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

DS firmed his offers this week, firm is high, insurance quite a bit lower. Some of his papers haven’t felt too bad others have not gone quite how he wanted. Wish they could choose their university once they have their grades

I’m still waiting for Dd to return home after todays history.
I'm so nervous for her-the “depth” paper is her favourite and she really has given it her all, I just hope she gets to reflect this in the exam.
Isn’t it strange how diverse the Paper 2 history options are and how none of our Dc seem to be doing the same topic? Dd’s is French Rev and Napoleon.
Whilst I’m confident of her abilities, I’m quite concerned about Dd’s reasoning when choosing which questions to answer where there is a choice. For example, what she deemed to be a really easy Liberalism question (or rather, a question she had fully prepared for) came up in the ideology section of her politics paper. However, she decided to do the “much narrower” Socialism question because she thought there was less to say, so she could easily get it all down rather than risk not being able to finish the Liberalism question (as she had too much to say for that!]. A similar thing happened yesterday in her English Lit exam. It seems she is so worried about not finishing essays (because she knows so much) that she is opting to answer questions she has less to say on. Have any of your Dc done similar?

I'm not sure what exam board it was but DS History was China 1943-1970 something. So completely and utterly different

I invigilated 2 History A levels this afternoon - one was post-Revolutionary France and the other was 20th century world wars. So much variety!

I'm annoyed now as dd's final concert has been cancelled because of the IT system issues and she can't go to prizegiving because she'll be away on her post-A-level girls' holiday. Talk about ending with a whimper instead of a bang .

@scabby1 , my dd sat the French rev paper this pm too, her comment was "I answered all the questions and finished but don't know how I did" - you can't ask for much more!

Ds felt history was alright but not great. Both questions were on Henry VIII but they’d mostly focussed on Henry VII in school. He said he gave it his best shot which is all you can ask of them.

DD thought history was good. She did King John and stuff! Gone out to a friend's birthday party this evening but not staying out late - home before midnight? This weekend lots of work- chemistry on Monday, history on Tuesday. Both in the morning so hopefully cooler. Have a good weekend!

Just got in and DS is fast asleep - not sure if it’s from doing the exam or whether the pub was involved.

@tennissquare my Dd was a bit gutted about todays history. She thought the source question and one of the essays went very well, but the third essay was not good. She desperately wants an A star for history and thinks this might not be on the cards anymore.
On the other hand, the grade boundaries for the French Rev seem to consistently be lower than for most of the other Paper 2 topics. They were considerably lower last year, so fingers crossed they will be again this year…

My daughter's History exam today was on the Dutch Revolt. She said first question was just ok, but second question she was very happy with as they had done a very similar one in class. She was dreading this exam and said it was the one paper that 'will prevent me from getting an A'. So hopefully she did alright.
Then straight after she had revision session for Ireland paper next week. They all seemed to have answered the first question differently and the teacher said as long as their reasonings were sound should be ok.
@scabby1 - the time thing always bothers my daughter too, she writes a lot (nine pages to answer one of the questions on her first History paper) and has had to rush her conclusions before, so I understand your daughter's reasoning. Due to her MS she now gets extra time, and uses every single second of it (her handwriting has been affected and she can not write as fast as she used to, plus her hand starts to clench up).

We had a history paper as well yesterday but doesn't seem to be the same as any others mentioned so far. American history post war to Reagan, I think. Anyway, she didn't like the questions at all so 🤷

I had no idea that all the History A levels (and I guess English etc) were so different! Huh.

Aqa Physics paper 2, thank god no tears and panic attacks after this one and although DD said it wasn't great, she said it wasn't absolutely terrible either. She said she knows she got 7 marks at least (which may be 7 marks more than paper one 😂).

Glad to hear that other DC felt paper 2 not quite so harsh too.

After the paper 1 disaster we formulated a back-up plan for Uni which DD is happy with, so it's taken the pressure off a bit I think, knowing that she has a plan for next year if she doesn't get the grade she needs in Physics.

Thankfully Geography and Biology seem to have gone better for her, and she is over the half-way point now with just 3 exams left to go over the next 10 days, so it does feel like there is some light at the end of the tunnel. She actually went out and met up with some friends last night, I'm so pleased as it was her first break from revision in weeks.

Best of luck to all DC for next week.

@Guinefort we have a series of backup plans for DS as well, we have been over them several times until he felt comfortable. He has firmed and insured two variations of the same course, one with a higher grade requirement than the other, and they have a Foundation version as well.

I'm in. Wish I had found this thread before.
Yes, exam stress hit our house too. Counting down the days. It has been so much work hasn't it, navigating uni offers, student finance etc.

It is Saturday, Dd has gone out I think to see friends.

Three exams left. Next week two on same day nextThursdayBiology and English.

Last exam Wednesday 21st June which just so happens to be summer solstice....

So many personal transitions for everyone. I feel for everyone i really do.

12 days of this to go now. Don't want to wish my life away but really would like for the exams to be over now.

good luck everyone

I wish the exams were spread out more, I get that it must be a logistical nightmare to organise but still.

DS didn't start till 25/5 and has only had 4 papers so far, with 9 more to go all crammed into the next two weeks, yet some of his friends are finished already.

There seems to be a bit of a split with humanities earlier and STEM later.

Absolutely essential to have a plan B (and C even). My daughter is doing an Art Foundation year so will be applying with grades in hand in the Winter, but it's really her portfolio rather than grades that count for her, but not have to get X grade to meet an offer has taken off some stress. Some of her friends have been in tears if they feel an exam has gone badly.
She has one exam left on Tuesday, only slept two hours Thursday night (revising and stress), and she had a revision session in school after her exam yesterday, yet I still had to insist she take the evening off revising! As it turned out she fell asleep on the sofa after dinner 😄😴!

That's really great. DD1 has refused engaged with the process of a plan B or C even though she really does need it, given her mocks we're below her predicted grades and that she firmed and insured at the same grade. There is absolutely no reasoning with her on this one, we always get the standard reply 'I will thunk about it later, you are stressing me out', so I have completely given up.

I think we will end up with a mad panic in clearing or a year off.

I’m relieved DS firmed his favourite with a lower grade offer rather than be tempted to firm a lower ranking but higher grade offer Russell Group university. This household might have imploded with the stress if he needed A stars.

Its taken the pressure off a bit and he’s gone with his heart which is generally a good thing. It really is bonkers that Lancaster, Loughborough and Bath (all top ten but not Russell Group) have lower grade requirements than say the much, much lower ranked Newcastle though.

Bath had high grade requirements for economics. I think it depends on the subject as well as the university. My DS also firmed his lowest offer. He just liked it the best of the ones he got. It does take the pressure off as it feels achievable. As long as he can do enough to get a B in Chemistry which has been his nemesis. No exams yet for that one so still an unknown.

Yes, there's nothing stopping you having some options for Plan B even if DD refuses to discuss it, @Travelban . I wouldn't have mentioned it to DS if he hadn't have wanted to talk about it for reassurance, but there's plenty of time after the exams have finished to come back to this as well.

DS is sure he doesn't want to do clearing, he needs to have certainty and so picking a uni out of the air that he hadn't visited or got a vibe from is definitely not for him. He will be gutted if somehow he can never get to his chosen uni but it's not super-academic, so I'm v confident that one way or another he will (eventually!)

Which course is this for ?

For all the ones DS was considering - Business school related ones - Bath and Loughborough always had higher offers than Newcastle

Yes I will be back on her case after the exams.. I have kept.an eye on options because I am also worried about making the wrong decision at the last.minute.. !!

My DD is another one who firmed and insured universities that made identical offers .

Heyho, only one more to go now and it's on Monday morning. Then the good times will be rolling so fast they might knock us down.

Just posting a bit of general support for those under stress. DS has dropped out entirely this week - his attendance was very very low and confidence non existent so it’s not a shock. I feel so disappointed for him - but not in him - but need to keep encouraging him, now it’s about what to do for a gap year/‘his whole entire life’… tricky times but I would rather have him alive and in one piece at the end of the day!

I’m sure I’m not the only one with an child who is going through this so I just thought I’d share in case it helps anyone know that others are in the same boat.