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Secondary education

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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:
Nocomet · 27/05/2014 09:22

DD was off with us yesterday and her mates today (they are escaping AS revision).
Work the rest of the week. 2 sessions in school, so they aren't letting them off here either.
Even when they are on study leave (after English) science want them back.

DD wants to be a biologist, maths is useful, but not essential. I started off as a physicist who became a biochemist, never used the mechanics I'd slogged over just the maths I'd learnt in chemistry and a bit of stats they taught us in our degree.

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 27/05/2014 11:41

That sounds serious, Morvah and Support. DS1 is still in bed!

Morvah, sounds like they have similar ambitions. DS1 hopes to be doing maths, further maths, physics and computing AS levels. But in his case the maths is his favourite.

Nocomet, I did physics at university and struggled as I hadn't done further maths at A level. I've never needed anything much beyond A level (or even O level) maths in RL, though.

Coconutty · 27/05/2014 13:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AtiaoftheJulii · 27/05/2014 15:42

Dd2 has done a bit - was going to do some more this afternoon but a friend just turned up upset so she's chatting with her instead. Her next exams are well spread out, so it doesn't feel so intense now.

Meanwhile, I'm really irritated by one of my closest friends who is acting as if me even knowing that my children have an exam on any particular day is being a helicopter parent, let alone knowing which subject it might be, or even god forbid, which area of that subject and how their revision is going and how they are feeling about it. 'Tis stupid to get so annoyed by her as I know that it is NOT a Bad Thing to know what my children are up to (and that in fact at least one of them would be mortally offended if I didn't know she had an exam!), but I'm still wound up because I don't want to start/continue an argument by saying all this to her. grrrrrrrr!

Nocomet · 27/05/2014 16:26

My school didn't do further maths, that was a lot of the problem with the physics, but Biology/biochemistry would have been fine without A level maths. Back then you only, normally did 3 subjects and lots of Biologists and some chemists had three science A levels and a humble B at maths O level.

Nocomet · 27/05/2014 16:34

I know when and what DD1's exams are. I have typed out the grand master plan.

I had to, no public transport. Getting to and from Exams and study sessions rely on the Mummy Taxi service.

LeapingOverTheWall · 27/05/2014 17:15

gay prawns were in AQA Biology, can't remember if it was B2 or B3. Question was along the lines of "why might these two prawns not be mating?", something like that Grin.

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 27/05/2014 18:37

Yes, AQA Biology. Some of DD's friends tied themselves in knots over that. Grin 2014, will ever be the year of the gay prawns.

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 27/05/2014 18:51

Nocomet does your friend's DC have exams, and isn't talking to her about any of it, perchance? I've written out DD's exam timetable in diary form so I can follow it more easily (because she asked me to) and I help test her if she brings me the revision book, other than that I just try to provide a calm home with all the essentials.

It's really interesting to read what you say about Maths as DD is interested in going down either the biochem ir chem Eng route, depending on how Maths and Physics pan out. I can just see her career taking a similar path to yours! Grin

Nocomet · 27/05/2014 19:14

She'd better not. I got married, did a bit of Postgrad research and then became a SAHM for 16 years, not a career plan to follow.

Don't get me wrong, I love the DDs to bits and wouldn't have missed my time with them, but I do regret not trying to find part time work when they were younger, but child care for school age DCs was very very sparse if you didn't have family.

Nocomet · 27/05/2014 19:16

DDs friends mum keeps them in a ridiculously tight leash for 17 olds. They will have had to negotiate every second away from their books.

MrsMaturin · 27/05/2014 19:19

Seem to be making steady progress here. Dd is interested in Biomedical Science with two projected science A-levels and 2 arts (to AS anyway). We are agonising over maths. She doesn't want to do it (whch is good enough for me) but it has been suggested it would be useful. OTH if all goes to plan she will probably be taking the Further Maths GCSE so maybe that will give us a bit of help?

Coconutty · 27/05/2014 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 27/05/2014 19:33

Nocomet That is ridiculous (of your DD's friend's mum) and surely counter productive at that age, as it's depriving them of learning to organise themselves and have confidence in how much revision is 'enough'. They need to set limits for themselves, and balance work with other things.

DD has to be careful to not obsessively study. If i hear her on the phone to her friend, watching TV or saying she's going out for a run, I know she's looking after herself and managing well.

AtiaoftheJulii · 27/05/2014 20:11

YeGods it was me moaning, and no, my friend has one y12 dd who through the luck of her combination of subjects, only had one written AS exam, on the first Monday of exams, and then a y10 dd who isn't doing exams this year!

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 27/05/2014 20:31

Atiao Yes it was you, sorry! It all boils down to them all being different.

Nocomet · 27/05/2014 22:10

Oh I wouldn't worry about DDs DFs. They are twins and quite capable of organising their DM when they need to.

Generally they are just lovely, non rebellious girls. Who would work hard regardless. So I'm only half serious.

SupportManager · 27/05/2014 22:50

Good to hear how it's all going with everyone else. Tomorrow is the one day this week there's no revision sessions at school, so she's celebrating by having a sleepover at her friends...which will run into most of Wednesday. She's got her plan to get back to full days of revision Thurs- Sun, so I'm glad she's making the most of her free time to have fun. Smile

MorvahRising · 27/05/2014 23:15

EllenJane sounds identical! DS is also going to do chemistry at A level but may drop that after AS. He wants to do astrophysics or computer science at university.

He was very depressed today as he did a practice maths paper and got a B. He whizzed over it too fast and made some silly mistakes which he wouldn't have made if he'd read the questions properly! Of course I can't point this out as it would provoke WW3.

nocomet. God knows what your frond would think of me; I have a timetable for DS which has exams in red and crammer sessions in green so you can immediately see the difference . . . . Blush

MorvahRising · 27/05/2014 23:17

Your friend, not your frond . . . . .

marymoocow · 28/05/2014 07:17

Momentum seems to be completely lost here. DS really struggling to get back into revision. I thought the break would be really good, but not so sure now. Still, I'm starting to feel a little better after surgery, so can hopefully be of more use now. At least his next exams aren't until Tuesday.

MissScatterbrain · 28/05/2014 07:58

mary - I feel the same, the weekend break was probably a mistake - yesterday was such a struggle...

eatyourveg · 28/05/2014 08:12

MorvahRising exams in red revision at school in green on the giant timetable on the wall here too - we have a third colour, yellow for revising at home! - looks very colourful and brightens up the kitchen, even if its never read Grin

MorvahRising · 28/05/2014 09:12

eatyourveg DS's home revision sessions are in black which is very boring - wish I'd thought of yellow . . . . !

DS is meant to be playing golf today! Lovely weather for it, it's still rainning here - I suspect it will end up a full on revision day. I may make a cake for encouragement purposes.

eatyourveg · 28/05/2014 10:26

ha! ds is playing golf tomorrow! Maths today and P3B3C3. Ds1 is home from uni which is turning out to be rather a distraction as he wants to go on fifa with ds3. Very impressed that ds3 is holding out until later in the day.

This week having had the weekend off does seem to have made it harder to get back into the same rhythm of revision. At least next week is a quiet one with only 2 exams and 2 days of lessons in school.