Continuing Year 13: January 2016

[Needmoresleep]

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

STEP 2 sounds horrible. I'm glad DS didn't take it. His friend found it really hard. I hope it doesn't knock their confidence for the A level papers, Bethan and Snowy. I guess they will seem really easy in comparison, hopefully?

Anybody's DC have any comments on today's Biology and Geography papers? Haven't heard from DD yet, although she will no doubt be pleased that Geography is now over!

I know that most of the marks are method marks in STEP, and in practice Qs DD has felt she was getting nowhere and when she has looked at the answer found she was very much on the right track but had just overlooked something small.So amybe there is still some hope

Yes Leeds DS says Biology was "good".
That is as much as I will ever be told unlike DS1 who would give me a question by question analysis together with his opinion on where the grade boundaries would fall and his likely UMS

Now heard from DD. Her view was that first half of geography paper was OK, but second half was "strange". Was annoyed with biology as the questions didn't seem to be focused on what they had learnt. Apparently, whole class found it like that and not just DD.

Dd did biology and found it to be ok she says.

DS happy with both Geography and Biology today. Biology could have gone a lot worse, he told me! I fear he is buttering me up to prepare me for him missing his prediction of an A. Nearly there, only one more Biology exam next Thursday!

snowy sorry to hear about your MIL. What a worrying time for you.

DS has M2 and D1 this afternoon, back to back which is a bit rough I think. Luckily the M2 is first as that's the most important and the D1 is part of his FM AS. He's knackered already so goodness knows what sort of state he'll be in tonight! He's decided to have the evening off revision which is very sensible I think.

Morvah - DD has the same this afternoon. She is not impressed that the 2nd one won't start until 3pm on a Friday!

3pm start is horrendous, Friday or otherwise! Good Luck to all those doing this.
My DD has English this morning, then 2 more next week.

Hope English goes well for your DD Leeds.
DD has 4 next week and 1 the week after ......and then it's all over!

Ds is done ! English went ok he thinks.

OCR FP3 this afternoon which had a really really hard last question. DD is getting fed up of hard exam after hard exam and is seriously thinking she wants to think going to uni next year .

snowy Hopefully after a long summer break she will have forgotten the pain of exams and be excited at the prospect of going off to uni.
It is hard on them though isn't it. This is their 3rd consecutive year of important exams (4th in some cases if they did early GCSEs).

I don't think my DD thinks any of them have gone particularly well, and is a bit "miffed" as she felt she had done the work.

Didn't have time to check her English today, which is unusual for her!

How did your DD get on, hellsbells? DS said that the M2 was a very hard paper but he did all the questions and is cautiously optimistic. But doesn't think he's got in the 90s which is a shame as his latest practice papers have been really good. He said D1 was OK.

Thank goodness that afternoon's over!

Glad to hear the Biology and Geography papers weren't disastrous. The Maths today sounds to have been a bit mixed, Fingers crossed as well for those who did English today.

The maths exams for the different boards are all over the place. DS doesn't have FP2 until 27th and has C3 and C4 next week.

University was all about the life for me. The studying was secondary. Hence the 2:2! I didn't regret any of it, but I was lucky to get it cheaply, half grant and cheap city to live in. It's all a bit more about getting your money's worth now. It must be daunting to take on a huge debt if you aren't certain. My DS will have to survive on maximum loan as I can't help him much and his dad doesn't seem keen to help either. But he's determined and still enjoying the maths so far.

I expect it's just a wobble, snowy, but it is a decision not to be taken lightly these days.

Or should that be FP3?

DD also had English this morning and is now done! She thinks it went ok.

It feels as if a massive weight has been lifted; 3 consecutive years of important exams is too much I think. I'm glad DS (Y9) won't have AS's in Y12 to contend with. It really does feel like it has been a relentless slog for DD.

DD2 is studying 'history boys' , a quote4 is where the teacher says 'go to Sheffield and be happy!' I am beginning to think that is good advice.I think she is realising that if by some miracle she gets in to Cambridge , that she is setting herself up for another 3 years of worry and stress.

Morvah - DD says her brain is now 'mush'. She said M2 was harder than last year's paper, still doable - she completed it but says she knows she's made some mistakes. D1 was doable but timing a bit of an issue and didn't finish 1 question. Both papers are not as important to her as C3 and C4 will be next week as she really needs over 90 ums in those.
Hope your DD is okay Snowy - mine is slowly losing the will to live....I had to treat her to a takeaway tonight!

DD2 is still only half way through her exams, while lots of her friends have finished already. That's what comes of picking sciences and maths .

DD is also exactly half way through. Six done, six to go. Next week is grim with five exams, three different subjects. Perhaps it is just as well that the weather is so awful.

I like the title of her physics paper on Monday: "the rise and fall of the clockwork universe". Do you automatically fail if you don't understand the title of the exam?

That said the pressure is off to some extent. She is taking five subjects, has finished two and does not need any As, so as long as her chemistry on Wednesday goes OK, she should be fine. Having to get the A, or a specified grade in STEP would have been much more stressful. She is hoping that the wider range of subjects will give her more options should she decide to intercalate. Its also been interesting to see how her enjoyment of maths and physics has grown over the last two years. Subjects are very different at GCSE and so it is difficult to make an informed choice then.