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

4 down, 4 to go. Computer Science was "alright".

Thank you for posting this. MY DD hasnt dropped out yet, but would say has suffered under these circumstances. I feel you both are very brave.

In the long run this kind of thing is not worth the damage caused. So as you say, much better to reassess.

I have a happy DS after Comp Sci today. Phew!

@WarningToTheCurious that's good!

DD said AQA chemistry was not as awful as she thought it was going to be! Hay fever not too bad. She seems ok and is now focusing on last history tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for a quiet night compared to yesterday. She wanted pasta, I made carbonara, apparently that is not pasta! I actually stayed calm and made fusilli - that's pasta! She apologized later and needed a hug. Exams don't finish until 23rd! I need to get more fusilli 😀Good luck to all those writing tomorrow.

It is as he is planning to do CS at uni!

Ds said computer science was good

well done all. in the absence of rain I'm watering the garden keeping myself (relatively) sane

We are having tropical rains here every day in the late afternoon. Feels like Thailand or Singapore, not the West of England.

You are doing an amazing job Forest.

Following other posts - DD's school, up to year 11, was plagued with staff absence/recruitment issues from day one. Never mind the 'covid years' and all of those related problems. It has been the same at her 6th Form school. I feel so much for teachers these days. Not a job I could do, that's for sure. I take my hat off to them.

TA LD.

Yes, me too. Just over those years it has been such a strain at times doing the job of a teacher as well as a mum in the absence of teachers. What a mess the government has made of education.

Well done, still hoping for rain.

Dd is done!!! Music was good, dictation was easy, essay topics came up that she was hoping for. Phew.

Now she wants to celebrate but all her friends are still in the thick of it...

But we are having kir royales in the garden 😎.

Aaaahhh well done to your ds @ZittiEBuoni - I hope she enjoys her celebrations!

yey! fab!

Roll on the 19th. Its seems endless as DD had her first one May 5th.

Congrats to all who have finished and support to those who are still in the thick of it.

Interesting to see different views on Edexcel chemistry. DS said it was unlike any previous Paper 1 which threw him a bit, about 20% non- standard questions which required additional thought/ working from first principles (not much maths as people have said)- and time pressure as a result - he only just finished and didn’t have time to check answers as usual. Many in his class who are more on the maths / physics side didn’t like style of the questions, those he knows who are predicted As and with offers based on As were stressed out. He thought on balance he managed OK. The spec says 20% level 2 maths (whatever that means) across all three papers so maybe 2 or 3 will be more maths heavy/ something to watch out for?

Just realised that the * s in my post above disappeared and resulted in bold text!

hear hear

Re Edexcel Chem dd thought there was a fair bit which wasn’t massively dissimilar to the 2022 paper and it wasn’t as much of a departure from the norm as the OCR bio paper 1 (dd still sure she won’t meet her Durham offer).

She says Chem was just more wordy - it’s a massive cohort who take Chemistry at her school (it’s a grammar school fwiw) and opinions seem split on it.

it’s just all the unknowns really and if they’re going back to the 2019 grade % then that means Chem dropping from 39.3% A and above last year and 29.7% which was the 2019 %.

I just keep telling dd she can only do her best and then we just cross our fingers.

I didn’t realise those %s for As were so high (have never looked at them, just tell DS to get on with revising and do the best he can v the paper). That makes me feel much better whichever percentage it is (on the basis his school is reasonable standard and he is probably in top third of his class I think?). Anyway - look forward, only two papers to go etc etc

It varies a lot from subject to subject the 2019 % of A or above for Biology were 24.4% and for Psychology 17%. Maths is v high.

Probably better that I don’t look, tbh.

Definitely interesting to hear the different views about today's EdExcel chemistry paper. Dd would agree with your ds, I think @legalalien - it just seemed quite different to the style/format of previous papers which seemed to throw her quite a bit. She's more mathsy than writey too, which might have put her off her stride as well. Hoping that papers 2 and 3 will be better!

@KittyMcKitty dd has biology on Friday this week, then 3 more chem/biol exams next week. Same for your dd? No wonder she is stressed about not being able to work at home the day before her final exams - that would stress anyone out! I hope she's able to plan for it and that it doesn't cause too much disruption to her revision timetable. Does your dd need an A in chemistry to meet her Durham offer?

@ZittiEBuoni Your dd must be thrilled to be finished - glad to hear her last exam went well and I hope you all enjoyed the Kir Royales (that would be my celebration drink of choice too)!

@Outnumberedbytwo yes Biology and Chemistry left to go here - Psychology finished last week. Dd is probably more writey than mathsy - she’s looking to do sociology and needs AAB for Durham which on paper wasn’t a problem before Biology. Chemistry is her weakest (predicted A * for Biology and Psychology) although her Chemistry has improved significantly. She just never thought Biology would be the wrong to throw a spanner in the works. Her insurance is York who want ABB. She just desperately wants Durham.

What about your dd?

But whatever happens with Biology P2 she’s off to see Harry Styles on Friday evening which should life her spirits!

Good luck to all the mathematicians for this afternoon.