sqa exams 2023

[NicolaSturGONE]

So only about 2 months til the final exams so starting a thread to discuss revision, exams etc.

Have any schools released details of easter revision classes yet? I've heard nothing from our school and don't know if they are doing any. If they aren't, I might look at what else is on offer over easter.

3 more highers to go here, chemistry; modern studies, computing science. Chemistry was his weakest but he’s had a tutor so fingers crossed it’s paid off.

we've still got 4 to go - RMPS today, physics next week and then drama and design & manufacture at the very end of the month. yesterday went well it seems and he is busy reciting buddhist principles to himself right now...

Ds has chemistry, physics and computing. He crashed the higher chemistry but seems to find it OK.

Still 5 to go here: Advanced Higher Chemistry tomorrow for DS and Nat 5 French, Modern Studies, Business Management and Art&Design for DD... she has a busy week next week!

The same for ds3 although he crashed the computer science (he couldn’t take it as one of his 5 Highers so it’s an extra). He got a B in the prelim so hopefully it will be ok.

I've just discovered this thread!

DS sitting six N5s. We're three down (History, Maths, English), and three to go (Chemistry tomorrow, Physics and Computing).

He is unsure about how History went. It's his weakest subject and the one he's dropping.

Maths went well. There was one Q he was unsure of (last Q on calculator paper) but says he thinks he did fine. He got a band 1 A in the prelim so we assume it's gone okay.

English was great. He threw down lots of extra marks and wrote a tonne for his essay. I teach English at secondary and thought it was a very fair paper (and I loved the Higher paper!).

The last three are his best subjects, so he's feeling less pressure now.

He was diagnosed with T1 diabetes five months ago and we're still working through how his blood behaves, so our real worry was that he wouldn't be able to sit them, or need to rely on prelim evidence gathered when he was quite poorly and unable to think properly. Luckily, his blood has held fairly steady throughoit.

Best of luck to all the chemists tomorrow!!

DS1 is done, so he's currently mowing the lawn. His school only do 6 Nat 5s and he did practical woodwork which doesn't have an exam. He's not back in school till June so I'm keen for him to find some work experience!

Only 6 Nat 5s? That’s terrible! So the kids are forced to narrow their education down to only 6 subjects aged 13/14? Crazy!

Not great at all. I work in education but didn't realise prior to him starting. Because of his specific learning difficulties and adhd, I'm not sure an academic pathway is for him, but it's not ideal for budding medics etc

Lots of schools/areas only offer six Nat 5s - that is the number envisaged/recommended by the Scottish government to fit in with their three years of BGE and one year studying for Nat 5s. If you only start Nat 5s in S4 as laid out in CfE then there is only teaching time for six.

Mine did/do 7 Nat5s. They choose their options at the end of 2nd year so essentially do the Nat5 over 2 years rather than 1.

I did 10 O'Grades (showing my age!) Although 3 of them were maths related (maths, arithmetic and statistics). There was a home study one (anatomy, physiology and health - APH) that i did too.

Mine did 7, so similar to what I did - I had 7 o grades and 1 S grade, but maths and arithmetic were 2 of the o grades. And then 5 highers in s5. Wanted to do 6 but the school talked me out of it.

I was a bit meh at the state schools only offering 6- the private ones here offer 8. But in fact for my child it’s been fine, he’s dyslexic and totally incapable of studying languages for a start. They do do other subjects in s3 but narrow again for s4. They can always pick up the odd extra nat5 or crash higher in S6 if they want. For the very bright eg wannabe medics they offer a 6 higher stream in s5 if they are felt capable.

@itsalwayscycling , true, DS1 (and 2) are both dyslexic and if they can't spell in English - DS1's spelling is worse than DD (9)'s - how on earth will they manage it in two foreign languages?

Any other graphic communication Higher folk out there? It was much harder than my DC thought it would be from the past papers etc Just wondering how other students may have found it? Another low on the rollercoaster of higher exams!

DDs BF did N5 graphics today and said it was awful, so it seems it wasn't just the Higher exam.

Thank you…. Feels odd to be pleased my DC not the only one to find graphics hard today. Usually he’d favourite subject. Sigh!!!

8 is a massive workload for a 15/16 year old. That number came from the standard grade system but SGs were easier and they were done over 2 years.

Some schools are doing 10 N5 now. So the 7 like my son did, plus apps of maths, PE, and RMPS

Although (and please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!) I don’t think N5 PE has an exam

mine did level 5 RMPS so no exam

My lot have all done 7 Nat 5s or GCSEs, chosen in S2 and studied over S3&4... apparently there are timetable changes afoot and this in S3 next year will be able to take 8.

I did 8 O grades back when dinosaurs walked the earth, but maths and arithmetic were separate...

DS did 5 highers, then 2 advanced highers and a crash higher this year.

DD1 has picked out 5 highers to do next year ( not heeding my suggestion of 4 to put herself under less pressure as her anxiety/ autism make things hard enough for her)

DD2 has 6 Nat 5s to take next year and a GCSE but I think will only take 3 highers and an additional Nat 5 thereafter... she is dyslexic and also probably autistic with an anxiety disorder like her sister. She did not take a language: as somebody said upthread: she can't spell in English let alone another language! She is unlikely to follow a very academic route although she works very hard and does well. She is a talented artist though and is hoping to go to art college.

PE doesn't have an exam at nat5 (apart from the practical performance marking)- it is one of my son's, so he only has 5 exams to sit. I think, for him at least, he will hopefully be able to get 6 reasonable Nat5s instead of 7 or 8 poorer ones.

My younger son will do max 6 N5. He’s bright but has ASD and how well he does can blow very hot and cold depending on how engaged he is in a subject. He’s doing apps of maths instead of maths proper, and level 5 criminology instead of a N5 social subject

What's that? Ds's friend did an RMPS exam today (n5)