Year 13 2024 - General support thread part 2

[Rollergirl11]

All welcome as our young people head in to their last full term before the summer exams. Between UCAS applications, receiving offers/rejections, learning to drive and taking driving tests, revising for mocks and sitting them the pace hasn’t let up for our DC.

This thread has been a lovely supportive and immensely helpful place to talk as we guide our DC’s through this challenging time!

Old thread here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/4851165-year-13-20232024-general-support-thread?page=40&reply=132323436

Ds said his Maths today was 'ok'. He said he got the wrong answer for sure on the last question. Just hoping he didn't make too many silly mistakes. He needs an A in this one for both his firm and insurance.

My DS said maths was okay. Sounds like he could have done with more time.
He has economics paper 3 on Friday and then economics will be over and done with.

DD said maths was good but she had a couple of questions she couldn't do and thinks it will be an A. She said the people who do further maths were coming out saying it was the easiest maths paper ever which she said threw her a bit as she found the questions either really easy or hard but doesn't do FM but said she remembered FM results at her school are very high. Her boyfriend sat the paper and found it similar to her, and made a few errors but generally found it OK but also expecting roughly an A. She needs A star AA firm and A star* *AB insurance but any subjects. She then started on what if psychology is a B and I said you thought it went well and she said yes but so did everyone at my school and its an essay subject. But its a very high performing school so I doubt there's an issue, 2 out of 3 psychology papers she said were easy and the 3rd she said was OK.

Next exam on Thursday then one next Tues and one on 20th and done. She just went out for dinner with her boyfriend and now will relax for rest of the day before revising for Thursday tomorrow. Working on Saturday, otherwise revising for maths. After Thursday only maths left.

My son said maths (OCR A) was ‘alright’. He struggled with the last two questions but tried to salvage as many marks as possible. His Latin exam this morning was also ‘alright’ grrr. Fingers crossed, but what will be will be.

4 down 6 to go!

DD has her 2nd and final English lit this morning. Then History on Friday.

DS has done Maths and History (GCSE) so far this week and has English Lang and Biology tomorrow and Friday.

Once this week down just have one more week and one day left until they’re both finished!

DD also has 2nd and final English lit this morning. Then History on Friday with the addition of Spanish in the morning as well.

Then just one more exam left which will be Spanish on Monday 17th - she has all of next week off.

PE paper 2 for DS this morning. It's his least favourite part of the syllabus, the psychology bit, but he should be fine. Then he is staying at school for the rest of the day as there's something he wants to ask a physics teacher ahead of tomorrow apparently.
Next week is quiet with just one exam but I think he will go into school most days as he feels he is more productive if he studies there.

Verdict on PE 2 was "pretty good actually". This week is going better than last so far. Fingers crossed for physics tomorrow!

DD finished English lit. Said the comparative went well but the unseen was horrible. Think she’s glad it’s done now. It’s her best subject and she knows it inside out but she puts insane amounts of pressure on herself because she doesn’t want to let her teachers down.

She’s off for a celebratory/conciliatory McDonald’s now.

DS has now finished classics and psychology, he's absolutely certain he's done badly on the first 2 psychology papers and won't make the grade for his first choice.

Oh well. What will be will be. Only 2 history papers to go and it's over.

It's not over til it's over @lifeturnsonadime
I still remember being in floods of tears after my Physics A level in 1984. It was terrible. I was sure I had got C at best and I needed a B so that was me doomed. I got an A.😂
I genuinely to this day don't think I got an amazing score on that paper, but it was obviously better than most other people did. Fingers crossed it turns out the same for your DS.

Hi all. Looking for some moral support after DS remains devastated about a psychology paper last week. He had a total mind blank, couldn't get anything out of his head and is now convinced he's ruined his chances of the course he wants to do. Very worried at this stage he'll give up on his last 2 exams. It's so hard to comfort him when he feels everything he's worked so hard for is now wrecked.

Just realised I said last week, I meant Monday but feels much longer!

Sending support @NoKnickerElastic. All you can do is encourage him to draw a line under it and move on. Easier said than done I know.

More doors will close to him if he gives up now. It's unlikely to be as bad as he fears but getting his head down and keeping going will mean he has as many options as possible if things don't go to plan on results day.

Just forget about it for now - once all exams are done, then is the time to start sorting out a potential plan B.

That's tough @NoKnickerElastic but remind him that there are still 2 papers to go and whilst he may not be able to completely make up for a bad paper 1 he can certainly make some compensation. And if others also found paper 1 hard the grade boundaries will reflect that so he may not have done as badly as he fears anyway. Plus many young people do still get onto good courses with less than they've been asked, either through clearing or because their original choices take them anyway. Every offer holders day we went to gave out the message that if you just miss your grades, talk to them as whilst of course they can't make any guarantees they can sometimes still take students who didnt quite make the grade. So one bad paper doesn't necessarily mean the end of a dream.

Sorry to hear about the difficult psychology exams @NoKnickerElastic and @IThinkIMadeItWorse. It's a confidence knock for sure but as others said, they should still go for it for the next papers as the grade boundary will be lower if everyone found it hard. Last year so many kids got on their first preference uni courses with missed grades.

@Lightsabre I think you mean @lifeturnsonadime my DS is not doing psychology. As others have already said nobody knows where the grade boundaries will be and there is no point dwelling on things you can't change. Hope your DS can get his head in the right place for his last two exams @NoKnickerElastic

Five exams down - ten more to go!

Apologies @IThinkIMadeItWorse! Scrolling too quickly!

Ds a bit apprehensive about Physics tomorrow but hopefully he'll be ok.

@Rollergirl11 @MirandaWest Different exam board here for Eng Lit I think as only the first paper today. Comparison was 'unexpected but doable' (a lot of hopeful waffling) and the unseen was quite nice. Feel it could have gone better but hopefully not disastrous.

DD did AQA English lit (which is either A or B - still can’t remember what hers was). She said it was a nicer paper than the first one and seemed all right when she got back.

3 down, 3 to go 😊

DD just left at 7.10am to get the bus to her last business exam this morning then 2 left after that both maths. She was revising yesterday with music playing, liked Going to the chapel and I am going to get married playing. Will probably get a pizza tonight or tomorrow night to celebrate end of the week with 3 exams and my cancer checks yesterday for reoccurance which luckily came back clear and was lovely to tell DD that when she asked where I had been, first check since the cancer. Always find food helps. Good luck to everyone with remaining exams.

@Penguinsa good luck to your DD today. DC also got the same. Then we've FINISHED exams! Hope today goes OK, for us it's a tough one.

Thanks Aardvark That must be amazing to be finishing today. Good luck to your DC, hope its easier than they are expecting.

Best of luck for all those with Physics 2 this morning. DS quiet and non-communicative this morning. It's how he displays nerves!

Great news that you are clear.

Food definitely helps! We have a fancy meal booked in London for next week after DDs final exam. I hope she enjoys it as she’s currently on bland foods only as her mouth is awash with ulcers.