Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

[Littleham]

Is anyone else fed up with GCSE's and the stress they create? Thought I would start a support thread for the following few months. Mocks start next week at my dd3's school.

And don't underestimate the time the whole thing will take - all the ones so far have been about 2 1/2 hours

Just had an email from the school. 'Year 11 reports coming home with pupils today'. Great timing or what? or terrible timing. depending.

The prospectus has 'Success is the only option' written on the front. I like the sound of that.

Oh they will tell you all the procedures during "the talk"

Ours lasted 2.5 hours sitting in the hall

And the funny thing is- I went to the same sodding open evening with DD last year. I have no idea why I had to sit through it again.

I have to say though- it's a whole different experience with ds1 to Dd last year.

Dd really enjoyed the talk, asked loads of questions, got loads of info from the stands outside about the courses she wanted to do and ended up with an unconditional offer to her sixth form.

Ds1 stood there like a wet lettuce leaf, shrugging his shoulders and saying "I don't know". A lot.

So we shall see.

Don't forget to ask if they can change subjects in the first half term if they discover they have made a dreadful mistake. My dd1 didn't swap, but should have done. DD2 did swap one A Level - best decision ever!

2.5 hours in the hall? I will need a cushion.

I have a small list of sensible questions now. I hope DS1 is going to take it all seriously.

Tantrums!

Good Luck Sparkling!

I have an hour to glam myself up a bit.

I am home. I survived.

2 1/2 hours in the hall ?? - I'd need a toilet break!

We've been to a few 6th form open evenings and it varied between 20 and 35 mins in the hall.
The 'look round' was all so much quicker than 'moving up to secondary' evenings too, but not nice tempting pieces of chocolate concrete in the canteen, sadly

3/4 of an hour in the hall, and very informative too. All possible A Level choice teachers seen and all have no problem with DS doing the subject.

I excelled myself while talking to the Psychology teacher though. I did actually say 'I may be overthinking this'.

Just found this thread - haven't read it all yet but wanted to check in as I've got a yr11DD. She's not even mentioned mocks yet - all the focus at the moment is on controlled assessments and the science 'ISAs' - there seem to be a lot going on simultaneously. She seems to be coping pretty well though - except for her first attempt at the spoken German when she totally clammed up.

For some reason they've got tomorrow and monday off, I think she plans on doing some serious sleeping Which is fine by me!

My DD is a weekly boarder. She was all set up to stay in school this weekend to do maximum revision but called tonight to ask to be picked up as usual tomorrow afternoon as she feels the need to get out.

My normally very laid back (but excellent work ethic) daughter did seem quite stressy tonight on the phone. .

I am going to feel really guilty this weekend as my youngest wants to go out Sat and Sun to see Santa and his Reindeer and an Xmas light switch on locally and I just know my eldest wont want to come but stay at home and revise instead (not that I am complaining about her work ethic but..... )

Errol (and Back), DD would kill to have today and Monday off - she is exhausted and full of cough/cold!

Sparkling, it sounds like a very successful visit Did the Psychology teacher look the part? The one at our local school did! It seems to be the most popular subject by far amongst all the Y11's I know.

I feel so much happier about the whole thing now Tilly. He's still got to revise really hard and put the work in but I think it's given him such a boost to have confirmation and backing from the teachers.
YY Psychology teacher did look the part, she was lovely.

We moved him to the school mid Year 8 and he has absolutely flourished TBF. Back then when he moved I had no idea how it would all go.

DS2 is at a different Secondary and he had yesterday and today as TED days.

That's great news Sparkling - it must be such a relief knowing that you did the right thing moving him too.

What is a TED day?

It's Christmas Shopping teacher training day I think Tilly, I can never remember exactly what it stands for.

It does seem better when you know more what the score is. We had Parent's evening this week and I feel more hope she might get enough GCSE's to get on a Level 3 course next year.

However the question of what and where remains and I suspect she will apply for both school and college then decide after results, which means months of chopping and changing daily. I try to let it wash over me.

Inset day here today which is good as DD woke with severe stomach pains early hours of yesterday and is knackered. School have sent us a booklet with info re mocks and there s an evening soon about the English.

Hope everyone going through Mocks is ok. My friend's DD had 4 exams yesterday and having coped the days before, it got too much and she threw up yesterday morning.

I've noticed that Psychology is the one that people start at A Level and then find it isn't quite what they think. Two Year 12's I know who started this year have both said it isn't what they thought. Photography teacher suggested it for DD as a 4th subject next year as she is struggling with that. But I know she will be pissed off with the stats plus all the names and dates you need to learn so definitely not for her.

That's interesting SugarPlum - do you know why it isn't what they thought?

DS has an IGCSE speaking assessment today (whatever that is). They were given topics last week and DS' group is The Mansion Tax!

He was pissed off not to get Should Ched Evans Return to Football, but relieved not to get What is the Point of Art? .

TheWordfactory. IGCSE sounds interesting!

We are crawling to the end of mocks week (last three today). Thank heavens for that.

DD is doing the English IGCSE but hasn't been given a topic yet AFAIK. They sound like great topics!

I've no idea who comes up with them. Teacher?

And I can never get to the botom of whether this part of the course counts towards the final mark. DS is clueless .

I think it is the teacher and I think it does count towards the final mark (10% springs to mind!)