Current Year 13s - how many sets of mocks / internal exams so far?

[LoonvanBoon]

Just a quick question for parents of current Year 13s to help me put my son's experience in some context. How many sets of internal school / 'mock' exams has your son or daughter had since the beginning of Year 12?

Asking because my son's school has just postponed the mocks that were meant to be happening straight after Christmas, even though these would have been the only exams this cohort has done in the whole of Year 12 and 13. Year 12 exams were cancelled because of Lockdown and not rearranged.

The school's rationale is that, in the light of recent government statements about changes to 2021 A-levels exams, they're waiting for more information about which areas of courses students will be examined on. They now envisage the mocks happening closer to Easter.

I'm quite concerned about this for a number of reasons and wondered how unusual it is. I have twins and my other child chose to go to a different 6th form - they are just about to start their 3rd set of exams since the beginning of Year 12, so it's quite a contrast.

Hi, MNHQ. Would it be possible to move this to the Higher Education section? Parents of Year 13s / those going to university in Autumn 2021 seem to be over there in greater numbers.

Our y13s did their end of y12 exams the week before term started ie. had to come I during Summer holidays. Then they have their mocks 22-25 February. (indie selective school)

Ours had an assessment of sorts at the end of Y12 (the circumstances were obviously different to a normal year, but they did sit a full AS paper to give us all an idea of where they were) and will all do a more formal mock exam straight after Christmas.

Full exams end of year 12, and mocks due in January.

Online exams in May this year and mocks due in Feb also. I think DS had some ‘progress’ exams in September/October too.

Mocks after Feb half term will be the first so far.
They did some sort of assessments in place of the Y12 exams - i cant remember the details, but some sort of essays/ past papers done at home. I think there was a limited time between the work being sent out and due in.

DS2 did almost a full run of Mocks last March, lost the last exam to lockdown. Since going back there have been various class tests, and Mocks in January.

DS had end of year tests in June and then mocks this month. There have been a few class tests too.

Mocks in January. Very frequent unit assessments and tests.

Early summer term exams were rescheduled to late September, full mocks going ahead in January. Quiet holiday planned in this household - youngest has GCSE mocks then too.

Thanks all. Interesting to compare other schools.

Yr 12 mid year exams January
Yr 13 exams held early September (postponed from June)
Yr 13 Mocks due to be held January

Year 12 before summer holidays and I'm guessing in Jan or feb

Class tests throughout yr12 . Mocks in October and class tests every 4 weeks in yr 13

Had online exams in May/June, but it depended on the subject how extensive it was (as in, Biology had three papers, following the three papers that they would normally sit, but Chemistry only had one, but quite long, and maths just had one multiple choice one!)
Since they got back to school they have done nothing but test them, every couple of weeks there has been a test, finishing up with a series of tests in each subject, which finished around 20th November. Then they have one set of mocks the first week back in January, and then a second set after February half term. This is more than they have ever done, they have never had two sets of mocks before, and is apparently because they are scared of CAGs and want to be able to back up any CAGs

DS was completely shattered towards the end of November, after almost constant testing in every subject for the whole term.

Current Y13 cohort:
Exams in Jan of Y12 in school, June of Y12 online and emailed in, September mocks in Y13, and then a second set of mocks in Jan Y13.