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Secondary education

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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:
Dunlurking · 22/05/2015 12:19

Glad to hear the biology chemistry and french have been OK generally. I hope you all have a good half term week. Feel like I've earned mine anyway.

Ds having second thoughts about History for uni . I've posted a question about Liberal Arts Degrees in Higher Education, if anyone has an opinion or thoughts they can share there? Thanks. He's spent the last 10 years doing Dance and Musical Theatre as his extracurricular thing so the personal statement for history was always going to be difficult impossible

zazas · 22/05/2015 13:48

Chemistry good here too - or in DD words - "what she expected, they just asked the questions in a different way from previous papers", which one would assume wouldn't you Wink !!! She is off out with friend's to celebrate a birthday - although the actual birthday is at the end of next week - which they have decided is too close to the next round of exams to celebrate then - sensible kids! I think we will all enjoy the lack of tension in the house this evening!

LIZS · 22/05/2015 16:24

Sorry been offline - cheers btAngry- so have some catching up to do. Ds only has politics to go after half term. Fingers crossed that was his last ever Latin exam!

ISingSoprano · 22/05/2015 18:07

And breathe ........ half term is here! Dd and I have had a lovely day out together. A bit of shopping, lunch and Pitch Perfect 2 at the cinema this afernoon. As you say zazas the lack of tension this evening is a relief! Back to the revision at the weekend but for now .... calmness and tranquility Wink

SecretSquirrels · 22/05/2015 18:14

A bit tense here. DS was short of time in Chemistry. The questions seemed to require longer answers, time is never an issue for him so I he was a bit flummoxed. Thinks it was really tough and he has not done very well.
I have tried reassuring him that everyone has a bad day and all his other exams have gone well. He is a bit down.

Dunlurking · 22/05/2015 18:31

Sorry to hear that Squirrels. Sad for him when everyone else is on a high with the arrival of 1/2 term.

AtiaoftheJulii · 22/05/2015 22:31

Oh, that's tough Squirrels It's hard when they have very high standards and expectations of themselves. Is there another Chemistry after half term?

ancientbuchanan · 22/05/2015 22:39

DS was telling me his friends detested both the chemistry and the biology, if that helps, Secret.

hellsbells99 · 23/05/2015 05:14

DD2 was disappointed with the chemistry exam. She knows she got the first question totally wrong which was a 6 marker. At least the 2nd paper after half-term is worth more marks.

Dunlurking · 23/05/2015 09:19

hellsbells99 I hope your dd picks up more marks in the second paper for chemistry then. We are hoping the second physics paper will do that for ds but not much chance when he has told his saturday job employer he can work all half term

hellsbells99 · 23/05/2015 10:14

Dunlarking - thanks. Her two worst papers so far are the chemistry and physics unit 1. But she is a perfectionist and thinks she has done terribly if she can't answer 1 question. We looked at last year's boundaries and for chemistry it was 56 out of 70 for an A on that paper so not high. If she can pick up on the unit 2 papers she should be okay - but I think her wish for a high UMS is out of the window. I hope your DS' physics goes well - DD thinks that unit 2 is the easier paper she hopes. But he could with revising and not working Wink. DD has only 3 hours of work scheduled so she is okay - but is still asleep now after going out last night.

Dunlurking · 23/05/2015 13:33

Thanks hellsbells99 Hope you are right about Physics paper 2. Ds now tells me he is only working half days at his job this week. I predict the other half of the day will not be spent on revision...

MayPolist · 24/05/2015 21:37

Which board secretsquirrel ? If your DS struggled, everybody would and lower grade boundaries, raw score for high UMS if that's what he is aiming for.The clever ones who think they have done badly usually haven't :-)

skinnamarink · 25/05/2015 17:03

In my experience there's no substitute for past papers. It's amazing that they're all online now, I remember having to go in to Waterstones to buy books of them!

I still haven't figured out the A Level system (so many exams, so many exam boards!) as I did my secondary education in Scotland/abroad, but this seems like a good service for kids needing a bit of a boost or reassurance without the time commitment of tutoring.

www.mathscrashcourse.com

They mark past papers and then go over them with the students either privately or in groups. Sometimes kids just need to hear that they're doing ok. :)

AtiaoftheJulii · 25/05/2015 17:26

Lol, very subtle Grin

Original poster
Needmoresleep · 28/05/2015 11:24

Four to go. 2xmaths, chemistry and physics. My daughter has done a few past papers and an awful lot of sleeping. I am assuming the latter is more important than a weeks cramming. But extraordinary how she can be so tired.

OP posts:
MorvahRising · 29/05/2015 00:03

I'm sure sleep is more important.

DS has computer science x 2, physics x 1 and maths x 5 still to go. He has been doing one or two practice papers most days and extraordinarily has got the same mark for the maths mechanics ones three times in a row! Am not sure whether to be pleased because it's a relatively respectable mark or worried that clearly no progress is being made!

hellsbells99 · 29/05/2015 05:33

DD2 has 4 left - maths, physics, chemistry and biology. She is more concerned about passing her driving theory test today though Grin.
DD1 in year 13 is resitting the AS chemistry 2 paper and still has 7 A2 exams to go as well. I am not looking forward to results day Confused

Leeds2 · 29/05/2015 11:16

Hope the theory test went well, Hells.

Narvinectralonum · 29/05/2015 11:29

DD1 just has one AS paper left - Music - and then 2 A2 General Studies papers (which she is adamant you can't revise for).

AtiaoftheJulii · 29/05/2015 11:53

Just two maths here. She's done nothing all week, which is fine, she needed the downtime, and they're not until the 9th and 12th. After last week's horrible history paper, she has wiped all thoughts of Cambridge from her mind (until results day!) and is now convinced she's going to Newcastle because she loves the look of the course.

She's back at school on the 8th rolls eyes although those of them that have exams that week have been told it's up to them whether they go in or not. She thinks she probably will, otherwise she'll just have stuff to catch up on, and she already has a week off for UNIQ plus open days. When is everyone else back?

MorvahRising · 29/05/2015 14:54

DS is in every day next week for exams but isn't officially back til the following week. He can't wait to get back and see his mates; revising at home lost its charm (not that it ever had any really) ages ago.

Atia DS is feeling the same about Oxbridge, that his first maths paper has blown it and that he might as well forget the whole thing. I wonder how many other DC are feeling the same - loads probably. Some of them have to get in though! In the meantime we're off to Exeter, Bath and Bristol in June, all of which look great and at any of which I'd be delighted to spend long weekends visiting him!

hellsbells99 · 29/05/2015 19:02

DD2 passed her theory test Grin.
She has 4 exams next week and then is back on Monday 8th. She is going to be missing several days of school though - uni open days, 1 day for D of E, and a Headstart course.

Marni23 · 30/05/2015 16:19

Well done to DD2 hellsbells!

DD's had a great half-term (we've been away) and is on a post-exam go-slow! Think she's intending starting some extra reading next week but we'll see. She's not back at school till 10th.

She's refusing to speculate on how she's done because she says you just can't tell for sure in her subjects. She's in Cambridge twice next month, once for the essay prize thing and once for a masterclass. She's still really keen to apply but says she won't know if it's worth it till results day. Which seems bloody ages away...

hellsbells99 · 30/05/2015 18:17

Thanks Marni. DD2 is also doing a Masterclass. I need to look into booking a hotel the night before as its a bit of a trek for us - and then I can spend the day looking round Cambridge as I have never been.

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