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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

AS Levels

249 replies

MABS · 14/05/2012 17:17

Anyone else suffering through this at mo?!

OP posts:
JustGettingByMum · 23/05/2012 07:45

Good luck today all chemists & everyone else taking exams

AliceInSandwichLand · 23/05/2012 09:43

We're done apart from A2 French in 3 weeks or so; History yesterday seems to have been ok. Good luck to everyone else who's still slogging through it!

MABS · 23/05/2012 10:31

dd home today, but heavy tomorrow and fri with French and Geog

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cinnamonnut · 23/05/2012 10:54

2 and a half hours til chem...

mindgone · 23/05/2012 11:00

DS has chemistry too, in 2 1/2 hours! Cinnamon, keep calm, am sure you'll be fine, read through tricky things now, and eat well before you go! Relax, the very worst thing that can happen is that you do it again! Not great, but not the end of the world either! Hope I've helped and not made you more stressed Wink

Jins · 23/05/2012 12:34

Good luck for Chemistry!

FrankWippery · 23/05/2012 15:51

HOw did those doing chem get on today? Hope they were ok.

Last one for us tomorrow with geography. Thank goodness this lot are almost over. Got DD1's A levels starting any second now though...Barrel of laughs in our house at weekends it is Grin

adamschic · 23/05/2012 16:05

Chem went OKish, from what I could gather from mine. I feel your pain as mine resat AS and will be starting A2's in around 2.5 weeks!

mumblechum1 · 23/05/2012 17:07

DS said chem was ok, and he thinks he will have scraped a C which will be a bloody miracle as he has done zero revision.

cinnamonnut · 23/05/2012 17:41

Chemistry was really difficult :(

FrankWippery · 23/05/2012 17:58

So you'll be restocking the wine with me then adamschic! Grin

cinnamonnut - sorry to see the Sad face. Is that exams done now?

Milliways · 23/05/2012 18:37

DS also thought Chemistry was really hard. It is the subject he wants to drop, but he still needs a good AS grade. Poor kids is full of cold too.

Double Maths tomorrow!

cinnamonnut · 23/05/2012 20:49

FrankWippery I've got economics on Friday, but I find economics fairly straightforward so I'm not too worried about that. I would really like 4As in these AS levels, because what I'm applying for is so competitive.

schoolchauffeur · 23/05/2012 22:11

DD thought the chemistry was hard- said there were questions where she knew the topic but couldnt see what the question was getting it.
Trying to encourage her to focus on Maths for tomorrow instead. Once that is over she will be fine as just French on Friday afternoon.
Good luck for Friday Cinnamonnt!

FrankWippery · 23/05/2012 22:14

Good luck with Economics cinnamonnut, I will keep everything crossed for you.

And good luck to your DD too schoolchauffeur, and everyone else who's got Geog/French/Maths etc.

MABS · 24/05/2012 07:12

geography this pm, she dreading it :(

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FrankWippery · 24/05/2012 08:14

Geography here too MABS, she's actually not too stressy about it. But we shall see. Cards close to chest sort of kid is my one.

JustGettingByMum · 24/05/2012 08:14

Maths this morning, seems quite cheerful

schoolchauffeur · 24/05/2012 08:37

Good luck to all mathemeticians today! I think there is a lot to be said for a return to linear A levels. I did four back in a ... well a long time ago... and I don't remember being under this amount of continual pressure.
We seem to have been revising since December- first for mocks, then school saying have to work hard over Easter hols,then last 5 weeks continous.

Then we may have some module resits and/or early attempts in January next year ( revise over Christmas holidays) and then it will be into full on mode for summer A2s. I think it is so tough on them- especially with some of the more demanding Unis wanting to know individual module marks ( especially in sciences) and in some cases wanting A*s ( so an ordinary A, often over 80% is not good enough, it has to be more!).

Back in the day ( wraps granny cardi round shoulders and puts down knitting) we had some tests to see how we were doing at end of Lower Sixth and then mocks in Jan of A level year and then the real thing- big pressure for that, but at least it was only for a couple of months.

My DD made the point the other day, that she was just starting feel at the right level for the maths- if she could sit the paper she has just done next year, she said I know I will have mastered it- but after only 2 and a bit terms she says she feels rushed.

How do others feel about it? I am not sure that the chance for "re-sits" makes it easier- just makes it even more pressure. My DD has been following threads on The Student Room and there are people there who are taking AS modules this time round ( sometimes for the third time) plus A2 modules in the same subject to improve UMS points - already has an A, but chosen Uni will look at the individual module marks.

And now the wait until the end of maths to find out whether DD survived- and its too early for wine. It is very sunny- maybe Pimms would be allowed???

Jins · 24/05/2012 08:53

Day off today. Last one tomorrow -ICT or whatever its proper name is.

I'm looking forward to the weekend Grin

adamschic · 24/05/2012 10:50

Schoolchauffeur, I agree with you. Modular exams sound great on paper but DD has never been very sucessful this way. The only modular she did at GCSE resulted in her lowest mark and she has stuggled to get decent grades at AS and A2's this way.

She is also resitting AS and A2's at the same time, the pressure has been full on. Like yours she feels better prepared for the AS after studying for 2 years, some how. Let's hope her grades reflect this. Although she is in a very fortunate position to have her conditional grades, so far, for her course, she is resitting to secure these as she is worried that her final A2 exams (with no chance of a resit) could be a disaster pulling them down and not meeting her offer.

Fingers crossed as this opportunity will never arise again.

JustGettingByMum · 24/05/2012 12:23

Re the modular exams, I prefer them tbh. I am studying for some professional exams that are supposedly an A2 equivalent taken over 1 year. During the year I have taken 7 separate exams, & I would've hated to have had to revise all those subjects and then just have 1 exam when I could be tested on any of this work.

However I do think there is a strong argument in favour of not taking exams in the January of Y12 as students have only been studying the A level syllabus for such a short time and are still adjusting to the leap from GCSE

FrankWippery · 24/05/2012 15:27

I completely agree with you school and adams. DD1 (Upper Sixth this year), did a couple of resits in Jan and has said exactly the same - she just wasn't ready after a couple of terms for last year's AS exams. She's pretty confident now, for her final exams coming up, so fingers crossed she will get what she wants... DD2 feels that all her exams have gone well for her - she is an exam person though (as I was) and rises to the challenge particularly well.

Also, and I think this has/is giving a massive goal to them both, their dear father died in March and they are both striving to make him as proud as he would have been to see them achieve great grades. An extra driving force in them I think. I will be so proud of them both for simply getting through them tbh, given the circs. Our house will indeed be party central in mid August whatever the results!

Anyway, we're done now for exams Grin, DD1's shortly and DS has his Year 10 exams straight after half term too. We shall breathe properly soon! Best of luck to all those who have not quite finished and I will see y'all in August....Grin Wine

mindgone · 24/05/2012 15:37

Frank, well done to you and your girls, sounds like you've been through hell. We have y10 modules after half term too, feels never ending! Economics is last AS tomorrow, so lots of pimms def in order for the weekend! Maths wasn't great today, but who knows?! BTW, Dara O'Briain was great last Friday! Can thoroughly recommend a comedian in the middle of exams!! Grin

FrankWippery · 24/05/2012 15:44

Thanks mind - not been the greatest of times, but they have all astounded me me with their resolve to do well. And DD3 (the annoying 3 year old) has been a fabulous distraction for them.

Forgot you'd been to see Dara last week - that is something I must do. DS would also love that. Will have a look to see if there is anything coming up near us soon.

There is a chance I may have a Pimm's on the go already...Grin