Y13 support thread, anyone?

[cardibach]

I remember our GCSE one 2 years ago. It was a haven! I hesitate to start this as I'm not totally confident of wanting to post DDs results in the end, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
So, how's the revision going? What are the tricky subjects for anyone's DC?
DD is revising steadily, but then she always does and has had some disastrous module results, so not filled with massive confidence. Biology is her issue - she knows and understands it but can't seem to give the examiner what they are looking for. We've had papers back and her tutor says she hasn't answered anything incorrectly, just hasn't said precisely what the examiner wants. Seems so unfair.

I'm stressing. Anyone else?

HP parent I am only surmising, but is n't your first statement agreeing with what I say. Some of the previously definite A pupils won't be anymore but will be solid A pupils. Perhaps some previous As will become Bs ( which was well regarded in the old A levels). The A pupils will be those who would also score well in more advanced exams that some universities set.
In answer to your second part, I am not saying it is easy but there are always exceptional children who manage extra reading or who have problem solving skills well above the rest and therefore can tackle unrehearsed advanced question types. Maybe the A* will just become less frequent.

Well perhaps Edexcel should have warned schools that they were intending to raise the bar so high that only the most able A* students were within reach of it this time around. This doesn't appear to have applied to students taking AQA chemistry for example or students taking Biology (though there were odd questions) or English Lit with different exam boards.

HPParent I could be talking absolute rubbish and the grade boundaries will just be a lot lower this year. They could also just be assessing the spread of marks produced by a much harder paper.

AQA Chemistry was vile as well. Worried that my daughter's much needed B will sink to C or worse. I guess it depends how quickly she sinks compared to the others!

At least all the people with science offers will be in the same boat. Am concerned that my DD1 will be up against people with language offers who have not suffered the same fate (as they would not have been so daft as to take Chemistry in the first place).

Sorry to hear that Littleham. I hope she is OK. I hope the uni's will look at the subjects and take that into account. Otherwise no one who took chemistry A level will get a place this year!

The normal offer for my daughter's course is AAA but I know at least one person got in with a high B last year at one uni. It doesn't help my DD though as she has yet to apply and will have to resit if she doesn't get the A in chemistry.

summerends I suspect you were right first time. It could be that the exam boards are wary of the usual accusations of grade inflation. They are looking over their shoulder at Gove's plans to reform and restore old standards. Or it could be that even many able DC underestimate just how hard it is to get an A*.

I think it's awful that politics is able to influence exams to the extent it appears to have done. Without changing the name of the qualification it is unfair that this cohort seems to have faced some tougher exams than past cohorts. I say some as, like posters have pointed out up thread, it does seem that the sciences have been worse affected. Having said that, these tougher exams could simply be due to the fact that many exam boards are coming to the end of a cycle, meaning that all of the 'obvious' questions have been used up leaving only the more obscure questions for this year. Either way though, it does appear slightly unfair.

Off line of conversation slightly...

Have you heard there may not be funding for year 14 Students - so no place to do retakes? Worried me and wondered does anyone know anything about this? Have I got it wrong? Hope so.

Anyone doing Further Maths OCR? FP2 tomorrow and my ds is most stressed about this.

OCR MAths - are you sure it is 90% across C3 and 4 and not that they must get 90% in each to reach A*?

Knowledge welcome

Yes I have heard similar. It's something to do with funding being limited to 3 A levels per student. (DS2 has been allowed to sign up for 5 with the intention of firming 4, but I wonder whether they will limit him to 3).

A* grades in many subjects, not just Maths depend on getting an average of 90% in the A2 modules. I'm sure the Chemistry and Physics DS1 is doing are the same as his Maths in requiring that 90%.

DS taking FP2 tomorrow as well. last exam for both mine. I think he is ok about it.
He has his prom tomorrow night then he and gf are off to Iceland early next morning.
Dd has finished her gcses so we are all finished here and i can get my dining room back. For some reason they both insist on revising in there together.

I have already checked this out with my daughter's state sixth form & this is the reply I received....

Unfortunately, students can no longer be offered the opportunity to repeat lessons although we may be able to accommodate xxxxx if she wanted to re-sit the exam as an external candidate. I would suggest it might be better for xxxxx to use the year to gain some work experience and then resit the exam and re-apply next year.

Felt gutted for her.....

Yes it is 180 ums for core 3 and 4. 90 ums is not necessarily 90% either, depending on grade boundary.

sorry cant link but the ocr wording is 90% of ums over core 3 and 4 (180 out of 200 ums)
Last year you needed 70% to get 80 ums in Core 4 so hopefully 90ums is nearer 80% than 90%

i found the conversion for 90 ums
last year you had to get
61/72 core 3 84.72%
57/72 core 4 79.17%

118/144 which is 82%

But bruffin, C3 and C4 are out of 75 aren't they? They are for edexcel anyway..... Sorry, I can see you're talking about OCR anyway

Last years A* boundaries for edexcel were C3 57/75 and C4 68/75 for edexcel. But it was the year of the horrendous C3 paper.

January's paper was a more usual 65/75....

FP2 for us. No idea what board. Last one.

DS claims it is the sort of paper that is in the lap of the Gods. Not something you can revise for. Lets hope the Gods are feeling friendly.

The retake thing is tough. In London there are a trillion private colleges offering retake courses. Very few though in the rest of the country. What are the alternatives. Distance learning?

ocr c3 and c4 are out 72.
obviously every year is different but some years grade boundaries have been lower than last year and others have been higher.

Littleham - this is the first I heard about it. Unbelievable, they can't stay at school. It sort of scuppers our plans. Oh dear!

They can't stay at school (unless it is just our sixth form being unsupportive), but my advice is to try your nearest Further Education College, as that may be a possibility. Currently investigating this option.

Otherwise it will be self study, revision courses and luck! If this is the only option, my advice would be to take an A Level which allows for self education (ie. ditch Chemistry!!!)

I wasn't meaning to argue, bruffin. - I didn't spot that summer was OCR too and was trying to be helpful! My own current twitch got in the way there! I haven't really worked out the average UMS for C3 and C4 for the last four years. Not me. Not that close to the edge here, oh no

Don't worry
This A* stuff is so complicated for maths especially throwing in different exam boards

Fingers are crossed for all the Chem DCs out there. Seems all exam boards not great as far as Chem goes.

Only humanities here, however it got me thinking - and happy to be shot down over this - as to whether in the science subjects it is a more black and white case that the answer is either right or wrong. If the topic has not been covered, or has been skimmed over or taught badly DCs will therefore through no fault of their own struggle. Whereas perhaps in some / all of the humanities subjects, particularly those wholly essay based, it is much more open to interpretation and in these cases there is not necessarily one definitive "right" answer.

I can understand planning for the worst in terms of results but don't lose all hope. Presumably pretty much all Chem DCs will have been in the same boat - assuming no massive differences between the main exam boards. Looking back at past results Chem does have a better than average performance in terms of % of DCs getting A*, A, B as compared with other subjects. See main table, plus table 14 in additional tables 2 in the link below.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-level-and-other-level-3-results-in-england-academic-year-2012-to-2013-provisional

I could not see in those tables specific results for each different exam board, although only spent a few minutes looking at them so that level of detail may well be there too. As others have said if raw marks are down across the board this year grade boundaries will hopefully reflect this.

Largely de-mob happy here, leavers assembly this afternoon, and prom tomorrow evening. However conscious there are DCs out there with more exams this week including STEP so very best wishes to all those not yet finished - they are in the home straight now so hopefully can successfully push on to the end.

I'm now in need of a girls' hi day support thread. DD and her mates are currently on the coach to Gatwick to fly to Kavos tonight. It's a bit if a worry...
She is a sensible girl, though, as are her friends. I'm sure it'll be ok

Oh cardibach!
I can't think past this week as he still has the most important exams to come but DS is going to Kavos in September. He and his friends are also sensible quiet boys........... my head is staying firmly in the sand.
If you start a fred in teens I'm sure there will be others.

Heavily into prom preparations here. Seems a bit mean on those who have their last exam on Thursday, so good luck to anyone in that position.

May I ask about UCAS Extra? Do the courses on that list progress into clearing in due course if there is no take up? I noticed that there are huge numbers of language courses on the list.