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Secondary education

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Original poster

GCSEs 2012 support thread

891 replies

Kez100 · 06/05/2012 13:34

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

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MaureenMLove · 17/05/2012 15:56

DD's early exam of the day was French reading and she was very pleased with that one. The text said, 'I don't want to get your hopes up, but that was really easy.' It's her hopes I'm worried about, not mine!

Early reports from my own school, was that AQA Foundation was pretty straight forward though, so maybe she's right.

RE otoh, she has just phoned to say she failed epically! Aparently it was all about God and Jews, so she failed miserably! I'm sure she hasn't done quite as badly as she suspects, but she's perfectly up beat about it, so I'm not going to dwell on it!

I once had to take a sobbing yr11 neighbour across the borough to her school, because she had got the times wrong on her exam. Her mum had already gone to work and not enough time to get back for her to sit it, so I got the call! Poor love was in a terrible state! We did make it though. Thank god we are only 15 mins walk away and 5 mins in the car, if the same thing happens to DD!

Original poster
Kez100 · 17/05/2012 16:36

Mummy time, I have one of those (in year 9) so fully appreciate how well he has done to be 2 marks off an English C - hopefully he will manage to nab them this session and get that job done!

Hope everyone's DCs have had a good day.

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GnomeDePlume · 17/05/2012 16:47

DD1 also had French this morning and reported something fairly similar.

Gosh, that was good of you re neighbour DD!

BrigitBigKnickers · 17/05/2012 16:58

Once DD had got over her rather frantic start to the day she did actually report that the french reading(higher paper) was pretty straight forward.

She has spent the rest of the day on English physics and chemistry (all next week)

Nothing tomorrow except three revision classes where only about three pupils will be there so plenty of individual attention. Grin

SecretSquirrels · 17/05/2012 17:25

DS says the French reading paper went well.
Nothing tomorrow then Biology on Monday, two papers I think.
He says the Biology teacher (who he reckons is useless) dumped a whole load of stuff on them yesterday that they have never done before. When he was reading the revision guide he said something to the effect that it wasn't actually revision more learning because there was so much of it they had not covered in class. He doesn't seem too worried though.
Reading about all these mix ups over times are making me glad he isn't on study leave yet.
Good luck to everyone with exams tomorrow.

BeingFluffy · 17/05/2012 18:23

DD had French today (OCR) - she thought it was a lot more difficult than the one earlier in the week but confident she did well. At least French and Art are finished now. Heavy week next week, 2 x biology, 2 x chemistry, 2 x English and a Latin!

MaureenMLove · 17/05/2012 18:25

We've got a mad dash to the finish line for mounting and touching up artwork for the art deadline tomorrow, then a break until English lit on Tuesday. She has again relaxed, by making dozens of cup cakes with swirly icing on top! I'm going to the the size of a house, by the end of June at this rate! Grin

Coconutty · 17/05/2012 18:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BringBack1996 · 17/05/2012 18:47

Next week DS has the exact same exams as your DD, BeingFluffy. He's very chilled about all of them, except latin which he is dreading. I've been trying to motivate him to concentrate on that but he finds it very tedious and would much rather revise bio and chem. Sadly I think his results will reflect that.

BeingFluffy · 17/05/2012 18:59

DD is looking at A in both Bio and Chem in her results so far which I think is making her a bit over confident as she has done f-all for either recently! She is unlikely to get A in English because of her marks in the controlled assessments but has chosen it for A level. She loves Latin and will be doing it for A level - she has the most amazing but rather odd teacher. The ones she is in denial about are maths and History but at least those are after half term.

daffodilly2 · 17/05/2012 19:41

My Ds stayed all day today for revision classes and the exams start tomorrow.
So grateful school run these sessions or it would have been a day of revision fitted around x box!!!

Love him - he seems to be gearing himself up now.

BringBack1996 · 17/05/2012 19:52

DS only has the one maths module this year so we've got past that battle and most of his preferred subjects are after half term. It's just latin that he has hit a brick wall with. I'm hoping that his non language papers will drag his grade up tbh!

BackforGood · 17/05/2012 20:02

See, you're all worrying me now as ds didn't have an RE paper today Confused.

He too said the French was "quite easy" today. This worried me, but I am reassured by you all also getting similar reports Grin
He's doing an AS English paper tomorrow - an actual proper exam that lasts for 2 hours. He's horrified at the very idea. I had to tell him O-levels were all like that (or longer)

glaurung · 17/05/2012 22:19

We've been celebrating the end of French (or examination French at least) for ever tonight. Exam was 'ok' apparently.

Original poster
Kez100 · 17/05/2012 22:46

My daughter looked at me, with a wry smile and French revision book in hand, and said "have you any better ideas than I have?"

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gettingalifenow · 18/05/2012 07:31

Another day at home here - next week is the week from hell for my DD - 9 exams, 4 of them on Monday. ( although a couple of them seem to be only an hour each).

With a week like that you just pray that it's not the week when she gets a cold or a sore throat or a tummy bug......

BrigitBigKnickers · 18/05/2012 09:55

DD tweeted- "I never have to speak french again!"

Chemistry and Physics iGCSE, English lit and PE theory next week. On with the revision...

Original poster
Kez100 · 18/05/2012 10:19

My daughter who has not had a day off sick for four and a half years - is going down with a cold! Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Slight panic moment last night - daughter realised she doesn't know the 20% English Lit prose short stories well enough. Not her fault, she has come on in leaps and bounds in English and moved sets and this work (at a quality level)seems to have got lost in the ether. I have found youtube videos by 'mrbluff' of about 30 minutes each on each of the stories, so she can watch those over the weekend and it will take about 3 hours total. Does anyone else have any other ideas or links to resources? She has until Tuesday morning to work on this (and only one resit Science paper to revise for in addition).

On a positive note she says she is more confident with the Thursday 35% Lit paper next week on poetry (never thought I would hear that!) and the other 20% on Tuesday. So it is just short stories to sort in earnest.

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maddiemostmerry · 18/05/2012 10:28

Kez100, a few of my friends kids have come down with colds as well. Not great, think the stuffy halls don't help.

Ds currently rereading Of Mice and Men.

I would like to revise at DameH's house as I like the sound of her treats.Grin

BrigitBigKnickers · 18/05/2012 10:41

DD just found out she got an A on her graphics course work. It's worth 60% so not so much pressure for the exam- she needs a B to carry on with it at A level so only a c in the paper is needed. Having said that she is determined to go hell for leather and get a high mark in the exam too.

All her coursework and controlled assessments have been high Bs As and A*s it's such a shame she is pants at taking exams...

BringBack1996 · 18/05/2012 11:01

Has your DD looked on spark notes or bbc bitesize Kez? DS doesn't do a short stories paper so I'm not sure if there will be material on there but it's worth a look :)

Original poster
Kez100 · 18/05/2012 12:11

Thanks, she hasn't currently looked anywhere as she only realised yesterday how poor her understanding was of this part of the course. Because she is in school not on study leave and school computers ban the likes of youtube anyway, she asked if I could try to find some resources for her and send her links, so she can concentrate on the study tonight rather than her wasting a night in finding them.

Thanks for the ideas. I will go and see if they cover her short stories.

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SecretSquirrels · 18/05/2012 12:25

school computers ban the likes of youtube anyway
Yes my two always complain that the filters are set so high that nothing they google is viewable. Some of the little cleverdicks no no not mine have ways around those filters via the Cayman islands or something like that Grin

BringBack1996 · 18/05/2012 12:34

Not sure if these notes are GCSE or not but might be a good starting place. There's also BBC bitesize book notes.

Original poster
Kez100 · 18/05/2012 13:39

Thanks Bringback. I will go see.

My son told her he could get her into school youtube but she said no thanks, she doesn't fancy being expelled with two weeks to go! He will be a different kettle of fish.....(I have already been advised by his Maths tecaher he is getting a critical report this term because he has to get 75% on his MyMaths homework. So, what he does, is enough questions to get 75% and then he does no more and doesn't complete it! Thing is, he isn't clever enough to realise the Maths teacher is cleverer than him and has sussed him out. He won't be happy because he gets pocket money deductions for Grade 3's on the report. Serve the little toad right.)

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