Is it too early for an A level support thread!

[HereWeGo2023]

Hello all, apologies if there is already a thread but I can’t find one.
May had finally rolled around and the first exam is a mere 2 weeks away. Exam stress has hit our house! It’s feels like everything is about waiting at the moment - waiting for the predicted grades, waiting for the uni offers, waiting for the exams to start, and then the long wait for the results!
This is our youngest DD but the first one in further education so would love to chat to other parents going through this

I’m in!

My daughter has finished her Art A level this past week. 15 hours over three days, plus all coursework due (which meant an all nighter as she underestimated how much time things would take). History next, though they've had their grade for coursework in that. She's doing an Art Foundation next year so when she does UCAS next year she'll have grades in hand. Most art schools don't require particularly high grades but she wants to do the best she can. One place still hadn't sent out their offers though! I'm looking at you UAL!
Doesn't help when the tube stops running!

I’m in.
Dtds starting next week and I’ve just realised I may not survive the six weeks until the end 😳 Anxiety levels are through the roof already. Am hoping they may level off a wee bit once they actually start and can begin crossing them off. I feel like a United Nations peace keeper at the moment.
It’s been a rough old few years, can’t wait until the last exam!!

My dd doesn’t start until after half term (sciences). Not sure if that is better or worse? She just isn’t working hard enough for the grades she needs. Meantime her sister is taking her GCSEs which begin next week and for which her stress levels are also very high! (But at least she is working hard…)

Please can I join? Dd has done some elements of her Music A-level already. First written paper is 22nd May. She is knocking herself out with revision and in a very miserable frame of mind. I can't wait for it to be over.

I'm also invigilating at her school, starting with year 12 exams and a few outlier GCSEs this week.

DD’s last full day at school is tomorrow, then a morning of assembly and out at 11am on Thursday for study leave. First exam on the 16th.

Work just threw a load of dates to be in the office that I had planned to be WFH to do DD a solid breakfast. DH is stepping up but I feel like I wanted to be about more, maybe it is just as well I will be away from home and so can’t be tempted to quiz her on her return from exams!

First exam here this morning and the one ds has been dreading the most (speaking exam for a foreign language). I have to say he basically gave up revising for it before the weekend, and I don't really blame him - the model answers are so illogical we could never really understand what the examiners were looking for. The more nervous he got the worse his speaking became, so better to have a more relaxed attitude and just do what he could.

Bizarrely even though this is just the beginning, it does feel like a great weight has been lifted. Two weeks til the next exam, and the teaching hasn't even finished yet 😕

Hearty breakfasts here as well @PettsWoodParadise - feels like it can only help.

Best of luck to your ds, @tribpot. I think I'd rather sit 10 extra written papers than go through another A-level MFL oral, even from this distant perspective.

Dd is struggling with a heavy cold (which at first I feared might be glandular fever but I've calmed down and don't think it is) and stressing about how it's affecting her energy and concentration. Sigh.

Thanks @ZittiEBuoni and to your dd. I don't remember my speaking exam at A level being as bad as this; it feels like the first part of it would be quite hard to do in English, never mind a foreign language. For the independent research project we had to go back and forth a number of times with the exam board to find a topic they could agree on, because ds wanted to do something on biodiversity and not a more mainstreamy topic closer to what they'd studied. It was definitely the right decision, though, as he was much more interested in the topic as closer to his main interest in Zoology.

Hoping your dd feels better soon - is it time to crack out the Nurofen Cold & Flu?

Anyone else's dc got studyleave AFTER the exams?

Horrendous cough here too for DD, and as a result disturbed sleep which is far from ideal. We’re on the wellteen supplements now and a ton of orange juice and fruit!

Last day in school tomorrow, night out with whole year group on Friday and then just in for exams - first one is 24th, last one 23rd June. She is working hard and has been for a while. She made the most of the Easter holidays which I’m really thankful for because since they went back it’s been one thing after another with mocks, leavers events, strikes, bank holidays, 18th birthdays etc and it’s been so disruptive and hard to keep the focus on the work. I’m hoping the cough/cold will improve with less running around and late nights once study leave actually starts.

@trisfreya, do you mean they have classes up until the exams? I mean after the exams is just end of school, it's not study leave if they don't have any more exams surely?
It's my dd's 18th today. Low key. They have a 'thank the support staff' tea so will be home late. Tomorrow evening leaver's do - black tie and could I find her prom dress? We have moved since then and we looked high and low. So she's now the proud owner of a beautiful new dress (£165) and new shoes (£95), and I'm hoping she will have another occasion to wear it! She's very frugal I think it's her first new pair of shoes since we bought a pair for her prom two years ago.
She studies much better at school so tries to stay til 6pm - would stay longer but gets kicked out. Our local library isn't great - too many activities like children's story time etc. I think she'll go in over study break to work, even though it's a 50 minute journey via tube door to door. First paper (she's done Art, history and psychology to do) 19th May.

@mondaytosunday they're calling it study leave - DC has lessons all to exams (I'm not thinking its a bad thing)

Sympathies to everyone with dc struggling with illnesses. Dd claims to be feeling better this morning, probably because she doesn't want me to suggest she skips choir practice.

She's in lessons all the way up to half term, except when she's taking exams. After half term it's 'study leave'.

My son is autistic with complex needs. He had a heavy cold and on antibiotics as it’s on his chest. He is taking English and Films Studies and we have the nightmare of back to back due to exam clash. Things are pretty tense as he has been too ill to revise properly. He has a B in History A Level already. He’s doing a 3 year sixth. He just needs a D for a foundation degree but it doesn’t work like that with ASD. In the meantime we are waiting for the council to confirm his pre university life skills placement for next year with transport and they are messing him around because they are inconsiderate lazy clueless idiots who don’t care despite having jobs in education . They should have named placement by 31/3. That’s added to the stress. But that’s councils for you! So looking forward to June holiday as it’s been intense as at home I scribe his notes and pretty much could sit the exams.

I’m in joint gcse and ALevel hell. Ds2 has already had three gcse exams. Ds1 broke up for exam leave yesterday and is in bed hung over from the leavers hall last night. First A Level exam is next week I think.

A levels and GCSE's here too! Only one done so far has been the language speaking exam for GCSE which apparently went'ok, not great'! The A level grades really matter, it is going to be an anxious summer waiting for the results!

For us more hangs on gcse results. DS1 only needs three Bs for his first choice and is predicted A stars so should hopefully be ok. DS2 has to get an average of 6.5 in GCSEs and nothing lower than a 5 in anything to stay on at sixth form.

I've also got one with GCSEs and one with A levels.

Quite frankly they're both driving me insane. Neither will do any revision despite gentle reminders, support offers, through to downright losing my shit with them. It's on them now, what will be will be (is what I'm telling myself...)

Argh.

DD’s last morning at school today before study leave. She was given an award yesterday by the headteacher which came as a total surprise to her. She has been planning to leave early but agreed to deliver some guidance to the Oxbridge applicants in Y12 and in he swanned and explained to all the aspiring Oxbridge applicants that DD had the passion for a subject that they needed to demonstrate so whilst kind she was totally embarrassed. At least it wasn’t in front of her form. She is now feeling under even more pressure to get the grades!

I have to drag or encourage DD away from her studies, she is going for lunch today with friends somewhat reluctantly as she is worried about lost revision time, but I keep reminding her it is quality not quantity and if she is tired or burnt out it won’t do her any good.

Dd1 doing her A levels also but doesn't have any exams until after half term.

She isn't stressed at all so far. She has finished school already so had many weeks of revision ahead. Going to try and keep her sane...I really hope she doesn't freak out when we get closer to it.....

Her predicted grades don't correspond much to what she has been getting in mocks (eg are way worse in 2 out of 3 subjects), but she knows she has other options should she not get to uni this year. ..Good luck to everyone !!!

Ps sorry I meant her mocks have been pretty bad basically.

DD finished on Thursday and has had nights out the last 2 nights. She was fine on Thur at school and on the night out then, but after last night is in a right mood. It’s like she feels that her world is over because she might never see people again. We’ve tried explaining that her actual friends will be people she stays in touch with, and her friends closer to home are also people she’s stay in touch with, but she seems totally bothered by the acquaintances at school. She’s way more affected by leaving than I ever thought she’d be. DH and I were never like that! As a result she is totally distracted from studying today and I know she won’t be doing anything of any value - her head’s just not in the right place.

I do hope she can get in a better headspace in the next few days.

Dd is mostly worried about English Lit - I think the teachers have been marking over cautiously (a) because of uncertainty around grade boundaries this year and (b) to scare everyone into revision. She says nobody's been getting As or A stars, which seems unlikely in a bright group of students. It's really put the wind up her though and she's constantly catastrophising about 'what if I don't get in?' to university.

More positively, we've applied for halls of residence this afternoon and bought Eurovision buffet party snacks .

@ZittiEBuoni yes, DD’s school have done the same. No one got an A star in mocks or mocks 2.0 but when DD questioned scores her teachers said they had erred on side of caution. Guidance on how to improve was minimal which DD knows means it has gone fairly well,

In 2019 and before this is a school that would get half the class an A star so none is a bit unusual. In latest homework returned DD finally got a slew of A stars but she says she hasn’t changed technique so it was like they had left to last minute to provide reassurance.

DD only needs one A star for her firm choice so ‘thinks’ she is on track with plenty of wriggle room but it is so very hard to tell.