2020 Scottish NAT5 Exams support thread

[BrokenWing]

17 weeks to go and ds(15) will be sitting his first exams. I am swinging between relax you have plenty of time and OMG only 17 weeks until the real thing and during that time you have a whole load of portfolios and assessments to complete too!! Do we need to find a tutor for English! How are you going to remember everything for Modern Studies! Do you need more revision guides, folders, notepads and coloured pens! What do you mean you've already started your PE portfolio in class without studying anything for it! ……………..and breathe.

Honestly I know I shouldn't show it to ds and I am not that bad, but sometimes feel it inside!

ds has already sat all, bar one, prelim in the two weeks before the Christmas holidays so we have had a week off everything. His best subjects are maths and science, thinks he did ok in maths, but found physics and chemistry hard. Modern and English (anything that needs writing) doesn't come naturally, he studied hard before the exams (well, crammed 14 hours in at the last minute in the weekend before modern!) so fingers crossed.

French prelim is the 2nd week back so I need to start cajoling him soon to start revision for that during the next week.

Has everyone else completed their prelims and waiting for results or is your Christmas break being overshadowed by frantic studying for prelims in January? 📚

ds got his results back in dribs and drabs as each teacher marked them, some within 2-3 days, others after the Xmas holiday break. He even got his maths paper 1 result before Xmas and paper 2 after.

The prelims result 'could' be an indicator, but entirely possible they could do better or worse depending on how much work they put into all their assessments and then final exams in only 14 weeks!

ds got his Highers options to fill in this week, and they need to be back by 5th February. He's going for english, maths, chemistry, physics (enjoys maths/science) and is stuck for his 5th choice. Columns dictate he cant do PE, so it is either Modern Studies or French and he can't decide between them. I told him to pick the easiest, but he doesn't know which one that will be!

I have had 2DCs do Nat 5s (and one do standard grades) and prelims were a good forecast of actual results. Generally results went up by 10% probably because mine did more work for the actuals compared to the prelims and school did more exam prep. Some of DCs friends managed to go from Cs to As in one or two subjects. However a few went the other way in subjects they were good at. Art and PE come to mind. My DC choose Higher subjects after getting prelim results but school allowed changes in August when actual results known.

Good advice about choosing the easiest for Highers you don't need for future career. Would also add providing you actually like the subject - my DC found it hard to motivate themselves for highers they weren't interested in.

Got results back for French (reading/write/listening only, taking is still to be done so could bring it down) and he got 89% ⭐️. Modern Studies he got 71%, still an A but only just.

He is swaying towards Modern Studies as 5th higher, which seems like madness to me. But guess it is his choice 🤦🏻‍♀️ Really stuck between trying to make him change his mind and letting him have free choice.

From a future point of view French is unlikely to be of any use to him, modern is interesting for general knowledge only. But the most important thing from either of them is a good grade for potential uni applications (if he decides to go) and it looks like French is more likely to provide that. Think he is worried the jump to higher level French will be too hard.

Well done to your Ds @BrokenWing. Great result in French.

Has he looked at the SQA website and spoken to his modies teacher to see what topic are covered in the higher course ? That might help him decide .

We are going to look at some modern studies and French past papers over the weekend, and also try to find what the assignments are like and then see what he thinks. The modern studies mark could have potentially been better as he did some note reading but crammed most of his studying the weekend before, French had the luxury of being after Xmas so he could focus on it more.

So that's something else to add to the list for this weekend 😓

• Research/catch up on the chemistry assignment nightmare saga at home
• Prepare for physics assignment report on Thursday next week (this has thankfully been much better managed than the chemistry one)
• Prepare for next PE portfolio question on Wednesday
• Work on/research some references for English creative essay
• French talking prelim in 3 weeks - work on memorising presentation, answers to conversation questions, find/revise some common conversation phrases/questions
• decide on french/modern studies for higher

Will be glad when the assignments and deadlines are done and dusted!!!

I know ! Similar here - it’s English ( portfolio and prelim revision ) and the dreaded biology This weekend. On top of housework and taxi duties for the other kids of course.

My life is very glamorous. Maybe next week for a treat I could wash out the wheelie bins.

I'm amazed at how involved you all are. I just leave my DD to it.

I don't actually do the work for him, no point it is him in the exam, but I show an interest and I am aware of what he's working on this weekend or if he is getting a bit overwhelmed.

I will help him with study techniques or quiz him if he asks.

I'll listen to his talking French (no idea if he is pronouncing correctly) if he asks as it helps him remember.

Support him to deal with problems like his chemistry assignment.

Nothing wrong with that. Every teacher at school tells us the support they get at home makes a difference. Some schools/teachers are better than others and dc might need help because of this, some dc need help and parents engage a tutor, some dc need a bit of a prod to study. If your dc has no problems at school and is the type that can be left alone and does get on with it, count yourself lucky.

I too will need to sit with and guide my reluctant child. She will do no work without support.
Lots and lots of her friends are highly motivated and need no parental input whatsoever. Lucky parents!
I can see my younger child thankfully will be one of these mature focused types. I never have to check her work is done, she always strives to do her best.
Both brought up in same house but vastly different in every way. Her exams years will be easier. I was a bloody nightmare teen too. Easily distracted by friends and boys. All I cared about was my social life. If my parents had have left me to my own devices I would have crashed and burned.
Count yourself very lucky. It's wears you out supporting your teen though these exams. They should be independent and sensible enough to take the task in hand but they aren't. The work is all their own but I need to be there holding them up. I do it willingly but it's hard going.

Even those kids who are self motivated ( and I am very lucky to have one) still need support in other ways. At nat 5 level it was all new to her but like the posters above could listen to the French speaking I could check her spelling ( she’s dyslexic) and just generally show an interest and that I cared. I try to make study and exam time more bearable with healthy snacks etc. Small treats at the weekend too like a walk and a coffee, takeaway and a film or a pal round for pizza. If that’s being very involved then yes both my husband and I are. I thought it was just being a parent. Now at advanced highers I am definitely no use to her in the subjects she’s doing but I can still do the rest and she is very appreciative.

By very involved I meant knowing at all times what homework they're supposed to be doing, where they are on the assignments, and helping with content. Yes, I'm lucky in that finally having exams to work towards, after 3 relaxed years with almost no homework, is motivating DD. She's keen to get all As, and is working pretty hard. I think it would help DCs if things were a bit less laid back in the first 3 years of secondary. Can only comment on her school, of course.

Well that was a quick weekend.

- Research/catch up on the chemistry assignment nightmare saga at home
He's put a few hours in and got his chemistry assignment back on track (with made up numbers) 👏🏼. Just as well as they are doing it Thursday this week!

- Prepare for physics assignment report on Thursday next week (this has thankfully been much better managed than the chemistry one)
I got this wrong, report writing is actually on Tuesday this week, but he says he thinks he's ok for this one, knows the underlying physics and has practiced his graph and calculations already in class.🤞 he worked out the other sections this weekend and says he feels ok.
- Prepare for next PE portfolio question on Wednesday
Teacher put this back a week, so he didn't need to do. 👍🏻
- Work on/research some references for English creative essay
He did a fair bit on this as was feeling behind, teacher gave them homework to do the introduction which he's now done.
- French talking prelim in 3 weeks - work on memorising presentation, answers to conversation questions, find/revise some common conversation phrases/questions
Due to everything else this was ditched, other than trying to remember and reciting the first two paragraphs of his presentation to himself/me in the car. he's still got 3 weeks.
- decide on french/modern studies for higher
He talked with his guidance teacher on Friday and told her he likes modern more but feels he is better at French. She advised taking the one he likes more so he's down for modern. This weekend he decided that wasn't true and he equally doesn't like either of them 🤦🏻‍♀️. Over the weekend we looked at the modern/French higher past papers together and he's still thinking about it. He recoiled at the thought of writing 2 x 20 mark answers in modern. Hopefully if he wants to change they'll still let him.

He managed to squeeze in a early morning gym session, very quick trip to grans, nandos lunch with friends, one long lie, and several hours on the PS4 talking to friends so not all work but glad he feels caught up and a bit more in control again as the problems with his chemistry assignment and no teacher support as it was really getting him down.

Results coming through. Couple of As couple of Bs and an annoying C in a subject that he really revised hard for (but 1mark off a B) Good basis for further revision and consolidation. I think he really needs to keep up the pace on revision now and do lots of practise papers. He was very confident when he came out of most of his exams but he’s obviously learning that he got some important stuff wrong. I just want to get all the assignments out the way now as they’re piling up. He’s hating his Nat 5 Art because it’s getting in the way and takes up too much time and to be fair his schools art department is useless - so disappointed in it when I hear about other kids’ art departments in neighbouring schools. Particularly disappointing as I think he’s got a talent for it. How is everyone else doing?

Does anyone have advice on how DS could create a realistic and useful study timetable prior to his Nat 5s in May? He's had a mixed bag of results in his prelims and is feeling a little lost. He's studying quite a lot and attends the supported study sessions held by his teachers too.

My son is in 4th year and did OK in his prelims, needs to buck up a bit on his English though. He's choosing his options for next year this week, seems to have a plan for uni so I'm letting him get on with it. This is year 1 or 6 by the time my other kids get through high school!

I used to work for SQA and am so glad I'm not there any more, would be too stressful this year.

Was at an information night at their school the other week and was really reassured to see all the different routes open to children, very different to back when I was a child!

@TheScottishPlay If you google the Lazy Students Guide, there is a book (not too thick!) that gives nice clear info on studying etc. We got a large sheet of paper and just split it into sessions and then mixed and matched the subjects into it and used the pomodoro app to time for breaks etc.

There also seems to be associated Youtube videos etc.

As for support, I waver between thinking we didn't do enough and thinking we did too much. Neither of mine were particularly good at self motivation and DS2 is dyspraxic so he found it really stressful.

I'm not sure how much info they get on the actual process of studying at school - it might have been loads tbh but neither DSs very forthcoming...

DH is good at studying as he came to it later in life (skived most of his latter school years!) and he was more help than me - i'm more of a wing and a prayer person :o

No more SQA exams in my house anymore, DSs both at Uni so i'm leaving them to it obviously :o

Can't believe how involved people are
What about next year and Uni
No wonder Uni drop out rates are so high!

Ds went to a few supported study sessions but didn't find them particularly useful at his school, he felt he got more done at home or understood it better if he worked it out himself at home, although I have killed a few trees printing out past papers and other online question papers for him to do!!

If he does supported study he gets 1hr of studying 1 subject, then by the time they mess about and get home he could have done 2 x 40mins of 2 subjects and started a 3rd. If he is stuck on a subject he'll either look at revision books/google/look at youtube or go to the next supported study to ask.

@user1487194234

Can't believe how involved people are
What about next year and Uni
No wonder Uni drop out rates are so high!

Well as this is a nat 5 support thread, none of these children will be in uni next year.

And the phrase “ support thread “ means it’s for, you know, support.

But thanks anyway for your concern and constructive comment.

@BrokenWing Ds finds BBC Bitesize useful for revision.

I also went though several packs of paper and print cartridges until DS found some digital past papers on the SQA website that allow you to type in the answer online. He used them for business but I don’t know how they work for subjects with diagrams, calculations and formulae.

Hi SHARON the online stuff is great but you are right for the maths and science ones DD uses the on line exam paper but good old paper and pen for the answers as mist require working out, formulas etc. But at least we save on some paper.

DS got 89% in Business which he is crashing. And 70% in photography.

Still awaiting English.