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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

anyone else starting to get worried?

177 replies

cricketballs · 16/08/2011 12:00

I know that I should know better; I teach GCSEs and every year have the same discussions with students/parents that no matter results there is always a route available for the future.

But now, it is a week and 1 day away from my own DS getting his GCSE results and I am really starting to get nervous! He needs B grades in order to go to his first choice college and C grades for his 2nd choice (which neither DS nor myself were really enthusiastic about attending).

I have the old 'sweet smile' on the outside but inside I have all sorts of events going through my head! For example, what if he has failed everything and decides to not go to college at all (even though I know it wont be that bad).

Surely my working experience should prevent this but it isn't Blush

OP posts:
MotherOfGirls · 25/08/2011 14:07

Been away buying champagne! DS has 3 As, 9As and 2 Bs so we are absolutely delighted. Interestingly Maths and Physics were As and she isn't planning on studying either at A level. Wondering if some rethinking is called for ...

Congratulations to all on the great results.

vividgingerchilli · 25/08/2011 14:11

thesecondcoming, she's done fantastically well.

vividgingerchilli · 25/08/2011 14:12

What is the advantage of choosing more than 3 A levels?

Milliways · 25/08/2011 14:29

Taking 4 to AS level is common, then concentrating on 3 A2s. Some Unis now give offers based on 4 A levels! Doing more than 3 can show you can cope with a large workload that is needed at Uni's too.

roentgenium · 25/08/2011 14:33

Well done to everyone, enjoy the celebrations. We will have this to look forward to next year.

vividgingerchilli 4AS levels dropping to 3A2s is the normal number. Reasons for doing more include:

  1. keeping more options open by having a larger subject range
  2. genuinely interested in more subject and want to do them
  3. if doing maths + f. maths, some universities for some subjects only count it as one choice, so you need an extra
  4. Possible advantage for some courses at highly competitive universities.

The last is controversial, very few places admit to giving weight to candidates offering more than 3 subjects, but there's a suspicion that some others do anyway.

It's certainly only worth doing more than 4AS and 3A2 if you are fairly certain to get top grades in all of them imo, so only advisable for the very brightest children.

Yellowstone · 25/08/2011 14:33

Thanks Rock and very, very well done to your DD2 too! More to life than exams!

Interesting about your brother too; DS3's dream is the RAF, has been for years (he's No. 6. GCSE's 2012!). They're very different from each other, my lot.

Yellowstone · 25/08/2011 14:37

Some students keep up four A2's until they've put in their UCAS form and then drop it and then get told by a uni that the offer is AAA (or whatever)but carries with it the assumption that the fourth subject will be continued through to the exam.

I think they get fed up with 'clever' tactics.

roentgenium · 25/08/2011 14:37

And another reason some people do more A levels is if one is in a native foreign language as some universities don't count this.

RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles · 25/08/2011 15:04

Thank you Yellowstone, I agree there is definitely more to life than exams. DD2 has definitely worked very hard to achieve her super grades but I have always been of the opinion that they need to freak out at times too. Very exciting that your DS plans to join the RAF - I think it is a wonderful career. As a child I loved the life we had. I wanted to be a Tornado pilot like my Dear Stepdad, but at the time girls couldn't do that. If only I was 15 years younger!

Back to the dropping of a subject. DD1 has dropped Psychology for her final year. She has found it very hard, and a lot of work that she feels she may not be able to keep up with for her final year. She's carrying on with Economics, English, Geog and General Studies. The first three ARE hard going, but she's more confident with them as well. General Studies, in her words, is 'a piece of piss' and tbh I'd be surprised if that will have any bearing on her UCAS app. I don't understand all the ins and outs of this next stage, but she does so that's alright!!

sieglinde · 25/08/2011 15:18

Yellowstone - brilliant! And snap on the ds = unreadable handwriting. Grin

TheSecondComing · 25/08/2011 15:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles · 25/08/2011 15:28

Awwwwww TSC STOP IT. You're making me all teary again! At least she knows that, actually, her nagging Mama was right, and if she actually puts the effort in next year, she will do really well. What's she doing for AS/A Levels?

I'm sure I don't need to add it, but I hope she has the most fantastic time at Leeds over the weekend. fuck I wish I was 16 again sometimes

sieglinde · 25/08/2011 15:49

Rockstock, I'm sure your dd knows this, but generally Oxbridge doesn't count General Studies as an A-level. Those sound like really good choices - nice solid stuff. Smart lass on Gen Studies, too.

DS is now off to Reading, with a song in his heart and some champagne in his tummy.

TheSecondComing · 25/08/2011 15:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Georgelassosthemoon · 25/08/2011 16:09

Regarding 4 or more A levels , some universities offers are based on points and can include points from the AS level in the dropped subjects. This probably doesn't matter if you are looking at 3 A grades at A level and the top universities but for my DD the 40 points she got from the AS level from her dropped subject was the difference in meeting her UCAS offer and not going. So it's worth taking at least 4 to start off.

Original poster
cricketballs · 25/08/2011 16:45

well I am the very proud mother of a DS who has 14 A*-C grades Grin. We did have a worry though as he is desperate to study history at A level and he only received a low C grade, however, as his English Lit was a high B they have let him take History.

The problem occurred on the sources paper which he got a very low mark on, but he swears he is going to work his socks off so happy days!

Also taking Geography, Law and PE for A levels

OP posts:
MABS · 25/08/2011 16:46

go TSC! GET WASTED. dd is same as yours, tho yours has better results, she knows she didn't do as well as she should have and is beating herself up about it. Rather now than in a year's time methinks

RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles · 25/08/2011 16:51

Sieglinde that's what I figured re Oxbridge. None of them or us are really sure why they make them do it tbh - seems like it's just extra crap that they can do without. Still, she says it's a piece of piss and she doesn't give a hoot about it anyway. She is far more interested in getting at least AAB for the other three - hoping to go to UCL/Newcastle/Kings/Manchester as it stands, we shall see. She wants to defer for a year and work/play/work some more, I have no idea whether this is a good one or a bad one?

TSC I did like you. Not so sure anymore. That would be so much fun!

mumofsoontobelawstudent · 25/08/2011 17:02

congratulations everyone. I returned from a day out shopping to find lots of emails from DD's school with GCSE module results. She was year 10 and hadn't realised she was doing so many modules. All very confusing, my little brain cannot cope with all this. Feel very guilty after the huge build up last week for DS's A level results that I hadn't realised she was getting so many results. Hard to work out what overall grade will be but a few A's and B's for the various modules she has done so far so very pleased.

fiveisanawfullybignumber · 25/08/2011 17:13

Can I join in please. Congratulations to everyone else, some great results coming through.
Relieved mum of a dyslexic DD1. She did amazingly well considering, 2A*'s 9 B's and a D in Spanish. Not too worried about spanish, I'd rather she mastered her own language first.Grin She's got all she needs to go to her 1st choice 6th form center. A levels in Eng Lit, RE, Film Studies, Photography and Critical Thinking to come.

lazymumofteenagesons · 25/08/2011 17:17

cricketballs - was that the OCR history source paper. DS2 was predicted A/B for history and is doing it for A level but also got a C due to getting an 'E' in the source paper. He got an A in his course work and a good B in the other paper. These source papers are a menace.

MABS · 25/08/2011 17:18

very well done to her fiveisabignumber :)

Original poster
cricketballs · 25/08/2011 17:31

snap! lazy, also got an E on that paper, he is 13 marks off a B, so can't see a remark being worthwhile

OP posts:
Original poster
cricketballs · 25/08/2011 17:33

from what I can gather it has been the problem for the vast majority of students and has resulted in a large number not hitting their targets. DS was also predicted a high B.

His geography is also below target he is 2 marks off a B. One paper was 2 marks off, so I have requested a remark on that paper

OP posts:
lazymumofteenagesons · 25/08/2011 17:45

Mine needs 7 more marks to get the B he has emailed the history teacher to see if remark is worth it but I don't think it is. He also f*ed up his geography and got a C. I need to look at the module marks and see how far off he is. I suppose I should be happy with his results of 7Bs and 2Cs all in academic subjects as he is dyslexic/dyspraxic and came out of mainstream schooling for 3 years. Until he was about 13 I would not have thought he could get any GCSEs.