Thread 34 Covid Cohort - Heat 'Waving' DC to final exams and drinking more

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

...water

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. It's all relative!

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 continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will find a thread within the Further Ed board.

Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future? Post Results?

Previous Thread

Sorry about your dd missing Chemistry due to covid @Wheresthebeach

Ds sat paper 2 OCR Chem today and found it 'hard'. He basically has fallen foul of poor revision technique - too much time spent on the earlier papers, i.e. psychology and biology and insufficient time allocated to Chemistry. He's philosophical about it though. He said the 'Sweats' (a bit mean - I do tick him off) came out declaring the paper was hard (which he said means they will get 70% rather than 80%) and this was apparently partially reassuring

A scenario occurred at DS’s school which I hadn’t contemplated the ‘what would happen’ - a (usually very diligent) boy just didn’t turn up for his exam. Head of 6th form called his parents at 9.00 - the time the exam was due to start. Transpired he thought it was an afternoon exam, dashed into school, got there for 9:30. They let him have the whole time for the exam (finished same time as extra time DC) on basis he couldn’t have any opportunity to find out paper content.

DS is currently doing mechanics. Said he had too much to do to go into school today.

Is odd thinking this time tomorrow he will be in his last exam.

Well DS said OCR B went really well and was probably his best A level exam bar none so far… Which is surprising as (a) chem is his most difficult subject and (b) that does not accord with the twitter reaction generally. I’m really delighted he is happy but hope that this is not another example of his inability to judge his own performance in exams!

According to twitter the AQA paper 2 chemistry was leaked a week ago - waiting for AQA response. Lots of angry and frustrated students on twitter.

Aurgh @chewbacca what a nightmare!!! I’m glad the situation was retrieved though. Awful!

How does that even happen?

@Wheresthebeach oh no, your poor DD! I really hope she's done well on her early papers to get her mark where it needs to be.

I am not happy to hear that some students get early access to clearing, how is that fair? Although how does that work, surely they need everyone's results in before they know how many places are spare?

I just read about the supposed AQA leak on another thread. I told DS who thinks it's 'cap', thinks people have made it up to just start a rumour. We shall see I suppose...

Hope everyone's exams went well today.

Thinking of you all with DC still in exams. DD got up at her leisure this morning and confessed it felt weird as I wasn’t telling her to get some revision done. She’s gone off to town with her mates to do some holiday/prom dress shopping. I’m so pleased this cohort are getting this summer as opposed to the absolute abortion of summer 2020 following what should have been their GCSE’s.

Thanks all for the messages. I feeling really gutted for her as it's her best paper she's missed and the first one 'wasn't great'. She's slept til 2:30.

My comment about clearing was picking up on someone else on the saying that IB got early access, so I guess it counts as Hearsay. Can't remember who it was, but if they're still around hopefully they'll pop up soon.

Sorry @Wheresthebeach , that wasn't directed at you, I just find it odd that - if it does happen - how hat would even work?

@EddieHowesBlackandWhiteArmy DS is really fed up today as most of his friends seem to be finished by today, his last one is on Friday and he's very put out by it! 😄

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn and @Wheresthebeach - I was the one who mentioned IB and said I thought they could only go to clearing once A level results were out. Singing pointed out that I was wrong. I agree - no idea how it works. Had thought universities wouldn't know how many spaces they have until all results known. Hopefully I won't find out how it works though as rather hoping DS meets his offer! But I agree, it is unfair if some students have an advantage.

What a shitter Beach!

Ds says he feels wierd not studying anymore. He says it's not that great finishing early, and wants it to be Friday.

He worked at screwfix Saturday and sunday, as usual. He had previously asked if they had any extra shifts over the next 3 months, they told him they had loads. So he's working today at a local branch for 3 days. Up at 5am.

He's decided to do a parachute jump for £250. Bucket list. He hasn't managed to book any travel - he wants Prague but the flights are more expensive than nearly every other city.
I am impressed he's working, but want him to have fun in his 'last free summer'.

Yeah DD has somehow managed to keep two jobs going during the last 6 months (both have been great re exams and revision) so she’s dived straight back in to picking up loads of shifts. As she says ‘I’ve got nothing else to do!’ I’m sure there will be plenty of socialising done as well. She’s off to Zante in a couple of weeks with the girls. I’d be surprised if she comes home tbh, can see her doing a season out there.

I haven't updated for a long time, but am on the original list. Dd got offers from the unis she applied to and decided to have Warwick as firm ABB and Surrey as insurance BBC. (Biology)
She did her French Oral back in May and was terrified! She only got an hour or 2 of sleep the night before, so I hope it didn't affect her grade too much. She's never been like that before. It's a shame she wasn't able to do any French exchanges during the A level course because of Covid. One of her French teachers was on long term sick in Year 12 and not replaced, so she only had a teacher 50% of the time.

Luckily she's been OK with the written exams with regard to nervousness. She's got Maths tomorrow and then a clash of French and Biology on Friday. She has to be supervised after Biology before taking French. She can be absent minded. So I'm hoping she doesn't forget and just wander off with the others on auto pilot and forget about the supervision and get disqualified! She said she got a purple letter ages ago about how the supervision will proceed but doesn't know where it is.

Re clearing I suppose there are courses which have offered to fewer people than they would like to, either because there were fewer applications or because they were waiting for stronger applications that never turned up. Or courses where they have made the "right" number of offers but have been firmed / insured by fewer people than usual.

I was looking last year with an eye to this year and there were several neuroscience courses in clearing in July that were no longer available on A level results day. And then a couple disappeared very quickly on results day!

I think most clearing courses are low tariff and less competitive courses which will be available right until the start of the new academic year. There will be an additional chunk of courses released just before A level results.

Just consulting my uni spreadsheet

For neuroscience last year, Exeter, Cardiff, Leeds and Nottingham were all in clearing in July but disappeared before A level results day.

Sussex, Keele, Leicester, Middlesex and Westminster were still available to A level students, so those people with early results or grades in hand did have a wider choice.

Things will be different this year I guess - more clearing places because more people will miss their grades? And because universities have been a bit stingy with their offers? Or maybe fewer clearing places because of all the deferrals, who knows.

So sorry to hear that @Wheresthebeach 💐
Taken DS to station this afternoon ahead of train strike and after 18 years that was my last school run ever.

I briefly saw something this morning on Twitter from an admissions consultancy chap (former UCAS) who claimed to have 12 RG universities on his books and none plan to offer competitive courses through clearing. Don't know if that translates into potentially more leniency if you are an offer holder who misses a grade?

@Wheresthebeach what unlucky timing. Though if the paper was leaked everyone may yet be in the same boat? Hope she recovers swiftly.

@ExtremelyDedicated @Horace123 sorry that was very unhelpful of me!
It’s AQA and it’s the triple one

Yes I don't think many courses requiring A stars to be there. Again I only looked at neuroscience but last year, anywhere with a standard offer of A*AA or higher wasn't there, some AAA-AAB were there but not for long, and ABB or lower were still there on A level results day.

@Wheresthebeach Oh dear! poor DD. So sorry she wasn't able to sit her best exam she must be so frustrated, all that studying and to have her moment snatched away. Not sure you mentioned it but how many exams does she have left? hoping she is nearly finished.

DS wandering about, does anyone else have a complainer? he's complained of at 3 different parts of his body that's -a bit tender, cracking a bit, rumbling etc etc but he's managed to secure some work experience and at an estate agents. CV all updated and there seems to be some work going at the local Next.

All done here, Dd liked the exam questions for English.
No more compulsory (ish) education for her ! Seems v weird.

Dd is a complainer @Shimy always tired , or something or the other. She started a new job in Savers last week (tends to do seasonal posts) moaning already 🙄.

Nights will be drawing in sooner than we know !

Seems to be another hoo ha a brewing about AQA and the Chemistry... anyone's DC said anything?