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 baffled by the exam board's scheduling this year, so many children seem to have 3 exams in 2 days. I'm not sure they've thought about possible combinations at all. We've got economics, maths, geography here and they've been scheduled, 3 exams in 2 days. And lots at school doing economics, maths and psychology also scheduled 3 in 2 days. Doesn't help them all at all

DS has two exams the same day for both his German papers - but that's perhaps not so surprising against Maths and Physics. I agree some of the overlaps mentioned above sound rather unnecessary.

Having said that, I remember back to my final school exams, the Latin papers were all the same day as advanced maths - and owing to a rather different system, I was willing to bet a high proportion of Latin students were also doing the maths.

Yes @andwhy History and English are often taken together and both are on same day. The draft timetable also had Classical Civilisation on same day in June but they thankfully moved the June dates (nothing to do with my feedback of course!) otherwise DD would have had to go into isolation or cr three exams in one day.

But they’re not scheduled at the same time? Eg one is am and the other pm?

We have missed out (just) on having three exams in two days, but have two lots of three exams in three days, if that makes sense. The first time it's two on one day, then a gap, then one more. The second time it's one exam on each of three days.

Yes for DC doing A levels, but DC doing GCSEs had three in one day last week, two at the same time. One poor child in his year had four scheduled for the same day!

DD said the Classical Civilisation paper today was OK in parts, the 20 mark question was agreed by all to be ‘niche’ but the 30 mark question was fine. The vase was the one she predicted to be on the paper so all in all she feels it went ok but could have been better.

Just spent some time going through questions on the Civil War, Rump Parliament etc with DD ready for History tmw. I think I will miss these little one to one sessions. Also has English tomorrow but says she has run out of things to revise for for that exam which I hope is a good sign.

Similar feedback from my DD on Class Civ, she said something about Persians and the subject of the vase, but it all went slightly over my head. She seemed ok about it all though, so that's a win here!

Good luck for the Historians and English exams next - we've got a break until Friday now (English pre-U so seems to be on a different timetable to the A Level boards).

Physics this afternoon, DS' first written exam. He is feeling very nervous but his tutor has advised not trying to cram this morning, do an hour and then relax.

First English Lit for DD today, it's what she plans on studying at Uni so a big one for her. She's really wants to get a good grade just to prove she can. DS also doing GCSE English Lit so it's a full house today.
Good luck to those with exams today.

Morning! First exam for DD this morning, history which she hoping to study at Uni. She was up before me this morning, never happened before.
Good luck to those doing exams today.

Another English Lit taker here - good luck to all of us, and to Historians. Think I'm going to be invigilating History this morning, will check faces for signs of woe or joy...

My DD has history this morning and has been very nervous for it.
good luck to all of the young people today!!

Morning, can I join?
DD is doing Maths, Bio and Chem, so hasn’t started any yet, 2 weeks to go - if I don’t kill her (or myself) first.

Shes so stressed, revising too hard and railing against any suggestion from me for time out (although I did manage to get her to come to the cinema with me last week).

Shes a high achiever- but at what cost?

Yes History - I think once this first one is done daughter will chill a wee bit. She was sympathetic to those doing History and English today - she said if that was her English would definitely be the loser.
Irony is, she wants to do Animation and doesn't need particularly good grades, so doesn't have that huge pressure of needing to get an A or A star. But she's put a huge amount of pressure on herself!
Good luck to everyone's kids - five minutes to go!

Morning! Can I join you all? DD had history and english today and has been very nervous. Didn't help that her prepared lunch went missing - adding to the stress! 😬 She suffers from anxiety so 2 in one day is not good. At least it only happens once for her. 😥

Good luck to all your children

Good luck to all those sitting exams today! DS’s biology practical went OK yesterday which was a great relief as the one they did for mocks didn’t work for anyone and they had no results to work with). Will be encouraging him to take a couple of days off from revising as next exam not until 8 June.

DD away for first exam today - Politics 1. She left at her normal time of 6.55am to get the train up to school. She’ll have been in school by shortly after 8am which is super early, but the later train is too frantic and she didn’t want a lift. Exam started at 9.15am so she’s only half an hour into it, but has been gone for nearly 3 hours already - it’s going to be a long morning waiting! She studied until 8pm last night and then went for a walk with her headphones in, then home and in bed by 9.30pm. She seems calm - hope it’s genuine - you’d never really know with her!

I think history and English in one day is savage. DD is stressing enough about history so the students with this combo have my sympathy.
I think she’s feeling a bit better now the waiting is over and they’ve started. She’s crossing them off her timetable as she does them and feels like she is getting somewhere now.
im being thoroughly unproductive with work and will spend the morning looking at the clock. 15 more me down, 2hrs 15 to go! Although I expect time will be going faster for them!

15 mins, not more me!
(I must turn predictive text off. My fat fingers keep typing utter rubbish!)

@AfingeroffudgeisNOTenough OMG I have been obsessively looking at TFL live updates since 5.30am! I normally drop her at the tube station at 7.30-40, she has to be in on a normal day for 8.20. But the morning of her exam last week 'severe delays' so drove her in - nightmare as it meant I was 45 minutes late for a meeting afterwards.
But today she is so stressed didn't want to take a chance with any delays so dropped her off early, even thought it's 'good service' today. Still Earls Court is notorious. Don't need transport stress on top of everything else!

@mondaytosunday yes we’ve had issues on the line DD uses this past week too so I have been all over Twitter checking for updates, and was tracking her phone all the way to the school! The roads have been a bit weird last few days too (other DD’s school bus was 25min late the other day because of roadworks) so a lift wasn’t a guaranteed option either! I’m glad today the train ran to time and she got there fine. She normally has to be in by 8.30am, but often has extra stuff before school for committees she’s on so being in at 8.10am is fine. Today I fear it will have been a long, nervous wait, so we’ll see if she wants to do the same next week for English!

DS2 is one of the maths/further maths/physics crowd who kick off this afternoon with the first physics exam - must be a few of us mathmo parents on here. I'm supposed to be doing a big chunk of work today and can't focus for toffee. DS2 seems chill although not looking forward to 'further extra pure' or whatever it is tomorrow, which is his least favourite paper of the lot. (The title of the paper just makes me laugh, not being a maths person myself.)

DD also has physics this afternoon and is doing further maths and chemistry. She went into college this morning to do some revision and seemed quite relaxed but I’m certainly not!