Year 11 GCSE exam support thread 3 - the exam weeks

[HSMMaCM]

New thread for those of us starting the exams.

Keep calm everyone.

Yes, dd a bit stressed about this one (Eng Lit with TKAM and AF) - but OK - got some sleep - seems calmish but saying will be glad when it's over - and looks knackered. I suggested can sleep afterwards but she mentioned tomorrow's geography
The boy I do some tutoring for (English iGCSE Edexcel) has his as well so thinking of him too.
We have the same plan for Thursday/Friday Errol as thankfully nothing on Thursday

Eng Lit and RE today for DD. Just hope DD does as well as she should.

English Lit higher paper 1this morning
drama -Tuesday am
geography -Tuesday PM
physics -Wednesday PM
English Lit higher paper 2 -Friday am

Ds has been up since 6 re reading his notes and some stuff teacher had put on the VLE, he says he's sorted. I know he's good at English so am trying not to worry, geography is the one all the parents are worried about given the poor quality of teaching.

Good luck everyone, special good luck to Woolley and her DD

DD was a bit stressed last night (mainly worrying about Physics on Wed), saying she wasn't going to go in today - DH and I had to get her out of her room... We managed to get her thinking more positively and she is getting ready for Eng Lit breakfast revision now.

Good Luck to all for Eng Lit!

DD has left for school didn't speak or eat this morning.

Thanks all. She's just left for a breakfast revision session with the girl who has been her best pal since they were 4 muttering about rain and pathetic fallacies . I'm going to take her little brother to school and then go over to DD's school to meet with the exams officer to hand over the letter from the hospital.

I had a bit of a breakdown in bed last night when I just kept remembering her face scrunched up in pain when they were doing the anaesthetic for the LP. Understandable, but a bit mad as she is nearly a head taller than me and wears bigger shoes and a bigger bra than me

Good luck to everyone's DC. Here's hoping for a fair paper.

So another week is upon us. Ds has English Lit this morning and seems quite calm. Good luck to all of your dcs this week xx

She is brave Woolley!

Eng lit (TKAMB and Inspector calls) then RE paper 2 this afternoon. Dd not looking forward to writing all day.

Geog tomorrow, physics Weds, Latin Thur and Lit paper 2 Friday - then half term!!!!

I feel so sorry for them. Especially Wooley's dd - how amazing she is to do the exams. You must be really proud of her. Does she have a day off on Tuesday?

DD3 went in today with a face that matched the weather. Her only communication was 'English, unseen poetry, yay' . At least we didn't have a meltdown and the good news is that the road works have gone.

She is going to a café with friends after the exam so that should cheer her up.

Your DD sounds very resilient, Woolly. Resilience is such a fantastic personality trait to have and really bodes well for her for the future.

I wish DS were stronger emotionally and more resilient, but he's just not. He had a meltdown mid-week culminating in him throwing furniture around, breaking something of high value. He's spent all weekend fretting about the English Lit, but not actually doing any revision . The school he goes to practically never gets any grades lower than a B, so he feels the pressure is really on.

Right now I'm just glad I got him to school this morning and can only hope that he writes something and doesn't give up. They have two back-to-back Eng Lit papers (igcse), so keeping going even though the DCs are tired will be difficult for all of them. I told him to just write down whatever pops into his head, on the basis that they don't deduct marks for incorrect answers. Probably not the best exam strategy in the world, but needs must...

We had that a couple of weeks ago Woolley - a rainy day and dd explaining to younger ds all about pathetic fallacy It did make me laugh (quietly to myself!)
Glad to have dropped dd off for this one - we're both hoping for nice questions and that timing works out OK - at least she does seem to have taken that aspect on board since mocks so I think credit to her for that as exam strategy/ time management not easy at 16 is it?

We have the same hopes here, Juggling. The timing is the hardest thing, especially as they have the texts. It's easy to spend ages looking for a quote to back up your point and then run out of time to make any other points!

Yesterday we practised writing quick essay plans for past papers to ensure DD makes all the points she has rather than start before she knows what the conclusion will be.

After this one we will be 8 down, 16 to go :(

Woolly you must be so proud of your DD - I hope it all goes well for her today.

DD was the most nervous she has been, I think because English Lit is her "thing".

Just going to pick up in a minute Tranquility - so hoping things will have gone well enough that she'll be relieved it's over!

Feel like such a terrible mum. Ds had his English Lit today so yesterday evening he told me he will be going to the 7.00 revision class, he said don't wake up I will make my own breakfast and go.
Well I never thought to even check when I woke up at 7.15 if he had left. He woke up at 8,20 thanks to his younger brother banging around his room.

He just had enough time to wash his face and run out the door. I feel so terrible English is not his strongest subject and to sit the exam like this will not be good.

Aww Woolley - its hard being a mum, even when they are this age and bigger than us they are still our babies.

Feeling sorry for my DD today she has struggled with Eng Lit. Its definately not a strength or favourite. She was quite nervous I think and didnt have her usual bounce in her voice when I spoke to her. I hope it goes well enough to not knock her confidence.

Good luck to everyone sitting exams today.

Aww ruby, he still got there on time for the exam I guess. That's the main thing?

Oh ruby, it is so easily done. Maybe that extra sleep will have helped more than extra revision.

My 2 seemed to think English lit was fine. Constant barrage of questions about politics though on the car home from what are my views on drones to the NHS and the rest.

Yeah dd was happy with inspector calls question - unfortunately spent too much time on this one and not enough on TKAMB!

Good news from my DS too: straightforward questions on inequality in AIC (lots of scope to respond to that) and how Steinbeck presents the death of Curley's wife in OMAM ... gone over all of that pretty thoroughly during yr 11 so he's feeling really pleased and FINALLY WE CAN CLOSE THE BOX on some study material!! Bye Bye Steinbeck/Priestly ...

Geog tomorrow afternoon (rivers/restless earth/coastal zone/water on the land)

Thank you Juggling and OldBoots your words have helped. From now on I will make sure I wake him up myself even though he has never ever woken late for school before.

My DD did the other Inspector question (Birling?) and was pleased with the question about Curley's wife for Of Mice and Men, so seems to be OK. We've got a break now until Physics on Wednesday. Well, I say that, but DD1 has Philosophy AS tomorrow, so it's not much of a break!

Switchitoff, so agree about resilience being a great quality. DD is also very anxious and her grades may well suffer because of this.

Woolly your DD us a star!

Got a text from my DS, he did the foundation paper so had different questions. Apparently AIC was to discuss 2 characters that are selfish and OMAM was about Crooks and racism. He's dreading the poems on Friday.

Next up for us is P2 and P3 on Wednesday