Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

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:
roisin · 11/05/2013 19:00

What board has Eng Land next week?
I know WJEC and AQA are both after half term?

roisin · 11/05/2013 19:01
  • Lang
beachyhead · 11/05/2013 20:58

English Lang next week is CIE on Wednesday and Friday...

basildonbond · 11/05/2013 21:59

English Lang and Lit the week after here

RS, Physics, PE and Spanish this week

Ds's timetable seems to follow a pattern of 3 or 4 exams in the first couple of days then a lull with something at the end of the week

I'm hoping he's going to keep concentrating all the way through but with half term in the middle the whole thing drags on and on ...

roisin · 11/05/2013 22:43

Does anyone's dc have an exam they don't want to do?
Ds1 has a Citizenship exam on Fri: it's a "half GCSE" and he decided ages ago was not a worthwhile qualification.

hellsbells99 · 12/05/2013 17:16

DD has 1st exam tomorrow. She has now 'downed tools' and gone to have a bath to try and relax........I was thinking of a G&T to help me!

webwiz · 12/05/2013 17:56

DS has RS and French tomorrow - I thought he was revising in the kitchen but I've just been in and there's no sign of him Hmm

MrsFrederickWentworth · 12/05/2013 18:36

French tomorrow. That could be his last ever French lesson.

beachyhead · 12/05/2013 21:00

We don't do Citizenship at ours, Roisin, but I guess it's probably worth turning up even if no revision has been done. May get a half GCSE for nothing, may not...

Kez100 · 12/05/2013 21:23

Good luck for week one! Can't believe its been a year since I was here for my daughter.

Son is year 10 and only has sciences and maths, so he starts next week I think. His revision started today! I am very relieved it has!

hellsbells99 · 12/05/2013 23:14

Good luck to all our DCs!

Casey · 13/05/2013 07:08

Good luck for week 1 and a tip:
ds1 isn't great in the mornings and often skips breakfast.

For exam days we have special breakfasts: so we buy things that we know he likes and make breakfast more of an occasion on those days. (Pain au chocolate, brioche, tea cakes, pancakes, etc.)

This does help him get going and make him feel more positive about exam days, as well as refuelling him!

circular · 13/05/2013 07:47

Good luck to all taking exams.
Hope the mums & dads can stay sane for the next 6 weeks too.

webwiz · 13/05/2013 08:09

Good luck to everyone for week 1.

DS has gone off happy this morning because I made him a bacon sandwhich Smile.

siezethenight · 13/05/2013 08:13

DD just left for RE and French today.... This is my third child to go through this - it does not get any easier.
Good luck to them all.

basildonbond · 13/05/2013 08:57

Ds tucked into FIVE banana and maple syrup pancakes followed by weetabix this morning and headed off to the station having given me a kiss on the cheek! I nearly fell over in surprise ...

MrsFrederickWentworth · 13/05/2013 09:14

Casey, Ds even suggested he have breakfast!

And asked for porridge.

And got it...

cory · 13/05/2013 09:22

Good luck to all! Flowers

Bati · 13/05/2013 10:48

Good luck to all
My yr10 dd started it all of her igcse maths last friday. Today Is the worse for us as my yr11 ds has 2 french gcse exams today, dd yr10 has cooking gcse practical and dd yr 6 has english sats this morning and english level 6 sats this afternoon

secretscwirrels · 13/05/2013 12:48

Just popped on here as it's DoD.
I was on the 2012 thread and DS1 now plunging in to AS levels, DS2 in year 10 only has Maths GCSE this year. They are relentless these exams.

Casey we have special exam breakfasts here as well. DS1 was up at 6 and eating full English at 7am Grin.

Good luck to them all.

boschy · 13/05/2013 13:30

RE this morning 'went ok' according to DD1...

Sonnet · 13/05/2013 13:35

Hi there - just looking for some support here as DD1 has her GCSE's and IGCSE's starting today - French and Physics tomorrow

I ahve been feeling rather worried...Blush

NigellasGuest · 13/05/2013 13:41

can someone tell me what's the difference between iGCSE and GCSE? does it make any difference in the long run?

QueenQueenie · 13/05/2013 13:55

The "i" in iGCSE means "International" apparently.
Some schools choose them as they claim they are more academic, others because they think the format is preferable. My dss school does nearly all iGCSEs and this means pretty much no course work / assessment, just lots of old fashioned exams at the end of year 11! The school think this suits their boys better...
In the long run can't imagine it makes a jot of diference... a GCSE is a GCSE...
Good luck to all dcs.
Physics tomorrow for ds, lots of loafing about today...

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2013 15:07

Maths went ok this morning - some new level 3 algebra paper of which there was very little revision material for.
Biology and PE tomorrow.......
revision ongoing.......

Swipe left for the next trending thread