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Secondary education

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

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Original poster

Is there a hand holding thread for Y11 parents and GCSE results yet?

439 replies

fatowl · 13/08/2014 15:48

DD is waiting on GCSE results next Thursday.

She is bouncing around being a teen on Summer holidays (she is off in Ireland for a week with her friend's family)

I am beginning to feel a bit sick.

She is hoping to stay at school and do A-levels, but now the results are getting closer I'm a bit concerned we don't have a back up plan.

How are the rest of you doing?

OP posts:
Dumbledoresgirl · 18/08/2014 11:47

In my ds's case, I don't doubt he will get the grades he needs for A levels. I don't know how much it matters, but my concern is whether his grades will affect his uni choice. At the moment, he has his eye on Oxford. I have read here in the past that an Oxbridge candidate can have less than perfect GCSEs, but I would rather not have to put that to the test.

Agggghast · 18/08/2014 12:12

Well DD2's boyfriend has just finished his first year at Oxford studying Engineering and he got B's in English and English Lit at GCSE. He was also offered a place at Imperial so I don't think it is as cut and dried as people like to make it out to be.

puddingisgood · 18/08/2014 12:16

I'm in. We had a tense time when DS1 got A level results (not this year), so I'm hoping not to have another stressful time waiting to see if DS2 gets good enough results to stay on at school and take the subjects he wants.
Frustrating knowing the marking etc is done and presumably the results are just sat there waiting for Thursday.
Are most DC going into school or are some results online? DS has to go in.

exexpat · 18/08/2014 12:16

I'm in a similar position to you, Dumbledoresgirl - DS is predicted all As/As, already has a couple of As under his belt from last year and just heard he got an A in the further maths qualification. There is no chance he won't get the grades for the 6th form, but he's a bit nervous about having dropped to A or even B in one or two of this batch, specially after what they've been saying about grade boundaries shifting.

Obviously not getting a straight run of A*s is not the end of the world, but may affect Oxbridge chances - and since nearly all the adults in our family are Oxbridge grads, and his closest-aged cousin is already there, I know he feels the pressure is on him a bit, no matter how much I have been bugging up other options.

I got into Cambridge despite a couple of Bs at O-level, and my sister didn't even get all As at A-level, but it all seems to have got much more competitive since then and they seem to expect total perfection.

exexpat · 18/08/2014 12:20

puddingisgood - DS's school makes them all go in or wait for results to be posted. I think DS is quite looking forward to it as a chance to catch up with friends, but it must be awful for the ones who get disappointing grades when everyone else is celebrating. My nephew's school let them find out online, which was handy as he was often away on holiday at results time.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 18/08/2014 12:21

And DH did the entrance exam fourth term and needed 2Es

CatherineofMumbles · 18/08/2014 12:25

DS school posts the results online, so thankfully no need to go in, tho' as it happens DS is in school this week anyway for a holiday course - he has given us access to view his results (DC decide which areas parents can see Grin) so may log on myself or just wait for Ds to tell us.

Agggghast · 18/08/2014 12:29

All my children are past this stage but I cannot sleep worrying about my pupils. English is always the main target and the loss of Speaking and Listening is going to make a huge difference to dyslexic/ SEN pupils. Can't wait to get it over on Thursday.

Dumbledoresgirl · 18/08/2014 12:31

Agggghast - that is good to hear. Ds already has an A for Eng Lang (one of his weaker subjects) but has retaken it this year because in his vanity a straight run of As appealed to him in the hope of getting A. He is looking to do a Science subject at uni.

Exexpat - that sounds brilliant already. I know from when my older son did GCSEs that getting any sort of decent grade in Add Maths is a real achievement.

Dumbledoresgirl · 18/08/2014 12:34

Sorry, unfortunate x posts. My comment re that's good to hear referred to the thought that Oxbridge might not have such stringent expectations of GCSE results, not that dyslexic/SEN children might find English harder to pass this year. Blush

exexpat · 18/08/2014 12:36

Dumbledoresgirl - maths is never a problem for DS, he is more worried about German - despite coming from a family of linguists he was really struggling with it last year, wished he hadn't picked it, and just scraped an A in the mocks, but is not at all sure he'll do the same in the real thing. And there was a section on one Geography paper he couldn't answer at all.

I'm hoping that he may have learnt the value of thorough revision from all this, though (instead of revising in breaks between episodes of Breaking Bad…).

nowitscleanugobshite · 18/08/2014 12:42

I'm on the build up to hysteria!! DS will prob get the points to get back to school but maths is "iffy" and betting Bs in his chosen A level subjects might be dodgy too. I thought that was the worst of it but......he's had a sporting injury over the weekend and needs to be seen at hospital on ....thurs @ 9am! The exact same time as he should be at school! The clinic is run once a week and he MUST be seen this week as there is a limited time window if he needs surgery (plus he's in a lot of pain! Aargh!!

Leeds2 · 18/08/2014 12:48

Agggghast, my DD is waiting for English GCSE result, Edexcel board.

She had already done the speaking and listening tasks (I think two presentations, might have been three, and one group discussion) when this element was pulled from the syllabus. Do you know if students in this position will get a qualification/certificate/whatever just relating to the speaking and listening tasks, or will these just be forgotten?

eatyourveg · 18/08/2014 12:53

Everyone has to go in at ds's school. Am glad as it will give him the opportunity to see some of his peers, several probably for the last time as all but a very small handful (count on one hand) are staying on for the 6th form.

I'm relegated to the car park and if ds keeps them in his pocket unopened for a week as I did with my O levels (and A levels), I'm not sure I'll be able to contain myself.

Dumbledoresgirl · 18/08/2014 12:54

Exexpat - I can relate to that. Ds2 is a Maths bod too - best in his year of 270 pupils. Trouble is, his brother, also good at Maths, got a C at A level after only one year, only got a D in the GCSE Add Maths, and his friend, who was the top of his year, only got a B. So I know that even good mathematicians can fall at the Add Maths hurdle. I hope my son has done as well as yours, but am prepared for a lower grade. Fortunately, although he is brilliant at Maths, it doesn't interest him as much as Science so I don't think he will want to do it at uni.

As for the German - yeah, know where you are coming from too. At the beginning of the year, ds was saying he wouldn't get higher than a B. I persuaded him to think differently. I thought it would become a foregone conclusion if he only set his sights on a B. Sure enough, he got an A in the mocks and A*s for all his internal tests and now actually hopes for an A 'at least'.

He seems fairly sure about the Geography (another favourite subject) but it sounds like he completely bombed in RS. It was his first major exam this summer and he admits he just hadn't got his mind in gear, spent ages faffing about and then didn't have time to finish. Sad

todayisnottheday · 18/08/2014 13:00

I'll join in! Dd sadly ended up in hospital through her gcses after taking an overdose so we're both terrified. She's applied for dispensation but didn't do any of her maths so doubt she'll even get a grade. Goodness only knows what will happen next Sad

hellsbells99 · 18/08/2014 13:18

Hello todayisnottheday. Hope your DD is okay now. There is a lot of pressure on DCs today. DD1 had AS results last week (which thankfully were ok) but prior to the exams she was having acupuncture to help her deal with stress - this was after she got very stressed last year.
After AS results last week and seeing friends dealing with A level results, we are almost forgetting about DD2's results this week! She has already got maths and English language so has her place in the 6th form - just needs Bs in the subjects she is taking.
Good luck all.

Unexpected · 18/08/2014 13:36

agggghast did your school consider doing the Eng Lang early when the speaking and listening element was pulled? I think that was a disgraceful thing to do when that cohort were already halfway through the course and most people had already completed those elements. DS1's school decided to go ahead with the exam in November last year as they could still include the S&L results then, so he already has an A in that (he was a bit disappointed as wanted A* but he is not a languages person and will not be taking any for A level) so as far as I am concerned, it was a blessed relief to get that out of the way.

hellsbells99 · 18/08/2014 13:50

Same here unexpected.

Agggghast · 18/08/2014 14:20

They will get a separate grade for Speaking and Listening such as it is.

Yes we went ahead with the November entry and did really well but we have a high EAL (40+%) and some of the children who joined during year 10 and the few, 10% cohort, who didn't achieve at least a C, sat in the summer. These children might not have a target of a C but at least a few of them might have achieved a deserved grade in the past. For example the lovely boy who has ASD and is scared of writing anything not perfect on paper so who fails to write enough for the C. Yet he is a very bright boy who is easily an A grade candidate. His outstanding S and L would have given him a fighting chance, he already has A* in Maths. In his life the lack of English will inhibit his progress even though he is completely literate. Makes my blood boil!

Leeds2 · 18/08/2014 14:35

Thanks, Agggghast. I did wonder.

I hope the boy you write about can somehow scrape a C.

Molio · 18/08/2014 15:38

todayisnothteday that's completely terrible. No set of exams is worth that, though I know there's little or nothing one can do to convince some students. I hope life is more in perspective now - poor thing. Not sure about the practicalities, but there's always scope to take exams alongside others - so maths alongside her ASs? Provided she's calmer of course.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 18/08/2014 16:27

DS1 went to an open day plus at Oxford in July, and was assured there that the odd blip in a set of good GCSEs (ie not all A*) was not the end of Oxford aspirations in his science subject.

He didn't have a particular aspiration to go to Oxford, but he does now which makes the results more nervewracking for him.

He did Maths and Eng Lit last year.

With regards to English Language, his school have double entered them they did IGCSE as well, I think because it retained the Speaking and Listening? Mostly though as insurance against changing grade boundaries. It was a very long English day as both exams were on the same day.

todayisnottheday I hope your DD is ok now.

Asterisk · 18/08/2014 16:34

DD's school doesn't give predicted grades or release any coursework grades in advance. The lack of coursework grades has been a bit frustrating because it would have been nice as a gauge to how well it was going; but reading on here about all the pressure to achieve high predicted grades, I think it is a good strategy on the school's part not to play that game.

ISingSoprano · 18/08/2014 16:42

I'm in! DD is a bright girl and worked well for her GCSEs but she is plagued with anxiety too and the exam season itself was a fraught time for us. She knows she did pretty well in her coursework but she sets herself incredibly high standards. Her one big worry is maths - she wants to do A level but needs at least an A to get onto the course.

Good luck everyone!