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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Continuing Year 13: January 2016

943 replies

Needmoresleep · 06/01/2016 13:25

Only two more terms at school. Let's support each other support our DC in getting through to the end.

OP posts:
Dunlurking · 14/06/2016 10:54

MyVisions we'll be suit buying tomorrow. Thanks for the M&S recommendation.

Ds's 18th today. Nutribullet went down well, along with all his other presents. He's gone into school as all his friends have exams today at various points so he will have mini parties all day with birthday cake be revising in company.

BethanKate · 14/06/2016 13:15

DS doing Chemistry today as well, in fact happening at this very moment.

Hope exams go well for all DC today.

Useful information re NUS card & STEP results.

Glad DS liked nutribullet dunlurking, hope he enjoys his birthday.

SecretMcSquirrels · 14/06/2016 14:09

Yes DS doing Chemistry today too.
Happy Birthday to DS Dunlurking!

hellsbells99 · 14/06/2016 14:34

DD2 is also in chemistry now. Hope they all do well.
I remember from DD1 last year that one paper was more difficult than normal.
Happy Birthday to Dunlurking's DS - not the best way to be spending your 18th!

Dunlurking · 14/06/2016 14:42

Good Luck to all those doing Chemistry, Psychology and STEP papers today.

And thanks for the birthday wishes for ds Smile - I'll pass them on. Cake all round to us supportive mums, I think!

hellsbells99 · 14/06/2016 15:28

Oh dear - feedback on Student Room about the AQA chem4 paper is very negative. I won't see DD until later as she was going to the gym after the exam.
It is thundering very loudly here ....or that could be DD stamping her feet after the exam!

AtiaoftheJulii · 14/06/2016 17:38

Happy birthday Master Dunlurking!

It was dd's birthday yesterday (no exam fortunately) - had a nice evening, with dd1 on Skype for present-opening Smile

Busy exam day today - she had French (demanding, but everyone thought it was hard, so she's pretty happy). Hope everyone else's went ok!

Coconutty · 14/06/2016 17:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 14/06/2016 18:44

DS1 found STEP 1 quite hard, he answered 3 questions fully, but with some errors 2 questions 3/4 complete and about 1/4 of a sixth question. They give marks for the best 6 questions I believe. DS thinks he's done enough for a grade 2 but maybe not enough for grade 1, so will need to get an A* in further maths for Warwick.

He's been given a log in code for the results as SecretMcSquirrels said earlier in the thread, so will find out his STEP result a few hours before anything else in August. He's feeling a bit down, I think, but concentrating on Stats 2 for tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a good French/Chem/Psychology exam.

Northernlurker · 14/06/2016 19:22

Aargh dd was doing chemistry today and said it was 'ok' - which means she felt in control. Usually a good sign but mention of the student room is stressing me now.

I bloody HATE exam time!

hellsbells99 · 14/06/2016 19:25

DD is home. She said it wasn't a good paper (AQA chemistry) compared to previous ones but she did finish it and check it.

hellsbells99 · 14/06/2016 19:27

Ellen - hopefully your DS' step went better than he thought.
Northern - I think I need a gin or glass of wine!

EllenJanethickerknickers · 14/06/2016 20:39

Thank you, hellsbells, gin here, too. Smile I hope Chemistry went better than OK!

DS says no-one is allowed to discuss STEP on the student room until 9.00am tomorrow, due to lots of exam clashes and different time zones! Hmm

hellsbells99 · 14/06/2016 20:48

Ellen - DD needs an A* in 1 subject.....and I don't think it will be chemistry now! Fingers crossed for maths.
My gin is very tasty Wine

snowy508601 · 14/06/2016 20:58

Cambridge also adjusts STEP offers and acceptances according to the amount of STEP support given i.e. students from top private schools are asked to obtain higher STEP grades than those from state schools which provided little to no STEP support

Not true I don't think- not when giving offers anyway.DD has a standard offer for Cambridge maths and she is state school through and through.

She doesn't strictly need STEP 1 but thought it would be a good arm up for STEP 2 & 3. her school don't provide any help
She thought today's step 1 was much more difficult than previous STEP 1 papers.
similar to the poster upthread 3 solid answers , another completed but a bit dodgy , one half done and the last he only did a couple of minutes of.

snowy508601 · 14/06/2016 20:59

Chem 4 - last question was difficult DD thought

snowy508601 · 14/06/2016 21:01

Don't think DD has a step password? Her school entered her so maybe they have it

esornep · 14/06/2016 21:13

Not true I don't think- not when giving offers anyway.DD has a standard offer for Cambridge maths and she is state school through and through.

As somebody who has given offers, I can say that it is true that offers vary. There is no such thing as a completely "standard offer" for Cambridge maths - the STEP grades required do vary, although many candidates are asked to take STEP 2 and 3, and to get 1,1.

BTW there is not a straight state v private difference - only the very top private schools offer significant support for STEP and teach maths at a higher level. It is not unusual for applicants from such schools to be asked for S grades at STEP.

esornep · 14/06/2016 21:16

DS1 found STEP 1 quite hard, he answered 3 questions fully, but with some errors 2 questions 3/4 complete and about 1/4 of a sixth question. They give marks for the best 6 questions I believe. DS thinks he's done enough for a grade 2 but maybe not enough for grade 1.

Grade boundaries are adjusted according to the difficulty of the paper, but typically 4 almost complete answers suffice to get a 1. Three almost complete answers and two decent attempts would also get a 1, but it can be hard for students to judge accurately whether their answers are 3/4 complete.

snowy508601 · 14/06/2016 21:19

Cambridge produce, and we have, a document showing 'standard offer' for each college. The most popular colleges ask for 's' whilst the majority ask for 1,1

snowy508601 · 14/06/2016 21:23

As no mark scheme is published I don't see how anybody can judge how they have done.Just looked at the grade boundaries for 2014 STEP 1 and you only needed 63/120 for an 1. That must have been a tricky paper!
DD has learned today to be very careful in reding through questions as she spotted a much easier one with only a few minutes to go that she wished sjhe had done first!

Coconutty · 14/06/2016 21:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 14/06/2016 21:45

Thanks, esornep. Fingers crossed here. DS has done a lot of STEP 1 past paper questions and a few STEP 2 questions. The last past paper he tried was 2010 which apparently (ie according to the student room!) is a fairly easy paper which gave him some confidence before the exam, but this paper seemed harder. Dissecting it now is a pointless exercise, I suppose. I'm sure his judgement of how he's done isn't particularly accurate. Smile

EllenJanethickerknickers · 14/06/2016 21:49

The 2010 paper needed 84/120 for a grade 1!

snowy508601 · 14/06/2016 22:49

DD hasn't got a password to get the results online, but I am wondering that as her school has paid for her STEP papers maybe they get the results.
She is the only one doing STEP papers this year from her school but there is an external candidate too.