GCSE Support Thread 2013

[wolvesarerunning]

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.

If edexcel then they have done 60% in coursework I think already and the rest today. Do you know what she has banked so far? Not quite sure in our case as she has gone out to relax at the end of this first week.

DD said Spanish was easy; we will see when the grades arrive in the summer

TBH if it was that easy she should have done the other paper

MFL teacher in my school today said the Spanish listening exam was much easier than the French one earlier in the week!

ds1 has 8 exams next week (11hrs)
Then 6 more after half term.

DD had RE today. It went OK (so just like all the others

Worst week over (5 exams) thank goodness. Just 3 next week (chem, re, physics)

Spanish was OK apparently but ds in less than communicative mood so no real idea how it went ..

Next week is hell week here - eng Lang, chemistry, maths and eng lit in the space of two days, day off then biology then TEN days until the next one ...

Sigh. Dd1 has eng lit and chem x 2 on Monday, then eng lit and physics x 2 on Thursday, and music listening on Friday. Monday and Thursday are such heavy days.

Yes snap here too Russians. It does seem rather bizarre time tabling this year. As well as 4 x 1hr science exams and 2 x 2hr Lit exams; ds1 also has his German exams.

Dd also has an awful week next week. She has exams every day and a few days where she has exams in the morning and afternoon. She has P2 & 3 and C2 & 3 for physics and chemistry which covers so much work. I feel really bad for her as she has worked incredibly hard since the Easter holidays but seems to be running out of time to cover everything. We have got to the stage where we have said she needs to focus on her A'level subjects (not physics and chemistry) but she doesn't want to go into any exam under-prepared.

On the plus side once next week is out the way the exams are much more spread out.

Yup, 7 exams in 4 days coming up - sciences, Latin, German, RS, Eng Lit - all stuff you need facts for, little chance to waffle. Then a lot easier-going after half term.

(9 if we're counting P2, P3, C2, C3 separately. Ugh, let's not.)

Just English Lit x2 and Music coming up this week.

Sciences not till after half term but did P1/2/3, B1/2/3 and C1/2/3 last year.

Easier in some respects with the modular and early sittings, leaving only 10 papers for 7 subjects in this session. And fortunate they have been quite spread out. But not much let-up as CAs continuing until the week before the exams started.

Feeling for everyone's DCs with more than one paper on same day

DD is having a bit of a tough weekend. English Lit and Chemistry on Monday, then Physics, German and Music over the rest of the week. She is really starting to feel the stress, had a meltdown this morning about a past paper that she could actually do in her sleep if she didn't get wound up with worry.

I think 7 exams over 5 days wouldn't be so bad if they were more spread out. As it is, Dd1 has 3 exams on Monday and Thursday, and 1 on Friday. 3 exams seems ridiculously tough - although I suppose you could look at the two physics and chemistry papers as just one exam each. With an interval.

Yes, ds1 has the 4 hrs (3exams) Sci/Lit thing on Monday and Thursday; and German (2 hrs) on Wed.

He said that as a result he's not planning on doing much revision in the evenings during the week this week (his school doesn't have study leave, so he's still in school full-time.)

I was a bit surprised at this, but he seems well-prepared and on top of things; so it probably is the best strategy for him.

Good luck everyone with a heavy week! See you out the other side on Friday.

I think the only gap between the two science papers that dd1 gets is just collecting and handing out papers again. So easier to think of it as one thing.

Lit, Chem on Monday, RS Tues, German and Latin Wed, Physics and another Lit on thurs. Might let her have a lie in on Friday ;-) then nothing else until 5th June, when she has 3 subjects in one day.

There's a lot of brownie-baking going on here :-)

Plus dd2 has French and Spanish controlled assessments this week and her first Core Science gcse exam. And ds has y7 exams. I'm stocking up on wine and chocolate.

DS is having an easy ride at the moment just English lit on thurs and music listening on fri (he did the other English lit paper in jan). He is still in school so still having lessons and homework and not doing much at home. His exams go on till june 23rd which seems just ages away.

DD1 says Spanish listening paper was hard on Friday but the reading paper was goodish - hopefully will balance the marks out. Chemistry tomorrow, Eng Lit & Physics on Thursday and Music on Friday so quite a busy week but everything is calm at the moment. DD2 has a controlled assessment tomorrow so she has been doing some prep for that today. They have trashed my kitchen making pancakes so I'm just off to make sure they clear up! Good luck everyone.

Ooh yes hellsbells listening apparently really hard according to DD1 here on Fri too. Edexcel or other?

WJEC - not sure why, as we are not in Wales! Eng Lit this week is also WJEC.