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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:
raspberryrippleicecream · 20/06/2016 17:37

I thought that too, about the 90%, and the reply was something about 90 UMS, not raw score.

Hope it turns out ok for him

AtiaoftheJulii · 20/06/2016 18:43

Yeah, the way raw scores translate into ums varies greatly. I remember for dd1's English Lit last year (and the few years before) you needed about 95% raw to get 90 ums, which just seems like the exam is too easy! Maths is usually roughly 90% raw = 90 ums, although it's definitely possible some years to get 100ums without getting 100% right!

BethanKate · 20/06/2016 19:48

Not going to nag about work tonight, if he wants to chill he can chill.

hellsbells99 · 20/06/2016 19:54

Watching a film here after eating 'brain food' (salmon) and chocolate for afters!

Coconutty · 20/06/2016 19:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MorvahRising · 21/06/2016 08:25

C3 maths today so very important. I hope it goes better than the physics! Having said that, the multiple choice answers were on TSR yesterday. DS had said he was very worried because so many of his answers were Bs and Ds and past papers have been fairly evenly spread between all four letters. However the answers did seem to have a big slant towards Bs and Ds so hopefully he hasn't done too badly on that. I shall tell him later after the maths so as not to distract him!

Good luck everyone who has an exam today and see you back here later - hopefully feeling Smile

hellsbells99 · 21/06/2016 08:55

C3 here today too. Got my fingers crossed for this one - DD and her friend are desperately aiming for 100% on this so they can do worse on C4 which is harder!
Good luck to all DCs with exams today.

Original poster
Needmoresleep · 21/06/2016 09:41

C3 here as well. DD seemed happy enough, and took some pleasure in crossing yesterday's exam off the timetable and calculating how far through she was. I don't know if it is common, but after bouncing around various sets through her school career, and getting good but not outstanding AS results, she has suddenly gained confidence in maths, and physics, and is doing really well. I don't know if that is common and a result of English kids specialising so early. I assume that University maths and physics is different yet again, and 15 year old choices and preferences are often overtaken.

Luckily there are lots of interfaces between medicine and engineering, and she has a gap year to think through it. Part of the problem seems to be that applying for medicine is such a hurdle race with holidays devoted to volunteering, work experience and practice for aptitude tests, that there is little time to reflect.

The first priority is to get through this week. DS' University is within walking distance, and one unexpected advantage is that he is using our house this weekend to host a pre-result BBQ. I don't think we are invited, but it will be nice to meet his friends before sneaking off. The sun is out, Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" is in my head. It feels as if summer is about to start.

OP posts:
Dunlurking · 21/06/2016 10:55

Ds just texted to say C3 was awful. The worst exam he's ever done and he could only do half the questions. Sad anyone else heard yet?

hellsbells99 · 21/06/2016 10:58

Not heard yet. I know last year's paper was difficult compared to previous years.

Dunlurking · 21/06/2016 11:06

Apparently others found it hard but Ds seems to think he struggled more than everyone else. Really hope he can focus on C4 now, with it's reputation of being worse

AtiaoftheJulii · 21/06/2016 11:19

Dd said it was awful, might as well not have sat it. We'll wait impatiently for the student room answers, I guess.

Original poster
Needmoresleep · 21/06/2016 11:34

Oh dear. I hope they are OK.

Which boards? OCR MEI here. DD said one question was very hard, but is hoping marks wil be adjusted. Plus practise C4.

Chemistry tomorrow.

OP posts:
hellsbells99 · 21/06/2016 11:41

Edexcel C3 here. DD says it was a lot more odd than previous papers and a lot more to do in the time. She says that of nearly all papers so far - particularly about the timing. She normally finishes a C3 paper very quickly and checks every answer in detail. Today she finished but knows she couldn't do a couple of bits and didn't not have much time to go through it to correct mistakes. She says no one found it easy.

hellsbells99 · 21/06/2016 11:42

AQA chemistry tomorrow, C4 on Friday and then just 1 physics paper next week to go.......

hellsbells99 · 21/06/2016 11:45

Needmoresleep - your DD could look at Bioengineering if she decides after a gap year not to do medicine .....I fancied doing it myself when I went to some engineering talks at open days with DD!

Dunlurking · 21/06/2016 12:00

Yep Edexcel here too. Been looking through TSR posts. Some guesses at 58 UMS for A boundary. Does that make any sense to anyone? I don't really know what I'm talking about here! Anyway hoping that means ds might get the B he needs if C4 not even worse. We were hoping for an A Sad. Bless him, all this pressure. I got a C but they still let me into medical school Blush

Eastpoint · 21/06/2016 12:08

I don't normally post on here but I have just been told that C3 had 9 questions not 7 & that there wasn't as much time to check it. Apparently I will still have 3 teens living at home next year Sad.

hellsbells99 · 21/06/2016 12:51

Eastpoint - that corresponds with what DD said about timing!
Dunlurking - don't think that is ums but 57/75 raw marks.
Last year was:
A* 65/75
A 59/75
B 53/75
And this year will hopefully be a bit lower although last year's paper was also considered difficult - they do seem to be making each year harder

AtiaoftheJulii · 21/06/2016 12:52

Edexcel here too. Dd has just worked out that if she doesn't go to C4 on Friday she'll still get a B (has great AS ums plus 82 from C3 last year - was retaking in the hope of an increased chance of an A* this year). Seeing as she doesn't need any particular grade, and atm an A is as bad as an E to her, she's quite tempted!

AtiaoftheJulii · 21/06/2016 12:55

She didn't finish today either, which is unusual.

Dunlurking · 21/06/2016 13:12

hellsbells thanks for explaining that about the raw marks. Atia it sounds like your DD isn't in too bad a situation then. Did she do C3 a year early? Eastpoint I hadn't picked up the bit about 9 questions instead of 7. They really tried to trip our youngsters up, didn't they!

I copied down all the likely clearing places/grades last summer so we would have an idea what was likely to be out there. Might be Ancient History/variant of, at Warwick (which Ds not too unhappy about) if it's just one dropped grade and the current course don't take him.

Leeds2 · 21/06/2016 13:13

DD has chemistry tomorrow too.

Northernlurker · 21/06/2016 13:13

O c r core 3 here too. Dd not happy!

SecretMcSquirrels · 21/06/2016 13:18

Hopefully all those yet to do C4 will be able to pull back some marks.
DS did his C3 last week, it was AQA and a stinker apparently with many of them running out of time. DS finished but had no time to check and thinks he may have dropped a lot of marks. Their paper also had an extra question compared to all the past papers some students didn't actually spot it until it was too late to attempt. Fortunately C4 was better than expected so he may still be in with a chance of the 90% average. Fortunately he doesn't need an A* for his offer though.
Three more to go....