Y12 2023/24 - support, discussion and looking after each other

[BonjourCrisette]

GCSEs are over and we are beginning the next stage. Let's hope it's a bit less stressful than this summer has been! All welcome to discuss, share experiences and support each other as our children move into Y12/BTECs/apprenticeships and start a new phase.

How much does the coursework v exam at end count in the BTEC & Cambridge tech courses @MoFoFlo ? I’m interested as my younger child I’m not sure will cope with the style of AL learning but would do better with more practical & coursework style.

@SummerChilling I‘m not too sure of the mix to be honest! DD is doing the level extended certificate which is worth one A Level for both Sport and Business. Seems to be more heavily weighted to exams, but some of them are case study based so they can prepare in advance. They also tend not to have longer essay style questions. They also have the option to retake. Exams are spaced out too, so they don’t have the pressure of everything boiling down to a few weeks at the end of Y13. Does mean they have to work hard throughout the whole course though!

I believe that if they do the extended diploma which is the same block as three A levels, then there’s more coursework in there and they have some choice of modules.

Thanks I’ll do a bit more research on it.

@SummerChilling I may have posted this before, so sorry if I have, but my middle DS did the BTEC level 3 extended diploma, equivalent to 3 A levels. It definitely suited him as he really struggled at school and managed a distinction in the level 3. It was nearly all coursework but I think it varies a lot depending on the subject taken.

Well second chem paper today and i can say stress levels have risen!! Ds finishes on Thursday and it cannot come soon enough. Doing exams when the weather is good again has not helped!!

Year 12 mocks started yesterday for DS - and he has another paper on Thursday. Three in the week after half-term. It's very different from last year!

DD has got AS Psychology p2 this afternoon and then Biology Thursday morn. She was feeling quietly confident today but worried about Biology. Then two more after Halfterm. I can’t believe it was a year since the 30exam marathon of GCSEs. Seems mental they do so many in such a short space of time.

Good luck to all that have exams coming up.
One of my DS’s had mocks a while back and has just received new improved predicted grades so they are happy. Had a great parent’s evening as well.
Other DS has GCSE English retake this week and couldn’t be less bothered 😩. Praying for a miracle as they are severely dyslexic 🤞🤞.

Hopefully they pass English @Sadtimes1 one of DDs friends on her 3rd go. I did suggest to her mum that if it doesn’t work switch syllabus as some are better suited than others. Lots of HomeEd kids do igcse Cambridge English as more formulaic answers.

Good luck to your DS, @Sadtimes1! Will be great if they can get it out of the way.

Thank you @SummerChilling and @Changes17 🤞🤞🤞. I am hoping that if the worst happens and they fail, they’ll be allowed to do Functional English instead next time. The severe dyslexia has had such a huge impact on them and so many subjects, they think that they are stupid because of it 😞.

Fingers crossed for the resist. Ds not speaking about chem yesterday but has geography today and biology tomorrow. It is worrying me a bit as he has no fourth to drop if chem goes wrong. Doing AS is a bonus but has added pressure if we get a low grade. Roll on tomorrow evening!!!!

@mumonthehill Thank you. I was having this very conversation with my one of DS’s yesterday. He is at school and some students in his class got E’s and U’s in the maths mocks. It’s likely the school will tell them they can’t progress to year 13 with maths but they have no 4th subject to fill in the gap. 2 A levels will not get them into uni so they would prob have to start year 12 again adding a new subject. My older DS was on the old system of 4 subjects to AS and then dropping one, that system had the safeguard of a 4th subject in this situation. As usual, things are changed without thinking of the full consequences.

@mumonthehill best of luck to your DS!

Ah thanks. In ds school you have to get 7 A at GCSE to do 4 and he got 5. So is doing 3 plus welsh bacc. Might need a plan B!!

I'm fuming with dh. Ds and him seem to be permanently clashing and he's now decided that ds isn't progressing quickly enough with driving. He thinks it's an unwillingness to listen and learn. I think it's nerves and lack if confidence. So dh says he won't pay for any more lessons now the block is up.
If your child has used their test, how many did they have ?
Also has anyone done their personal statement yet ? That's another bone of contention.

Haven’t yet got started on the driving front - there seems to be a shortage of instructors locally. I think the personal statement is also a way off as yet, though he’s had to do some early work on it.

Nothing yet on the personal statement - and not 17 for another couple of months so not driving - but I do think it’s hard to know exactly how quickly driving should take - some kids seem to get to grips much faster than others. Mind you, my eldest’s lessons were punctuated by lockdowns so not idea how long it should have been!

Ds school have a personal statement coach and I think they work on it before the summer break but honestly do not worry about it as there is lots of time left. Ds passed his test very quickly, but dh took him out all the time and he had 2 driving lessons a week. We live rurally so it was becoming important. He passed in 8 weeks. I think confidence plays a massive part. He has an app on his phone now linked to his insurance.

DD decided not to learn to drive just yet. She feels like she has a lot on and would rather do it later (we are in London so no real benefit to her in being able to drive atm).

She felt like her end of years went OK. School very explicitly saying these are NOT mocks just a way to see what they need to work on which is nice and takes the pressure off a bit. They've also said they won't base predicted grades entirely off the exams but also look at general motivation, how hard they are working and stuff.

We went to a higher education conference at her school a few weeks ago and they did talk about personal statements but I've forgotten slightly what they said. Will ask DD what she remembers about it. And I know they get intensive coaching on these so will also try to pass that on as and when she gets more input. The things I do remember were to focus on the subject you are applying for and stick to putting things in that support that. So talk about what you have been doing outside the curriculum that shows you have a real interest; don't bother putting in that you play the violin or swim competitively if you're not applying for something directly related. Talk about what has inspired you within the curriculum. Talk about any work experience you have that is related to the course. I know her school is encouraging all of them to enter any essay competitions etc that are related and even entering shows an interest regardless of whether you win something, so you could look up if there's anything your child can do in that area. DD entered a poetry competition and was placed so that is really good as she wants to do English and Creative Writing. Basically it's got to be super focused on the actual subject and any steps your child has taken to learn more about it and to understand it more deeply.

wow @BonjourCrisette that is such a different approach to DS’s school. They have already had mocks and 2 different sets of predicted grades. They also have an end of term maths test which could change their predicted grades. Anyone getting below a D in the mocks is likely to be told that they cannot continue to yr 13 with the subject. It’s a high achieving school and the workload is huge.

@NCTDN I have one DS doing driving lessons atm. They have been doing them a long time and haven’t even passed their theory yet. They are on the spectrum though, so I am pleased that they can take their time.

Is anyone’s DC doing an EPQ? My DS has just signed up for one and I am wondering if it will be too much with an already heavy workload. I also wonder if it’s worth doing?

@Sadtimes1 my daughter signed up for EPQ and then changed her mind.

She is doing 3 humanities already and felt it was a lot of writing. Couldn't see the point in getting an allowance for maybe 1 grade drop if it meant she then dropped a grade on a levels due to the work.

@BonjourCrisette

My daughter also deciding against learning. She is an August baby so by time she learns and passes it won't be long until she's off to uni.

We are also a London suburb so with frequent buses to where her friends live and only room for 1 car on our drive and a parking controls all over the place it just doesn't make sense to spend maybe £200 a month on lessons for the benefit she would get.

Good luck to all those doing exams, especially resits, at the moment.

DD started learning to drive, but only had a few lessons before her instructor stopped (with everyone, not just her!). She's insured on our car as a learner, so doing a fair bit of practice with us (mostly with DH, luckily, as they have the same commute), but no luck with finding another instructor yet. They are all super booked-up here and even getting on a waiting list seems impossible.

She's supposed to have a first draft PS in before the summer holidays (early application). She had a 1:1 tutorial about it recently, but as far as I know hasn't started it yet.

June weekends now looking busy with open days. I'm looking forward to them - especially going back to my old university and my old hometown, both of which are on the current longlist. We overlap with my sister and niece at one, so will have an evening out with them afterwards too.

Are all the schools intensively coaching for personal statements doing this for the benefit of early applicants (oxbridge, medicine etc etc)?

Neither of my dc fit into that category, but for ‘normal’ uni applications do unis really pay that much attention to a PS as long as predicted grades are where they need to be? I don’t remember much more than a couple of generic personal statement sessions at school for ds1 and he got offers from all he applied for inc Durham - just wondering as the approach from schools seems to vary widely