Year 12 preparing for AS levels

[HSMMaCM]

Here we are everyone.

Very, Liney!

That's good, Stop

DD finished today .
She went for brunch with friends then we watched the entire season 1 of The Walking Dead together.

Poor DS still has three more AS exams then several ( I don't know the exact number ) exams for an A2.

It's half term and whilst DD is gallivanting DS will be working - although so will I as I have three projects piquing at the exact sane time. Better time management needed on my behalf.

Peaking!

Biology was hard apparently.

It seems like the first few exams were shocking and they seem to be easing into them and taking them in their stride a bit more ?

Dd has chemistry tomorrow and is dreading it as there are no past papers to practice, they've messed about with it so much.

dingit massive sympathies regarding Chemistry. DS dropped it after two terms because it was a shambles. This really stung me because he got an A at GCSE and should have enjoyed A level Chemistry.

But he hated it. The teacher being stressed beyond belief didn't help.

The whole thing is totally crap this year - new syllabuses rushed in with teachers not ready before term started, waiting for course-work books to be published, etc, etc. I really hope the universities are prepared to lower their offers significantly if the government don't "fix" the grade boundaries so that students are given the grades they are worthy of

DS thinks that the grade boundary for physics would have to move very significantly downwards for him to get any kind of decent outcome and prediction. And that's another gcse subject he got an A in.

And another very stressed teacher, interestingly. There's been behaviour that suggests they're close to the edge.

I hope the Chemistry goes ok Dingit.Dd's doing Chemistry but her school aren't doing the non-linked As exams.Hence,we will have the joy of next year's exams .Dd's spent the last couple of days doing her poster for the Crest Award and sulking with me.I've thrown away her returns receipt for some dresses that look lovely on her.But,shes determined to dress all in black at the moment ( I think she's in mourning because of exams)and wants to send them all back.
I'm fed up of sulky teenagers.

DS agrees that the grade boundaries are gonna have to be lowered for biology or everyone will fail. Poor kids Guinea pigs in a a government mess up

DS agrees that the grade boundaries are gonna have to be lowered for biology or everyone will fail. Poor kids Guinea pigs in a a government mess up

"DS agrees that the grade boundaries are gonna have to be lowered for biology or everyone will fail. Poor kids Guinea pigs in a a government mess up"

Oh but surely you realise that the individual children don't matter? As long as the system is seen as rigorous and sufficiently 'bracing' who gives a toss if a few thousand kids fail and lose their dreams in the changeover period. After all there will be more along next year and the year after who will have learned to jump through the new hoops.

Then they can move the effing hoops again!

I think schools who have selected not do AS levels for the reformed subjects have probably made the right decision as the teachers have more time to become confident in teaching any syllabus differences.
Having said that we have been told that there no major change for Physics and Chemistry. Have other teachers been saying differently?

This is what is worrying me.

dd3 had to split her time between Physics and Maths when the Physics result won't count this year if she keeps it on. I know it will help her Physics next year but what if it has adversely impacted maths?

Urgh. You can't win.

Littlehum, none of DD's will count unless she drops them IYSWIM.

I think you could be right sendsummer. I am just praying sixthforms will have got a handle on it by the time DS is that age in 2 years.

DD is enjoying her freedom - nails done, at gym, party tonight, away for the weekend to a festival !

DD will still have school exams though in June for the Science subjects .I'm not sure whether stand-alone As's are a good thing or not.I think I'm 50/50 on either side.It just means that they have all been encouraged to do three ,so there is no option to give anything up.So,if there happens to be a Maths disaster ....She's stuck essentially.
DD has also gone out for the evening.I've just been walking our golf course ( one of the highest in the UK)trying to find the kids group who have gone AWOL in the hills ( with a really sore throat and bad chest) for entertainment ( ds 2 late for lesson).

The walk sounds lovely teta. Hope you found them!

Isn't there a danger of a two tier system opening up if schools are allowed to take different approaches with the AS?

School A might have highly academic students so decide to give the AS part a miss and get their teens to take three exams at the end of A2.
School B could have more borderline students so put them in for lots of AS exams as a large percentage will probably drop the worst one or two anyway.

Within both schools there will be pupils that don't fit the average. Then universities will have to try and compare two different systems and work out what is going on.

Littlehum, even amongst DD's/my friends there are huge differences between approaches.

DD's school - every subject this year is an external AS. Those who are doing 4 drop one to continue with 3 to A'level.
Her old school - mix of "old" AS's and "new" internal exams. You can drop one, but if it's not an old AS, you won't get a qualification.
Another local comp - they only take 3 A'levels and only do AS's in the "old" subjects, internals in the new.

DD has no idea which to drop - at least it will be worth an AS and not a "wasted" year, otherwise you might as well only take 3 if they are "new" subjects

It really is a confusing system isn't it? These teens and the poor teachers are playing guessing games.

Our school has become an academy and they are talking about withdrawing funding for one of dd's A level subject half way through sixthform. Things have definately slipped downwards since it got academy status.

Noooo! It won't affect those currently studying it, will it?

There is a huge, ticking academies time-bomb

Yes. Cutting the amount of lessons per week. I don't know how much though.

The teacher is trying to fight it.

That's terrible, Littlehum

That's crazy when some of them are already studying it.

DD is having a party revision weekend with friends.

It is a subject which is dying in schools. What really annoyed me was that she was told this just before she went in for the exam.

However they don't realise how stubborn and contrary she is because as soon as she was told the bad news she immediately decided to try and keep it on and get a high mark.