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

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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

That's brilliant Delphigirl - I do love a 'shaky academic start transitioning to excellence' story. Its fab when they turn it around big style

I don't know how anyone can reliably predict how they've done singingstones, especially in whacked marking schemes like biology. I am hoping that my ds is being overly pessimistic (he does tend to be glass half empty)! So far he thinks A in psychology (maybe A*), B/C in biology after 2 papers and C/D in chemistry after one paper.

Congratulations to your DD @Delphigirl , so nice to finally get all the professional exams done!

DS tends to the overconfident side of things, hence hoping that "I reckon I'll get AAA" translates to BBC and sneaking into his insurance, which wants BBB. Although he doesn't really want to go there any more and several friends are deferring for various reasons, so I'm worried he'll miss the firm offer, make the insurance, but decide to hang around here for another year. He is quite reliant on his friends I think, and may be having a bit of a wobble about going to a uni where he won't know anyone. Anyway, still one paper to go so I will save the results angst for the week after next and beyond. Got to get the applied maths worrying done first 😂

I wish we had an insurance, I'd feel a lot less stressed about it.

Fabulous news Delphi! Your 3 all sound great, I am also looking forward to vicariously hearing about McGill life via your DD3 when she gets there. Still pangs of envy from my DD on that one…

I am hoping that within a few days of the exams finishing I can successfully park this at the back of my mind and stop worrying about what he might get until results are close (I will have fitful sleep on the 17 August!)

That's great news @Delphigirl ! My DS has just finished his first year of Quantity Surveying degree, so final professional exams seem a long way off!

Proud Mum alert- DD has been awarded the Business prize at the U6 graduation evening!! So pleased for her, she doesn't often get any recognition for her hard work 🙂

Fantastic, well done to your dd

Hi all, did my spanish writing this morning :) I’m done for college now

DD says AQA Biology was crap. She is annoyed that they haven't stick to the priority on the AI listing at all. She found the 15 mark section really hard. The topic was way down the priority listing and having to incorporate gene tech which wasn't even on the AI listing. Not a happy bunny. But this is the first paper she has found to be the case so pretty good all in all. Has a week before her next exam Bio P3.

Will now go back and read how others have got on.

Really great news @Delphigirl and @Seeline !
@Heifer really sorry about Biology. What are AQA doing ? It’s consistently them causing the most issues with the advance info.

Was worried about the FM paper after the dreadful one earlier this week but he said it was great (I think that is relative though). Thank goodness it’s Friday.

I'm popping back in to say thanks again to everyone for your support and also because DS finished his exams today. I''ve also had time to process it all and would like to pop back on this new thread if I still can, hope that's okay?

DS is in high spirits that he's finished finally. @Heifer I think it's you with a DD doing Core Maths? DS said it went well, a bit twitchy but overall okay.

Wishing everyone well as we wait for results.

@Shimy , so glad he has finished and really pleased you are here with us 🙂🙂 Am pleased Core Maths was OK. Hope DS has a great weekend celebrating being finished.

Welcome back @Shimy my DD did core maths and had a stinker so well done to your DS. Am I correct in thinking your DS had politics this morning? DS had a bad time with AQA paper three this morning and doesn't think he has a hope of the A he needs .

I agree that predicting how you have done is so hard, particularly in this very odd year. DS thinks Maths and Physics were at least as good overall as past papers he did, and got A/A* for all past papers, so thinks they must be OK. He thinks PE could be anything from a B up. This is the time of year when people wish we applied for university after exam results were in - you think you have a Firm, or do you??! (Answer - probably!)

@singingstones about half the Y13s I know in Bristol take a gap year (most deliberately, not like my 2 because of no offers), and I think the extra year of maturity sets them up for success at university. And don't forgot they have missed out on the sixth form social life with their home friends due to Covid. It is also lovely preparing for university with an unconditional offer - in March 2020 DS1 accepted an unconditional offer and had 6 months with nothing to worry about, just to enjoy himself as much as he could during Covid (which meant gaming, working out in DS2's home gym, learning to cook, walking the dog, doing things with his GF as she moved in with us - his GP practice job ended at the start of Covid and by the time jobs were available again it was nearly time to go away). DS2 will definitely have to work!

Hello @Volterra & @mummyinbeds Everyone has been so kind, made me want to come and carry on with the journey. Hope you dc are doing okay on the exam front, have they finished yet? @mummyinbeds Which option did your DD do? DS did AQA Option 1, so glad its over.
You're correct, DS did do Politics this morning. I really hope your ds gets the grade he needs for his offer. Sometimes they set themselves very hard targets so he might still get just what he needs ifyswim.

We’ll all get through it together Shimy. I’m going to be a wreck before results, not just for DS but for his friends and all the DC on here ! DS has 3 more and finishes Thursday.

Right now all we can do is make plans B, C & D and there's lots of help with that on here thankfully. We'll all be a wreck together from 1st week in August!@Volterra for now, sunshine!

Welcome back @Shimy! I bet your DS is happy the exams are over, I can’t believe how many people are finished this week, DS is fed up that he has another week of this but I think better that than cramming in loads of exams into the previous weeks.

I booked a fused glass workshops with DS1 the day before results with 3 friends waiting for results and their mums - I think craft is brilliant for focusing your mind in the moment and stopping you from worrying. I don't have any ideas for DS1, I suspect he will just want to be in the gym. Has anyone got good distractions planned for 17th August?

Yes you are right Shimy 😀

@Shimy I have no idea which option she did beyond it was AQA. I don't think she knows either 🤣 She's enjoying all the gaps in her new timetable 😁

DD had a UCAS talk this week at school. She reckons she knows it all already, thanks to Mumsnet 🤣

All 4 😁 are great! But it has been PAINFUL kicking 2 of them through school, although I have always known they’d do well after gcse/a levels given the right practical- focussed degree choice (the other 2 you just wind up and watch them go…)

I will give you a full report on McGill. You never know - your dd might end up there for postgrad?!

Oooh well done to your dd, that’s wonderful!
re DS - it’s amazing how time flies. I hope he enjoys the process of getting there as much as my DD did.