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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

2015 Yr 12 support thread

837 replies

Needmoresleep · 08/01/2015 11:48

Mocks this week, and the reality of AS exams in a few months is starting to hit home. I don't think it will be an easy journey, so would welcome some company.

OP posts:

GentlyBenevolent · 13/05/2015 09:04

DD1 has her eye on cambridge so she needs to bang everything out of the park - not just As but high UMS As. I suspect she won't (she is predicted, and might get, the As but tip top UMS unlikey - dyspraxia is a cruel thing in this regard) and will go back to plan B (which was the former plan A anyway so not the end of the world and quite possibly better for her). History today. And not the funny one.

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 09:08

Cambridge do want high UMS at AS but Oxford go more on Gcses and predicted grades from what I understand.
For medicine, 1 B is not then end of the world

SecretSquirrels · 13/05/2015 12:05

Well DS couldn't force any breakfast down this morning but I've had a text saying C1 was "really good" smiley face.
I know C1 is the easiest of the exams for him so it's nice that it was first and the fact that it went well will be good for his confidence.

Gently It's not just Cambridge who are interested in high UMS. Certainly Durham asked DS1 last year for his UMS.
DS2 not applying to Oxbridge but Durham is on his list.
Predicted grades is a whole new can of worms. Teachers are rightly wary of predicting an improvement in performance because A2 is much harder than AS. In most cases you would need not just an A but high UMS to be predicted A*.

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 12:14

DD2 has reported that C1 was good too!

Original poster

Needmoresleep · 13/05/2015 12:20

Perhaps its more common with maths heavy subjects, where selecting Universities will want students who are scoring highly on papers like C1. DS needed to provide UMS for two London Universities and, I think, Warwick. The Bristol offer, to him and others, included a specific mark in one of the stats papers.

DD has two today, C1 and a biology practical. She is lucky that she has had her hardest first, and seemingly no disasters yet. She is taking five subjects so the chances are something will go wrong somewhere. Luckily the exams are reasonably spaced out, so just about enough time before each to prepare.

Most of her peers will be trying Oxbridge, and there is an argument to say it's just one choice on the UCAS form. I am glad though that at the moment she has not got it in her sights. One problem is that whilst UKCAT is taken over the summer, BMAT is next term which would mean she would definately have to drop her fun subject (she may anyway) but would have to review her extra-curricular and possible school responsibilities. I'm hoping that the AS grades are good she does OK on UKCAT, so can skip BMAT altogether. As far as I know, medical schools other than Cambridge are not as focussed on UMS and possibly like students who keep up the non-academic stuff.

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ISingSoprano · 13/05/2015 13:06

Oh heck - just had dd on the phone in tears. Maths this morning did not go well.

SecretSquirrels · 13/05/2015 13:06

DS seems to be lucky in having no more than one exam a day throughout. His friend who is doing all Arts subjects has an intensive timetable but finishes before half term.

Needmore I had also heard that medical admissions like lots of extra curricular stuff. One reason I am relieved that DS crossed medicine off the list as he does very little unless you count gaming.
They have been asked to confirm their subject choices for A2. It seems a bit early to me, most would want to wait for AS results to keep their options open. DS is adamant he wants to drop Physics though. That means only 3 subjects next year.

NeitherHereOrThere · 13/05/2015 13:23

Ising - my DS said today's maths was horrible. Now worried as C1 was supposed to be the one where he could get an easy A as C2 is his weakness.

Can someone confirm that your AS results should not affect your A2 choices?

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 13:31

DD announced that she no longer wishes to do medicine and she is now 100% sure, so she will be changing some of her open days etc. But she has been sitting on the fence for a few weeks (months?) about which direction she wants to go in. It makes this summer easier as she will no longer be doing shadowing at the hospital, volunteering and the Ukcat but I just hope she is making the right decision. Anyone know anything about engineering ?
She has a Headstart course planned and has booked a cambridge masterclass (after being adamant that Oxbridge wasn't for her). She is now trying to get some relevant work experience. She also needs to make a decision over which subjects to do next year - but doesn't drop one until after results. She may carry on with all 4 subjects, or drop 1 and do AS Further Maths, or drop down to the usual 3. Fun and games!

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 13:34

Neitherherenorthere - I think it depends on what your school say you need to carry on with a subject. State school here, and Inthink they say a D. But it makes sense to carry on with your stronger subjects unless a particular one is needed for degree choose/career. There were several students retaking C1 this morning that are still doing A2 maths this year.

GrassyBottom · 13/05/2015 13:47

hellsbells99 has been sitting on the fence for a few weeks (months?) about which direction
DS exactly the same. I think he was influenced by the general consensus that to go for medicine you must be supremely dedicated to your subject, also the fact that he knows several straight A* students who didn't even get offers.
He is still very much on the fence career wise, he does love Biology though and his Chemistry is strong. When he started looking at Natural Sciences I saw for the first time some enthusiasm about courses. They would allow him to keep the door open to different elements of science for at least another year.
He had a taste of engineering at GCSE and loathed it. Not that it's likely to resemble degree level but he won't consider it.

DS also has second years alongside him re-taking AS modules.

SecretSquirrels · 13/05/2015 13:48

name change failure there folks. I am generally Grassy on gardening and Hayday threads

GentlyBenevolent · 13/05/2015 14:00

Secret DD1 not interested in Durham (and, to be fair, Durham not interested in her either since they don't accept her instrument). Plan B is conservatoires who don't care about UMS. DD1 cares about her grades qua grades and always wants to do her best, but if/when Cambridge goes out of the picture they won't matter so much to anyone other than her.

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 14:05

Secret/Grassy - I am glad she is not the only one! She has looked at Cambridge and you can apply for engineering through the natural sciences route - so no decision needed until the end of the first year. But I have told her to assume she won't get an offer and therefore the other 4 choices are more important. No one from DD's school got an offer for Oxbridge this year.

Original poster

Needmoresleep · 13/05/2015 14:08

Hellsbells, we have consistently questioned medicine, but DD is doggedly determined. I think she will make a good doctor so perhaps she is right. I'm not looking forward to the hoops and hurdles.

Have a look at Smallpeice. Even if courses are fully booked they often have late cancellations. Or look at the sponsoring organisations as they might be the most likely to offer work experience. I have to say Smallpeice courses put both my children off any idea of an engineering career, but that would be more about them than the courses.

As regards FM she should do as much maths she can at school as long as she finds it relatively easy and it does not take away from other subjects. Observation only but those doing the double seem to get better grades in the single. That said if she finds single hard enough she should not do FM. It's quite a step up.

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hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 14:27

I think DD would make a good doctor too. She is fab at maths and finds it easy....and loves it. But her school have not done Further maths this year due to lack of interest. She has self studied some of it but not put herself forward for any of the module exams this year. I think for her to make the decision to drop biology does seem like firmly closing the door on medicine, but to go down the engineering route that would seem like the most logical one to drop and then do AS maths too.
DD has just informed me that the mark scheme for C1 is already on student room for those DCs that may be interested (I thought they weren't supposed to post it for 24 hours?).

MorvahRising · 13/05/2015 14:34

Ising and neither DS wasn't very happy with the C1 Maths either. He did his usual and ran out of time so missed most of one question. He said it wasn't one of the high mark questions, but reckons he got around 75% and he's absolutely miserable because he got 92% and 95% in the last two practice papers and in plenty of time.

C1 was meant to be the easiest one and as he has very little confidence when it comes to maths it was so important that he started well.

Utter bugger.

Original poster

Needmoresleep · 13/05/2015 14:44

Thanks. If DD were not in biology practical I would be texting her. I hope it went OK but if it didn't at least I can tell her she was not the only one.

She has a real horror of taking part in exam post mortems with classmates. She is dyslexic and very prone to making silly errors. Luckily with extra time she has a good chance everyone has dispersed before she comes out.

OP posts:

zazas · 13/05/2015 14:46

I do find it reassuring hearing other parents and their DC going through the same things...DD is the first of our children to sit A levels so we are learning (rapidly) as we go! After a migraine on Sunday which meant all day in bed (her first ever) and then a mixed Economics exam on Monday...C1 maths went well today and in her words "the questions in the history paper were really nice exactly what I wanted!" I feel there will be less anxiety tonight for all within the house. We certainly could do with a little less tension in the air!

GentlyBenevolent · 13/05/2015 14:47

I haven't heard from DD1. This Does Not Bode Well.

ISingSoprano · 13/05/2015 15:07

I am (probably misguidedly) reassured that others found the maths difficult. DD kept saying that it was supposed to be the easier paper. Ho hum.... Keep hanging in there everyone - only a few weeks more.....

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 15:31

On Student room, the consensus is that C1 was difficult. DD says it was fine but she did take her sisters's advice and did some Solomon/gold papers to practise.

MorvahRising · 13/05/2015 15:37

hellsbells thank you for mentioning the Student Room Mark scheme! I looked it up and wasn't sure whether to mention it to DS who has been wandering around with a stomach ache looking miserable.

So I casually mentioned a few questions and he looked at the first question . . . . and the second . . . . and so on . . . and he seems to have done better than he thought! He dropped nine marks on the question he missed out but pretty much everything else looked OK, even stuff he thought he'd got wrong, and that should just about get him an A. Hopefully other DCs who found it tricky might find the same.

The stomach ache has miraculously disappeared and two large slices of chocolate cake have been consumed!

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2015 15:39

SecretSquirrels · 13/05/2015 16:56

DS did AQA maths which is not, I think, an international paper so there would not be a 24 hour embargo. DS and all his friends found it very straightforward so now they are thinking grade boundaries will be high.

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