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Original poster

GCSE Results thread and starting 6th form

1000 replies

WitchofScots · 16/08/2015 11:04

Follow on thread from the GCSE exams and proms thread. For hand holding and recommendations of wine/chocolate/biscuits to get through the post results stuff.

OP posts:
JugglingFromHereToThere · 17/09/2015 12:31

Thanks Tilly, am very proud of both dd and my friend's boy Smile

HSMMaCM · 17/09/2015 14:03

Excellent news Idefix and Juggling. I gave DD a cash bonus (sorry I know they're frowned upon), for a subject she got a C in, because I knew it was damned hard work for her to get that grade.

dingit · 17/09/2015 15:27

Can you ladies help me quickly. Had a letter from school about Cambridge interview coaching £100. Dd wants to do engineering, she needs AAA, and shes not doing further maths. For GCSE she got 4 A 6A, 1 B ( A in Physics). Are we being ridiculous, or worth a punt?

bigTillyMint · 17/09/2015 15:33

Just seen you too Herbs!

Table booked for 6.30 for tapas
Cremo
BTM
Herbs
MI
BD
Molly
Wilbur
MrsSchadenfreude
Addle
BeachysFlipFlops
CV
GGG
Rudy
Rose
Stropps
Auriga

Drinks from 4pm at The Refinery
BTM
Cremo
Stropps
Molly
BD
Rudy
CV
Lalsy
MrsS?
Beachy
WAF

bigTillyMint · 17/09/2015 15:34

Oops! Wrong thread - sorryBlushBlushBlush

Horsemad · 17/09/2015 15:40
Grin
HSMMaCM · 17/09/2015 15:50

Dingit - I have no idea, but tend to believe everything's worth a punt.

Btm - sounds good, we're all on our way Grin

TeenAndTween · 17/09/2015 15:55

dingit I say worth a punt.

But then my knowledge is 30 years out of date so what do I know?

(For maths I had to explain why the rule for divisibility by 9 and 11 work, and also why, if you balance a long ruler by a finger at each end and move fingers inwards they move alternately).

My guess is they will be looking for academic ability, enthusiasm / real interest, and ability to think outside the box.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/09/2015 15:57

dingit - I've found this which looks like it should contain the info you need.
What A/AS levels is your DD doing, and which modules in the maths? She might need to find some way to do more maths in addition to the single A2 to top up core and mechanics.

The other big question re oxbridge and engineering is whether your DD actually wants to do a general engineering degree. I'm fairly sure that mine has decided she definitely wants to do Elec/electronic not general, which simplifies matters!

dingit · 17/09/2015 15:58

Btm Grin

Dd has come in in tears. For the fírst time in her school career she has detention. This is because on her second day ( brand new to the school), she went to a special 'quiz' that was arranged with year 13 and was supposed to sign in but didn't realise, along with 30 others. A few of them have been put in lunchtime detention by the office staff, unless they can prove they were there. My instinct is to phone her form tutor right now, but she really needs to sort it herself. She also spent lunchtime queuing for a maths textbook, only to be told they had run out! Bad day I think!

dingit · 17/09/2015 16:00

Errol, thanks so much, maths, physics, chemistry and PE! She's also got a B in additional maths. She wants to do aeronautical engineering.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/09/2015 16:16

dingit - I don't know anything about aero eng, but a degree in that in a uni with strong industry links/ sandwich year etc might be more appropriate than general engineering. TBH I'm a bit Hmm at a school which wants to charge you £100 for Cambridge interview coaching but which may not have given your DD best advice on A level choices for engineering in the first place.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/09/2015 16:18

Having said that, it may still be £100 very well spent if she learns how to aquit herself well in a challenging interview. (I applied to do nat. sci decades ago, with excellent o-levels and predicted a levels but flunked because I was absolutely clueless how to deal with the situation - and was pretty crap when it came to job interviews too).

dingit · 17/09/2015 16:36

Errol her problem was she couldn't do further maths without an A* in maths at her new sixth form, (she took maths in year 9 ( I know!) and got an A)

ErrolTheDragon · 17/09/2015 16:57

Oh, how bloody ridiculous - to apply that criterion to someone who'd done the gcse two years early and still got an A. I just told DD about this, she thought that was outrageous - her school (a very good GS) allows them to start FM if they've got an A, because they recognise that things can go wrong in exams (and doing it 2 years early sounds extenuating to me).

bigTillyMint · 17/09/2015 17:03

I'm afraid I know nothing about Oxbridge or Aero Eng.

Just had an email and text from the Sixthform - DD was late this morning (was woken at the usual time but didn't get up/ready as she was tired) Not sure if she got a detention as well as she is fast asleep on her bed so no doubt will fail to get up at the right time tomorrowSad

dingit · 17/09/2015 17:18

Btm, i have a feeling this is going to be a long half term.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/09/2015 17:27

We're lucky that DD's routine is unchanged - she's been used to early starts since yr 7. The drill is that I wake up 6:25, put the kettle on and get the dog; at 6:40 I transfer the dog to her and make coffee for her and DH (unless he wants a lie-in). The coffee takes a few minutes, and she has me put it on her desk rather than her bedside table so that she has to get out for it - her idea, quite sensible I thought and not failed yet. It's good coffee, worth getting out of bed for! Grin

SoupDragon · 17/09/2015 17:37

According to the meeting I went to at DSs school this week, analysis of successful Oxbridge candidates shows they have on average 7-8 A*s at GCSE.

I think it's analysis of their own pupils (independent school) over a few years.

WitchOfAlba · 17/09/2015 17:45

2 weeks in here as well, DD is sinking under the work load of essays and note taking and is finding it hard going.
We get to go to a 'meet the teacher' session on Monday.

HSMMaCM · 17/09/2015 17:58

Soup - would this help your argument State students outperform private in degree grades
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34268021 Might give some sway on grades ?

HSMMaCM · 17/09/2015 18:03

I know that's not specifically about grades as such, but does show that having top grades is not always an indicator of success.

dingit · 17/09/2015 18:09

Thanks for you input. I have a feeling it's a bit out of her league. Next down on the list is Imperial, though I fear she's keen on that so she can commute.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/09/2015 18:49

I've heard that at least some of the Imperial eng courses are very maths-orientated too (DH had a chemical engineer from there who was a shit-hot applied mathematician but appeared to not really have done much actual chemical engineering) - I just looked, they don't require FM but it's 'strongly encouraged'. so again, she might find it helpful if she can find a way to do extra pure/mechanics. (depending on what modules she's doing anyway).

One of our DD's uni criteria at the moment is that it shouldn't be commutable! Grin

TeenAndTween · 17/09/2015 19:26

dingit

Remember 'on average 7-8A*' will mean some will have more and some fewer.

If she gets good AS grades, and impresses on interview then that will help.

Also it can help to apply to slightly less popular colleges, (though they will take from the 'pool' rather than accept substandard direct applicants.)

Why not get her to ring up some admissions tutors and ask if she is wasting her time? The fact she was from a special measures school may well be taken into account. it's only 1 choice out of 5 after all, no harm in having a punt along the backs

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