GCSEs 2012 support thread

[Kez100]

Here we go........hold on tight!

My dd's exams not till next week ... however, she is enjoying the freedom of going to & from school at non-standard times for revision lessons. So today, she & friends went out to lunch at Greggs.

I sniggered and thought 'That's not a mnet-approved lunch choice you know'

Just asked DS if his friends had found exams hard so far. Apparently yes, although he said that if the January 2012 exam was hard in a certain subject then so will the June as they are written at the same time. Not sure if this is true to but it would apparently explain the tough french. Having said that I think grade boundaries will be low if exam is hard.

So, RS did not go well. Motivation was not there due to the fact it is only half a gcse! English Lit in one week. Practise exam question done yesterday but teacher had no time to mark them so a student from the foundation group marked it! That's really going to help dd know what improvement is needed, been battling this for 2 bloody years. :(

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good.

DD wa re-sitting last years module. I assume this means she's doing the full GCSE. I'm kinda losing the plot on what she's doing tbh. Far too many modules and CA's! Anyway, she did OK she says. There was a question on abortion, which she hoped for, as she did her case study on it in Science. So she had plenty of pro's and cons.

He says RE went well. Question about capital punishment and another about whether religious people should try to convert others. Plenty to go on there.
No exams tomorrow just extra English lit revision classes.

DD was quite cheery about the iGCSE biology (not always a good sign in the past when she has said something is easy she usually does terribly... )

She said there were no questions involving labelling various biological organisms but lots of longer wordy answers (where she tends to waffle and not necessarily answer the question.)

She claimed ethics (RE) was straight forward- hope this optimism isn't misplaced. She has worked so so hard for these exams- can't help worrying about her.

Anyone's DC doing Drama on Friday. The evaluative writing is quite hard. We've been working on it.
My Ds has been allowed to withdraw from some AS Maths as he is not quite ready to get the grade he needs and is revising for all other GCSE subjects.

ASs early is a bit tough I think wedged between the end of KS4 and all other public exams. Unis look at how many times you take them I think.

So glad about revision sessions though - fairly new initiative.

Agree about ASs early daffodilly - only worth doing if you can get the highest marks first time, especially if they are being certificated (and if they are not, then what's the point?). I think it's only Cambridge at the moment that look at all the resit marks, but that could change. With maths in particular, the earlier modules become easier the later you sit them in any case so C1 seems hard when you've just covered the work for it, but by the time you've done the work for C2, 3 etc as well it seems very easy, so worth taking later.

No experience of drama here.

DS semed pretty pleased with his biology. Haven't heard much about his RE though, which is a bit of a worry, as it's his only possible hope of an A*, and it's one he definitely wants to do at A Level (Can I use this --> face to mean worried ?)
Has no exams tomorrow and then the last of his French on Thursday. I suspect there will be a ceremonial burning of books after that - he hates French!

Drama is over here, last term. 2 units are controlled assessment and the major unit, a production, they got out of the way in late March. Good luck for your DS in Drama and everyone else studying today. We are an exam free zone here too, for 24 hours, until the french re-rears it's ugly head!

Ds has citizenship today. Then nothing until next week

Dd has her second 5 hours of Art today- not helped by the fact that the Art Department hadn't finished cutting her board til an hour into the exam yesterday!

Had a stand up row with my DS this morning - ugly - needed lots of evaluative talking afterwards. Wanted to do studying later , at midday after 20 mins in morning was going for revision sessions at 1.30pm. He does seem to study better at night but I'm trying to establish a model of studying - 6th form and all!

My first time thru with all of this - takes oodles of patience and assertiveness!
This is my grimace to signify it's hard going

Been through the stand up row bit a couple of weeks ago when I was called a crazy psycho bitch by DD! I still cannot get through to her that she has to work, she leaves everything til the last minute. She is very able, but thinks because she got A/A* in the mocks and controlled assessments she will coast it and I don't see how she can without actual revision. She goes to a very academic school and that will be taken into account when she applies to university. In the end I decided to leave her to it and be there if she needs support. Hopefully if her grades are not as she hoped she will pull it together for her AS levels but may have to aim a little lower when thinking about University.

Thanks for the good thoughts Kez. I definitely think I need to learn the stpes of the low boundary mark dance!
Welsh Lit went well today - Yay! Have declared a revision free night as nothing now until Chemistry on Monday. Good luck to those who have exams tomorrow.

Dd is being very clingy and snuggling up for cuddles. Its most odd. Poor dear.

Day off today. P&R and french again tomorrow.

Christ that was a close one.
DD told me her exam was this afternoon- I made her a timetable calendar with everything written on it. Clearly said the exam was...

...this morning.

She started yelling at 8.25 that her exam was in 35 mins!(apparently she had a dream that the exam was this morning) and she needed to be there for 8.45

We are a 20 min drive from her school and the traffic at this time of the morning is diabolical.

She phoned the school en-route and warned them- fortunately she is allowed to take her exam in a different room and has a little extra time (she has fibro) so a few minutes late is not a total disaster.

But amazingly we arrived at...

8:47 Someone up there likes us

The lady from the exams office was there to meet her and spent a few minutes calming her down before she went in and it seemed to go ok.

Thank God I wasn't at work today.

And Breathe.

brigit

Thankfully DS went for the early train on tuesday. I got a panicky phone call because he forgot his paperwork to get him into the exam. He had time to get home and pick it up and go back again.

I have been shopping for cheering-up-exam-treats. I got trifle, french fancies. tinned peaches and strawberries. hope it cheers her up a bit.

Had a call after French this morning, she thought it went well, no odd questions. I've stocked up on haribo and marshmallows for today's revision session. If she doesn't eat them, I will.

Well DS had an extra English exam yesterday, we're not quite sure what it is, as it is an "experiment" for the school, and I suspect will be worthless. Then last night he (and siblings go down with the Stomach bug I had earlier in the week). I'm just relieved as his first proper exam in Biology on Monday and there is time to recover. Next week will be tough though.

Another French reading report here. The hardest paper she has done out of all the mocks but she thought it went OK and was not as impossible as the listening on Monday. She is convinced she won't make the right side of the borderline as she has no slack to play with and needed some kind papers, but we are very proud of her because she is not an academic, but has worked her socks off and really tried her best.

Mummytime - maybe it was a functional English exam? Is your son a borderline C/D in English? (I don't know, but am wondering if they are giving the students another chance to get a Level 2 qualification in English just in case they miss the GCSE at Grade C?)

Good God brigit - that's my worst nightmare. Well, strictly, worst nightmare would be getting there After the final let in time, but you take my point.

Last night I went downstairs at midnight just to check her timetable - clearly shows nothing again til Monday but I still keep looking at it and waiting for school tiring and ask where she is.

And I'm on my 7th straight year of public exams so you'd think i'd be more relaxed by now!

I think that is exactly what it is, unfortunately it's worthless as he is University material. So if he doesn't get the magic C he will have to re-take and re-take. He's two marks short at present, so it seems possible. (He's dyslexic and a Science/Maths geek.)