GCSEs 2012 support thread

[Kez100]

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

This is sounding mightily like the French listening papers which seem like an age ago, but it was only two weeks. The cynic in me is saying they are throwing in some very difficult stuff to enable them to have more leeway when it comes to overall pass rates to meet Government pressure to reduce or stabilise pass rates.

Grrrrrrrrr.

In terms of covering stuff not on the syllabus, my godson who is doing sciences at A level says a lot of the work you learn doesn't come up as questions in the same way. They ask question where you have to think about the science behind it. He says it is the most difficult thing he has found in his transition from the double award he did to the A level. I wonder if they are (very unfairly I would suggest if that has never been the case before and no one was warned so the skills could be taught) starting to put these sort of things in to enable the A* to have that skill?

I think that's very likely, Kez. What they appear to do is have a broad topic, such as sound, and then they can ask anything within that topic as the course teaches the 'basics' which they then have to apply. All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not doing it!

Hmm. DS said he did fine on the physics but some of the highest achievers came out in tears. It's his hobby as well as his favourite subject and it seems he could answer some of the questions only because he has studied the subject further at home than at school.

My DS had the AQA physics paper 3 yesterday and also reported it to be quite hard, along with his fellow students. It's his major subject, along with maths, and has found the other papers okay (100 out of 100) in paper 2. He's hoping to have gained enough UMS points to get the A* he wants as he has already got enough for the A grade. Hoping he has done better than he thinks. Further Maths tomorrow and the relax a bit over half term.

Even more reports today of Physics being difficult :(

It was final day for year 11 here today. It's a small school with no sixth form and everyone leaves and everyone knows each other well, including the teachers, so it's quite an emotional time. My son spent the day avoiding year 11's. He is quite gregarious and had managed to make himself top target! He had sorted himself a few 'safe houses' (teachers cupboards!) and won the day so he is chuffed to bits. I'm a bit worried for him next time he goes to the beach though!

DD found the Physics papers tricky and much harder than previous years but thought she generally did OK. She goes to a so called superselective and they do teach above and beyond the current GCSE syllabus. I think it is bloody unfair to change the goal posts and put in much harder questions because most students do not get the opportunity to go beyond the current syllabus, however able or hard working they are. Potentially most of those who attain A* in future will be the lucky few who are able to access fast paced teaching in selective schools - hardly improving the system - just creating more of a divide.

Aaaaaargh! DD has embarked on Maths revision. SHe has been home alone all day and done NOTHING. SHe is now going all wilty with a bad head saying she has no idea how to do it. Grrrrr.
I have been fierce and told her to get her book out and get on with fathoming it out. Any other suggestions?

Is this for Further Maths tomorrow or Maths after half-term, Cardi?

Maths after half term. She did FOundation in November (should have done Higher really, but lacked confidence) and got the C. However, she really needs a B as lots of Professional courses now want that and she's being really crap tonight.

I think I'd let her have a bit of time to chill then. Maths is my thing (not a teacher but use it daily in real life) and you really need to be in the right mood to do it properly. These youngsters are exhausted and a day off won't do any harm, so long as she refreshes and then picks it up properly over the half-term.

My suggestions would be past papers (so you can see where she is) and you could use them to identify her weaknesses and then she can address those the way you mention - getting the text books out and fathoming out how to do it. You may find - when you mark the past papers - she (like my daughter) makes silly mistakes. That is common in Maths. The way my daughter overcame that was by staying relaxed in the exam and rechecking her work at the end, knowing she was prone to this.

One full past paper is a non calc and a calc paper. Maybe do one of these one day and you mark it and she study the error areas the next. Repeat.

Try not to stress her out over it as you say she has less confidence in this subject than many others. Having banked the C though should help her go in thinking she has nothing to lose (and hence stay relaxed).

I'd give it a rest too. There are about 10 days (?) between now and the Maths paper.

If she's anything like my daughter and her mates, they are spending the last few offical days of school, with saying goodbyes and signing shirts and books. DD has come home tonight with all manner of lovely things from teachers and friends alike. She keeps showing me more and more pictures of all of them on Facebook too. The sweatshirt has arrived too and she's so full of everything.

Personally, I'll be giving DD the whole weekend off. She's got Geography and Science left and having just seen a letter from school, she will be required to be in school for both those lessons and revision lessons just before the exams too. I do think you can do too much.

Like Kez says, particularly with Maths, you need to have your maths head on! I know I do!

Chill a bit - what will be, will be.

ds1 (yr10) has his first GCSE exam tomorrow: ICT module 1. He stresses madly about English controlled assessments, but doesn't seem uptight about this exam at all.

THanks Kez and Maureen. I've had a crap day and I think I may be taking it out in stress on her a bit because she's had a lovely relaxing one . THese exams are knackering for us all, I think, and it's only me and DD (lone parent of an only).
I've brought home lots of past papers, so I think we'll go for that approach, with a bit of MyMaths for variety. She's going to her dad's on Saturday until Weds, so I'll ask him to leave her until Monday then do a paper on Mon and one on Tues. He may be more relaxed about it since he hasn't been in the thick of the tension! It's easy to start to let them become more important then they really are. THe sky will stay in place if she fails - she has a C and she can resit next year for the B if necessary.
I actually think she is capable of getting it this year, though, so fingers crossed.

English and Physics AQA done this week and RS welsh board done today. Phew!

DT and History after half term and that is it.

Only one I'm worried about is English - can't be sure how he did, he wasn't sure. From what he said I hope all is well but English not hi strength. Fingers crossed he does not have to do it again.
writing questions were tricky - reading okay.

I'm giving DD time to chill now. She was wilty and uncooperative too, refusing to revise and saying she didn't care about them anyway. I got a bit cross and said she'd have these GCSEs for ever which fell on deaf ears and made her worse.

I think it's easy for us to get stressed too and that's counterproductive. I'd let her chill at least over the bank holiday weekend. Being tired and jaded won't help their marks.

How many exams have your DC got left? DS has 14 in a two and a half week period and, as much as I would love him to be able to relax for a bit, I don't think he can afford to as he has so much revision to do. I think I may have to revert to nagging parent mode :(

ds and several mates are going "oop town" tomorrow (in the day I mean, not clubbing ). It might be his first experience of being hoiked out of shops for clearly being one of a gang of hoodies - he doesn't tend to shop much . However, like many others, I don't think a day chilling will do them any harm at all now - his next exam isn't until 12th June (History) and he only has 6 more after that, spread right to the end of he month.

I mentioned resting due to tiredness as I cannot see how they can effectively revise when tired. But the amount of time they can jusify having off will depend on exams left and, I think, they all have varying amounts now. 14 is a lot. You are right on that score.

My daughter has only the one module exam left now. I expect that she has the least but she finished Maths in November and did History in year 10. I know they are common exams coming up after half term.

Cardi - I imagine you are exhausted too. I've been extraordinarily impressed by the support my daughter has had from her teachers this year and for the teachers that support level they are giving is x 32 (or however many year 11s they have). Once your subject exams are over you must feel like flaking! Hope you manage to get a few days relaxation too.

Thanks again Kez. It's lovely when parents appreciate what we are doing. do feel like I've gone throught the ringer a bit this year having DD doing them too. And next year and the year after won't be any better. I am also having a bit of a crap time at school (bullying management related) so can;t wait for the holidays.
I will be waiting for all my students results with only a little less suspense than I wait for DDs though. It's an intense business, teaching :)

DS now only has 3 papers, Maths where he needs A (second set comp), geography and a resit of P1a (should be an easy A to bring his overall grade up). Then it's sixth form induction, and results day.

Cardi, I feel your pain! I'm not a teacher, but work in a secondary school and I started working there when yr11 were in yr7, so I know so many of them really, really well. I've spent lots of time and effort in the classroom, covering their lessons over the years and I knew I'd be a bit of an emotional wreck this year!

I can't help with the prom arrangements without filling up and the leavers assembly has me apologising for not being able to speak regularly!

Our results will be available from 10am, whilst DD's school will be midday, so god only knows the state I'll be in by then!

Hope your subject exam has already been and gone and you can have a well earned rest over the holiday.

It has, Maureen. I'm an ENglish teacher - hence my stress about Maths, possibly as I'm not really any help to her!

Just ventured into DS's hovel bedroom to get some washing only to find him flat out asleep! Just goes to show how much the exams take out of them

You make an interesting point BeingFluffy. In DD's school top set really means very little so the teacher is being stretched across a wide ability and behaviour range.

Testing 'off the syllabus' is really unfair on students in that type of setting as the teachers have their work cut out to cover the published syllabus let alone pointing out where the exam may go off piste. The student doesnt get the opportunity to have wider teaching. The student needs to read beyond the syllabus but that needs to be guided by the teacher who just doesnt have the time.

Dd came home today after RE exam and unusually for her started Chemistry revision straight away in spite of having no more exams until after half term. So much for having a rest! She seems to think they've not covered the last chemistry module properly in class, I hope she's wrong after what people are saying re: Physics. I'm fairly sure she won't have gone beyond the syllabus in any of her sciences or other subjects as she's had disrupted teaching in a fairly mixed ability (but small) group. She has Phys, Chem, Bio, Maths and Geog after half term, so still quite a few to go and she wants to do well in them as they're all the subjects she's chosen for A level (except Geography).