional maths) they decided not to teach the mechanics half as everyone else would be covering it in physics. I don't have a science O level as I failed chemistry but my masters degree is a MMedSc. DS says my career reflects the attention span of a goldfish.😂Not true!

@Monkey2001 Everything crossed for Newcastle. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect better communication.

@Alsoplayspiccolo Woohoo!

Thanks, Ewww.
Such a relief! She has dragged her heels at every stage, but getting her NEA marks seems to have given her the push she needed to commit.
Now to sort out finance, accommodation, DSA…

🥳🥳 well done to your DD Also
Hope the good vibes from the NEA continue and help to carry her through the next few weeks.

My sister did pure maths a level @Seeline plus a separate applied maths and physics. She did maths at uni and is a teacher now but reckons everyone reaches their maximum level at maths and hers was A level 🙈

Here's a q for the medic mums and Oxbridge mums - I know I could look this up or ask on other forums but I'm sure people on here will know - feel free to ignore if it's annoying though.

When unis / med schools are looking at gcse performance, is there a cap on the number of grades they look at, eg your best 7 grades or something? Or do they tend to look at all of them? DD is doing bloomin' millions of the wretched things and has started murmuring about medicine and Oxbridge (both of which make my heart slightly sink if I'm honest). She could do well with the wind behind her but unlikely to get top grades in all of them iyswim. Any advice gratefully received..

I took my O'levels in 1984. I also have to admit that I only actually took 3 Olevels and the rest were CSEs. DD assumed that put me in the bottom set at school but it didn't! I was top of the B stream so there must have been a lot of students in my local comp who only took a few CSEs or nothing at all academically I was about 91/240. I did go on later to take more O levels. Low expectations in school generally which doesnt seem to have changed much in my local town. My friends all seem happy if their children pass GCSEs rather than aiming higher. Only 1 has gone onto uni. (I had DD much later than my friends). Friends childrens all have jobs, but I wanted more for DD so we moved away.

Talking of DD - guess what - she's only been granted extra time in her A levels ! school applied Monday, got told YES Tuesday :-) So pleased (as is she). She said now she will have time to check answers and to answer the Biology essay question fully and write properly rather than just chucking down everythign she knows. That's not much to ask is it. So pleased for her.

Looking back seems I haven't yet said thank you to @OrangeCinnamonCroissant for the new thread or to @singingstones for updating info (again).

Well done for the button pressing, Mock results, those that are revising hard. Hugs to those that are worried about lack of revision/mock grades. There is still time and there are more pathways to get where they need to get to.

DD mentioned that they started a new topic in PE this week so just as well there isn't study leave until 27th May!. Course work handing in and PE video logging completed.

Also received notice that she has been awarded DSE status so need to arrange an interview next.

Sad news is that no prom, no end of school teachers skit allowed, no pranks, no fancy dress on the last day. It has all been banned (Prom was because the team didn't raise enough money, but that was because everything they suggested was refused). DD isn't happy and is really sad no prom. She has been invited as +1 to friends at another school but she is on holiday in Spain with her school friends. No proper end to school really. They have been told they must not wear fancy dress anywhere on school grounds so at 11.00am (after exams) they will all get changed on the tennis courts into fancy dress instead. Not sure how this will go down but they are out of the way so may get away with it. They can party there (for what it's worth).

That’s sad about the prom @heifer but great news about extra time!

@Alsoplayspiccolo well done to dd on pressing the button! There are a few heading to Birmingham now aren’t there?

Dd starts revision leave today which is great timing as it gave me an hour and a half extra in bed! I’m going to enjoy this window until GCSEs start on Monday..

We go the email that study leave will start after half term. Also info about our prom (sorry @Heifer ), there doesnt seem to be a ticket price on it - are they normally free? Even though it's at a golf club?

Thanks @EwwSprouts . There were some offers for international applicants on the TSR Newcastle thread yesterday, so I think some Home offers will come out today/tomorrow, so any mumsnet power vibes gratefully received!

@singingstones it varies massively for medicine! Doing loads of GCSEs is a Welsh thing, most English schools do 9 or 10. A few med schools only look at the GCSEs you sit in a single year, some score them in the shortlisting process, some have a threshold and once you meet it, GCSEs are no longer considered. Cardiff needs 9 x 8/9 from your best GCSEs, but are gentler with Welsh applicants. Sheffield, Manchester, St Andrews require a certain number of A/7+ (5-7). Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham and others score the GCSEs using a point system they publish. Oxford shortlists for Medicine using the percentage of your grades which were A, contextualising results for school, together with BMAT. Cambridge is holistic and looks at results but does not score them, they interview 80% of applicants, but require 2xA+A in sciences for most colleges. Most need B in Maths and English. Getting lots of A*s keeps your options more open, but UCAT tends to be more important than GCSEs overall.

@Heifer great news about the extra time. I am really regretting not pushing on it as DS really struggles to finish PE questions, but because they have not had exams or enough mocks I have only just picked it up. Sorry to hear about the grumpy school, but sounds like they will make something work anyway.

@ChristopherTracy our prom was £40, but some schools try to make it free/cheap.