Year 13 2024/2025 - support, discussion and looking after each other - continuation from year 12 thread

[elkiedee]

I've just realised that the year 12 2023/2024 thread is full - oops! - last message on 16 August - don't know if someone started another continuation thread but I can't see it. This coming year DS1 does A levels and university applications, DS2 will be in his GCSE year.

If there is a thread already started please let me know.

Same here, DD said like no other past paper she has ever done in biology. I hope it doesn’t affect her, she is hoping to do a biology related degree. So frustrating this year.

Just wondering which biology exam they did ? Dd did aqa ans said it was OK. Hopefully she's not completely missed bits !

Yes AQA - apparently had some content that was P2 and a big focus on application which was more P3 . Said the questions were unclear and the worst choice of topics and lots of maths . She’d previously been getting As on past papers … she’s utterly deflated as she worked really hard and P1 was her strongest paper . Said it was so unlike past papers .

@halloween67 @Thistooshallpass. that sounds really tough,
Understandable to feel deflated. Hopefully the grade boundaries reflect how challenging it was.

DS2 said Biology went well, all his exams are Edexel. Though I also suspect he's going to tell me all his exams went well...

FM tomorrow then nothing until Thursday

AQA bio here and DD says it was odd. Strange selection of topics that weren’t really topics. She thinks she’s probably done ok but doesn’t want to think about it too much in case because she knows she made mistakes. Many at her school were quite upset.

DD says an overwhelming majority online are citing the same things about the Biology paper . I just don’t know what reason an exam board would suddenly change from the expected format to something completely unexpected. Not a fair practice .

Ds said biology ok but WJEC here. He is not jumping up and down about it. He has had a headache all day as well. Sorry that it was a tricky paper for some. They seem to be getting curve balls this year.

Anyone here doing economics (Edexcel)? My DD said it wasn't a great paper 😞

Did anyone's child do the OCR Biology paper 1 today? What did they think?

There were some major issues with the laptop in ds’s exam yesterday. He’s devastated. We’ve contacted his school exam office to ask them to apply for special consideration for him for that paper. He’s got another exam today, so I’m hoping he’s going to be able to put it out of his mind

Sorry to hear that @HippyChickMama. That must have been very stressful for him. I hope today’s goes better.

@HippyChickMama poor DS, I hope the school respond quickly and today's exam goes well

Thank you @Changes17and @PennywisePoundFoolish
He went through 3 laptops during the exam, having to log in and swap the memory stick over each time. He answered the first two questions and he estimates around 75% of the final question when they told him to stop writing. He was given 5 minutes extra time which doesn’t cover the time it took to keep swapping to a new laptop, let alone taking into account the additional stress. He’s getting ready to go in for his afternoon exam now, he seems quite positive but if he’s not achieved the grade he needs for his first choice uni, he’ll be gutted

@HippyChickMama your DS did so well to persist and achieved a lot given the technology failing him. Everything crossed he gets what he needs and hopefully special consideration is given too. I am glad he's feeling positive going into today's and I hope there's no more glitchy laptops.

I'm not convinced by DS2 saying all his exams have gone well but I guess we just have to wait for the results and take it from there. His insurance offer isn't that generous tbh but I guess there's clearing? I do think I am more worried than him atp!

@HippyChickMama hope he has been ok today. Ds said geography went well which is good.

DS2 said his FM didn't go well and he ran out of time so didn't get to the last question.
No more exams until Thursday, hopefully he doesn't start spiralling

Ds was okay before he left. His exam office have agreed to apply for special consideration for yesterday’s paper so I guess we just wait to see if the exam board agree and then wait for results day with fingers crossed!

Glad to hear that, he did really well to keep going after all that

my teen had geography today said it went decent and didn’t say much else

thunking we might end up down the clearing route

Gosh, that sounds incredibly stressful @HippyChickMama. It's good that your DS has managed to put this to one side, and that the school are doing all they can.

My son took AQA Physics paper 2 this morning and said it was ok but harder than paper 1 last week which he said went well. Has anyone else’s child sat this exam this morning?

My daughter took the paper, she thought paper 1 was harder. I think paper 1 was a different format than usual she said.

Last two exams for ds here this week, politics tomorrow and history on Thursday. I’ll be glad when it’s over but then the dreaded wait for results. Ds now desperately looking for a job for the summer so he can save some money for university, he’s limited due to not turning 18 until August but he’s applying for anything he can find

My DD sat the AQA physics paper 2 today. She said a lot of her class were really unhappy with it and has seen a lot of angry/upset comments on Reddit. She actually preferred this paper to paper 1. She did work especially hard for today’s paper though.

Thank you for replying @halloween67 and @autumndays13. Hopefully they will all have done ok 🤞

I don’t think anyone knows what’s happening with these exams, they seem all over the place this year unfortunately.