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Original poster

GCSE Support Thread 2013

681 replies

wolvesarerunning · 18/04/2013 16:33

I've been waiting for someone to start this (was on the 2012 thread last year and am unlucky enough to have dc 18 months apart in consecutive school years!) Please join me to support and share the angst with only four weeks to go now to the first written exam.

OP posts:
Sonnet · 14/05/2013 13:27

whoops - meant to say "How Bloody unfair!"

RussiansOnTheSpree · 14/05/2013 13:32

Sonnet - she might have been doing a different exam board from French. Or, she might just be better at French!

Merrylegs · 14/05/2013 13:33

Another joiner in if that's OK?

Biology and PE today - DS's best subjects - (his A level choices) and he is really ill!

Boo!

Have dosed him up with neurofen and just hope he can keep his head together for the day.

Then nothing for the rest of the week so will prob keep him off tomorrow- study leave doesn't start till next week.

Gah.

Stress.

footphobic · 14/05/2013 13:52

Merrylegs Your poor ds, I hope he gets through today OK and is feeling much better soon.

DD1 has a genetic condition with regular episodes where she can become extremely unwell, one trigger is stress, so we will be monitoring her carefully.

Her school are not allowing study leave much to her disappointment.

Allfurcoatandnoknickers · 14/05/2013 14:26

Oh boy will be glad when this is over. PE today, then RE Friday. Trying to keep momentum going with studying difficult, it's hard isnt it to gauge how much/little they are doing? And how much is iPhone staring.....

elmerelephant · 14/05/2013 14:34

Highers start tomorrow, hope DS is ok this time, last year he had a total meltdown - he was also having operations for cancer at the same time so totally understandable and missed them all, so lots of support for this year.

FJL203 · 14/05/2013 15:13

Everything was fine here, no stress at all until news this morning of a family emergency made me realise that I and therefore my daughter might have to be away to deal with it when she should be taking her English exam.

I have no idea what will happen if she has to miss it, I'm waiting for the school to email me back and advise me.

creamteas · 14/05/2013 16:30

Biology here as well, and it went 'ok'. DD was taking both unit 2 & 3.

Two days off then RE on Friday.

FJL hope you manage to get things sort out ok.

Merrylegs · 14/05/2013 16:37

Well DS limped home.

PE was 'easy' but Biology was tough. Partly because there were some things that weren't in their revision text books. (They haven't had a teacher for the past couple of months so they have been left to learn from the books and I think it all got a bit muddled.)

Still, lesson learnt. He needs to make sure he is revising the right things from now on.....

creamteas · 14/05/2013 16:43

Merry fingers crossed biology was ok

FJL203 · 14/05/2013 16:50

Thank you creamteas. It would be easier if the GP/hospital/others could pull their fingers out so that we knew where we need to be and when but isn't that always the way!

mumslife · 14/05/2013 16:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OrmirianResurgam · 14/05/2013 17:06

Biology was 'OK'....so about what I expected Hmm

circular · 14/05/2013 17:59

DD found French difficult yesterday, especially the listening which she is usually better at.
Nothing else till English Lit on Monday now.

Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywrench · 14/05/2013 18:34

Can I join? DS in Yr 11 sitting CCEA (in NI). He had biology today and claims it was easier than he thought (which is bringing me out in a cold sweat since the child is virtually horizontal when it comes to his studies).

He has English lit, physics and chemistry next week and I don't know if my nerves can take his chilled approach to it!! He's predicted good grades and is more than capable but I'm going to be a gibbering wreck by the time he finishes this round of modules. It makes me sick to the stomach that he has to do the rest of the modules next year too! Bad enough that DSD2 is sitting her A levels as well and DH is worrying more than she is because she has a conditional offer for the Uni of her choice... I need much Wine!

Casey · 14/05/2013 20:07

Yes, ds1 was pleased with Biology too. He did B2 and B3, higher. Misread a question on one of the papers (realised later), but seems quite confident he's still done enough.

I'm pleased he's had a positive start to the exams.

Next week is the biggie for him: 2 hrs Chem, 2 hrs Physics, 4 hrs Eng Lit, 2 hrs German....!

prettydaisies · 14/05/2013 20:10

DS has done physics today. He thought it was ok, but a lot of theory and not much maths which he would have preferred!
He now has no exams until Friday so 2 days at home revising. We have told him that he has to do 2 past papers each day which we will go through with him in the evening otherwise he is inclined to just sit and read which doesn't really help him.

Niknakpaddywhack · 14/05/2013 21:36

My ds said his Biology B3 went well today.
His next is RE on Friday and he seems to have lost motivation this evening. I keep reminding him that he will have 3 months of Minecraft/Ipod/dossing etc AFTER the exams so he needs to revise NOW (what I haven't told him is that I have plans for the summer for him that will keep him busy! I'll keep that quiet for a while Wink)

RussiansOnTheSpree · 14/05/2013 21:51

DD1 thought biology was easier than she had been expecting. Not sure if that means she missed the point of the papers, or that the exams were genuinely easier than the past papers. Which might not be a Good Thing. Ah well. No exams now till Monday. Since she spent the afternoon revising and then did another hour and a half when she got in from school we were perfectly happy with her taking the evening off to watch Les Mis with me and her sister. We basically had a lovely sing-along-and-weep.

nursy1 · 14/05/2013 23:07

Got two DD's A levels and GCSE at same time - both girls very different, older way too studious and stressed and GCSEer casually flicking through a bit of revision now and again. Problem is as always with these two that one I am trying to persuade to take time out and the other constantly nagging to get down to some revision. Not sure if anyone can help - I'm turning to drink til its all over!

mindgone · 14/05/2013 23:16

Biology seemed ok here too. Dontwanttobe, I feel your pain, and the need for Wine too! GCSEs and A2s here too, and DH more stressed than the boys too! Doesn't really help anyone! I am concentrating on making nice food to eat, and some home baking! DS1 congratulated me on my muffins today, and said that he was so pleased that I have 'upped my game' with food lately!! Didn't really know quite how to respond to that!

mindgone · 14/05/2013 23:19

Nursy, same here! Same way round, but boys! I guess there's just so much more at stake for the older ones, they really know what they want, and will be gutted if they don't get it!

Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywrench · 15/05/2013 00:09

The need for Wine should come with the exam timetable Grin DSD2 works really hard but DS seems to be able to get A's and B's with very little effort, and while he could do better with his English lit, he's still predicted very good grades. Not that I'm Envy at all....

He's suddenly decided he wants to do physics/engineering at Uni, and while it wouldn't have been an issue last year (before they picked their subjects) because he was heavily skewed towards the sciences, this year he seems to have become more balanced and while I rock in a corner pulling my hair out try to figure out how he needs to get there he's all chilled and relaxed.....Hmm I wonder if triple science with single math would be enough.... His classes and exams would have clashed so he decided -without telling me-- last year that he would take triple science instead of double and single math instead of double.

He has now very casually dropped into the conversation that he might look at Uni's within the EU and has finally led me to contemplate signing myself in so that he can do language and physics. My dad is inordinately pleased happy that someone in the family enjoys physics while I look on with the realisation that the hospital gave me the wrong child because I don't get physics at all.

MsAverage · 15/05/2013 00:10

Biology today here.

  • How was it?
  • You know, it was one of those exams when everyone is saying it was horrible, but everyone gets good grades in the end.
  • So, you sucked?
  • Yep.
Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywrench · 15/05/2013 00:17

MsAverage DS came out with "Everyone was complaining that it wasn't what we covered but most of it was common sense". Wouldn't be an issue but the child has virtually no common sense Hmm Grin

Very academically gifted but common sense is one thing that eludes him Grin