Year 11 GCSE countdown. Revision angst begins.

[Fastenurseatbelts]

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!!!!!

Weekend off here too.

DD2 had yesterday 'off' and went on a bike ride with friends and then out for a meal with them.
She did too little revision before the exams and had a bit of a shock with a couple of papers.
I have suggested she starts her next lot of revision today - 4 exams to go!

9 to go ...

DS is having Bank Holiday weekend off and then will revise for the equivalent of a full school day for the rest of the week and next weekend.

I'm sure I'm more stressed than him (although to be fair, his eczema is really bad even though he's outwardly calm); we nearly had heart failure last week when he told us he'd answered a Geography question on a topic they hadn't covered in lessons (he said it was "common sense"!!) - we're off to find his Geog teacher next week to see what she thinks

So much riding on the results (back to England and a new school for him if he gets the grades) it's hard to be calm and I know I'll be a bag of nerves before THE day.

As a teacher I should have a sense of perspective, but I really do feel there is so much more riding on results, and thus so much more pressure to succeed than there was when I took my O Levels.

Fingers crossed for us all ...

My DD took yesterday off, and has gone off to Brighton for the day today. Not sure about tomorrow, but we have a family party all day Monday so nothing will be done then either. I think a break is needed, especially as she only has one exam, Eng Lang, in the week after half term.

I might get DD1 to stick her nose in a book today, as she won't tomorrow and Monday as she/we have things to do.

Although she has more papers after 1/2 term than before 3 are science (which she would pass tomorrow) and two are English language and I'm not sure how you really revise that.

She has lots of maths past papers to do and a maths revision day. She says she's got A's on her practice ones so far.

RE is close on first and last so she did a lot ages ago.

Music, is in the lap of the gods. Sometimes she gets listening papers some times they [confuse] her utterly.

nocomet DD2 is doing music - I agree with you!
Revision this week will be slow but steady.
Raining heavy here and DD1 busy revising for AS exams.
DH at work. So revising today seems a good plsn although she is off to a local concert tonight.

Leeds2 - are you local to Brighton? DD1 keen on going to a uni open day there. What is it like? Northerner here who has never been! Thanks.

DD has a migraine today, think the efforts of the last 2 weeks have taken their toll. So no work here for the whole of the bank holiday as we have a day out planned for Monday and hoping she will be better by then (normally takes her 48 hours to get over one of these headaches).

Then focussing on maths and science revision (wants to use the opportunity to bring up overall scores from first 2 papers on each science just like I am sure a lot of them do!).

Just a shame really that her A level choice subjects were all bunched together in first 2 weeks as would have been good for her to have had more time to focus after half term with nicely spaced papers on those instead but hopefully she has done enough to gets B's in RE and History (less than an A* in English Lit will feel like a failure to her though, sadly, so that is the one result she will be nervous about).

Can honestly say I have never seen her work so hard, so proud of her, shame they dont have an effort mark!!

hellsbells not really local to Brighton. It has cost DD £22 for a return train fare!

I know it always scores highly on the student satisfaction tests. Friend's DD started a nursing degree there but dropped out after a year. That was due to her not liking living away from home, rather than the uni itself.

bouncingbeans poor DD, hope she feels better soon. Thank goodness it wasn't during the week. I know what you mean about spacing out the papers, DS has a horrendous week two weeks after half term with most of his A level choices all squashed into it. Am definitely not looking forward to that one . . . .

DS had yesterday off and this morning, although that wasn't his intention, but he didn't wake up til nearly 11 so we let him sleep! We're out on Monday for most of the day but otherwise he's back to the grindstone.

He's been very stroppy this morning though!

Same here with Music Nocomet and hellsbells. DS hates the listening part which doesn't help. I'll be relieved if he scrapes a C.

I guess DD is B/C boarder line for music. She's a beautiful singer of anything from show tunes to church Latin, but the more theoretical stuff isn't her thing.

She's doing three sciences and art at A level and music definitely appeals to the artistic side of her nature. Much to DHs confusion. He can do the theory and not the practical bit.

DS has really regretted taking music. He hated the composition as well. He loves playing (guitar) and singing but not performing. He is hoping for Jazz in the exam as it's the one thing he says he 'gets'.

hellsbells My DD1's boyfriend is studying music at Brighton. He really loves it. Mt DD1 has been down to visit him loads of times and she thinks the uni area is lovely. She is a Glasgow uni girl through and through so it must be really nice!

Hoboken - 'bloody' Gove is because he has consistently interfered with the examination system since taking office. The kids taking their exams right now have been subjected to several significant changes to the assessment for their subjects since starting the course. Political interference in grade boundaries seems to be an inevitable evil now. It's just grim.

Thanks for feedback re Brighton!
DD is also not looking forward to music exam. DD1 did it last year and scored quite poorly on the paper. Both DDs are musical and above grade 6 but Gcse music has proved difficult to get good scores in,

DD found out yesterday that her AQA English Controlled Assessment has been selected for external moderation. These received A*'s but she said this wont change even though they are being checked.

That doesnt sound right to me but didnt want to question her too much and make her worry.

Does anyone know how this works? Dont think it is everyone's papers, so do the exam board make a judgement on how they have marked a select few and then make them adjust them all if they think they are being over generous? If so, fingers crossed this doesnt happen! Do they take a few from every school or is it random? Thank you!

If DD does get a B (and even) if she doesn't it's a bottle of something for her singing teacher for the hours he's spent tutoring her in how to do composition on top of the after school sessions the music teacher held too.

Most of them have found it a real slog.

I did music O level because I played the violin at the time (badly) and my mother said it would be a nice relaxing option compared with the other subjects I was doing.

Was it heck. It was by far the most difficult subject I took, and on top of that I was in a class of six with two RA junior exhibitioners and two other grade 8 distinction girls. I got a C in the end but only, I suspect, by the skin of my teeth! I take my hat off to anyone doing it now!

Bouncing - it is completely normal. The exam board will select a number from every school (in my subject they select at random 10 candidates and then I also have to send the lowest and highest marked work if they aren't in the selected 10).

If the moderator is happy with the marking the entire cohorts marks remain as originally marked. If there are concerns, but within tolerance then again the marks won't change. However, if there are major differences then they can request more work to check and the whole cohorts' grades can change.

I always tell every student that I can not guarantee the marks given as not only the above happen (even very experienced depts can slip up/tough moderator etc) but grade boundaries can also change

Cricket, thank you that makes much more sense now! I also didnt think of grade boundaries potentially changing so the mark is not in the bag yet but fingers crossed any adjustments do not bring her down a grade!

DD says she has 28 exams, but some in one sitting, so they are over 22 sittings. 10 exam sittings to go after half term.
Seems to be going pretty well. DD has kept it together, and found her own way to revise as she can't work to a timetable. (OCD tendencies and anxiety.)
There have been a couple of exams where she knows she made a few mistakes, but mostly they have gone better than expected.
I'm really pleased she's even taking her GCSEs and is well enough to give them her best shot. If she can get the '22 points' needed for the 6th form she wants to go to, that is all that matters. But it would be so good if she can get the A*s and As she is predicted as she needs the confidence boost.