Year 11 GCSE support thread 6 - exams and proms

[HSMMaCM]

Good luck to those still taking exams.

Thank you. were well chuffed, hope everyone else get the grades they were hoping for :-)

Goodness, didn't realise CIE came out early. My DS did three iGCSEs with CIE, but last we heard (before exams) was that he's to collect his results from his school on 20 August. He's really nervous and it would be great to know at least some of his grades now. Any advice? I rather fear that the school will just say to get them all next week as they'll be in the middle of dealing with A level students today. There isn't any way of finding out on-line is there?

Excellent news Motherstongue

I think DD might have done the English Language Cambrudge IGCSE was that the early one on the 5th May? We haven't been told anything about getting it early. Not going to contact school as sounds as though they havea lot going on as Science and Maths AS were awful. Thank goodness DD is hoping to do creative subjects, they do well with them

Littleham and Motherstongue, wonderful news. You're Dc must have worked hard to get those grades! And well done to both of you for supporting them.

A week to go....we may or may not be bathing in the glow of positive outcomes in the Spud household this time next week! At least we will be able to fog it a bit with a beach and some Majorcan sunshine...

Your.....not you're......

One of DD's friends got 3 A* and 1 A in A levels and another got 3 C and 1 E on AS levels. The girl taking AS levels put every waking moment into them for months.

At DD's school 1 out of the whole class got something other than a U for AS Maths Mechanics plus AS Physics and Biology were also dire. New Head coming this year so think it will turn round but definitely off the menu for DS who is into Maths and Science. The Arts did much better so not worried about DD and 6th form, assuming she gets in.

News from Friend's DD re A2 was grim though day ended on positive note with an excellent apprenticeship offer.

Just been watching an interesting item on Breakfast about apprentice places. It is starting to sound like a very good option.

I agree spud - didn't see the item obvs but it could be an excellent opportunity. We need many more of them - we need a skilled workforce. Might be something DS would like to do.

Hi folks!

You guys have been amazing! I've popped in a few times over the last month or so to see what you've been up to ... its great how this thread has kept going!

I don't know about you lot - but I've never been this side of a weekend, wishing I was the other side already!

DH and I keep torturing ourselves suggesting to each other what grades DS1 might have got in each subject ... its beginning to give me weird dreams!

Anyway - great to be back in touch with you all ... big hugs xxx

Thought I'd pop back and re-find you all - with friends A level results reminding me that we've a week to go now! Lots of friends have DC off to Uni now - exciting times for many

Hope you've all been having a good summer and have been able to forget about it all doing nice things

DD has been doing the NCS programme and having an "amazing" time such as last week's adventures in North Wales
Picking her up from the second Uni based week this afternoon - will be nice to have her back home.
DS is off next week for a few days hols with friends.
We've also had a few days away on Norfolk beaches in the sunshine, and a few days with friends on a hostel hol in the Lakes - mostly in the rain for that one!

Anyway sorry to remind you about the week to go but wanted to find you all again for the hand-holding and and

I'm just stepping off the A level results rollercoaster with DS1 and regrouping ready for next week.

I am sure nothing will be as bad as yesterday was!!

Starting the GCSE results countdown now..

Hope things are settling down a bit today Horsemad
How are you both?

Good luck any one with DC getting A level results today I'm sure a couple of people were going through double hell back in May and June.

It was a hideous time wasn't it. Those gcse exams dragged on for ages, I remember how tired and fraught we all were. Whatever the results we can only move forward now.

Dd got great A level results AAA and is obviously off to her first choice. She did work very hard though and, most importantly I think, she chose subjects that she was really interested it.

Whatever happens next Thursday, I think that is what we will enourage ds to do. Pick the right course/college, pick the subject you are strongest in/interested in and work at it. It makes the A level/uni stage that much easier.

Horsemad I hope your ds finds something that he can be passionate about, regardless of where or when he studies it. There are so many options out there it can be difficult to choose but what I like is that so many unis are very flexible with their courses so there is bound to always be something for everyone, as long as they look for it.

When DD and DH called me the other evening they were joking (I think) that various words were taboo at the moment - 'results', obviously, but also any of 'A, B,C,D,E,F G or U' - the latter meaning that 'you' became a forbidden word. Apparently the delight with which DD demolished a large piece of lemon meringue pie at Selworthy has resulted in an alternative to DH having to dye his hair with stripes for A* grades - he's says he's going to make one on the 20th, with a certain number entitling her to pastry, some more for the lemon and more again for the meringue. She said on that scale her expectation is lemon tart.

Oh, well done to your DD, Fairnuff!

Slowly resurfacing Juggling, thanks! We'll get over it, his results weren't a surprise, but his inertia afterwards has driven both DH & I up the wall.
I second what Fairenuff said about choosing subjects you like, although DD insisted he did like his choices!

Sorry things are difficult with your DS, horse (I scanned through the yr13 thread to get the jist). As a chemist myself I'd say it's rather different at uni - harder (both the theory and lots of practicals, at least where I went) but more interesting. And if his bent is towards working in silico, my degrees lead me to a career in developing scientific software ... there are software companies which hire very few comp. sci grads but loads of scientists. Just thought I'd mention this if it would help put a more positive spin on his options (if that seems appropriate).

Oops DS!

Thanks Errol, I was going to pick your brains about Chemistry!
I am hoping he really gets into it again, as he always enjoyed the subject until the teacher left and he didn't gel with the new one.

Where is it he has this offer from? If his problem was more with one teacher than with the subject per se (and he evidently bucked up with a tutor?) then he might find it ok at university. It's a shame when one teacher can have such an effect - my DD went right off biology because of hers, and quite a bit off chemistry because of unavoidable staffing problems (illness), but it's not so critical at gcse as A level.

His offer is from Southampton, which was his firm choice but he applied for Comp Sci. He can definitely do the subject, his old teacher used to rave about him and the tutor was impressed too.

I don't know much about its chemistry dept but it's certainly a good university in general (we've not visited but it could well turn out to be DD's preference for Elec eng and nothing to do with the sailing, oh no absolutely not).

Thanks Errol, bet the sailing will be fab there.