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 to hear that @craggyrat hope he’s not too upset about it.

@Alsoplayspiccolo DS had GCSE physics today but it was OCR. Think I saw a Facebook/twitter post about it somewhere. DS still has one GCSE exam left on Monday but it seems most have now finished.

DD had 12 driving lessons in total before she passed. This was only because the driving instructor just couldn’t fit in any more. So I spent hours with her in the car. I never wanted to do it but that’s covid for you and actually we had a good time together (bar a few near misses) and saved money. Also we used the Driving test now app recommended on this thread which autobooked a test. Having gone through this once I already have got DS his driving licence, theory test booked and driving lessons booked for when he turns 17 in October! We live in the middle of nowhere with no public transport so there is a big incentive to learn to drive.

@delphigirl I had a similar convo about paper 3 Biology for DS. I took the same position as you and he will be sitting it tomorrow whatever!

What a pain (no pun intended!), craggyrat. I’m guessing you’ll be pushing for it’s removal now, as he doesn’t want further flare ups whilst at uni, does he?
Such rotten timing. Is he happy with how his previous papers went?

Crazy and Paddington, DS thinks the physics question was fair because it wasn’t actually testing knowledge on a topic they had specifically said they wouldn’t; it was interpreting a graph, which just happened to be about braking distances (braking distances being under NOT assessed in AI).
I suspect some students will have flapped as soon as they saw the subject, instead of thinking more carefully about what they were actually being asked to work out; they had to read off the graph and apply an equation they’d been given, from what I can tell.

Ah that makes sense @Alsoplayspiccolo . Ds said the exam was all calculations which he liked, so I guess he wasn’t really thinking about the advance info!

Have to say I don't know why they are so reluctant to remove it. They still wouldn't today and show no signs of wanting to operate. He's been happy so far with his exams but tomorrow was his best French paper of the three so he is very fed up indeed. DH currently on the phone to holiday insurance company and DS asleep in bed. Tomorrow should been Prom as well. Not the last day we were looking forward to

Sorry to hear that Craggy, that sounds really crap.

Solidarity, sister!

Oh craggy I’m sorry. I’ve had three long query-appendix waits with 2 boys in my time - only one resulted in an appendix removal. They generally get it right I think, but it’s always worrying.

Thanks all @Delphigirl - that’s interesting thank you. Hopefully antibiotics do the trick

👊

@craggyrat I missed your post, I'm sorry to hear about your DS and hope he's not in too much pain. So frustrating to miss his best exam and then prom too!! I hope he's well soon.

@craggyrat that's such a shame. I hope he feels better soon.
I've got a revolut card for abroad and so has dd. I've got an invite code for people to join. If you are thinking of getting one, please pm me and I'll share the code. I thinkwe both get something for sharing it?

@Delphigirl my DS always struggles with paper 3 of chem and he was saying could he miss it. He was half joking. He said it was a nightmare paper and is very worried about it.
biology left and then he can have some fun. So glad they are all nearly finished.

@sazzy5 You can join our club - The Incorruptibles 🤣
I feel bad for them that it was a horrid paper though. Best of luck with biology tomorrow - they will be elated when it is over

@craggyrat i had a grumbling appendix for about 18 months, I felt terrible every time it flared up. Last time it flared up I tried to ignore it but it suddenly got a lot worse-literally couldn’t move. Mine burst a little before they got to it but it is so much better without it. There is no way I could’ve sat through an exam with the grumbling pain. Your poor DS.

@craggyrat oh that's rubbish for your poor ds, not just being poorly but missing his exam, prom and holiday! I hope he's feeling better soon.

Dd had her last exam today! She woke up really early feeling nauseous, I suspect it's just all catching up with her now. She text me this afternoon and said the paper was really good (edexcel further maths, decision), so it sounds like she's finished on a high. She still isn't home, I've no idea where she is because she was supposed to be going into town to do some holiday shopping and a couple of her friends were getting piercings. The shops are long closed now. I pretty much always know where she is but I'm resisting the urge to text because she is 18 and soon not knowing where she is will be the norm! It feels strange though..

@mango0 my dd always tells me where she is (and when she’ll need picking up from the station) but ds loves to go AWOL! He’s desperate to be independent, but he’s not yet quite 16 😬

Sorry to hear about ds @craggyrat , what awful timing, especially missing all the fun stuff 😢

@craggyrat so sorry to hear about the possible appendix issues - I hope things get sorted and good that it’s only one exam - my DS1 decided to wait till first year uni to have a burst appendix.

As for forfeiting exams because you don’t fancy it that’s really crap when some poor children like my daughter have been so unwell but tried to carry on rather be beholden to the algorithm and the board.

@Monkey2001 we really liked what we saw of Bristol last night. Dd said that if she’d visited before applications, Bristol would have gone on the list. I’m just glad we didn’t - not sure we could afford it!

So sorry to hear about the grumbling appendix and chemistry students. I wouldnt allow a faked illness either. Last exam is tomorrow but revision has been badly disrupted by packing for her holiday , also tomorrow, and trying on prom dresses for the day she gets back. Everything seems to be costing me money, I dont mind, it’s all a bit last time we… and bittersweet.
Altho she is talking about resits…

@craggyrat sorry your DS is having a mistake time when he shouldn't be celebrating the end of a super stressful time.

@crazycrofter Thanks for the compliment on behalf of Bristol! It is a great place to be a student.

Re money abroad, DS got the Chase app as recommended by Martin Lewis. It has been the victim of an over successful referral scheme (£20 each for referrer and referred), but is still a great way of doing foreign transactions.

Miserable not mistake!

@crazycrofter not sure we can afford it
Do students still have kettles in their rooms? I did in my first year in catered accommodation.

Sorry to hear of the problems with chemistry and the grumbling appendix!

DD has French tomorrow and then she's done! She's absolutely exhausted so I will be very glad when it's all over. Good luck to all with exams tomorrow - the end is in sight!

@craggyrat ao sorry to hear that your DS is suffering. I remember the issues from many many posts ago. And what a bummer of he has to miss his well deserved holiday too 😟