GCSEs 2012 support thread

[Kez100]

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

No more exams until Tuesday here too. DD is having a rest day tomorrow.

Oh no cardibach .

Latin tomorrow in our house too. I say that as me, DH and DD have all been roped in to test his vocab, of which he knows very little

He's not too confident about it but doesn't seem too stressed at the moment!

Oh my, no, Cardibach. I still remember now, 25 years later, how I felt when I was told exactly the same thing about my 19 year old fiancee. Poor girl. I don't know what to say really. What b***y awful timing.

Science Ideas went OK here and she saw an English teacher for a short confidence booster for the poetry to try and put her wobble to bed and she seems OK with it. She is allowed the day off tomorrow as she has absolutely no revision lessons or exams and she is planning a lie-in first and then revision - in the garden - for next week's two exams.

DD found the poetry paper hard- she said it was really hard to find a suitable poem to compare with the ones they gave. (She is usually quite good at English Lit)

She is on a high B for English lit so hopefully that will stand her in good stead if she hasn't done so well on this one. (Last year 50% on the unit 2 paper got a B so I am hoping it will be similar this year- she said half of the paper was fine.)

I think these papers are more to do with giving opinions eloquently and backing them up with evidence. Not sure there is a right and wrong answer perse.

Oh dear Cardibach. Let's just hope she managed on autopilot in spite of broken heart.
DS is always getting his heart broken. I have had fingers and toes crossed that nothing happens to rock the boat until after 21st June.
He says Chemistry went well, thinks he dropped four marks. The unseen poem was good but the anthology poems (the bulk of the marks) was no better than ok.
A big gap now until next Wednesday.
Good luck to all your DCs with exams tomorrow.

DS had second English lit today - Pride and Prejudice and Macbeth. He said P&P was "fine" and Macbeth "hard." Then he went back to his TV programme and I've been unable to get any more than that! From someone who normally talks the hind leg off a donkey. Must be knackered.

cardibach, your poor dd , it's just abysmal timing for that sort of thing. One of dd's teachers told them all sternly about a month ago that none of them were to start any new relationships or finish existing ones until after the exams were over, which I thought was good advice, although obviously not always inside your control.

Dd thought today's English was OK, but hasn't really got much idea if what she wrote was any good or not. She didn't recognise the passage from Jekyl and Hyde at all and nearly wrote on Lord of the Flies or Animal Farm instead (which she hasn't studied, but has read) but fortunately common sense prevailed and she chose a general question.

chemistry today and As Stats - went okay I think

Anyone know which poems were mentioned in AQA poetry exam? I'm an English teacher and not shown paper yet.

DS who did the place cluster had Neighbours and Hard Water.

my ds also has a night off after 3 exams today. He's very maths/science based but has found chemistry a chore as teacher, very kind was also very boring and had poor discipline- despite all the 'good' kids doing triple science. Anyway, retake for Chem since Jan and he thinks he got high marks - so let's hope he is right.
We are so proud , he has a crop of good grades already and at 5 we had to get him a statement and he has almost completly overcome his difficulties. It is all the more sweet when they've had to struggle a bit!

He hates English and he has revision sessions in school all day tomorrow - and it is sweltering - told him , got to be done.

I taught conflict. Any one know.

Thank you for place examples

cardibach, that's horrible.

Chemistry and Eng Lit today. He knows he dropped marks in Chemistry. Eng lit Jekyll & Hyde went ok, although not his favourite book.

Cardibach Your poor DD. I'm not sure who I'd be more angry with the boy or the Friend who just had to tell her before an exam.

English was good DD tells me. Rest day tomorrow.

"Cardibach" I just read your post.. So sorry about your DD. Emotional injuries of that type are sooo painful, especially when you are that age. The so called friend and the boy deserve a good kicking. Horrible little creep, she is out of his league and at least she knows what a slimeball he is and not waste any more time. I hope your DD is the type who can immerse herself in revision and not think about anything else, best revenge is to do really well; sure she will be getting lots of hugs and treats from you. On a personal note, my parents divorced the week I did my O' levels, it was stressful but I think you get carried away with all the talk of exams and revision at school and elsewhere, so have less time to think about personal stuff however upsetting.

Daffodilly, we were conflict poems here but I've just seen your message and my daughter is having a lie-in as its her first allowed day off school. I will ask her later (although maybe you'll know by then). Sorry I missed the message last night.

THanks BeingFLuffy. Your assessment has made her smile! SHe seems better today. I gave her a night off and went to a local educational camp where our prospective Y7 pupils were team building. SHe helped the sixth form boys run the discp and had a bit of a therapeutic flirt, I think!

Food Tech this morning (common sense, apparently), then Welsh on Monday (Language, so no revision as such) and then nothing til after half term when she has Maths.

Cardibach, great that she is a bit better. Hope it goes well today and you all have a relaxing weekend. Are you bi-lingual or does she just do Welsh at school?

My DD has Latin this morning and is I think, a bit over-confident. She was plugged into a Latin Ipod Ap as she left this morning. She wants to do A' level so hope the paper is OK. There are no controlled assessments in that one - just the three exams, so no marks banked so far.

Next week 2 physics papers, more Latin and English. Thankfully her weakest subjects maths and History are after half term.

Oh cardibach, hugs to your dd, sounds like shes very sensible getting out and about, lol at theraputic flirting.
Ds was lucky yesterday he got the poem he wanted (phew) so said it was all straightforward. Today is Dt this morning and economics this afternoon. With it being a long exam this morning and with him having extra time, its all a quick gallop to economics this afternoon. Anyone else on economics?

Latin here too plus Spanish.

Fluffy, I'd just check that Latin is three exams- for us it's four. Two literature papers on 11th and 20 th June, if it's the same board

Phew, thanks so much for that - you are quite right! Slightly different (maybe different texts?) 29th, 11th and the last one on the 20th. I have the print out from the school on the kitchen notice board and check it several times a day. DD didn't even realise she had an English exam yesterday, last weekend!

DD is at last on study leave. The school announced it to students yesterday that as of today they only need to come in for exams. I know that DD & friends are all gutted as they hoped to do last photos etc today. I think the school has done it so that the more yobbish element arent tempted to start a bonfire in the library (it is a serious risk, when I suggested it to DD as the reason she just said 'good point').

So that is it, DD1 is no longer in compulsory education. The end of an era! And it is all a bit of a damp squib!

BIt of both, Fluffy. SHe has been in Welsh medium education since age 5 and is completely bi-ligual. I am a struggling learner - much better after a couple of pints. Just seen her - apparently Food was OK, could go either way. THis worries me a little...

Help help. Did anyones DC do the DT resisant materials this morning? Or does anyone teach it. Bought Ds and a friend home. DS yeah it was fine wrote about Lovegood(?) and other friend says no, that wasnt the choice it was to write about Dyson. Anyone?

Sorry, no, ds's only Res. Mat. exam is his last one on 27th June! (AQA)