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

@BlackBean2023 I can totally understand that he wants to be on campus and it's tough if you pick a campus university and end up elsewhere. I have read though that lots of students get put in the town centre at the Depot so at least they would all still be together with other 1st years. For Insurance students/clearing, it seems highly unlikely they would get uni halls hence me looking at the private options but there are significant downsides e.g. expensive, may not end up with other first years, most are off campus. @Ventress yes I think the reason for this is a delay in planning permission and it will hopefully be easier for those starting in 2027. Not much good for our DC though but I'm sure it will work out one way or another. @ComingInByAnsible it was reassuring to hear that they will refund the money but when I tried to provisionally book online there was a 30 page contract with lots of smallprint which I didn't get a chance to read through properly before the offer expired. Feels important to be sure they won't charge for the whole year if DC ends up at his firm choice (Durham) which is still very much the hope.

Good luck to everyone doing exams today. DC has Econ 2 now and I can see that others are doing sociology and business. Hope it goes well!

@Countrylife2002 hope your daughter gets through her 6 hours of essay writing exams this week! Seems a bit unfair to put the exams on the same day (but I imagine organising exam timetables isn't an easy task).

I suspect that if DS doesn’t get his firm he will take a gap year. We’ll see I guess. I hope Exeter manage to sort their planning issues.

DS is home and said that macroeconomics was a hard paper that the whole class (including those with economics offers from A Star universities) found difficult. He thinks maybe 7 out of 10. Still the themes paper to go after half term so all is not lost.

Hope everyone did okay today 🤞

Which board is your DS for economics, @Ventress? Sorry to hear it was hard. Hopefully it means the boundaries will be low.

DS said the Edexcel macroeconomics was a bit weird and frustrating as none of the big topics or his favourite topics came up and it was all about more niche topics. He hopes he still did ok but didn’t have as much to say.

@Fabfabfab, a 30 page contract sounds a bit daunting, especially at this point!

@Rumplestiltz, that’s good news that sociology was great, hopefully it will give him more confidence! History and geography here this week as well. DS came back from macroeconomics and went straight back to history revision for tomorrow.

Hope everyone else got on well today.

I’m glad sociology was good today!

DS is doing OCR board @ComingInByAnsible. I’ll hear more at dinner hopefully but at the moment, like your DS, he’s moved onto history revision for tomorrow. I hope your son found the edexcel paper not too awful despite the lack of topics he would have enjoyed writing about. It sounds like the paper was tricky irrespective of board. As you say, hopefully the grade boundary will be low.

That Exeter contract sounds extreme @Fabfabfab

@Ventress @ComingInByAnsible DC (OCR exam board) also said that Econ 2 was much harder than the last paper, although felt it was hard 'in a good way' and was quite pleased with the questions overall. Lots of his friends also found it hard. He said he ran out of time and couldn't write everything he wanted to so had to prioritise the most salient points. I asked if he could add some bullet points at the end but he said that would mean he would be marked down as they grade the overall structure, writing fluency and thinking process. Not sure if that's right but hope so...Does anyone know? In my days, that's what we did in exams and we ended up with a few extra marks that way.

History tomorrow and then a longer break until after half-term.

DD is home, and pretty happy with Edexcel macroeconomics although she would (as always) have liked more time. We did a big blitz of niche topics together over the weekend, so she was pleased with what came up. Next stop: Politics 1, on Thursday.

DD really didn't like the economics paper today. We've had tears! She said she realised she'd made a mistake in the 15 marker and that threw her for the 25 😞 I'm hoping it's not as bad as she thinks it will be but now she's catastrophising not getting to university at all!

She's been quite chill until now

I'm not getting much detail from DS other than it was ok (economics Edexcel). Onwards to FM paper 2 on Thursday.

Anyone else doing Russia for History tomorrow afternoon. DS is dreading it.

Oh dear @postitnot - really sorry to hear she’s so upset. Poor love. Hope she can put it behind her.

Think the tears are because she knows now what she wanted to write down...
Who knows, just have to carry on regardless!

I am so glad that I never ever have to take exams again for the rest of my life!

@postitnot so sorry to hear that, hopefully she did much better than she thought. It's so hard to tell and given that lots are saying it was hard the grade boundary might be lower today. I used to leave exams thinking I'd done really badly but in the end got really good grades and was surprised every time! With Econ, it's just 1 out of 3 papers so if it didn't go so well, at least she has two more chances. What grades does she need for University?

Having great difficulties applying for student finance here. Can't get into the website. Anyone else had issues??

Dd is struggling to focus after the issues with geography last week. Her view is that there is now point revising because it all comes down to the questions on the day. Nothing I say can convince her otherwise

Yes 😬

Also politics 😬😬😬

This house is looking forward to this week being over !!

Fingers crossed and good luck ☘️

@fabfabfab thank you for your kind words. She wants an A ... but maybe if politics goes better than expected she'll get an A in that instead!

And to your DS!

Dd said her hand was hurting after economics, she doesn’t normally write so much. But she was fairly happy, I think she was so worried that it was a relief it wasn’t terrible. She was glad to be home, they were waiting outside the hall in the rain and got quite cold! Everything from here on is spaced out a bit so the blind panic has eased. We had tears and swearing over the weekend, doors slamming…

Tell me this is easier with child no 2! Ds has GCSES next year. Opposite issue with him, he’s just into music not academic - but he does have to pass English maths to get into the school he wants.

Oh bless her - I’m sure it’s not nearly as bad as she imagines @HereWeAreToday

Glad your DC had good economics exams@JessyCarrand @Fabfabfaband everyone else.

Good luck today everyone!!

DS has history 1 this afternoon then all over until three in the week after half term🤞

Good luck for history today and all the other exams before half term. We are still waiting for the first one on 3rd June. It’s been the strangest time but DD is working consistently.

She now has her raw Art marks and thank goodness they tick off the A* she needs for Edinburgh (although they are subject to moderation of course and quite close to the boundary so who knows). It’s a great bit of news though to keep her going. Now she ‘only’ needs two 2 As. Pressure off very slightly although DD puts pressure on herself anyway.

Good luck for everyone with History today!. DD is in purdah for a clash so wont see her/ speak to her until much later today.
This history paper is her dread😬, have overhead a few "Oh just f*ck Charles Stuart & f*ck Cromwell too" . Oh well🤞

Same here @GirlsInGreengood luck!

Excellent news on the raw score for art @ArchitectureMum. Moderation doesn’t tend to change (so I understand) Well done to your daughter.