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

Thank you so much. She hasn't come back so she must have got on it!

Dd has been working so hard and last night she said she was so tired coud'nt even think straight. She went to bed very early and woke up 6.00 am today fresh again. I just realised to get 2 A star is not as easy as predicted, sometimes it depends on lucky on the day as well. I just told her Bristol is very good but she really wants to stay in London as her best friend who will go C will live with her as C term is shorter. Meanwhile almost her further maths class will get A star in maths and 2/3 on A star further maths every year so hope she will get it.

Hope so good luck

Well Ds certainly let his hair down last night to celebrate 😳

Huge good luck to everyone still with a few more to go

It’s been a nice thread just ticking along with support

Thank you very much. Good luck to your child and for any child doing the exams as well.

Lots of 'nearly the end of exams but not quiet' jitters in our house too. DD had biology this morning and has promised me a quick text on her way home. Most of her friends finish today and are off to the local nightclub's end of exams party tomorrow evening - not DD who has chemistry on Friday!

Positive vibes to you all your exhausted dc on the home strait. Final push ...

yes final push...
dd must have finished biology by now, she has plans for tomoz I haven't planned anything for today as my guess is she will flop

DS has extra time so he's finishing Biology now. Then he has to hand in his textbooks since it's his last exam.

Just the two of us for dinner tonight and DS doesn't drink so it'll be a quiet night in.

Quiet night in here too. Just heard from DD and she said Biology paper was 'trickier than the others'...

She's heading home now.

Hasn't quite dawned that we're done...Yey!😄

Report from DS was that Paper 3 was good. When he first saw the essay questions he thought WTF but found a load of stuff to write. Section A was okay as well - a logarithm question but fortunately only a 1 marker.

Still can't quite believe it's over. I was in the middle of a meeting when the exam ended and still in it now, so once that ends I think we will have a celebration.

Looking forward to seeing everyone over on the Results thread.

Best of luck to everyone who still has exams - the end is in sight!

Thank goodness that is all over!!!!
Biology paper 3 was "fine", harder than papers 1 & 2 but she thinks she did ok. It is her strongest subject so I'm relieved she has finished on a high.

Well done to all fellow finishers today and sending strength with those still to complete! See you on the results thread

Well done everyone. Congrats to the finishers!

It's just some mathmos, some chemists, some theologians and some Ancient Greeks left now, I think. Will this thread run out before we reach the end??? Clinging on until Friday here.

Feel quite sick waiting to hear from mine - never a great communicator and biology worst subject....

And still 3 more to go here - congrats to the finishers!

I'm hanging on in there till Friday to cheer you on.

Wednesday already. Only two more sleeps for you! It's been a lovely and important thread.

Thanks for the supportive thread. DS has finished now biology was the last one, said it was 'quite hard'

Best of luck everyone

Heard from DS - he said it was ok and the essay was quite nice....I have no idea of exam board tho!

DD ok, biology exam tricky but liked the essay section. She is worried about the bio paper 2 as she was not feeling great. We are at the max for hay fever meds, eyes still itchy and red but no need for tissues today. Said she is going home to sleep and will take evening off, up early to revise chemistry on Friday. She is exhausted and that has manifested in grumpiness! Yesterday she was so grumpy I actually pretended to fall asleep on the sofa, an hour later she was in a better mood. Can't wait for Friday afternoon.

Biology done, DS said it was 'meh' but grade boundaries are low for that paper so feeling ok

Last push for chemistry on Friday, with plans made for a big old night out to celebrate after.

Dd came out of biology smiling

Said paper went well and essay topics were right up her street.

Aqa Bio paper two didn’t go well for her but she liked papers one and three

So much relief here! Bio was ‘decent’, paper 2 was ‘meh’ so hopefully this makes up for it!

Finally done with both GCSEs and A levels, it’s been a long slog this year. Both DS exhausted but DS1 (A levels) even more so.

Time to breathe and rest for a bit!

Dd1 also thought biology was hard but she did ok..no tears this time!
Only chemistry left on Friday and she has gone with a friend to get her nails done in prep for her holiday on Sunday.

We have also booked to go out for dinner in town on Friday, she is bringing a friend and then they will go out for a bit afterwards.
So looking forward to Friday afternoon when it's all over... I am exhausted from this and working stupid hours...

Great support on here for sure !!!

Just home from work and speaking to dd OCR Bio P3 was good apart from one 6 marker about something really niche which no one really understood.

so her summary was P1 - car crash P2 fab P3 good.

will have to wait and see if it’s good enough.

Just 2.5 hours of Chemistry to go!

DD was so down yesterday. She has convinced herself that she HAS to get 3 A* or she’s a failure. It doesn’t matter what I say, she won’t accept any less.

Shes now saying that she’ll be ‘lucky to get a B in biology” and that she knows she’s going to hate herself come August 😰

God, this is so hard. I know it’s all linked to the AN, and I’ve been studiously ignoring the disordered eating so she has less to complain about, but bloody hell I cannot wait until Friday (although, knowing DD, the obsessing will continue till Aug 17th)

What are the options if they don’t get an A Level? Is there an option to just re-sit or would they have to take the full 2 year course again? I’m think specifically in maths, my ds messed up the first of 3 exams and doesn’t think he will have done enough in the other 2 to save it. In an ideal world he would just re-sit the first one but I’m guessing that’s a definite no go.

@Georgieporgie29 , the re-sit for the whole A level would be next summer, they could work for a year and study at home and ask their current sixth form if they could resit. It's unlikely they would get any funding to pay for study. It may be best to look in clearing when it opens on 5th July for other options with a low maths grade or to hope for the best especially if the other 2 papers went well.