Year 12 preparing for AS levels

[HSMMaCM]

Here we are everyone.

DD went from very academic choices to as few exams as possible while choosing her options.

HSM, DD is of her bf who is doing his actual A'levels and is doing BTEC sport for one of them - so only 2 subjects with exams to revise for! I will be bearing all this in mind for DS next year

Are these As exams you're all talking about?Dd1 only has one subject with an AS level this year.I have no idea how many exams she has for this : neglectful mother alert.

Am currently trying to cope with a highly manipulative,challenging ,very clever year 7 dd2.I've taken her phone off her but she still isn't cooperating .She will argue relentlessly over everything and is very wearing.I'm glad dd1 is relatively easy ,( touch wood).

AS exams quite nicely spaced out here for DD too, I think only a couple a week, although possibly sometimes three including General Studies.
I'm hoping that will help a lot when we get to them, giving her some revision time between exams. She's been quite panicky at times recently, much more so than last year, which she seemed to take a lot more in her stride.
I'm not sure what's changed for this year - I guess she is just finding the courses more challenging.
On the calendar I'd say it doesn't look too bad this year. She's got Art first starting April 29th So we're a bit Art focused ATM
Yesterday she was talking about the possibility of re-doing the year which seems slightly drastic for her. I kind of said to just do her best, though I know it can be reassuring and sensible to know what your options are (hopefully I said that too)

Juggling- sorry to hear about the stress levels. I'm trying to pretend I'm laid back mum and that exams are nothing to worry about, can be retaken next year etc etc.

It sounds very difficult having to study for so many exams.The A Level syllabus is so much more intense than the GCSE.Its like doing GCSE's for you all - all over again .I didn't appreciate so many subjects still have AS levels.Juggling and Hsmm you both sound very calm and reassuring.I guess that's the best thing you can do to help.

Juggling, it is a stressful time - DD is also panicking a bit. She definitely doesn't want to have to redo the year!

All ASs for DD - her sixthform decided to stick with ASs for all subjects this year. Other schools seem to be doing a mixture.

Hi teta, thanks for your kind words. I wish my DD only had an AS in one subject this summer! It's a strange transition year isn't it, with different subjects and different schools doing different things? I think DD is doing an AS in her 4 subjects, but with only two of them contributing towards next years A2 outcome, the other two she'd get something of a fresh start next year which might not be such a bad thing. And then she'll be dropping one of them anyway - Maths is looking the prime contender there. Biology and Art have something of a fresh start next year. So in some ways Geography is the most important this year as those marks will go forward with her for A2. But that sort of thinking not always helpful as the AS grades important too, especially for Uni offers.
Some might say I'm over-thinking it, but am just trying to get my head round a rather confusing situation

It is really confusing isn't it?I'm not sure Universities have got their head round it yet either.All As levels are being phased out over the next two years.Is that right?Or will there still be As levels arround for the Schools who want them.How do the universities not discriminate between as levels or Teachers reports.And some schools are only doing 3 A levels versus 4.It's going to be a real nightmare isn't it?Will more interviewing be taking place this year?

Dd's school have told everyone to do 3 A levels - even for the very competitive courses .And certainly the admissions people I spoke to earlier on knew this was the case.But I believe other Gdst schools are still doing 4.What happens if we've been wrongly advised?

I agree, it's really confusing! DD's AS's don't count towards the A'level at all, but whichever one she drops will be an AS IYSWIM!

Teta, I know AS's are being phased out, but maybe they will be optional for schools to decide if they want to use them?
One of the local comps round here is doing 3 straight A'levels, but others (including DD's and also DS's) are doing 4 and drop one after AS this year. Don't know what they will do next year

DD has two AS levels this year. One counts towards her A2 and the other doesn't.

Having a really hard time with Dd at the moment. Just need to write that here and vent

Oh no dingit - anything in particular that she's doing?

Ding it - hope you have some support?

3 out of DS's subjects go forward into next year. Not sure which he'll drop yet, he seems to do OK in all of them.

Hope things are OK dingit?

Oh thanks for asking. She's struggling with PE. She has an ongoing problem with her hips which has flared up really badly since the start of the school year. She has been to the dr, referred for physio. School were informed, and asked that we send in a copy of her medical notes, they will then submit to exam board. So today Pe teacher forced Dd to play rounders, and complained she wasn't trying etc, they are being moderated next week, something they told Dd she would not have to do. Dd has come home in tears. I've sent email to hoy, and head of Pe, basically saying she should drop the subject.
Sorry if this is rambling a bit. Dd is constantly in pain, doesn't sleep well, and has had to ditch her Saturday job.
The problem seems to be that school don't believe her. She was new in year 12. She did well at her other school, getting A* for Pe, which is why she picked it.
It would be better all round if she just concentrates on her 3 A2 subjects.

Oh no Dingit :(

4 AS levels here. They've just had the mocks and DD did rather well so she's happy.
She's getting stressed though, she's awful for winding herself up but hey ho, nothing that we can do except trying to build in relaxation time.

School don't sound very sympathetic dingit. on your DD's behalf. Have they seen her medical notes?

Dingit I've been there with ignored medical evidence. It is not what you need on top of worrying about your DD.

Titanium I know what you mean about the stress and trying to get them to relax but not give up.

Oh FFS, dingit Poor DD.

I think it is a bit of a problem when a teen moves to a new school sixth form because the teachers do not "know" the teen and unless the ethos of the school is supportive and caring and individual-oriented, the likelihood is that they will think the worst. Well that has been DD's experience. Less of an issue at sixthform college where they are all new together, IYSWIM.

Dingit your poor DD - just saw on another thread that a teacher had replied to a Parent's email instead of forwarding it and had said "mum making excuses". Sometimes they just don't appreciate that we really do know our children best and that we are not trying it on.

Been all round the houses trying to get DS' blood results - hospital says ring GP, GP says they don't have them so will need to be repeated. And Jeremy Hunt wonders why the NHS is a big money pit? There's £200 that could have been saved straight off.

Our school is not doing AS unless the subject hasn't been reformed so DS only has two AS exams for one subject; the rest are all internal exams but these will determine predictions for UCAS and will also determine whether students can come back to Y13. He already dropped one subject as it was an A2 only subject so it was just a waste of time keeping it on. The only problem might have been if he'd hated what he is doing now but luckily he loves all three.

dd3 seems to have a shed load of exams. She has to sit AS exams for all the subjects whether they count or not.

Her GCSE's only seem like yesterday.

Ono40 that sounds ridiculous .Surely the hospital will have the results on a computer file somewhere.I used to work in a hospital Path lab. And there were always records made.Could you phone up the consultants secretary and request a follow up phone call to the path lab?That's incredibly serious if the hospital is losing data.I know the strikes have caused chaos and backlogs as its the Juniors who often organise the testing but it should be no excuse.

Yes, same here Littleham. DD's stress-levels are rising...

Ono, what a palarva. Blood tests are only a short walk away here, but even then it takes time.