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Secondary education

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Original poster

Countdown to exam results. Anyone else feeling anxious?

645 replies

jellybrain · 30/07/2013 11:11

Waiting for DS1's Gcses results on 22nd of August. He did really well last year but, all the talk of moving grade boundaries has got me worried. Fingers are very tightly crossed for maths as this is the subject he struggles with most.

OP posts:
mumslife · 15/08/2013 11:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

littlemisswise · 15/08/2013 12:00

DS1 got AAB, but they have used a resit mark that was lower than the original one in the subject he got a B in so we are having to try to sort that out.

Mutteroo · 15/08/2013 12:20

MrsMeg, My DS is in a similar situation, but has completely failed the subject he wants to do at uni. He's absolutely devastated. He's gained a further D & E grade in subjects he got A* in last summer & right now I don't know what to say to help, so saying nothing & letting him come to terms with things seems the best course.

Back to your question & using us as an example; I believe part of the reason my DS did so badly was because either he didn't revise effectively, or was unable to understand the questions/or how to write the answers. There's a possibility he could get his grades up IF we can find the answer to this. Maybe this is the same in your situation? Of course I could be clutching at straws, but I hope not.

Next week my darling husband gets his English GCSE result at the grand age of 58 & so I'm wishing luck to all those getting results, whatever age they are!

YouStayClassySanDiego · 15/08/2013 12:48

Well done to everyone who did well .

Right, one Thursday down and one more to go next week.

Things can only get better and as mumslife has shown, it's not the end of the world when things don't pan out.

MABS · 15/08/2013 12:50

so pleased to read all your good news :)

Cerisier · 15/08/2013 13:45

Some very encouraging stories here, thanks everyone. DD is feeling a bit calmer now. Hepsibar- thank you for your story and well done to your DD.

secretscwirrels · 15/08/2013 16:16

DS is over the moon. He got AAA in his AS levels and A* in Maths A level (he is doing a combined Maths and FM A level course which means he did Maths in Y12 and will do FM in Y13).
He had talked it down so much that I was expecting disappointment. I really feel for those who didn't get the grades but just this once I wish to say how well he did. I am very proud of him, he worked so hard.
He got full UMS on most of his papers.

OrmirianResurgam · 15/08/2013 16:55

Well done and commiserations everyone.

I was in a complete state when my A levels were due. We had been on hols and stayed in a B&B on the way home - I made me dad ring home (we had housesitters that year due to previous burglary) and get them to read the letter. But I was so scared I ran away and puked in the loo when he was talking to them. He and mum had to come and shout the results through the door Hmm

And I cried because I only got 2 As and a B....... spoilt brat that I was.

CinnamonAddict · 15/08/2013 19:22

Congrats to everyone!

8 of my pupils did very well, 2 did not Sad.
I don't know what's happened, they scored miserably on the same unit. Awful. One of them was my best pupil. He won't get his first choice now.

englishteacher78 · 15/08/2013 19:25

@cinnamon - how awful. Are they appealing/asking for paper back?
I'm so proud of mine. All of did them really well. Occasional odd blips on individual papers but all in all good results Grin

CinnamonAddict · 15/08/2013 20:12

Definitely appealing, will ask for papers back, there is no way this result is ok unless he had a blackout and amnesia during the exam, or left whole sections unanswered (and I know he didn't).

Haven't spoken to him because he is abroad (international students).
This is the first year any of my students had anything less than a B

WorrySighWorrySigh · 15/08/2013 20:42

A rude awakening for DD1 at AS (A, D, D, E). Pleased about the A but bitterly disappointed about the others. Not sure what went wrong so DD is going to ask for her papers back so that she can understand any underlying problems.

She may need to rethink what she wants to do at university.

clam · 15/08/2013 21:11

Sorry guys- those who asked me this morning what ds got. I'd switched to another similar thread to rant.

He got BBCC. Was expecting a couple of As in there. He's dropping one of the Cs but C for physics is a real bummer as he wants to do engineering.

Wish I could say he's perked up but he hasn't.

boschy · 15/08/2013 22:56

oh commiserations for those DC that are worrying, and congrats to those that got what they wanted. fwiw, exam results make no difference after a few years...

our school got best A level results it has ever had, but I know of individuals who were sadly disapponted.

only a week for those of us on the GSCE trail.

pannetone · 15/08/2013 23:08

clam - can I attempt to be a ray of hope? DS2 got CCDE in his AS levels - with the D in physics and the E in Maths - and was set to do engineering. 2 years on (we had a battle with the school and in the end they let him come back for an extra year to do A2 Maths that they initially refused to teach him) and several retakes later, he has B grades in both Physics and Maths (and a C in economics) and a place at a Russell Group uni to do aeronautical engineering.

Incidentally, I mis-typed your name as 'calm' when I began this post - so maybe that's a 'hidden message'!

clam · 15/08/2013 23:19

Well, it was something similar that ended me up as clam in the first place!
Thing is, I KNOW he'll be alright. But have had the shittiest day with his mood. He's normally a chirpy soul who chats to me. The silent treatment is hard to take - as if it's all my fault!

Isthiscorrect · 15/08/2013 23:27

Sorry to be late to the party. DS got AAA for gov and pol, philosophy and history and a B (1 ums short of an A for his economics). We are very pleased, he worked so hard, he was predicted AABB and wouldn't accept that so pulled out all the stops. Congratulations and commiserations to everyone, including DS best friend whose father was supposed to collect his results ( international students) but got stuck offshore and failed! Poor chap has to now wait unil Sunday when school restarts!

duchesse · 16/08/2013 07:17

clam- all may not be lost. Two years ago DS dropped a grade on each A level (B, C, D instead of predicted ABC). He still got a place at university doing electronic engineering, which is what he wanted to do. He had to be clever about explaining why he'd done badly and convince the admissions tutor that it was lack of work rather than ability.

My son is not the most motivated and his get up and go is sorely lacking at times but he managed to "talk" his way in, has finished his second year and is doing fine on the whole (apart from the fact that he's back in Swansea doing a resit right now Hmm) with module results ranging from high firsts to abject fail (the one he's redoing now). I think that A levels don't suit all young people.

duchesse · 16/08/2013 07:18

(A levels were Physics Maths Chemistry in order of achievement btw)

WorrySighWorrySigh · 16/08/2013 07:35

Right, I am going to be positive with DD. I think her problem in both Chemistry & Maths (D & E respectively) is a lack of exam practice and good exam technique.

These are the points we are going to encourage her to address.

The big learning is that DD is going to have to learn to do a lot more independent study. The teaching time is only one resource, she needs to develop others.

Hey ho, we are where we are.

AmGrowingAnAwesomeTree · 16/08/2013 09:14

MOST INSANE REJECTION EVER?

This is SO mad I'm gonna post it on both the threads, I don't even know this kid but livid on his behalfAngry

DD1 (who did meet her Oxbridge offer) discovered late last night that the singular brightest person she has ever met has been rejected from Cambridge even though he GOT 6 (yes, SIX) A A-levels. Most only take 3, usual max of 4?, but this kid took 6 and got A'Stars in every one of them. Cambridge has an additional exam called STEP which is for Maths, and even though he got A in Maths AND in Further Maths, they have rejected him as his 'STEP' result wasn't 'good enough...

You could not make it upSad

RussiansOnTheSpree · 16/08/2013 09:19

I don't quite understand your problem? The only subjects relevant to maths at Cambridge are maths and further maths. Physics is nice but not essential (I did maths at Cambridge). Partly because maths and further maths A level are not sufficiently stringent to demonstrate suitability for a Cambridge maths degree, and partly because demand with a full hand of A*s is so high, they also have STEP. This is no different from the entrance exam I took, in days of yore, except that it's 6th term not 4th term. The STEP test is the real test. The person in question didn't score as highly as others, so didn't get in. Fair enough. There are limited places.

MirandaWest · 16/08/2013 09:27

STEP is different from other papers. It shows how your thinking joins up as you score a lot more from answering a whole question than you would several parts of questions iyswim (my parents were both maths teachers and were v good at coaching people for maths STEP papers).

The person involved didn't meet the terms of their offer. Getting A* in scientific papers, especially maths can mean it is hard to distinguish between very good people as it is very possible to get full marks. STEP is a way of distinguishing.

englishteacher78 · 16/08/2013 10:00

Agreed. Lots of students have strings of A* now at A Level so some students have other elements they have to meet.

glaurung · 16/08/2013 10:03

STEP maths papers make A levels look like a walk in the park and Cambridge have shown that for maths success in the tripos correlates far better with success at STEP than with A level grades, so that will be why. It sounds to me as if the lad underestimated STEP and spread himself too thinly - he may have had a better outcome if he'd ditched an A level or two and focussed more on the maths needed. He must be gutted though - but he could apply again next year if he wants to.