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Original poster

Science GCSEs level 1 start this week!

190 replies

OrmIrian · 10/01/2012 13:03

I'm hyperventilating on behalf of DS1.... who had one wobble the day before he went back to school but is now irritatingly calm. I am dragging him kicking and screaming through his revision books. We have had lots of eye-rolling, tutting, surreptitious looking at the laptop, attempts to distract me with the Flight of Conchord DVDs.... but we've finished Biology! Hurrah! Exam on Thursday

Just chemistry and physics now..... Hmm

It's a bloody nightmare. I avoided science as much as possible at school and just scraped a C in biology. At least it makes DS feel better - he does at least know more than me.

Anyone else ?

OP posts:
ShirleyKnottage · 12/01/2012 16:08

Oh I know Bella, he just puts too much opressure on himself (it's not me - I'm pretty laid back really and was all "WOOHOO!! YOU DID WELL!!" and he's all "I SHOULD HAVE GOT AN A" )

I don't know where he gets this drive from - it sure as shit ain't me.

MaureenMLove · 12/01/2012 16:10

Sooo, DD did her single Science paper today.

For those of you paying attention, earlier up thread I mentioned that DD was in fact sitting the 4th part of double science in a few weeks! Hmm

Aparently, I TOLD her last night that Science was today. Why she didn't know herself, I have no idea, but there you go!

So, she arrives at the exam hall. Her name is not on the list. She is sent to one of her Science teachers, who says, yes, you should be sitting it. She goes back and the exams officer tells her it's fine, there are spare papers, so we can get you in, don't worry.

After the exam, she goes to see her other science teacher, who says, 'why did you do that? You've already got a B for that paper, you did it in November of yr10!'

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 16:11

Oh Maureen that is fab!

PatTheHammer · 12/01/2012 16:12

Doesn't make it easy that I have 2 classes going through it as I have a top set doing biology today and my bottom set doing chem next week.

45 kids to fret about!!!

Hull; that sounds good.
Shirley;he will be fine, he may not have revised the bits that were on it as he already knew it quite well??!

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 16:12

Shirl it's worse that way than if they don't care, isn't it?

Mine really cares too, he goes all hangdog and I've-let-you-downish. Spineless BARSTARD

ShirleyKnottage · 12/01/2012 16:19

Haha! Maureen! ha!

Pat - Nope, his revising has been a bit hit an miss for this anyway - biology is his least favourite of the sciences - so I'm going to use this as a learning exercise, so I can say "SEE? Told you you should have revised more" Wink

Hully - Oh DS is all CROSS - his new maths teacher is a bit shit and his grades (and those of his class) have dropped pretty dramatically, he got an A grade for the last module - so he's frothing at the mouth about it. I've just had to send him a text warning him about the bad language! Shock

I don't know where he gets that from either

MaureenMLove · 12/01/2012 16:22

Maybe, but I'm a bit cross that one of her science teachers thought she should be doing it in the first place and secondly why the hell didn't she know when her bloody exams are! She's 16 fgs!

Also feel a bit bad for the kids who got a C in November Yr10. They haven't had the freebie entry to bump it up to a B. She said it was quite easy, which it probably would have been, since she's done another yrs work and they've said she can keep the new grade if it's an A or A*.

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 16:23

I don't know what board he's doing, but mine has a revision CD which he says is marvellous, CGB I think

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 16:24

Soz, that was for Shirl.

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 16:24

And I'd be cross and speak foully if I was him too.

ShirleyKnottage · 12/01/2012 16:29

CBG? I'll look into it - they must be doing the same board presumably if they've sat the same exam today?

Maureen - it all sounds as bit bonkers actually - the fact that her name wasn't on the list but they let her sit the exam anyway? Confused

MaureenMLove · 12/01/2012 17:00

Well, exactly! I apprecaite that at a moments notice her first science teacher may not have known whether she was single or double science, but knowing how the classes are named, surely he'd have worked it out by asking her what set she was in! (Sets 1, 2 and 3 do double or triple, 4, 5 and 6 do single)

And surely, someone who has already got a B, would stand out a bit, from the students who are resitting to try and get a C? There can't be that many in her set 2 class that have to re-sit! He's had her for a year and half fgs!

Anyway, ultimately, it's her own fault she had to do it. If she'd pay a bit more attention and looked at the list of exams she has, which is clearly on display in the kitchen (since before Christmas) she'd have known! Grin

Polgara2 · 12/01/2012 17:12

DD1 has said it was 'ok' too, not too bad - fingers crossed she is right! However, she has a maths assessment tomorrow Sad which she hasn't concentrated on at all so is closetted away doing that now (wish they would space them out a bit better!)

IdontknowwhyIcare · 12/01/2012 18:04

Overseas alert. DS yr 11 is doing gcses and tomorrow 5pm (our weekend) he has Eng Lit, its not his fav, he has extra time, laptop and a reader. He has revised, I know he has I could answer the questions myself, but I did let him go out today to see the round the world yachts, he aspires to have a gap year sailing Hmm and he has worked hard. it caused a big dicussion argument between DH and I.

Loshad · 12/01/2012 18:38

Pat, bit misleading about the 10 mark question - no part of a question is worth more than 6 marks, though that is bad enough for the kids that find literacy a challenge. The 10 marker is several subparts totalled - that has always happened.
Not AQAs fault - some government directive and all the exam boards have had to do the same and include these longer written answers.

dottygamekeeper · 12/01/2012 20:22

Hullygully - in answer to your question 'what board' on p3, mine took OCR B1, 2,3 today. I agree with others that the long written questions this year seem much harder than the tick box papers last year -they now not just need to know the stuff, but to be able to express it clearly and coherently and spell and punctuate - even my Dr sister said she thought it would have been clearer if they were allowed just to used bullet points eg as you might do in a presentation.

My Yr 9 said there wasn't enough space to write the answers in, but then said she hadn't liked to ask for more paper - this was her first GCSE, and they haven't had time to do a proper mock, so I think she didn't quite know what to do. I know several didn't finish, whereas when I invigilated last year, they nearly all finished with plenty of time to spare.

PatTheHammer · 12/01/2012 20:31

God sorry, I meant 4 and 6 mark questionsBlush

My brain is mush, as well as exams this week I have had 2 sets of year 11 reports to write and a 3500 case study for my masters (just submitted thank god!).....10 mark question is A Level brain interfering!
the directive came from OFQUAL to swith the QWC marks from the ISA to the exam paper. I know it is all the exam boards as I have attended about 15 meetings over the last 4 years on the process. For those doing the AQA board it is a particular shock to the system after the style of papers beforehand (although literacy wise those did have a reading age of 17, great if you are a 14 year old with reading difficulties!)

Hope all news from DC's sitting the exam today was positive, fingers crossed for you all

PatTheHammer · 12/01/2012 20:38

Interesting that some Year 9's are sitting the exams. In my school our triple scientists start the GCSE in Y9 but do not take any exams until Y10 and Y11. The exam board advised us on this as you have to be really careful that they do not exceed the 40% rule (40% of the assessment at the moment must be terminal at the end of the year you are certificating). I presume those schools must be certificating at the end of Y9 or 10.
Either way, it seemed a little early for Y9 to do a proper GCSE exam so early (in terms of levels of maturity students sitting exams later in KS4 almost always do better for example) so we just built in lots of revision into Y10 alongside teaching them the additional stuff.

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 20:47

It's all fucking mad.

dottygamekeeper · 12/01/2012 21:04

Hullygully - what does linear mean in terms of exams (your comment on p1 of thread)

PatTheHammer what are QWC and ISA - I really don't understand all these exams and the terminology that goes with them.

I did wonder about the maturity aspect for yr 9s taking GCSEs - fortunately my daughter is v mature for her age (despite being one of the youngest in her year), and v science orientated, so think she will have been OK, but my son (one of the oldest in his year) has commented that he feels much better able to cope with exams etc now he is in Yr 10 and I have certainly noticed a difference in his attitude to revision, homework etc this year - he suddenly seems to appreciate the point in it all (although maybe now he is slightly over conscientious), instead of instigating battles over it.

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 21:06

linear - like the old days, all at the end.

MsAverage · 12/01/2012 21:09

why the hell didn't she know when her bloody exams are! She's 16 fgs!

Told the story to my 15yo DD. "I AM NOT ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE!!" she roared.

PatTheHammer · 12/01/2012 21:11

QWC= Quality of written communication (in the old days it was SPG, spelling, punctuation and grammar)

ISA= Investigative skills assessments, now called controlled assessments and they replaced the old practical coursework.

Yes, everything has gone Linear so my current Year 9 cannot sit any exams until Y11 anyway.

Hullygully · 12/01/2012 21:14

My dd is yr 9, she can't decide whether she is pleased or not!

MaureenMLove · 12/01/2012 21:19

Grin I don't know why I questioned it tbh! I work in a secondary school and there are 320 yr 11's there, who are incapable of grasping the concept that their exam times and rooms are listed in the foyer for a week prior to sitting them!