Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Scotsnet

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

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:
wigglybeezer · 17/05/2016 18:09

Forgot to say that Ds has history on Friday and then a whole week of computer science revision, which I am definitely unable to help him with!

prettybird · 17/05/2016 18:15

Ds also has Chemistry tomorrow. He's come downstairs to say he feels ok about it.

Last two next week: Physics on Tuesday and Computing Science on Friday. CS is the other one (after French) that he's not so confident about, although apparently he got a good mark for his assignment, which he hopes will balance the exam.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 18:20

DS has same next week prettybird. I asked whether he'd been told any of his assignment scores and he said he hasn't, the teachers haven't told them in case it adversely affects the amount of study they decide to do.

lamusic · 17/05/2016 18:20

Gaelic Learners is also tomorrow

prettybird · 17/05/2016 18:31

Not sure if he actually knows his mark - he just knows he did well you don't expect him to give me any detail , do you? Wink

His French teacher didn't give them the results for their Speaking paper for exactly the same reason your ds' CS teacher hasn't - unlike the other French teacher.

hidingwithwine · 17/05/2016 18:35

DS1 has history on Friday. Studying seems to be going well - I came home to the entire house hoovered and every bit of laundry done HmmHmm

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 18:39

It's not specifically CS - none of his teachers have given him marks - not sure what that covers - Engineering certainly and not sure what else. I can only get answers if I have very specific questions, I often don't know enough to have those specific questions unless someone on here mentions something.

Today's conversation:
Me - what have you done today?
Him - what do you think?
Me: I don't know, that's why I'm asking
Him: ok
Me: so what did you do today?
Him:
Me: Nothing?
Him: Not nothing
Me: then what?
Him: i had lunch
....and so on - it's like pulling teeth!

Anyhoo - apparently he did some Physics and CS revision.

Kr1stina · 17/05/2016 18:48

Magnum - I think the school only know the marks for things they do in house. Lots of assignments are marked by SQA so the school don't know the mark .

Not sure if that's helpful .

DD just informed me that she's done all her chemistry . I asked her about the parts of the curriculum that havent been covered in the last few exams ( as per wiggleys advice above ) and she just did this Hmm

And said " go away mum I'm trying to make a video " .

< and breathe >

Groovee · 17/05/2016 18:53

Dd knows she passed her dance and drama practicals as the SQA marker left them on the table and Dd is at the top and it said pass on both.

prettybird · 17/05/2016 19:02

Ds know he got full marks for the performance element of his PE - but that's narked by the PE teacher who went to see him "perform". He also got a good mark for his self-evaluation (he had to write up how he prepared, his objectives for the game, how he performed and what he could've done better).

The rest he doesn't know precise details of I think

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 19:13

From the info on his report card it seems that the Engineering Science and Computing science non exam elements are marked in-house, Geography, Art and Physics are external, Maths is 100% the exam and it's not that clear for English - it says:

The Nat 5 Mock examination in English exactly mirrored the format of the final SQA examination paper and at this time is worth 50% of the SQA overall grade. The remaining 50% of the full course award consists of a second element to the Critical Reading paper [Textual Analysis 20%] & an externally assessed Folio of writing [30%].

So does that mean that Critical reading paper is an internally assessed element separate from the exam and the writing Folio?

HamletsSister · 17/05/2016 19:21

Nothing in National 5 English is internally assessed, in terms of getting marks that go towards the final grade, just the Units (Uasps, used to be NABs).

The English is 30% Close Reading
20% Scottish Text
20% Critical Essay - these 2 are on 1 paper.
30% Folio - 2 pieces, 1 creative, 1 discursive (or similar).

Talk in subjects like French can be marked by the school, and recorded. For English, we mark it but it is pass / fail and makes no difference to their final grade.

English teacher here - Higher marker too, and happy to answer questions.

HamletsSister · 17/05/2016 19:22

It sounds as if they missed the Scottish Text bit out of your Prelim, although it is part of the 70% that is assessed on exam day.

prettybird · 17/05/2016 20:03

You don't sound nearly as scary intense as ds' English teacher Wink --My mum was a very good English teacher and I loved the subject at school so I'm not normally intimidated

Mum used to be a marker too Smile Gave me a great insight into what was required although that was nearly 40 years ago BlushBlush

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 20:10

Ah! That makes sense, thank you HamletsSister

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 20:30

I've just found one of his writing pieces on the PC he must have saved it here when he was printing it off to take in. It's made me cry - very sentimental, I didn't know he had it in him.

Kr1stina · 17/05/2016 20:41

Aw that's lovely magnum
Maybe you won't have to murder him after all

wigglybeezer · 17/05/2016 20:45

I have to say I am not finding it all too stressful, compared to DS1's, the first year of Nat 5's. Right at the end of the Eater holidays, DS1 managed to smash his arm up and had to have umpteem operations to save it's function. I spent exam leave sleeping in a chair in Glasgow Royal than rushing home to supervise DS2's much needed revision ( not a self starter). I gained a few grey hairs I can tell you and DS1 only passed English!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 20:45

Maybe not this time :) Though he is away out with Scouts, it's now peeing down and I gave him a top to wear that isn't waterproof as he was doing something dirty and I didn't want him to get his jacket all muddy and he only has a t-shirt on underneath - he'll be sopping wet and freezing by now, I may have inflicted pneumonia on him.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 20:52

This is the intro:

I grew up in the shadow of the tower.

It wasn't a tower as such, it was a monument, we called it “our” tower as it was the beacon that drew us home. When we (my brother and I) were small my mum or dad would say”watch out for our tower” as we grew close to home. We'd watch from the back seat of the car, eyes which had been heavy with sleep instantly revived and ready to spot it hovering above the dark earth like a mystic spaceship. Then we knew that we'd soon be back, in our cosy room, tummies full, teeth clean, teddies and other animals waiting to be snuggled into. The tower, even then, beckoning our imagination from outside the window, invading our dreams and our lives.

prettybird · 17/05/2016 21:35

That's beautiful Magnum. Shows a real sensitive side.

unlucky83 · 17/05/2016 23:11

I agree - that is really good Magnum you are right to be proud.
I've had a minor breakthrough with DD1 today...she agreed to go through some of BBC bitesize for chemistry tomorrow Shock
We have sat together at my desk from 2.30pm till 20 mins ago !!!! (with the odd break, dinner break and I had to go out twice). We have gone the first two units and she is saying she wants to get up early tomorrow to do at least some of the third unit...she also wanted to go into school early but has accepted that she isn't getting a bus until just gone 10...
She thinks she might scrape a C (failed her prelim) said she'd learned more chemistry from me today than she has done in class in the last year ....(my PhD is in Biochemistry -but my memory is hazy and sometimes it is hard to know what level to pitch things at -so the bitesize really helped -just had to explain things she didn't get) Also have downplayed that it would have been a lot easier to do a couple of hours a day and it would be more likely to stay in her head ...but at least she trying now and maybe knows better for her next exams...
Good Luck for everyone tomorrow....

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 23:18

Aww thanks. i am proud I always thought he had a brick for a heart :o

Here's the it that made me cry:

If I catch my brothers eye and we are in the right spirit, we can still be there, those warriors that fought of all demons, together back to back, we can still be ready. Warriors once more.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 17/05/2016 23:20

...and good luck everyone.

That was really good unlucky for me these exams are about learning to do exams, learning what works (studying) and what doesn't (messing about on your phone) so that they are more prepared for Highers. Obviously maybe it doesn't help those not planning to stay on quite as much but it's probably a lesson just the same.

Groovee · 18/05/2016 06:55

Great news unlucky.

Dd said all the folio things were picked up just before Easter as the SQA was coming on the Friday and people had to have them done by Wednesday at the latest. As she reckoned her English, Biology and Dance were pretty good.

She's loving work experience. But got called into school yesterday after it to talk about the London trip.

Swipe left for the next trending thread