Year 12 preparing for AS levels

[HSMMaCM]

Here we are everyone.

Classics and psychology here tomorrow

Psychology here tomorrow afternoon and then Thursday is the killer English Lit paper 2 am and Biology in the afternoon. He's been in Scotland all weekend with the girlfriends family so am hoping she's got him revising...she's a good influence.

Yep, different boards Horse, his is OCR

Revision day here; Physics tomorrow.

Good luck all. This is a big week, I think.

Hoping to finally see the back of the art sketch book today - DD is upstairs doing finishing touches. So will take her in with it later.
Then a day of Maths revision on Tuesday before Maths on Wednesday, then a bit more Biology revision on Weds pm and Thurs am before Biology on Thursday pm. General Studies Friday pm.

dd3's exams are clustered together so not much time to revise in between.

Music essays and listening were 'fine' (whatever that means).

Physics is tomorrow but this exam is under the new system so whatever mark she gets it will have to be done all over again next year. Is that the same for all the Physics exam boards?

DS had the second economics paper today. Said it went well. Apparently, he and a few mates had been taking about the government's response to the financial crisis before they went in ( rock 'n' roll ) and it came up as a 20 mark question.

little I believe that physics has been decoupled so that all AS exams are optional and no marks banked towards A2.

But it should make revision next year a whole heap easier ( if your DS takes physics forward ).

Music today I think was OK according to the text

Wed/Thurs I think is Maths history and english on her birthday!

It is such a shame when they have a birthday during exams. dd3 had GCSE's on her birthday last year but she was a bit luckier this year as it was on a Saturday.

I suppose you are right about revision next year GetaHaircut but she didn't have any choice as the school said taking the AS was compulsory (probably because they have so many that drop out after AS).

Classics "could've been better" this morning apparently.

little different schools are taking different approaches to decoupled AS.

Obviously, schools can save money by not having their students sit them and reducing contact hours in Y12 ( by offering fewer A2s).

And some schools have decided that it will be preferable to ditch exams and all the stress associated with them. Plus they might recoup more contact hours during this period.

Some schools feel it's better to keep everyone on their toes by making them revise in Y12 and hope that it will make A2 easier.

The idea was that standalone AS was not meant to be co-teachable with the A2. But that's rubbish.

Littlehum, all of DD's AS's are new ones and not worth any marks for next year, but whichever one she drops will be an AS level in that subject IYSWIM. And hopefully it will make revision easier next year

She said Eco was 'alright'' this morning, Psychology this afternoon...

Cross-posts, Carl! I think DD's sixth form specifically chose certain boards/syllabuses that would work. Well, that's what they told us!

Is anyone else finding little exam rituals. I find myself telling DD to eat junk food, drink Coke and I've been sending her pictures of unicorns to cheer her up.

I spray my daughter and her room with a mixture of eucalyptus, bergamot, mint and grapefruit essential oils to try and ward off negative thoughts and cold/hay fever symptoms and encourage positive attitudes and energy.

Works on me, anyway!

HSMM that's sweet!

I've just been and bought DD mangoes as a treat :)

THis business that standalone AS is not supposed to be taught alongside a 2yr A2 is clearly the killer really. They ( kids and schools) really want the AS as a measure of progress as that's what they are used to, and rightly or wrongly they still see it as helpful for UCAS .... BUT they are effectively doing 2x the amount of work in the year covering that and the 1st year A2.

It's bloody rubbish for these kids and especially this cohort as they'll be fighting for uni places against the " easier" ( no not easier, but very different) results from the AS/A2 courses that were last years results for kids that are applying after a gap year etc.

Rgw kids are also comparing themselves against the old standards whem we don't really know what will happen- it could be the brightest will actually get Bs because of the changes or syllabus/structure etc. DD would beat herself up a lot if her grades were much less than her siblings- I keep telling her you can't say " this apple is better than this pork chop "they just are two different exams.

At least it will mainly be the pork chops applying together for university.

Maybe the people at the abattoir will lower the grade requirements if there is a big dip in grades.

helen if schools have been careful, the AS material is not 'extra' to the A2.

For example, in English the same texts can be studied. So both sets of students - the ones taking AS and those not, will study the same material (in effect).

As for the decoupled AS grades... I've got a sneaking feeling that they'll be good this year.

The boards want repeat customers and poor grades will only send them elsewhere, particularly when it is perfectly possible not to do then at all.

Cynic moi?

Sorry haircut ofqual (my predictive text wants to type 'of quail'...!) wouldn't want to see a jump in grades for the newly decoupled - they can't be seen as easier.

Yes Carl, that is what DD's sixth form were trying to do I think!
I pray that they will be good - it's so crappy being guinea pigs.

Littlehum

titchy I don't think there will be a 'jump' in grades. But a year at the kinder end, wouldn't surprise me at all.

Providing they come within reasonable parameters there nothing much OQ can do.

But I could be wrong.

DS1 thinks today's exam went well. Phew.

He was in the horror OCR C1 paper last week though and reckons he got about 35% in that - so really needs to pull himself up in the remaining Maths papers. One on Weds and one later in June.

Apparently psychology was "worse than the first paper" so she's taken herself off to rehearse drama with the waster who can't be bothered. That should take her mind off the exam .