Year 11 GCSE support thread 5 - finishing off the exams

[HSMMaCM]

Only another week to go for DD, but I know some of you have two weeks.

Linerunner, I've pmd you.

Thank you dingit and thanks to all. It is just a grim final hurdle. Good to know it's not just us, though, in a crap way.

I am stunned at the schools that put kids in for FMaths and then don't teach them for it properly. It's just not fair on the students. Especial good luck wishes for them.

The Further Maths stuff sounds stressful, I wonder why so many schools seem t do this?

Our school has changed the system for the first time this year for dd3, so Advanced Maths is now taught after school as a voluntary club. Much better than trying to squeeze it into a crammed timetable. Wish they had done it for the older ones.

DDs school only sets for maths (it's a GS) and has a set 1, 2x set 2 and a 3 and 4. Set 1 covered FM in class time, and then any of the others predicted A/A* could do it as an after school extra, once a week. This is what DD does, which is good as because it's extra curricular she can use it as DofE skill. But here's the thing - they only do the exam if they want to. I'm not sure whether they can drop out at the 11th hour but this approach seems like the right way to do it - encourage them to learn but not focus on the exam. It's a shame not all schools do likewise but it's probably common enough for kids to be entered but not really taught that unis are used to seeing anomalies in the grades.

She says the grade boundaries are much lower than for other subjects (as indicated up thread) so it may not be too bad if they can do some of it well.

One of my sons has a friend doing statistics. My son said he, my son, was so lucky he chose not to move from 2nd to 1st maths set as it means he did not have to do statistics and had finished exams last week. What a short sighted attitude.

Errol, thanks for the reassurance that universities should be used to seeing anomalies in the grades.

Littleham, he wants to do Maths at A Level and had maybe something biomedical at university.

The latest blip is that the school has set up a final revision session for their last history paper - at the same time as the Further Maths exam!

bigTillymint yes its my DD I'm on both the Yr11 and Yr13 threads and easily confused

At DS's school (GS) the top maths set took GCSE maths last year and if they got A* were taught further maths and part of AS Maths this year. A grade or below had to resit GCSE. Pretty harsh if you got a high A

Linerunner You can only get a C or higher for Further Maths, and to get a C you only need about 20%, which should be ok for someone getting an A/A* at GCSE. Tomorrow he will need to get about 12-14 marks out of 70.

If he hasn't found Mr Barton, he should look at this page: www.mrbartonmaths.com/gcsefm.htm past papers with video solutions, video tutorials and a revision guide. The easiest topic to knock off quickly would be differentiating a polynomial and using the gradient to find the equation of a tangent/normal at a point, it's a pretty mechanical procedure that always comes up.

noble thank you, that is incredibly helpful.

Well this weekend has been very quiet on the revision-front for DD - she has just gone out to meet up with friends, but she says she will "bang it out" tonight and tomorrow in the revision session at school! So glad it is nearly over.

DD did a young drivers lesson today as a reward for her hard work.

DS is toiling away revising for History (Surgery) on Tuesday. I can see light at the end of the tunnel!

He is now having second thoughts about whether to do History at A level. Problem is, he doesn't really know what he wants to do apart from he doesn't want to be in an office all day.

Horse he sounds like DS1. Long lists of what he doesn't want to do, but no shortlist at all of what he does. He did work experience in an office all day.

Helping dd revise biology here. Some of it's coming back to me.
She's quietly confident for tomorrow.
History another story. Apparently they were given the wrong revision guide, so have missed Germany 1947-1991! Will try and help, but history not really my subject.
To the posters with dc not sure what they want to do, I'm sure they are not alone, I certainly didn't know what I wanted to do at 16. I've told dd if she does a broad range of subjects, it should keep her options open. I'm also hoping her next school will give her some good guidance.
Argh, I sound like I'm not worried, but I certainly am!

same here horse. absolutely no idea of what he wants to do, A levels or beyond. i ask him what he enjoys -'dunno'. going round in circles with it and i know its a crap time to try to fathom out what you want to do but i wish he'd at least recall something he remotely enjoys doing!

I am so comforted to read Ds1 is not the only directionless 6th former to be. I am hoping in the next 2 years something will click. I don't even know if he wants to go to University.

Yep I feel a bit sorry for them trying to work out what to do. DS had mentioned PE teacher, but I think he's feeling that he's fluffed the PE exam so it has unsettled him.

same here sparkling. he seemed quite upbeat about college a while back and chose his 3 A level subjects happily but in recent weeks, he has decided that he's not taking either of the three he originally chose and doesn't know which ones to do instead.

i try not to worry but i can't help it as so many school leavers seem to have a direction of some sorts but he has no idea.

Yes, you can't help but worry. He has two 6th Form induction days the week after next. not knowing whether he has the grades to do his choices.

DD isn't sure either. It's normal!

DH never knew what he wanted to do, changed direction at uni, came to the UK and ended up in a job he had never dreamed of doing, but is pretty good at and enjoys. Most of the time.
I always knew what I wanted to do and don't regret a moment of it, thankfully!

Same here sparkling. Dd has two induction days, as she doesn't know if she will get the grades for her first choice ( all As)
I wish we could time warp to 20th August.

Me too dingit it's over 2 months away. Ugh. He has to wear a suit for the induction days too.