Year 13 -2025/26 - Support, discussion and looking after each other (new thread from y12)

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Hello
I have started a new thread following on from this one
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/5340007-year-12-202425-support-discussion-and-looking-after-each-other-thread-2?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

@Ventress wow! That’s high grade for English, I wouldn’t think of getting high marks on essay style exams. Schools must be teaching kids exactly what’s expected from answer key to achieving the highest grades
@Muchtoomuchtodo same here 4 for Edexcel FM, and three each for Phy and Maths.
I somehow can’t get my head around the uni admissions based on different exam boards- even though technically speaking, question paper is set on difficulty level that should be same on across all boards. @Newlittlerescue hope next two papers would be easier!

I know @Newlease, it’s strange isn’t it. Definitely not like for like.

Welsh students will have sat 20% more papers than English students doing the same subjects (12 in Wales, 10 in England for Maths, FM and physics)

Last year they were all before half term, this year they’re all after half term (which is a pain as we need to trek up to Anglesey over half term for the Urdd Eisteddfod!)

DS said “it was illiterate mam, no one could understand what they were bloody asking but we’ve all wrote similar answers….. so either we all tanked or all got it right” 😂

Hi all, just catching up with everyone's progress so far, well done to all that have done exams so far.

@Muchtoomuchtodo DD has 3 papers for each of her subjects, bio, chem, psych so 9 in all. Her first one is psych paper 1 this morning, which tbh I'm glad is finally here as it feels like she's been revising for months! I hope it goes ok for her, it is her 'easiest' subject which she enjoys, so fingers crossed for an ok paper to start the exams off for her.

DD has 7 of her exams after half term so that will be the more stressy time I guess. Roll on 17 June when it's all over.

DD has a horrible timetable. She’s on her 3rd exam in a row now (Psych) and is living off little sleep and no energy. She says she will be up against others that are fresh as this is their first exam but it’s just the way it falls. 2 in a row from Tuesday next week (after a 3 day gap) then nothing for 2 weeks! She feels like she has been disadvantaged from having them in a row.
On a plus she will be finished relatively early compared to the majority. But knows she would have done better if had a little respite between exams.
Another reason why we hate exams - so much luck involved! It’s an endurance test and she’s one of those classic kids that knows the info and predicted high, but stress and pressure gets to her.

For some reason it’s always been super high grade boundaries @Newlease. I think there are just too many texts to be able to take in everything- very much a skill to learn I think! If DS had realised he may have gone for something else

i hope your son enjoys the ice cream van and bbq @Tebheag😀

Good luck to all who have psychology today! 🤞

none for DS today but back next week for three in a row. Not sure how many he has in total, I’m still “need to know”.

enjoy half term and Eisteddfod @Muchtoomuchtodo

Hope the prom goes well tonight @MiniMidiMaxi

My DS1 did Eng Lit A level with AQA he got an A* with 92% overall mark but the boundary was at around 85%. I think the boundaries are high like that because of the way the exam questions are graded in levels, so it jumps up quite a lot between levels? Does it also depend on which books they are studying? So maybe less popular book choices have better boundary marks?

Edit: This was in 2022 so first set of 'proper' exams after Covid and he did Chaucer (which he thought was pointless).

It feels weird DS not having anything until next week, I keep thinking that he's missed an exam! He's still only doing one practice paper a day but taking forever while he moans about how much he hates physics/maths/chemistry (delete as appropriate). He seems to be doing OK in them but then again he is marking his own papers so who knows.

I hope all the exam takers this week have done well and get a little fun this weekend (for an hour at least 😁).

That is really interesting, thanks @JustHereWithMyPopcorn I do like that your ds1 got an A Star - such a relief that DS didn’t change to maths 😂

@Fabfabfab- I can’t work the link, sorry. But it says for 2025 that 200 is total (non NEA). 187 for A Star, 177 for A, 155 for B, 133 for D, 111 for E.

I’m very sure your son will nail his exams @JustHereWithMyPopcornThe longer he has to revise the better for him!

He was predicted an A @Ventress so it was a bit of a surprise that he got that but like all of their exams, sometimes it's just about the luck of the questions on the day.

He did so well @JustHereWithMyPopcorn I’m sure ds2 will be just as successful 😃

DS would love an A Star for lit, although he needs an A for university so hopefully he’ll be able to achieve that. fingers crossed!

I'm sure he will get it @Ventress he sounds like a very able young man. My DS has just come in moaning about the chemistry paper while I am trying to browse MN work. 😂

Thank you @JustHereWithMyPopcorn , that’s kind. Ah chemistry, so difficult. I don’t envy you. I’m sure you can sort it though 😀

DS seems to have disappeared (joke) Leaver's assembly at 11:30, asked for cash for a haircut (his bank account seems to have no cash facility 🤣)
Not seen or heard from him since.

Hope the first week has gone as well as it can do for everyone.

@gingercat02 he’s probably at the pub celebrating the end of school! 😄. Do you have anyway to see his location?

That's indeed where he was. He's home now for some food before going out again.
He did get a hair cut and a leavers hoodie.
I wasn't actually worried.

Glad he’s back, and at least got a hair cut! Hope the exams are going well @gingercat02

@gingercat02 I think it feels a bit confusing with all these different leavers events as they are in the middle of exams. At DC's college they seem to have lots of them and although they started a few weeks ago, they don't finish until June after the exams which is quite good in some ways I guess. He starts study leave on Monday but is still going in some of the time for revision clinics. Thankfully he has a car now. I recall GCSEs and driving backwards and forwards to pick him up at times when I should have been working!

@Ventress thanks for sharing last year's grade boundaries. Although DC felt he did really well in English, and liked the questions, it doesn't necessarily mean he will end up with the grade he wants as the grade boundaries are so high. A bit of a worry really but I just have to trust in him and his perception of how it went and hope for the best. He 'only' needs an A so hopefully he'll be ok. His English teacher told me once that the marking can be quite subjective compared to science/maths subjects where it's a lot clearer.

Am I glad it’s the weekend! Dd says that psychology was okay yesterday, I think as she spoke to me she got reliability and validity confused, I bit my tongue, she’s done it now! She says she felt good about the longer questions, who knows, she needs a B ideally.

She’s actually been much calmer than I thought she’d be, we had tears last week, but she’s been fine since.

I know way back there was conversation about Men b vaccine, outbreak in Reading feels pretty close, thinking about getting both of my kids vaccinated over summer, my youngest is (hopefully) heading to a very large 6th form and DD hopefully heading to uni…

We are also shocked by the death in Henley @wonderstuff. DS knows pupils at all of these schools/colleges. So incredibly sad. Making sure vaccinations are up to date is on my summer to do list.

I’m glad your daughter had a good psychology exam!

@Fabfabfab- I think English lit is such a difficult one to call. Certainly very different from a STEM subject. This drives DS a bit mad as he’s very attached his AOs and formal structures! You can find the grade boundaries for last year online, I’m just rubbish at attaching links 😀

DD didn’t continue with Psych (her 4th A Level) after Y12, but one of her friends was so upset yesterday having got the timing all wrong and not attempting a big 15 or 16 mark question. So tough.

Regarding MenB: stocks of the vaccine have recovered somewhat after the rush prompted by the Canterbury outbreak. DD (with inherited thrombophilia) is particularly prone to the worst outcomes of MenB, so we haven’t waited until the end of exams and she’s having her 2nd dose over half term. We have found decent availability at Boots.

P.S. Bear in mind you need at least 4 weeks between Dose 1 and Dose 2 of the MenB vax.

Thanks @JessyCarr. We are very close to these latest outbreaks and my sincere condolences to the parents of the student at Henley College. It breaks my heart what they are going through.

We actually viewed Henley College when we were looking for 6th forms for DS . His rugby club is right next door to Reading blue coat school with some players from Highdown school. All too close for comfort.

I always had a trip to the doctor to check his vaccinations as one of those summer jobs. It’s certainly risen up the “to do” list to the top now though.

The psychology exam sounds mixed and challenging. DS’s ex girlfriend was having a panic about it last night. I’m quite proud of DS saying “not my problem” after about an hour of trauma and he went to the gym.

The GP won't be able to give the men B to your son as it's not on the schedule for young people of their age, only babies which started in 2015.

You need to book it privately.

Ah, understood, thanks @SilverBlue4

I’m sorry, I realised I’ve said most of my post twice! My friend’s daughter had meningitis in February half term and seriously scared her parents and friends. She is fine now but it was a night in A&E, monitoring and antibiotics.