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

DD in for biology today. Had very bad hay fever symptoms yesterday and this morning. GP will not give her any other prescription medication. Bad night, with eyes, nose, head and you can hear her sneeze a mile away! Exam officer have asked what she is taking medicine wise so have to send in email. Not really heard from her. She has now gone with friend to get something to eat and the sleep.
Thankful for the weekend but still three more to go and finish next Friday. Feel sorry for her, apparently there were a number of bad sufferers today.
Enjoy the weekend to those who have finished and good last minute revising for those who have exams neet week.

No feedback for me. DD discusses it with her mates etc.
So good to hear that from here.

Perhaps your DD was just very confident and efficient G?

Can she take antihistamines at night? We went to pharmacy regarding a tick bite and got anithists was worried about drowsiness so pharmacist said to take them at night...

Great to hear there's been at least one good science paper at last. DS said Politics was "lovely", the questions were straightforward and he had loads to write about. He is now popping in and out of my office every 5 minutes to chat, I think he has forgotten how to relax!

oh great.
Lovely. Yes, know what you mean about them having forgotton how to relax...

@Lowther there's a really good Twitter thread on allergy Dr Sophie Farooque 💙 (@LondonAllergy) / Twitter Definitely some sound evidence-based recommendations there including the nasal saline wash and starting a steroid nasal spray ASAP (DH suffers but these really help)

Well done all. Glad to hear biology and politics were friendly. for the finishers!

Just had a call from DD. Biology went okay.
She is in the park - taking a break before English Lit at 2.

Biology got "yeah it was fine" here 🥳
This time next week he will have just one left as he's got 2 on his last day poor kid!

So pleased to hear Biology and Politics were ‘ok’ this morning. DS has them both today and as they were both 9am exams he’s in isolation until 3.30 (extra time).

Biology is his weakest subject and US politics his weakest politics paper so he was really stressed about today. Not helped by having a mozzie in his room last night that annoyed him and kept him awake. DH finally found it and killed it at 1.15am, DS didn’t sleep much!

One more Bio to go next week, will be harder to keep the focus though as DS2 finished GCSEs today.

Well done all. Making roast pepper salad to cool down for DD coming in at 5.30

DS says politics 3 wasn't lovely at all. He did global politics not American.

It's horrible when they feel bad about a paper @littlequestion

DS2 happy with further maths and stats. On to the final two next week - at least they're nicely spaced out, rather than four on consecutive days like this week.

Ddv positive about aqa bio two but thought paper one was better.

dreading what aqa will put on paper three.

three more exams next week finishing up a week today. Its been a long drag.

Politics 2 here for DD (CCEA) - apparently it was ‘meh’. First section could have been better, could have been worse, but essay wasn’t good. It was worded in a way which has apparently never come up before in a past paper and none of her class seem to know if they’ve even answered it right or not.

They have been really let down by their Politics teacher this past year and this was the subject I was most worried about. She only finished teaching the course 2 days before study leave started and they’ve never done full assessed essays on this part of the course either. Her US/UK paper was the one she was far more prepared for. DD has done every past paper available and marked them herself with the markscheme but has never had one marked by a teacher due to running out of time to teach the course.

FM was 'good, I'd say'. That's the toughest ones over for DT2 - just comp sci on Monday, and he and DT1 both finish with maths on Tuesday. Can't believe how close they are!

@littlequestion DS did USA, apparently the questions were much more straightforward than last year when all the teachers complained and threatened to go to AQA. Sorry that the global paper wasn't so nice, I don't know what it means for grade boundaries when you have two different options on the third paper?

Thank you for all the advice for the hay fever. GP nurse phoned and we are going to take at night this weekend to try to get her back to some sense of normality. A lad had to leave exam due to breathing problems which worried DD even more. She is alseep now. Not sure how biology went. She had worked hard for this and I just hope she was able to do enough.

DD always enjoys further maths statistic paper and it went very well today for her.

dd v happy with OCR Biol P2 which is great as she’s still distraught about P1.

Just Chem papers 2&3 and Bio P3 left to go next week.

OCR Biology paper 2 this morning was 'good' and OCR F Maths was 'really hard, but fine ... I mean there were questions and I wrote answers, and that's F Maths done now' 🤣 but overall came home happy.

2 more Chemistry papers and one more of Maths and Biology next week I think.

English Lit went well so that's us done with both A levels and GCSE's, woohoo. Tome to down tools for a few weeks. Good luck to those with exams next week.

Well done all who have finished.

DD wolfed vegan ice cream and raspberry smoothie I had made her and then retired to bed.

Yes. English over. End of an era as someone said.

Last biology to go next week.

Time to flop before then, me watching stupid film all I can cope with!

Late to the party here. DD had her final German paper today. She was dreading it but found it much better than expected. Just the equivalent French paper to go now on Monday. I'll be so glad when it's done

DS said politics 3 as good, Biology was ‘meh’. I think he struggled a bit but he’s definitely happier and more relieved this evening, I think he can see the end now! Night off with friends tonight then the final push to Weds.