Page 2 | Applying to Oxbridge for 2023 the offers are coming in

Azure · 30/10/2022 14:37

DS is sitting the CAT on Wednesday. He's strong on language but such a lot of extra knowledge needed; he's busy revising but no idea how it's going to go. Everyone sitting the A'level next year will be in the same boat at least. Feels like an advantage to apply & take the test post A'level, but then I guess you won't have been in a school / college environment for several months.

rifling · 30/10/2022 14:46

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 10:16

Thanks. for the new thread.
Any DCs sitting the TSA next week? My Dd is and doing past tests.

Mine's doing TSA on Wednesday. English isn't his first language and he's made a few mistakes in practice papers. Fingers crossed!

perseverence · 30/10/2022 14:49

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 14:29

I suppose that there's also an issue as to whether a school will allow a student who is infectious to sit the exam on the school site. And yet if a student doesn't report that they're positive, they won't be able to put forward mitigation corroborated by the school, and that mitigation would be extremely weak. It would be good to think that schools could find a separate room for infectious students to sit the aptitude test but I suspect the policy will vary massively.

Yes you are probably right G.

As luck would have it I believe my DD is the only one sitting the exam so that should help!

perseverence · 30/10/2022 14:52

goodbyestranger · 29/10/2022 15:50

Glad to hear she's feeling better. It would be a huge risk to not take the test, so if it's even remotely possible I'd go for it. I would only have advised my own DC not to take their tests if they were really, really ill and the mitigation was going to be very, very strong, and that advice would have held good even with DC with no flaws at all on the paper application. Fingers crossed she'll feel completely refreshed by Wednesday.

Thanks for this.
I'm quietly panicking as a mum, whilst doing that thing - plenty of rest for her, herbal teas on hand etc. hoping for one more night of big sleep should help.

Bless her, she can't currently cope with looking at papers, she is just doing a jigsaw. Still, she is eating.

perseverence · 30/10/2022 18:12

Karwomannghia · 29/10/2022 17:24

Hope she’s better soon. Ds had it recently but still did lessons via teams as he didn’t feel very ill. Hopefully she’ll be fine by Weds.

Thanks K.
Really appreciate it.

perseverence · 30/10/2022 18:13

rifling · 30/10/2022 14:46

Mine's doing TSA on Wednesday. English isn't his first language and he's made a few mistakes in practice papers. Fingers crossed!

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Don't know for sure but it is a Thinking Skills Assessment.
The fact that they are doing this test in a second language shows amazing thinking skills in itself!

Good luck!

rifling · 30/10/2022 20:12

Thanks! Good luck to your dd. Hope she feels better soon!

perseverence · 30/10/2022 20:15

rifling · 30/10/2022 20:12

Thanks! Good luck to your dd. Hope she feels better soon!

thanks R. really appreciate it. A bit of a scary time.

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 22:20

rifling · 30/10/2022 14:46

Mine's doing TSA on Wednesday. English isn't his first language and he's made a few mistakes in practice papers. Fingers crossed!

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Rifling, good for your DC. I can't imagine doing these texts not in my first language.

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 22:21

Perseverence, glad your daughter feels better now!!

ForeverbyJudyBlume · 30/10/2022 22:38

Joining - DD has ELAT on Weds. offers in the bag for Bristol, Leeds and Newcastle, which helps a lot. Good luck to everyone

Riverpebble · 31/10/2022 08:37

CeciCC · 30/10/2022 10:16

Thanks. for the new thread.
Any DCs sitting the TSA next week? My Dd is and doing past tests.

Mine is. He thought he wasn't getting the results he needed on practice papers but then realised he was doing old papers before the marking scheme changed. With the right marking scheme it's looking optimistic.

Good luck all

CeciCC · 31/10/2022 10:40

Riverpebble · 31/10/2022 08:37

Mine is. He thought he wasn't getting the results he needed on practice papers but then realised he was doing old papers before the marking scheme changed. With the right marking scheme it's looking optimistic.

Good luck all

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that's good to hear. My DD is loosing confidence the more she does. She said at the begining her marks were better...now she is struggling.. she hopes she'll do just good enough for an interview.
It's not helping having other test in school today (just school tests) so the pressure is not declining. 😓

princesdando · 31/10/2022 13:27

@Riverpebble what does the old / new mark scheme refer to please?

perseverence · 31/10/2022 16:42

Another two days of self isolation here for DD. Contacted the school this morning. Poor DD feelng overwhelmed still in recovery from nasty Covid.

I don't understand the old/new marking scheme either but feel I should know. Anyone?

Firefox1066 · 31/10/2022 18:06

DS’s email from Christchurch finally came! So now he has instructions of where and how to send the written work he’s happy.

Now he’s just focusing on Wednesdays admissions test

princesdando · 31/10/2022 18:35

perseverence · 31/10/2022 16:42

Another two days of self isolation here for DD. Contacted the school this morning. Poor DD feelng overwhelmed still in recovery from nasty Covid.

I don't understand the old/new marking scheme either but feel I should know. Anyone?

Sorry to hear that @perseverence and hope DD feels better soon

perseverence · 31/10/2022 18:58

princesdando · 31/10/2022 18:35

Sorry to hear that @perseverence and hope DD feels better soon

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Thanks PD. Feels like lockdown again. Have to keep reminding myself it isn't!

perseverence · 31/10/2022 19:49

Firefox1066 · 31/10/2022 18:06

DS’s email from Christchurch finally came! So now he has instructions of where and how to send the written work he’s happy.

Now he’s just focusing on Wednesdays admissions test

Well done FF.
Let's celebrate the small steps. It all adds up.

Firefox1066 · 31/10/2022 19:56

perseverence · 31/10/2022 16:42

Another two days of self isolation here for DD. Contacted the school this morning. Poor DD feelng overwhelmed still in recovery from nasty Covid.

I don't understand the old/new marking scheme either but feel I should know. Anyone?

Awww poor DD!! The thing is, she’s already shown immense resilience in all this and it will stand her in great stead, not just for this process but in life in general.

Im you’re very proud of her!

Riverpebble · 31/10/2022 20:12

princesdando · 31/10/2022 13:27

@Riverpebble what does the old / new mark scheme refer to please?

I'll ask him later but I think it changed in 2008 so it's best to use the later papers. He's doing a paper now so I can't ask him.

multivac · 31/10/2022 20:54

Ooh! Offer just in for the boy from Manchester (comp sci, 3 A star); really chuffed for him - if he is lucky enough to get an offer from Cambridge, too, it will be a genuinely tough decision! Also... oh my word the pressure is on with grades, isn't it 😢?

Riverpebble · 31/10/2022 21:08

He says

Each year there's several papers around the world and because of that they look at all the scores and how hard it is for each paper and run a statistical test providing a score for critical thinking, problem solving and an overall score.

That score is not necessarily out of anything but the higher the better. It used to be that if you got say 38 in the 2008 papers you wouldn't get a place as the statistical score would have been lower than the ones for more recent years, the scores aren't meant to be comparable scores on different years but to the scores for the different papers round the world,

Riverpebble · 31/10/2022 21:09

And also, that is for section one and has nothing to do,with section 2

perseverence · 01/11/2022 08:48

Firefox1066 · 31/10/2022 19:56

Awww poor DD!! The thing is, she’s already shown immense resilience in all this and it will stand her in great stead, not just for this process but in life in general.

Im you’re very proud of her!

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Thanks FF. Yes that's so true. Whatever Uni she goes to! It is nice to have a moment to feel proud. Proud to all of them for attempting this even.