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Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

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Original poster

Nat 5/Highers etc - Anyone getting ready with their S4 - S6 dc?

862 replies

weegiemum · 05/04/2016 15:39

My dd1 is in s4 and about to sit 8 Nat5s. I don't know who is more wound up about it - her or me! (and I'm a teacher!!).

Wondered if there's anyone else out there to hold hands with?

DD is sitting English, Maths, Ghaidlig (Gaelic native speaker), French, History, Art & Design, Physics and Design & Manufacture. First is English on 5th May.

OP posts:

OneMagnumisneverenough · 12/05/2016 00:00

Oh dear unlucky

Unfortunately you can't put an old head on young shoulders. It's not the end of the world if she doesn't do well, it might just spur her on to do better next time. Hopefully. It might just take her a bit longer to get where she needs to go and also unfortunately, you can't pick their friends.

Kr1stina · 12/05/2016 00:01

Sorry unlucky, that's sounds very frustrating for you . Especially if you feel she has the ability but just isn't getting her act together . Bloody kids !

unlucky83 · 12/05/2016 00:47

If she does mess them up I will be really pushing for her to go to college to do something less academic. She is bright but school for someone with ADHD is hard and I think she is ready for a break she can go back later. I have suggested it but she says she wants to continue at school...but she is just wasting time really if she isn't going to put any work in ...

Kr1stina · 12/05/2016 07:20

:-(

It's so hard for them. An apprenticeship might be good for her, but there are so few around and they are often very competitive .

prettybird · 12/05/2016 08:07

I hope things aren't as bad as you fear.

But as you say, maybe a change of location will help. My nephew (now in his 20s) got one of the Commonwealth apprenticeships. It was much more suitable for him than school.

rogueantimatter · 12/05/2016 08:27

Great advice. Same as DS' teachers. Must be right then DS has form for always making silly mistakes.

He's gone off with two squares of dark chocolate to eat between papers for their caffeine content.

AssembleTheMinions · 12/05/2016 08:30

Hello, I'm popping back in here. Dd1 has her first exam today and I'm off work and have nothing to do but stress.

She's doing AH maths and needs a C which should be achievable, she was predicted an A/B in last years higher and ended up with a C which really knocked her confidence especially as she had been doing all the specimen papers at home and online and not getting less than 90%. Results day was a bit of a shock to say the least. Although that was the exam that made the news so we were half expecting it.

My nails are chewed to bits already! Good luck to everyone sitting exams today.

YoScience · 12/05/2016 09:25

Good luck everyone for today!

I know what you mean about the guilt of going to work, I have felt like that since the exams started too, but I really have no scope for taking time off just now, it is one of our busiest periods with our students doing exams too. I have just been keeping in regular contact with DD and if I am being honest I don't think me being at home would make much of a difference to her at this point. I have taken off results day!

Some good advice here, not panicking is the key I think.

Sounds like a tough situation Unlucky

I think DD will struggle today, she got most answers wrong on a specimen paper last night, but I am just hoping she can scrape a pass. By the time I left this morning at 8.15am she has eaten a box of micro chips and a huge double chocolate muffin. She also plans on getting a meal deal before the exam....comfort eating?!?!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 12/05/2016 09:39

Probably Yo carbs are not the best though for pre exam fodder.

I feel guilty because DS is neither up nor down. I'm working from home today - just taking a quick break as I hurt my neck sitting at the laptop too long last week. I've only done that for afternoon exams so I can drop him at school since public transport is not great and obv can't risk him not getting there.

He's up showered and breakfasted, said he is going to do a wee bit of study and I'll chuck him out for fresh air for a bit , then lunch and up to school.

This'll be number 4, we're getting there!

Original poster

weegiemum · 12/05/2016 09:47

Good luck for maths, everyone!

Dd1 has worked really hard over the last few days, and is going in today thinking that a pass is within her reach. I think it is as long as she remembers not to panic and doesn't make any wee arithmetic mistakes. She knows to show her working and do as much as she can, but this is the worst one for her.

Its only her 2nd exam, she has French and History next week, physics the following one and then Art, Gaelic and D&M in the last week. As Gaelic is compulsory at their school, theres no-one who has finished everything with a week to go to distract her!

OP posts:

prettybird · 12/05/2016 10:22

That's great Weegie - I hope she gets that pass. I'm sure your dh will also have helped give her confidence.

Today will be the half way point for ds in terms of his 8 Nat 5s but only 3 out of 7 completed in terms of exams

prettybird · 12/05/2016 11:48

Ds has just left for school....

Good luck to everyone - especially those that are less confident.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 12/05/2016 12:00

Good Luck - we are a half 1 start so just finished lunch.

Original poster

weegiemum · 12/05/2016 15:10

Dd1 says paper 1 was awful, nothing she'd revised came up. She's probably catastrophising as she attempted all but 1 question.

Here's to paper 2 being easier!

OP posts:

YoScience · 12/05/2016 15:23

Weegie DD said similar. Girls were crying it was so bad apparently. DD seems pretty resigned to failing I think!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 12/05/2016 15:24

Oh dear :( If everyone feels the same though and has performed to the curve then the mark will be lowered. You need to worry more when people say it was easy or not too bad and you are the only one who thought it was awful.

Original poster

weegiemum · 12/05/2016 15:26

hope so. Waiting on the call for paper 2!

OP posts:

YoScience · 12/05/2016 15:53

Just had a text paper 2 was much better!

Hope your DD thought so too Weegie!

Original poster

weegiemum · 12/05/2016 15:55

hoping so!

OP posts:

prettybird · 12/05/2016 16:00

You're lucky you get communicated with!

I've got to wait until ds comes home.....and he might go out with friends afterwards to add to the suspense

dotdotdotmustdash · 12/05/2016 16:07

I work in a secondary school and I was with some Maths teachers when they got their hands on the first Higher paper. They were delighted with it as there were no tricky questions like last year and some of the questions had appeared in previous papers.

Original poster

weegiemum · 12/05/2016 16:20

Yes! dd1 much happier with paper 2, thinks she's "scraped" a C!

OP posts:

YoScience · 12/05/2016 16:29

That's good Weegie.

DD thinks she will be doing it again next year. Thankfully she has music tomorrow which should be ok, she is really good at music generally. Then just one more to go! I'll be glad when this week is over, 6 exams in 8 days has totally stressed me out, never mind DD

Groovee · 12/05/2016 16:43

Dd thinks it was 2 horrendous papers and my niece has freaked her out by saying she hadn't been taught the 7 mark question and Dd shrieked "7 mark question!" Then shouted every swear word she knows! Will need to wait until August to see how she did!

prettybird · 12/05/2016 16:48

Ds has just got home. To reassure others: he says that it was the first time he has come across (in Prelims and past papers) the non-calculator paper being harder than Paper 2. He said it was tough until he got his head around it - more like a Higher paper in the way it was expecting you to apply what you'd learnt during the Nat 5 course.

He says that he didn't have much time spare on the 1st paper to go back and check (only about 10 minutes) but had finished the 2nd paper within 30 minutes and then spent the next hour checking and re-checking. He still reckons he might have messed up one question but thinks he's definitely got an A - and probably a Band 1. I hope he's right to feel confident.

Now on to French which, to use his word, he feels "meh" about

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