Year 11 GCSE exam support thread 3 - the exam weeks

[HSMMaCM]

New thread for those of us starting the exams.

Keep calm everyone.

DD had OCR biology yesterday - 1 hour paper and said she finished it in 40 minutes. That can't be good can it?

She's incredibly laid back so like others I am worried that she's not worried enough...

Nothing today, chemistry tomorrow and then nothing Friday but she still has to go into school for normal hours. Which means I have to drop her at the bus stop at 0715 and it costs me a fortune in bus fares for her. I'll be glad when June 19th rolls around!

Ruby, will they eat teacakes/hot X buns or scotch pancakes? All popular with my two and can be eaten straight from the pack (and frequently are!!).

Horsemad they will normally eat a varied breakfast but it is the stress of the exams that is making them go hungry in the mornings. I have decided to buy their favourite cereal (chocolate and sugar ones) and breakfast bars for them. I suppose it better for them to eat something then nothing at all.

Think I will also get some Croissants and coffee as Ds2 likes this. We stopped bringing coffee as he would drink so many mugs of black coffee that he could not fall asleep at night, just need to hide it from him so he not drinking loads. I do miss the mugs of coffee he would make though.

Fave choc cereal is a good idea; DH suggested that to me, but as mine don't skip breakfast I'm sticking with our usual stuff. If they were off their food I definitely would though! When we go away on hols I always buy their fave choc cereals as a treat.

I wish my DD had to go to school on exam free days. She's in her room on the laptop, not revising. I will change the wifi password at noon, but that may make her really angry. Don't know what else to do, she's got Chemistry tomorrow.
There are days when I hate this parenting malarky.

dd's packed lunch came back uneaten yesterday, so I dropped by the Co-op and let her pick out favourite pasta pot, strawberries, smoothie and other stuff.

I really hope she eats it today. She did have breakfast though.

dd's had a cereal bar thing for breakfast some days ruby and I was glad she had those tinned lychees yesterday as with a long day of two subjects she didn't end up having any lunch. She often skips breakfast but we've been making a renewed effort to have something for the exam weeks.

ICT went well I think - and is now done!
Chemistry revision for tomorrow and then a long 3 day weekend here - though obviously that will be largely revision focused for next week

dd bless her says she's going to celebrate end of exams with a good sleep!
I did try to say she can have a nice cosy curl up and sleep before that if she wants - and tbf she has gone for a snooze now!

DD hasn't eaten breakfast at home on school days for years But she is devouring her lunches like a horse, even yesterdays when she was very stressed! She asked me to get those special coffee mixes, so is having one of those before she leaves each morning instead of her usual Gold Blend!

The rhubarb cake looks yummy - must find some rhubarb and try it. And the instructions to go for a run and shower!

DD quite down last night. Hated the biology AQA paper yesterday. Biology is her 'best' science too. She sat down with me last night going through the chemistry 'flash cards' she made - and no you can't really 'flash' them as they have bloody essays on each one!! She is worried that she's been working hard but not necessarily smart and wasted her time. God I hope not

My dd felt she'd put a lot of work into some topics that didn't come up in yesterday's AQA Biology Irian It's tough when they're only 16 isn't it? But I think that's the way it goes with exams - they won't ask about everything and might just go for that nasty gap in your knowledge sometimes! dd really cared about the biology too but I guess they still have the Unit 1 paper after half-term - perhaps she can make up a few marks with that one?

AS Core maths done and dusted, he thinks it went ok but realised at the last minute where he went horribly wrong on the last question but thinks he managed to fix it enough so that he didn't lose too many marks. Back to GCSEs with Chemistry tomorrow...

Has anyone counted up how many exams in total their DCs are taking? DS has 28 all in all. That seems a ridiculous amount! I'm sure at O level our papers were longer but done in one sitting other than MFL orals etc

Amazing my DD has 21 papers/exams over this period.

She has already done some elements for drama, music and French so I find it astounding she still has 21!

In the olden days of GCEs (I did O Levels) I'm sure I only had 1 exam for most subjects but they tended to be essays papers and were 3 hours long. I think the whole exam period was only 2 weeks long with a 3 hour exam in the morning then a 3 hour exam in the afternoon. We had no multiple choice papers, no coursework, no controlled assessments. The only extra I had was French Oral assessment.

DS finished his two exams. History was a dream according to him so he is very pleased with that as he wants to do History as an A level. Didn't text me anything about the maths....

Amazing - my DS will also have sat 28 exams in total. It is an awful lot of exams.

Littleham really sorry to hear that I guess unbeaten lunch box fom yesterday contributing to her mood. Not at all pleasant for her having two exams on her birthday either. So hard as a parent, whatever you say will be wrong.

Amazing, was that AS Maths what your DS was expecting? Friend had her DD who is resitting it on the phone after totally sobbing. She has something else this afternoon. Got another friend whose two were sitting it today too.

DD due home soon, hopefully after giving in hoodie form amd buying prom ticket (is that a pig flying past the window?!)

DS has been sent home as nearly fainted in cookery and was very emotional . Luckily it happened afte both his SATs papers he was doing today. Lunch was delayed and think he was starving after the previous two days of hardly eating with his sodding tooth. Lots of rest and no scouts as final two SATs papers tomorrow.

No news about ICT yet.

Monday's rejected breakfast was croissant and fruit. Tuesday's rejected breakfast was peanut butter bagel. Today's rejected breakfast was bacon toastie, but she did take a cereal bar to school.

Last nights tea was rejected, but left on a plate and she reheated it at 10pm.

We don't normally let her be this picky, but we're letting it slide at the moment.

Hope your ds is okay sugar.

HS I am the least picky eater in the world and my mum would never have tolerated wasted food ( we were pretty poor), but during my exams she let me survive on Cherry Coke and toast and tinned pears.

She is bloody ace my mum!

Word - hopefully dd will say that about me one day but not today .

dd woke up pretty groggy and grumpy from her post exam nap and we had a Mum can't say anything right 5 minutes - requested water was in wrong cup that sort of thing!
But she did say "It's hard to start again" meaning with revision for next subject - chemistry today for exam tomorrow as I mentioned
So, I think we understand one another really
Just hope starting now isn't going to mean too late a night for her. At least after tomorrow we have some kind of a break over the weekend

SugarPlumTree Was it Core Maths your friend's DD or the Mechanics paper? I know a friend of mine's DD was re-sitting the mechanics one and it was not great to say the least from what she's said. DS thought the Core exam was ok but he was fairly chilled about it, if it hasn't gone as well as he hopes then I guess he can resit it in Yr12 at the normal time

I'll have to live in hope DD eventually says that about me ! I think the weekend will be very welcome Juggling. We've just been looking at timetable for next week, DD not looking forward to it.

Amazingdisgrace, I thought it was Core but it might have been mechanics. Poor friend has one doing GCSE too who is apparently very tetchy this evening, she mentioned emigrating in last test.

Food is the order of the day here. Wednesday's always tricky as food shop comes tomorrow. The cupboard hinges have been having serious abuse recently.

I feel for your friend! I have one doing A2s with a couple of AS resits and one doing GCSEs. Vodka and tonic anyone?

One of mine very unusually has a bad cold and wanted chicken soup bought today. They don't have to go in on days without an exam which is nice (they are very peaceful and self contained so it's easy when they are home).

Don't know how to do it Amazingdisgrace ! My poor friend hasn't slept properly for about 6 weeks now and is exhausted with it all. Sending lots of your way.