Year 11 GCSE support thread 4 - more exams

[HSMMaCM]

Anyone got English tomorrow ?

Sunny - please don't think this thread is boasting. We've had our problems with our dd and I'm truly sorry you're dd has chosen not to go into school and sit her exam - but, although it must feel like it, it's not the end of the world. It's hard when our children do something so mind-boggling, and the natural instinct is to blame yourself, but 16 is a tricky age, half adult half child.

Many people base success on academics - it's drummed into you at school. I have two nieces who failed spectacularly at school, both were serial truants one so bad she only sat maths and English . One had a part-time job in McDonalds that turned into full time once they left school. She was there for 4 years and became a manager. She's now a trainee accountant - the firm hiring her said they loved people from a fast food environment as they know how to work hard and fast. The other was a shelf stacker in Tesco - she's just been accepted on a course to gain her English and maths along with a Teaching Assistant NVQ, with the long term aim of becoming a primary school teacher.

I have so much respect for them - life's been so hard for them. I always tell them life's a marathon not a sprint and to really not care what others think. Some people take longer to get to a secure place in life. Sometimes when you're in a whirlwind of stress you have to take your self out to the eye of the storm and look for the positives (or the crap that's not as crap as the rest of the crap!).

From what we've heard from the school - if they miss an exam then the exam board takes the grade from the mock exam. What are her plans for next year?

Yes, I agree with Bob. My twins know the priority is that they don't commit suicide in their teens (so many children do). Compared to that exams are neither here nor there. The only exam their graduate post man brother has needed is his driving test and even that is not an essential requirement of the job.

Sunny I'm very sorry, must have been a very bad morning for you. What is her plan for next year and is it one that she's likely to achieve ? Think at times like this feeling you as a parent have a plan helps feel in control - even if plan is to step back and let her learn the hard way. Friend has decided to do this with one of her twins. It doesn't change anything but she feels better for it.

Some wise words from Bob above as well. LotusLight, think I've said before two girls at local Upper committed suicide last year so that has weighed heavily on my mind.

Yes, I've had reports of it being uber hard :(

Apparently the last 5 questions were "bloody hard" and made DS thino wtf! !! Great. He seems happy enough now as everyone said the same. But this is the first he has actually complained about. Oh well off to revise biology now with him.

[tea] for Sunny

I could actually cry for you. I'd actually be more upset about my DS going off on a motorbike without a helmet, than my DD spending a day in the sun with her pony.

All the talk on these threads of revision make me a bit wobbly, as DS has done absolutely none! But he is calm and happy, and TBH there was a time when I didn't think he would ever go to secondary school let, alone complete 5 years and sit GCSE's, and I have to remind myself to keep things in perspective, so I know what you mean about these threads occasionally seeming a bit boasty, but I'm sure the DC who have spend hours revising and get straight A's have their own problems.

DS said maths was "OK" but he couldn't do all of it. Which worries me. (He doesn't seem worried though). What does that mean? How much can you not do, and still get at least a B?

Sense of humour fail..I showed DD the Hitler math video 'hilarous, can I go and revise now'

Lyn My understanding is that on AQA higher maths, you seem to need around 65-70 out of 100 to get and A, and 45 or so to get a B. So you can not be able to do half and still get a B. Though grade borders are set after the marking.

Lynette the tutor DD had fleetingly for Maths was looking at her doing the Higher Paper potentially. Reason being you don't need to get very much to get a C and if you show workings you get marks for them even if you don't get it right. Trying hard to remember what she said it was - either about 27/28% or 34%. But i think it was ariund the former. That is for Edexcel Higher. No idea for a B but thought a starting point of a C might help. Revision pretty much drew to a standstill here after Easter with a few tiny exceptions, it's been replaced by soup making .

" What are her plans for next year? "

thank you everyone I do feel better now. I just have to get home and make sure that DS is OK and pour sugar into his petrol tank. That'll larn him!

DD already has a 'working pupil' work based diploma course lined up (residential hurrah!) at a big equestrian centre in Gloucestershire.....so I think every thing will work out eventually.

Apparently she can sit it again, but as a private candidate....

switchitoff just to reassure you about the revision list for maths - once the non calculator has been sat, maths teachers around the country look at it and see what topics were on it, then try to predict what will come up on the calc paper. So if cumulative frequency was on the non calc paper (as it was for Edexcel) it won't be on the calc paper too, and can be avoided in revision over the weekend. However, solving quadratics wasn't on the non-calc paper so it's very likely to be on the calc paper, and will be on the urgent list of revision topics on your school website.

Thank you TeenAndTween and SugarPlumTree, that's really helpful; I'll try to calm down.

that revision has been replaced by soup making! Here it's guitar playing....

Goodness, that's very helpful noblegiraffe. I will pass those pointers on to DS.

Sunny - Well how exciting for your DD to be going to a residential equestrian centre next year. I can see now why she chose to spend time today with her pony rather than doing Maths!

Sunny, I like your style and am taking notes for when DS is older. That's great DD has got that lined up, she's done well and hooefully will come into her own dou g what she wants to do without having to do the rest (this is my hope for DD).Private resit doesn't help your finances though I do realise this is a ridiculous question as hard to get a 16 year old to do this unless they want to, but seeing as they have a fair bit of time to come, could she car boot some stuff to raise the money ? We paid for one of DD's, was £35 I think.

Sunny, it sounds like your DD has got her next move sorted

Couldn't get much sense out of DD, but DS says he doesn't think the maths went that well EdExcel - is that what your DS did, Aunt P?

DH says, if you can get up to the staples on a higher paper, you should get a C

Sunny - she's obviously got something she enjoys lined up for next year!

Lynette - it's the same with our dd - five years ago we couldn't envisage her being alive to take her GCSEs, she's had depression and severe anxiety. Everything has perspective. Dd has done hardly any work or revision, but we're very pragmatic. She's alive, healthy, calm and happy - passing her GCSEs will be a bonus, if she doesn't pass she can retake.

Sometimes it does hit me and make me intensely sad reading the posts about children who have a strong work ethic and are worried about not getting As, that universities won't take people without a stellar GCSE performance. Maybe it's true for the really competitive medicine courses and when you're applying aged 18. There are other alternatives though. It's always struck me as bizarre that you're considered a mature student at 21, but there's so much time ahead at that age. You can gain experience and really have a clear idea what you like doing and this will mean as much as 10 As.

We're cramming chemistry tonight - we've done loads of past papers this afternoon and know what she needs to learn - mainly cracking and fractional distillation. Fun times ahead!

noblegiraffe, thanks for that very useful information. DD is doing Edexcel higher papers and has never had much confidence with maths, although she's better than she believes she is! If you know of any more "definitely revise for paper 2" topics to go with the quadratic equations, I'd really appreciate some guidance. Just a couple of "YES - I can do this!!!" questions in the exam will make such a difference.

BTM Yep Edexcel maths here. Have had a more in depth conversation with ds over chippy tea! he said up to about question 17/18 was standard b/c grade work then normally ie on past papers your get a few A questions and the last 2 are A but after speaking to the maths head after he'd looked at the paper sir said that from 17/18 was a so as long as they did all the previous well and got all the marks then a B is possible. DS struggles with maths but has worked to be a solid B gra de so hoping the maths teacher is right. Seeing as I've known the maths teacher since infants I am inclined to believe him..

Thank you noble for that information I've passed it to DS who just grunted thst sorn would sort it as he's got revision on Saturday morning. He's given up on biology and is back to his favourite activity of killing klingons.

Sunny, glad you're feeling a bit better now - is your DD ok? She must have been in a real funk to bottle out, poor kid.

DD said the maths ( non igcse Edexcel) was hard, quite lot of her friends couldn't do several questions at all and that's at a GS. She was thrown by one on probability which she said was different to anything she'd come across - she's since realised how to do it and is a bit annoyed with herself. Probability problems are like that , easy if you know how and impossible otherwise.

AuntP, that is really useful info, thanks!

Sorry to hear you have had trouble with your dc today Sunny, I'm glad your dd is sorted for next year.

My ds did the seemingly infamous Edexcel higher GCSE maths - he has been made to feel a lot better about it by reading the twitter.com/hashtag/EdexcelMaths timeline.

Thanks - DD was just telling me that it had become today's meme but I don't twit so didn't know how to find it.

Had a look in dd's room today & found...

• two bowls
• all my missing spoons
• half of my knives and forks
• a festering thermos flask (tipped over on carpet)
• 3 cups
• assorted soft drinks bottles
• a glass (!) luckily with water in it.
• bin bag full of rubbish
• all her clothes that 'I had lost'.

I am holding off on the lecture until the end of next week (but only just)

Music and Biology exams tomorrow.

Some predictions for Edexcel higher calc paper here: twitter.com/horizoncc_maths/status/606463751647166466

I've not actually seen the non calc paper yet (just the tweets about Hannah's sweets!) so I can't comment on how reliable it looks.