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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Year 11 GCSE countdown. Revision angst begins.

999 replies

Fastenurseatbelts · 01/04/2014 13:55

Ok. DS1 has broken up for Easter and we now have to all accept that this is it. He has been doing dribs and drabs since mocks in February and an hour- ish in the evenings of stuff set by teachers.

Nowhere near what I remember doing for my o'levels a million miles ago. Friends tell me their kids are doing nothing yet. Not sure I believe them though!

Waiting for reality to kick in with him but he still seems to be treating it all like an end of topic test in class!

What's happening in your house? Are you staying well out of it or like me walking round waving a CGP guide 24/7!!!!!

OP posts:
sausagedog12 · 16/05/2014 11:21

DS texted about History, went ok. Has to go to English Literature and Physics revision now. Glad it's weekend to recharge for next week!!

Dreamgirls234 · 16/05/2014 11:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MorvahRising · 16/05/2014 11:28

Oh dear, history not sounding good then. Won't know about DS's history (OCR) until later this afternoon. I know he worried about not getting everything down, as he was writing right up until the finish in the mock.

MorvahRising · 16/05/2014 11:32

DS is another Oxbridge hopeful and as others gave said any pressure on him is entirely his own. He is desperate to get A* in everything and is going to be utterly crushed if he doesn't. We're the ones trying to take the pressure off!

littlewhitebag · 16/05/2014 11:37

DD says history was excellent. She is having the afternoon off and we are going shopping. Grin

Btw these exams matter a lot for DD as she will be doing the IB so when she applies to uni they will only have her GCSE results to go on (as well as her personal statement of course).

I am not stressed but i am supportive and this thread is a great way to release any angst which may creep in.

MissScatterbrain · 16/05/2014 11:46

Was it AQA History B Unit 1?

Still waiting to hear how it went...

Bouncingbeans · 16/05/2014 11:51

Edexcel Crime & Punishment for my DD, she does Surgery after half-term so hopefully can ace that one to make up for today! Of course, it is hard to tell how it will pan out even if they think they did badly they might be pleasantly surprised.

pigsinmud · 16/05/2014 11:52

Blimey I didn't mean to make everyone feel guilty. I did say perhaps you are all unburdening your stress on here. I never said the exams didn't matter. Every time I have dipped in to this thread it has made me more stressed!

My ds1 has a mix of A, A & B targets. I don't think he'll hit them all as he varies a lot. I totally understand if you've been given a targets of As for everything that it's hard as you can't go higher you can only miss. I'm pretty sure ds2 will get a load of A* targets and he will find it hard to cope. It's nice having ds1 go first as he is Mr Laid Back.

I came on here wondering if I was the only one leading a normal life that was all. I'll toddle off again...

bruffin · 16/05/2014 11:54

DD's history was WJEC

pigsinmud · 16/05/2014 11:54

And I know what a stressed, anxious child looks like - I just have to look at ds2. I am in no way rolling my eyes at anyone. You seem to have all read my post in a certain tone that was not intended.

pigsinmud · 16/05/2014 12:03

Actually I'm not going to toddle off. I did not mean to upset anyone. I shall join in, in my calm let's not panic way.
Ds1 had OCR History this morning and has just texted me...good. His stock phrase is OK (apart from Spanish Listening which was hard) so it must have been alright. He has AQA PE this afternoon.

LowCloudsForming · 16/05/2014 12:49

My DS did CIE History P4 Germany this am. Messaged me to say it went OK - whatever that means?! English Lang P3 Writing/Compo this pm. Almost makes me feel nostalgic - warm weather, sticky hot gymnasium hall, sweaty palms and that awful pit in the stomach.

MrsMaturin · 16/05/2014 12:58

Ok thank you schilke Smile I apologise for misinterpreting you.

I am still waiting for dd to text me Hmm

Dunlurking · 16/05/2014 13:01

Sooooo looking forward to the weekend. I feel like I have been holding ds hand all week, metaphorically. This thread is definitely helping...

I've been cursing Art for months (Coconutty will understand!) as ds kept putting off his revision in order to do coursework. Well this week it hit him - those textbooks couldn't be read in the time he had left! I've been having to teach him Chemistry and Biology from scratch. One small success - he couldn't do titration calculations 6am yesterday. By 7am he could - and it came up and he thinks he got it right! That Chemistry GCSE is mine!

Hope the History went OK. Ds wanting to do the A level, like others on here.

Fideline987654321 · 16/05/2014 13:08

schilke I am certainly maintaining my usual policy of complete calm, if that is what you meant. It's not the same as lack of interest, at all.

DS's VIth form offer requires a preponderance of A*/As, so results certainly matter. I do believe that calm breeds calm, which aids focus, but then DS is very disciplined but a bit nervous, so it's an appropriate approach.

pigsinmud · 16/05/2014 13:24

Thanks or Wine which is probably more needed. Please forgive me all - I did not mean to imply GCSEs didn't matter or that no-one cared or that I didn't care. Ds1's school told us it would be hell on earth - we would be stressed, the dc would be stressed. I was just remarking that life in our house is the same - only sign of stress from ds1 is that he's eating one piece of toast instead of 2 or 3 in the morningWink From some of the posts on here I was imagining really stressed out children and parents, but I now understand you all have a facade of tranquility in your houses.

I am a highly anxious introvert (sorry ds2 you might have my genes). I am, relatively, stress free over the GCSEs due to the fact ds1 is so laid back. I know it will be a whole different ball game when ds2 is in this position in 2 years time. For ds2 a dropped mark is a disaster, whereas for ds1 a dropped mark is just that, one dropped mark.

Oh yes I will be struggling to stay calm in 2 years time. On the surface I will be laid back, but underneath I'll feel like throwing up!

Ds1 wants to do history, maths, german and psychology for A Level. He has no clue what he wants to do after that. Meanwhile, ds2 has his entire career path mapped out...

Fideline987654321 · 16/05/2014 13:27

I know it will be a whole different ball game when ds2 is in this position in 2 years time.

Good grief, yes. With my next child I fully expect to need a supply of valium in order to maintain the facade Grin

Dreamgirls234 · 16/05/2014 13:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

eatyourveg · 16/05/2014 13:35

Am I the only one to wish I was doing the exams with them? All this "can you test me on this mum?" has made me nostalgic and especially today as lowclouds says with the hot sunshine - think I'd most like to try English, French, Law, RE and Welsh second language. Wonder how my grades would compare to my O level ones.

AQA PE just starting now

Fideline987654321 · 16/05/2014 13:36

veg are you mad? Smile

eatyourveg · 16/05/2014 13:45

Without a shadow of a doubt! Grin

I do feel though that with all the revision, I think I've picked up a lot of the syllabus via osmosis and would be interested to know how I'd fare.

pigsinmud · 16/05/2014 14:23

Er no I do not wish I was doing exams now. It took years to shake off the June feeling of exam gloom.
LowClouds - How could you possibly want the sweaty palms and the smell of the stinky gym back?
Ds1 asked me this morning if it was alright that he daydreamed during the actual exam - only for a minute or two. I can remember doing that....the hum of the lawn mower, awkward silence of the exam hall, gaze out of the window imagining the rest of the world going about it's business and then suddenly remember that you're in the middle of A Level History and that you should probably be writing!

Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench · 16/05/2014 14:36

That's History Unit 1 done and he has taken over the sofa and is snoring. He said the German questions were Ok (1920's-1940's) but he struggled with the Troubles in NI ('tis alright, people here struggle with them too Grin) mainly because he has zilch interest in the topic and was having trouble remembering the dates.

English resit of To kill a mocking bird on Tuesday and I shall have ulcers by the time he's done all of his English exams. He loves to read and has great comprehension but is baffled by the analysis etc of fiction. Give him something factual and he's fine but fiction for him is to be read for pleasure and therefore should never require deep introspection (which I do agree with but we both have "science brains" and are incapable of waffling in exams...)

sausagedog12 · 16/05/2014 15:04

Lowclouds I know exactly where you are coming from!! I thought it was only me!

MorvahRising · 16/05/2014 15:39

DS said history (OCR) was fine! Phew. He said he wrote masses and seems pretty relaxed. I have made him Nigella's lemon meringue cake as an end of week treat, and he's having the evening off. And there will be much wine later. (For us, not him).