GCSEs 2012 support thread

[Kez100]

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

Just curious. Does anyone's dc have only single exam days? At ds school every child has at least 2 days where they have two heavy duty exams. Just us or everyone?

My daughter only has one a day max. However, she has finished Maths, Drama, ICT, History (was a year 10 option) and has minimal science module resits.

24th May is not a good day as DS has a chemistry resit, main chemistry and english lit. But most of them are one exam a day

This morning DD casually announced that several of the exam dates inserted in the family planner were WRONG and that she now doesn't have first exam on Tues

Me: But are you sure? What if you're wrong? What happens if you miss the exam?
DD: Well, the school have your phone number, my phone number to call if I don't turn up. And if there's no answer then the head comes knocking at our door. Believe me mum, that means I won't be late for a single exam

grunge Does the school have a website? Get a copy of the exam tt and print it off. You can't leave something as important as this to a teenager imho

Rezolution - I am doing exactly that now i'm back home!!! DD has had the revised timetable for a couple of weeks but didn't think to tell me

Got too laid back as all these modules/controlled assessments/resits etc over past 18 months have frazzled my brain

Bloody hell there are so many codes for the science exams on the website official timetable I AM going to have to ask dd to decode . It's really unclear which are single/double/triple arrrgggghhh

DS's timetable says biology, chemistry or physics.

The biol/chem/physics exams I've now realised are in tiers and units - she must be doing unit 3 but the timetable includes all the resits too. Now the languages - NOT ONE LANGUAGE IS NAMED it's all course code and speaking/listening/reading etc - why the hell couldn't they list the individual language against each one??? . DD's now home so we can go through it and amend on family calendar

Thanks Rezolution and Bruffin - you're right I should have had this one sorted some while ago

'Yes, he sits one paper and then is supervised by an invigilator while he has his lunch/sandwiches and then sits the second paper. It is arranged so that he cannot tell other candidates what is on the paper he has sat and they cannot tell him what is on the one he is sitting in the afternoon.'

How do they make sure the children don't pop into the loo at lunch and text their friends? Quite hard to supervise EVERYWHERE, isn't it? Not suggesting that anyone on this thread's offspring would do this; just a general query?

I have just been putting the timings for each exam into the calendar. Poor DD has some exams at 8pm, because of the time difference (Singapore). How do the British Schools in America cope- do they have to sit the exams at 1 in the morning?

Abra- all phones have to be given in, pockets are checked, belongings are in a see-through bag.

It's good they check pockets because I have heard of people who hand in one mobile, while keeping another in a pocket.

I have no idea how I'm going to get through tomorrow - DS's last day and his 16th birthday. Can't believe how fast he's grown up :(

Oh BringBack1996 I think you are fully entitled to wallow and weep buckets tomorrow.

Happy bday to your Ds Bringback.

Sadly I think at 16 it might be a bit embarrassing to have your heavily pregnant elephant mother weeping at the door as she waves you off to school. Even without everything else I think he would die a bit inside if I waved him off :(

We've had a pre-exam melt down tonight.

She's been ill for a few weeks. First it was not being able to breathe properly, sounding wheezy. I blamed that on the fact she'd spent the weekend with a friend who has a dog. She has allergies to pet hair/fur. Not major, but it does make her a bit wheezy and itchy eyes.

Got over that, although DH took her to the doctors and she's had to keep a peak flow diary for a couple of weeks.

This week and last, we've had untold amounts of, 'I've got a headache' or 'my whole body is aching' And yesterday we had non-specific rash on her chin and cheeks!

I've just come back from the doctors, her breathing is fine and he really doesn't think she needs to be diagnosed with asthma - thankfully.

Then we had the tears. Can't remember when all her exams are. Doesn't think she's been entered for one she missed last year. Not sure if she's finished her Art work. Etc. etc.

So, I think we can safely say all her ailments are probably exam related!

Add to this the stress I have at work, organising my own yr11's exam rooms and invervention classes and cover and it's fun, fun, fun in my house!

I need a time machine to whisk me to 30th June RIGHT NOW!

I wave my two off to school with my 'embarrassing mum wave' on the doorstep every morning

No more than one exam per day here thank goodness (except two 45 min English Lit exams which are back to back, but these are effectively just one exam intended to be sat together). Some modules for some subjects were done last summer which has reduced the load, but none are actually finished. I'm sure it's just luck of the draw with option and syllabus choices whether you get a bad timetable.

I forgot Thursday was tomorrow and last day.
Ds has got a friend to design his shirt for signing, apparently its awesome. He has gone to girlfriends this evening, because apparently he will not see her for ages because he will revising

Grunge I am very jealous that your DC let you do that. I was allowed until a girl he fancied from school moved in across the road :o

Luckily we are in a cul-de-sac where they can't easily be seen to a huge viewing public

I have to be the other side of the street when in public, usually

Abra, I remember when I was at school, one girl had to go and stay overnight at the Head Teacher's house, because of a 3 way exam clash she had
Pre internet and mobile phones in those days of course.

Being supervised for clashes in lunchbreaks is pretty common though, I think it's fair to expect the schools have got it covered by now.

I'm allowed to hug and wave but no one would see from our house.
Only a couple of days with 2 exams, but one of those is the dreaded Eng Lit.

DS is developing and refining revision avoidance tactics galore;
Much time spent on composing entries in the year books of various girls.
A new enthusiasm for playing ping pong.
Doing on-line IQ tests.