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.

Eng lit poetry went well here too, and the strange space question on physics also mentioned! He said he didn't agree with space travel as there's so many hungry people in the world, the money could be better spent! Proud mum! :)

DS thought music listening was mostly ok but he was more interested in telling me that one of the invigilators fell asleep!

I breathed an audible sight of relief when DD1 texted to say the extract had been from the Narnia film. I was rather worried it was going to be Giacchino and Trek, which might have made her lose her bearings! I was slightly sad it wasn't my mate wot writes film music - but that was always going to be a longshot since he's more telly anyway.

Dd had edexel iGCSE English Lit yesterday. One essay went well where she had to compare 2 poems but the unseen seems not to have gone so well as she misinterpreted the poem. She realised this after talking to her English teachers afterwards. They seem to think if she wrote a good essay it would still be ok - does anyone know if that is right? English is her best subject (and whats she wants to do at university) and she is predicted A* but I am worried that she may have lost that now.

As long as she backed up her points with evidence, misinterpreting the unseen shouldn't matter too much.

Thanks. That seems to be what her teachers said and she feels she did back up her theory. I wish they had done the normal gcse rather than the igcse so that it wouldn't all be down to the exams.

DS has history on the first day back as well. He seemed surprised today that he was expected to revise in half term and started muttering about the fact that it was supposed to be a holiday. He still has 11 exams left!

Yes, ds1 has history paper first day back. He's had a couple of days' off from revision, which he needed I think. But I need to crack the whip a bit for him to get back to it. It's also hard cos we're moving in 3 weeks, so I have to persuade him to do some packing/decluttering too!

But he is doing two history days (10-2) in school this week, so that helps.

He's only got 6 exams left; 2 are Maths and 2 Eng Lang, neither of which he needs to revise for or practise, as he's fine with them.

DD1 has 12 exams left, but 2 are English Lang, and 4 are maths. She does need to keep her hand in on maths, obviously, but it's not like doing the odd practise paper is onerous or difficult. There are maths questions she will never be able to do. Anything involving spatial awareness or the ability to hold a ruler (stuff that wouldn't even have been in O level back in the day) and stuff involving drawing a curve (to be fair, that was in the O level back in the day but you only used to lose 1 or 2 marks for being dyspraxic, as a maximum- these days it seems to be a mandatory 10 mark handicap as a minimum). But apart frm that, the real proper maths stuff she is fine with. Her other 6 exams though are pretty heavy duty - 2 history, 2 geog, and Chem 1 and Biology 1. She knows she has to work consistently during this half term week because next Saturday we're going to a Big Thing in London (mind you I suppose she will be able to revise a bit during the 6 hours of train journeys there and back).

My ds has only 4 exams left after half term - history on the first day back then another history a week later and two maths papers. He wants to do really well but is starting to lack motivation for revising now that the pressure is slightly off.

We are away for a few days this week but will take his books and force encourage him to revise for some of each day.

DD has five papers left: 2 Geog, 2 Maths and English Lang.

Next week she has both geog and English on Tuesday, these are both resits. In Geog, she is trying the higher paper as she did so well on the foundation. They are all resisting English because the January papers were not allowed to be given grades. She has a definite C and and a probable C for these two, so the pressure is off a bit for these exams.

The following week is the remaining Geog and 2 maths papers.

DS has his remaining exams spread over 4 weeks when he goes back after half term. His last one is Physics on June 25th - I may have lost the will to live by then.

Wow webwiz, that's a long time to keep the focus going, isn't it.

Yes the blasted things are going on forever. DS doesn't have study leave so I think thats helping i can't imagine that he'd keep going if he was left to his own devices.

Re AQQ Eng Lit poetry, Im sure DD said the unseen poem was about a girl leaving home.

She was pleased with the EDexcel music paper on Friday, in that the stuff she revised more came up. Being a bit non-committal about how she did, just the usual OK

Edexcel Higher Lit was about a cat

DD did iGCSE Edexcel for English Lit and the unseen poem was The Island Man by Grace Nichols.

Agree there is a lot of work to do for history. Dd has 8 papers left. She is still working hard but I think she has lost some momentum now she doesn't have to do 8 papers in a week. Still, she would have made herself ill if she had to keep going at that rate until 19th June.

DS has a physics, chemistry and biology paper left, as well 3 history papers and 3 classical civilisation papers. He finishes on June 19th as well, then a few days off and then back to school for the last 2 weeks of term.

Anyone's DC doing OCR B (higher) Physics, Chemistry & Biology second week back?

No past papers (except for the first lot that DD took in yr10) as syllabus changed at start of 2011. She had the CGP practice papers, but wondered if anywhere else had good practice questions?

Also, WJEC Geography B (higher) Unit 2. Only one past paper on website and that's 2009?

DS is doing OCR A (higher) Biology, Chemistry and Physics which have the same lack of past papers. DS is just working through the revision guides and doing questions that school have set.

Sorry circular, Dd1 is doing AQA. Incidentally, I don't know where you live but there's a flauto dolce two day festival at the RCM the week after GCSEs end. Free entry to master classes and recitals. Day 1 is modern stuff, day 2 renaissance. Your DD might be interested?

Thanks for tha Russians right up DDs street. Hopefully she can find someone likeminded to go with as I'm working.