2019 Scottish Exam Support Thread

[Groovee]

Just getting started on this year's thread.

Only got Ds sitting 5 exams this year in S5. 🤞🏻 but Dd will be home most of the time as she's on placement.

Thanks lidl, you are correct, she genuinely likes him too. You can see in her face when she talks about him, unless she is a brilliant actress. She's about my age so I think he sees her as his school mum :o We'll have a chat later and see what he wants to do.

Wax thought about your DS and his "school mum" today. I was given a poem by a lovely pupil which she managed to fit in all the texts I'd taught her for Higher and AH. That is getting framed and will keep me going next SMT are being tossers.

Aww that was lovely Lidl. He went in today with a couple of lovely bouquets and chocolates, he popped home briefly before dinner, changed and went back out and now waiting on him getting back home again. Think he might have had a good day!

Just wanted to wish all our DC the very best of luck in their exams over the next few weeks. Dd has her first exam next Thursday but has a friend sitting higher Latin today. (I know Latin-really?!!!). May the odds be ever in their favour and may we have the strength to remain cool calm and collected!!🙈x

Ds was upset that the Latin teacher retired at his school the year before he went there as he'd have liked to do it but not so concerned that he tried studying it himself as I suggested

I know my Latin "O" Grade and Higher really helped my English and other foreign languages (especially in the era where we weren't taught grammar properly within English )

Good luck to everyone who has exams coming up.

Yes good luck to all students & parents! Dd starts her exams on Tuesday and then is finished on May 10th so it's going to be intense!

Good luck to all from me. My DS has his first exam tomorrow. AH music.

Ds starts next week. He's too chilled again x

My DS seems far too chilled as well. He’s been studying, but has also been spending far too long online. There’s now a girl in the picture and much texting has been going on between them, all day long.

DS2 did feck all yesterday but spent the whole day in school today revising (so he says), doing past papers/questions and his teacher has kindly taken them for marking. Plans to do the same tomorrow (so he says).

Just found this thread. I've got ds sitting 5 highers and dd2 sitting 6 nat5 and one Higher (music, tomorrow with performance next Wednesday).

So we're into study leave. Ds went off happily today to study with friends in the library (school is right next to the Mitchell in Glasgow), his first exam is Maths next Thursday. His are nicely spread out a week apart (physics, English, computing with art a couple of days later),

dd2 has 3 exams before the maths comes round (she's sticking with nat4 maths and sitting nat5 in 5th year). After music tomorrow she has Gaelic on Monday and biology on Tuesday. Then a breather! She has already arranged for me to run a geography study day for her pals (I'm an ex teacher). Right now she's chilling out by attempting some seriously funky eye make up! Worst part is getting them to sleep properly!

These threads have been great the last few years for me as dd1 (who is now at GSA), and now the others do their exams. So much seems to ride on them at this age. Talks of UCAS and careers and everything seems quite overwhelming at times, and that's just me!!

what sort of routine/sleep pattern are yours all doing with Study leave. DH and DS seem to think it's fine for him to sleep in til 10/10.30 then drift about for another 30 -60 mins and start studying around 11. I think it's nuts as the days he has exams at 8.45/9 he'll be struggling to wake up. he often stops around 4pm so doing less than if in school. Their school seems to discourage them coming in (or certainly doesn't encourage it).

Hi Rhumba I know every teen is different but I would have to agree with you. My son is now at uni and my Dd is sitting highers. My ds just followed his school timetable ( too lazy to make one up himself!!🤣) so started at 9 and finished at 4 or 5 obviously with breaks which I thought was really good but My Dd is on another level with studying. She sleeps til 8 and starts at 9. She can continue in to the evening but I am encouraging her to go to her dance classes or meet a friend for a coffee during the day. I think too much is counter productive. At the end of the day it’s not how long they study for but how effective it is.
No way did I have discipline at that age think I studied 3 to four hours max for my highers and it showed!!🤣

Mine has been in school Tuesday-Thursday but has decided to stay at home as library too noisy and too distracting. The deputy head took to working in the library yesterday to keep the noise down. She's a morning person so has been up and started work by 9 and will probably finish by 4 so approx 6 hours a day. I've two older sons and both managed Highers on 3 hours a day. I remember at the time vacuuming outside their room etc to wake them up (I work from home) with limited results. DS1 has improved now he's at University with lots of coursework. DS2 not so much. Finishing 2nd Year at Glasgow with very little work. Although thinking back I remember similar.

Dd1 is away to school this morning to do her (long overdue) English speaking assessment, some xylophone practice and then her Higher music listening exam at 1pm. She's sitting Higher a year early as her music performance is good, she did nat5 in S2.

Her work schedule fits round her frankly odd sleep pattern, but she is doing 4-5 hours a day plus music practice (which will abruptly stop on Wednesday, though she does de-stress with music too, though she can't sit her exams with the ukelele!). Today her boyfriend who is also on exam leave is meeting her from the exam and they're going to the park and he's coming round for tea, then the whole weekend will be solid biology I would think. Dh the dr has offered to help but tbh I'm not sure how much help he would be.

Ds is pacing himself well. He sees a counsellor at Camhs so is off to that just now, then going to the library with his 3 mates to do more maths. They're lucky that they don't have to use the school library. He has an english study session 3-5pm, so will be home for tea. He finds studying with someone better and I know his friends, they will genuinely be studying. He's still managing to fit in driving lessons twice a week and football training as well.

Good luck to anyone else doing music today!

I presume you mean dd2, weegie

Hi all, I'm a novice to this- eldest dd started her Nat 5's today (music)!. She is very diligent, so I am not worried about her results, but I really hate seeing her get stressed, although I know it is part and parcel of the whole exam experience!

She seemed to think it went ok today!

Yes I meant dd2! Hopefully dd1 was at uni!

She seems to think music went well today, anyway. And has come home and walked the dog. Next up: Gaidhlig on Monday!

Well, Gaidhlig seemed to go well, dd2 felt it was quite easy.

Biology tomorrow, plus we now have a full size concert xylophone in the dining room for her to practice on before Wednesday and the music practical!

Higher Politics today - seemed to go okay - didn't completely finish but feels he's done enough - fingers crossed.

Good luck for Biology and whatever else is on tomorrow.

Good luck for all the biology people today! Dd2 is away early to school to revise.

DD found H Human Biology harder than she expected. Hoping others did too. Anyway no time to dwell as she has maths on Thursday.

Jeezo. First exam today, Nat 5 Biology. Feedback from teachers after the prelims was that DS should take his time, read the questions several times, make sure he's actually answering the questions, go back and check and check again. That he's capable of a very high mark but is letting himself down by being sloppy.

So we had all these discussions this morning about taking your time and reading things two or three times. DS gets extra time too because he does the papers digitally. His exam was scheduled from 1pm to 4.05pm with the extra time.

He calls me at 2.35pm to say he's finished and on his way home. FFS. In one ear and out hte other springs to mind.

And I can't go batshit crazy at him as he has Maths on Friday.

Can you have a word with whoever is in charge of the exams and ask them to not let him leave early? DDs school doesn't let anyone leave to avoid disrupting the others.

Report back here was also that Higher Human Biology was harder than expected, so at least they are all in it together Clerk.
I have 1 doing H Maths and 1 doing AH Maths so not looking forward to Thursday, except for DD2 I think it will improve her humour once she finally gets 1 out the way.