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Original poster

Just having a small moment of pride!

13 replies

musicposy · 12/08/2011 15:06

We've just got the Cambridge IGCSE results today and DD2, who is only 11, had passed Physics IGCSE. We did Foundation level so the highest she could get was a C, but she got almost full marks on her papers and so got the C with flying colours.

I took her out of school four years ago and could never have imagined she would have achieved this. She has loved every minute of it and is keen to go on and study sciences later on.

I'm not quite sure what you do with an IGCSE at 11, but I'm mightily proud of her!

OP posts:
CheerMum · 12/08/2011 15:30

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Well done dd2 (and musicposy too) !!

Marjoriew · 12/08/2011 15:31

Yes!!!!! Wonderful posy! Really pleased for you and your DD:)

belgo · 12/08/2011 15:33

Well done! What's an IGCSE?

Original poster
musicposy · 12/08/2011 16:02

Thank you! Grin

belgo it's an International GCSE. Home educators tend to do them because they are generally exam only, so easier to access because there is no coursework.
But lots of independent schools are increasingly doing them too, because they are thought to be a little harder than GCSEs (I can vouch for this as the GCSE bitesize and other revision sites didn't go into enough depth, we had to look at some A level sites to help with revision). The centre we sat them at is a private school and now has quite a number of their own pupils taking them.

My elder daughter took some GCSEs too but the results are not out for a couple of weeks yet.

OP posts:
catnipkitty · 12/08/2011 16:33

Fabulous! Very well done to both of you!

julienoshoes · 12/08/2011 17:07

Well done musicposy's daughter and to you too!

Four years has flown hasn't it? So happy it has turned out so well for you and your daughters (though I never doubted it would!)

Original poster
musicposy · 12/08/2011 22:01

It has flown, hasn't it? It will be 4 years in October that I took her out of school - she was in Year 4 then and will be Year 8 in September. DD2 is now the same age that DD1 was when I took her out of school 3 years ago - I was terrified then about home educating someone so grown up! How much I have grown in confidence as well!

I remember how much I deliberated about the decision, asking everyone for advice. Julie, I remember loving hearing what your teens were doing at the time and how good home ed had been for them.

My eldest is going into her last year of compulsory education now and I really do feel that the world is her oyster - and everything you said about the wonderful people your children were growing into has turned out to be true for us too. One thing I notice with DD1 is that she seems to think of so many more options for her life than her friends. She will be applying to full time dance schools this year, but if that doesn't work out, she has 101 ideas of what she wants to do - which may include sixth form and A levels - but may well not. She's not bound by that same "stuck in the system" thinking that her schooled friends seem to be. I love that she feels she can do anything she wants.

I've got a lot of people on here to thank for that. I'm very proud of both my girls, but the decisions I was helped to make by a lot of the familiar faces on here have a big part to play in that, and I can't say thank you enough. :)

OP posts:
streakybacon · 13/08/2011 08:55

That's an amazing achievement - no wonder you're feeling so proud of her, and the rest of your family.

Well done to all of you Smile

ZZZenAgain · 13/08/2011 08:57

yes, that is quite an achievement for an 11 year old. What course material/books did she use to prepare for that musicposy?

Quite an achievement for you too, not sure I'd feel up to teaching GCSE physics these days. Well done the two of you.

Original poster
musicposy · 13/08/2011 11:22

We just used two books, Cambridge IGCSE Physics Coursebook for the work during the year and Study Guide for Physics for revision. We downloaded and worked lots of past papers.

We tried to make everything as practical as possible, making ripple tanks in the bath, hitting magnets with hammers, building electric circuits. We visited INTECH near Winchester for ray boxes, light and mirror experiments and lots more. We tried to make it really fun and I think that's why the girls enjoyed it so much.

On to chemistry this coming year - both girls are looking forward to blowing the place up and DD1 has already written Potions on the front of her excercise book!

OP posts:
Original poster
musicposy · 13/08/2011 11:32

Weirdly, our biggest challenge was not the Physics at all - she learnt and understood that easily - but the level of language maturity needed to answer the main theory paper. DD2 is probably no better than your averagely brightish 11 year old in terms of language (she's much stronger on maths and sciences) and would often write her answers in such a way that it was correct, but you could really tell a child had written it!

That was the bit I was most worried about. Also, her spelling was atrocious at times on the past papers - though she learnt to spell all the scientific words with no problem. My other worry was getting her to work fast enough because often you have only an hour for the papers and at the start she could get good marks - if you gave her three hours. It took quite a lot of practice to get her up to speed, but she managed it fine in the actual exam! it was a good learning experience on lots of levels other than just the Physics.

OP posts:
mumette · 13/08/2011 18:52

that is wonderful news, ccongratulations :)

Saracen · 13/08/2011 22:08

Fantastic! That is very exciting. You must be thrilled.

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