Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

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

1 2 ··· 5 6 7 ··· 14 15

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

Secondary education

Any parents of Y12 DCs up for a support thread?

363 replies

cardibach · 26/04/2013 21:23

to get us through AS and university Open Days etc.?

OP posts:

Report

BackforGood · 20/05/2013 12:44

ds has had General Studies this morning. They all do it (ordinary State comp). I didn't realise it was quite unusual until recently.

Report

glaurung · 20/05/2013 14:24

DD did compulsory CT this morning too. She doesn't like writing much and would have preferred not to do it, but has enjoyed the course at least.

It is useful in as much as it boosts UMS scores which universities like (for their league table stats) even if they don't count it for offers. This allegedly makes it a little more likely dc will be accepted if they miss an offer grade in their proper subjects if they also have done CT/GS.

Also in a few weird cases it helps, like Barts medicine where applicants are ranked on projected final UMS scores and bizzarely just 3 full A levels and one AS at full points isn't usually enough (so applicants from schools who have insisted it's taken have an advantage over those that aren't), or Southhampton who will count either CT or GS towards their scholarship offers (eg 5As needed for full tuition fees discount for maths), but such cases are rare.

Report

prettydaisies · 20/05/2013 14:43

That's quite interesting to read. DD's school offer neither General Studies nor Critical Thinking. I guess they don't see it as a disadvantage though.

I guess her physics must be over now. Anyone else doing physics today?

Report

Cerisier · 20/05/2013 15:47

DD's school doesn't do GS or CT but they all have to do an Extended Project.

Cardibach I hope DD is having a better day today.

No exams today but biology and geography tomorrow.

Report

bruffin · 20/05/2013 16:56

DSs school only do Extended Project, although DS is taking and engineering course instead. DS hasnt got physics for quite a while yet. He doesnt have any more exams until June.

Report

glaurung · 20/05/2013 18:14

Yes dd did physics this afternoon too. It seems to have gone 'alright' which is good considering she didn't manage to finish the paper in Jan (it was a resit).

Report

Isthiscorrect · 20/05/2013 19:03

Ds school doesn't offer critical thinking or general studies. It doesn't appear to have been a drawback. Some students take 5 AS levels, but only in the maths, further maths,,statistics, mechanics area. Otherwise it's 4 and again a few students continue 4 into A2.
Also extended qualification is pushed heavily, ideal for non essay writers but just more essays for ds. Still he used his epq for a competition essay, so two for the price of one virtually. Results from the comp due in the summer.

Report

notfluffy · 20/05/2013 19:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cardibach · 20/05/2013 19:57

Thanks for all the support for my DD! She seems happier today. She had 4 lessons of Biology revision today and came out of it feeling positive. She has a Biology exam tomorrow so is having a relaxing evening having just read over her revision cards. When she calmed down a bit she says she thinks she did so badly yesterday because she was making silly mistakes and not thinking properly.
Hopefully she will be alright tomorrow in the actual exam. Then it's Chemistry on Thursday (a paper she really struggles with and is resitting) then a break until after half term - although she has several things to do at the Urdd National Eisteddfod next week.

OP posts:

Report

notfluffy · 20/05/2013 20:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prettydaisies · 20/05/2013 20:54

DD was fairly happy with physics, although she thought it was quite tricky. She did wonder if she would finish, but speeded up as she went along. Today was the first time she ended up in the exam hall with her brother who's doing GCSEs. She's now revising for geography for tomorrow.
She's also just realised that some of her friends have finished and now have over 2 weeks off. They get another week of study leave after half term.
Her exams go on to June 18th!
Hope the DCs get a good night's sleep.

Report

notfluffy · 21/05/2013 17:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Isthiscorrect · 22/05/2013 04:01

Ds has turned a little bit stressy. Last night he was up revising til midnight! He has history this afternoon and gov & pol tomorrow morning then it's all over, just the long wait til August. He is just cramming those last essay questions from past papers.
Our students seemed okay ish when they came out last night, no weeping and wailing as has been on previous occasions but I don't think they do wjec science subjects (not sure as ds doesn't do science).

Report

notfluffy · 22/05/2013 11:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

legallady · 22/05/2013 13:30

Anyone's DC do psychology this morning?

DD wasn't happy. Said it was very different to the past papers she'd seen. Fingers crossed it went better than she thinks it did

Report

secretscwirrels · 22/05/2013 15:14

Isthiscorrect Hope it went well. How great to have half term free of revising . I used to like to go away summer half term but last year it was GCSEs, this year it's AS and then next year A levels plus DS2 starts GCSEs.

This week DS has Decision Maths on Friday then after half term Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Core 3 and Core 4 Maths.

Report

BackforGood · 22/05/2013 17:11

ds finishes tomorrow, so he's got 1/2 term, then another week (while others are still taking exams) before he has to go back to school.

Report

cardibach · 22/05/2013 18:01

notfluffy DD said exactly the same about the WJEC Bio paper! Hopefully it will lead to low grade boundaries. She mostly got Bs on past papers she did, so it will be a shame if she does worse due to a weird paper. She has Chem tomorrow and is resigned to not doing well as she just can't seem to grasp it. She says she is better at the stuff on the next paper (after half term).

OP posts:

Report

Isthiscorrect · 23/05/2013 03:32

Oh my gosh. I don't know how it happened but today is ds last exam! He was up till midnight again last night revising for this morning. It feels like its been a long haul. I can't imagine being in this state of tension thru until mid June like some students.
Good luck all dc (and parents of course) see you in August, his self doubt has already started :-(

Report

notfluffy · 23/05/2013 06:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BeckAndCall · 23/05/2013 06:31

Good morning all AS chemistry parents! My DD had her first moment of real panic here last night and is convinced she knows nothing. I hope by 11am she knows that's not true.......

Report

Isthiscorrect · 23/05/2013 13:57

Fuck fuck fuckity fuck. Ds had his last exam today, gov&pol, he got a high A for this in January. Today the G&P students were taking the exam in the media studies room with the PE students. The exam timings were written on a board with both exam times divided by a line. From where ds was sat he couldn't really see. When the exam started he looked at the finish time in the wrong column and then planned all his timings based on the wrong time. So for his 40 mark question he didn't anywhere nearly finish. Invigilator said 2 mins and he was expecting 20 mins. He is distraught. His plans for Cambridge are now scuppered, he won't get the 95 plus UMS needed, even if he has enough marks from the last paper and the other questions to get a high B. He is inconsolable and I can't help him. He knows it's his fault, I think it's my fault, I should have bought him a watch. It's all just so heartbreaking for him. Such a stupid mistake and if he has done badly the school might not let him continue next year, although I think his class work, homework and January module will indicate this was a one off mistake. I feel so helpless :-(

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Email address

You've subscribed!

notfluffy · 23/05/2013 14:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Isthiscorrect · 23/05/2013 14:23

Oh notfluffy, thank you for kind words they are very much needed. He is a straight A student by dint of exceptionally hard work. He is passionate about all his subjects. His tutor told him he thinks it won't be too bad, his January paper was an A, his other May paper he is expecting top marks, and I guess if he gets good marks on the questions he did answer it might not be too bad. But crikey it's going to be an awfully long wait till August. The school will certainly predict A/A* for next year. He got a practice paper back this morning with 98/100. His UMS in Jan were 96 and 98. So he certainly has the knowledge, he just can't believe it's all gone wrong. It's hard for me to hold it together for him when I want to bawl my eyes out. Just giving him lots of positives, it's good I can give him yours as well so it isn't just me making something up.

Report

secretscwirrels · 23/05/2013 16:25

Isthiscorrect I hope it's not as bad as he paints it, if he actually answered all the questions and filled the allotted time he's probably done better than he thinks.
Also if he is getting almost 100 UMS on his other papers a retake wouldn't be frowned at even by Cambridge.
It's very hard watching them though isn't it, this feels to me like the first stage where I genuinely can't help him other than offering extra TLC. .