Year 11 GCSE exam support thread 3 - the exam weeks

[HSMMaCM]

New thread for those of us starting the exams.

Keep calm everyone.

Blimey frazzled, I would be RAGING. Some of these schools need their backsides kicking. I hope the exam board take into account that school mucked up.

DS did AQA Biology and is being very non committal. He's currently revising Chem for Thurs, so I'll try and get some info out of him later.

I'm off to read The Student Room to see what they're all saying!

Frazzled, I'd write an email to the head of year tonight (after calming down) and call the school tomorrow. Completely unnecessary cock up.

DS1 has a 2 1/2 hour CIDA exam tomorrow. No idea if any revision can be done for that apparently footy on TV tonight.
He has to be in for 8am Thursday for flash revision for Chemistry before the exam.

I'm sorry about your dd's experience today frazzled
That sounds pants

But I wouldn't worry that she had a go with some quick "silly answers"
I should think it will still be quite clear that she could have used that extra time (that she should have had)
Still better to have a stab at an answer, however briefly?
There's always the possibility to pick up some marks that way?

One reason I get frustrated when my dd does great answers to the first half of a paper but leaves some questions completely un-attempted. This time management is her main challenge - hopefully she's making some progress on it since mocks. My dd has some mild dyslexia and it now mainly affects her organisation skills (possibly like me - she is like me in some ways!)

This on student room - 'There was a question on the back?????? Oh god no please no not this not now I cant do this there wasn't there can't have been no please no last question why do these exams hate me why me why'

Obviously my dd wasn't the only one & I suppose at least she spotted it last minute. She will never do that again will she? Said the room went all blurry round the edges when she realised!

Frazzled - that is just awful.

DD says there were two graphs and she did the questions on the back but told me to stop asking and let her revise for the ones she hasn't done yet. I'll shut up then.....

FRAZZLED I'd be raging if this happened to DS I know of a boy last year who had something similar and didn't speak up and as you say coz questions were blank they coUld see at least the quality of his answers. I've told DS not to let anyone regardless of who it is take his paper if he hasnt had his time. Your poor DD I'd be on the school to the Head teacher and the chair of the governors as well as Head of Year ripping he'll out of them. That is so bad.

DS says a child came into the Biology exam 8 minutes late and they wrote his adjusted finish time on the board. DS thought this was the finish time for everyone, so didn't finish the paper because he thought he had an extra 8 minutes and consequently wasn't working his quickest.

No doubt they also had the correct time written on the board for the rest of the candidates, but - GRRR! - A lot of this is about exam technique, isn't it? And not getting phased by what's going on around you?

My two said French and Biology were "okay" and then it was fine and easy, but one boy in the exam looked so worried in biology the invigilator asked if he was feeling okay, so may but not everyone found the same. I think mine were doing iGCSEs but French is a Welsh board definitely so may be it's GCSE for that one. Anyway they felt they were both fine but that doesn't mean anything - may be they missed the point in some questions. None tomorrow. Thursday Chemistry - not a favourite.

I am glad one boy in French at the start asked for the clock to be moved to front of class as I (not the boys) was worrying about that as they refuse to wear a watch like any normal person would be doing.

You would think in those circumstances that they would write the adjusted time for the late boy and put it on a sticker on his desk so that only he can see it. I can easily understand how other students would get confused by it.

Frazzled how awful for your DD and you. To cock up once at mocks was bad enough but they don't appear to have learnt from their mistake AND then to blame your DD.

Well yes, that would be a good idea. TBH I'm a bit surprised that the late child got the extra time added on. I would have expected that a late candidate would just miss out and have to finish at the same time as everyone else.

Such a shame that all these small slip ups could make a difference.

dd has looked on student room and for the last two questions (which she wrote at the speed of light) she got pretty much the same answers as everyone else. Hopefully she will pick up some marks at least.

It is a minefield.

Frazzled I would be fuming!

DD still not talking, so I'm reading all the comments about Aqa biology with interest. No idea about French.

She is texting though ... Can she go to year 10 friends house tomorrow, after ICT and before chemistry.

Interesting re Biology. Ds said one of the papers was a bit vague/ weird. He hasnt eaten much he loses his appetite sometimes but seems fairly chirpy.

Frazzled that is dreadful. What can you do?

Thanks everyone! DD said the French listening was impossible and that she had a "moment" but couldn't leave to get calm as it was the listening exam, so not sure what she did, but she did it somehow! Hasn't mentioned Biology, so I'm taking that as a good sign!

Frazzled that is terrible. Totally their fault

We have told DD not to do looking at the Student Room/asking others about answers - not good for an anxious teen and it's way too late when the paper is done!

thats annoying on extra time, my DS gets 25% and scribe etc... and it makes a huge difference

Where is the student room thread please?

Here you go.

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/

thanks

Thanks for all replies re todays ck up. School said they'd write to exam board, explain what's happened and say it's their fault. The exam board might award dd a few extra marks BUT I can't see how they can do this given the way dd did her paper. It's the first time she's been allowed extra time so she completed the paper in a different way to how she usually would, 'knowing' that she had extra time. I think if she'd left the questions unanswered then the exam board would be able to see she didn't have time to answer ... but because she put something down (albeit silly answers that she intended to go back to) I don't see how they can work out how to award extra marks.
I'm just not sure what I can do.

French was - meh we know I'm rubbish at French anyway.

Biology was - ok. I could answer some of the questions.