Parents of Year 11's - in the midst of exams!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

roll up roll up, for our new support thread for all parents of year 11 kids. Whether your kids work hard or not, what ever their goals (or not!) this is our place to de-stress :)

DS has Chemistry today too, OCR exam board.

He's pretty up on current affairs, as Radio 5 is on at home all day, and in the car etc.

That's it until Monday, but he's 7 next week.

Uhtred, I didn't check pens, or look for folders or even make DS a cup of tea, he made his own breakfast. I'm adopting the 'everything is entirely normal and calm' approach, which works best for DS. It might not for others, but he's entirely chilled and relaxed about this whole exam process, so I'm not making a big deal of it.

I therefore get very little information back about how things went, other than 'fine'..

Chemistry is a possible A Level choice, grade dependent compared with Systems and Control. He will go with the high grade GCSE, as he enjoys both.

I sort of just realised that his 6th form is kind of selective, in that they will only allow a student to do a particular A Level if they achieve a certain grade at GCSE, or is that just sensible?!

Waiting for my DD to emerge from Chemistry. Feeling a bit nervous after Biology. Seems so unfair that they do everything they are told to do and then the examiners throw in complete curve balls. Going to suggest we go home and watch 'of mice and men' on dvd to chill a bit before more revision later.
Good luck everyone.

DS's offer is pretty low for his college - he just has to get B in maths and physics and he has to get 3 other GCSEs at C or better including English. I was amazed the offer was so low but there you go. Not knocking it. (He was predicted 10 Bs at the time of his offer, those predictions were revised to 7 Bs and 3As after his mocks but I think that's pie in the sky in the circumstances). He hasn't been given a target result or even been required to get a pass in two of the subjects he is doing at A level/BTEC (computers and music tech) but I think that's because they don't follow on directly from the GCSE (and in the case of music tech he has grade 5 theory anyway which is equivalent to a GCSE pass and grade 5 practical which is also a GCSE equivalent (for the purposes of music). I think for computers they are more concerned with his maths grade than his computer science one.

looking at the unofficial mark scheme on SR it looks like there was actually chemistry on the paper and not only that, some of it at least was stuff that dd taught to me over the weekend. Thank goodness! I can breathe a bit more.

DD went in this morning thinking she was doing Chemistry in the afternoon, but got a text and she didn't seem bothered to discover she was in for it right away! She probably was relieved as I think she doesn't like much the revising sessions and test at end of the afternoon.

She said she was expecting the exam to be similar to biology, which she thought was fine if odd. We'll see.

Blimey needastrongone you just scared the hell out of me! DS does OCR for sciences. Mad panic as he doesn't have any exams today - but i've checked the website - and i guess your DS does A and my DS does B :) Phew! panic over!

I like to add in an extra layer of panic to your life flatmouse, yes he's doing A.....!

needastrongone
I sort of just realised that his 6th form is kind of selective, in that they will only allow a student to do a particular A Level if they achieve a certain grade at GCSE, or is that just sensible?!

Personally I think it's sensible. It's big jump from GCSE to A level in terms of knowledge and application of knowledge. DS took iGCSE maths last year and got an A*, but struggled at the beginning of the AS maths course and it did knock his confidence. All good now (excellent teacher) - but he's had to work at it.
Similarly he has iGCSE German grade A* where the type of writing is along the lines of write a letter to your penfriend to the A level German language exam (took this in November last year, November sitting only)where essay questions such as - any job is better than none -or for some children it would have been better if they had never been born - discuss - are common. The language skill required is much more advanced and a weaker candidate at GCSE level would struggle with the A level course - imo.

DS back from school and CIE Chemistry was fine apparently :)
Day off tomorrow, but 6 exams next week including AS Maths so another fun weekend ahead. Next week is practically it for DS, just one more AS Maths paper on 15th June.

Hope exams went well for everyone today.

Hurrah - Chemistry was good apparently. Full of chemistry questions. DD revised hydrogen at the last minute last night, and it came up as a 6 mark question.

I tend to agree Diva, I've just rifled through the A Level results in a bit more depth, and the %age of A/A* grades at A Level looks very strong, in pretty much all subjects, but that would make sense if only the stronger candidates are allowed to take them.

I remember the jump up to A Level being significant myself..

Teaching is so important isn't it? DS's English teacher has transformed him this year, from quite the opposite teaching experience last year in Y10.

DS has text to say Chem went 'fine'... and could he be picked up, study leave doesn't start until tomorrow, but there must be some leniency perhaps on exam days, he generally abides by rules, so will not be rebelling.

DD found her chemistry fine (igcse aqa) a big question on Hyrdogen DD liked it but all her friends barring 1 hated it. So it's knocked DDs confidence

I don't understand, why has it knocked her confidence? If you've done a question that your friends have struggled with it means that they missed that topic on their revision. Is it that she thinks she's misread the question?

DD outcome of Chemistry 'It was good, everyone loved it, but it was full of 3+ mark questions. I think I did ok but you know I don't like writing lots and you had to write lots' :)

This is such a godsend of a thread! The stress levels were just about manageable until after the AQA Biology exam on Tuesday, which ramped it up several notches on top of a very poorly pet (DD's!) and burst tap! DD predicted A's in triple sciences and getting A/A* on practice papers and then the real thing hit!! Feel your anxiousness today marmiteloversunite. My DD has gone straight into revision classes after her AQA Chemistry exam today, so not heard anything yet! Felt sick for her this morning when I dropped her into school, but trying to show calmness! Feels like deja vu, as several years ago DD1's English Language cohort were made examples of when Mr Gove decided to ramp up the hardness factor and pass mark to set an example a month before all their exams, rather than wait until following year's students! Good luck to all you parents out there for the duration. Copious amounts of chocolate, ice-cream, tea, wine & this thread certainly keeping me sane!

The iGCSE sounds remarkably similar to the common or garden GCSE with its big question on Hydrogen.

Who'd ave thunk it eh?

Last bit of the igcse had a 2 mark, 3 mark and 1 mark on hydrogen
icouldbe
I think it's just the fact that she's just worried why did all of her class think it was hard barring 2 it's just nerves I think and hope,

3 down 19 to go.

Latin yesterday was "good - it's the easiest one I'm going to do" and Chemistry today was "OK". He has been dropped off at home now and is revising for tomorrow's Latin. Next week will be a full one with exams most days.

Another trip to the supermarket for more ice cream tonight.

That would be the 6 mark question then that I referred to earlier.

Phew, chemistry 'fine' here too

DD reports that the Chemistry was 'ok '. High praise indeed!

Thank you for the warm welcome.

Latin again tomorrow, one of less favpured subjects because it's 'hard work'!

I will have to wait until this afternoon to see how things went. DD has Citizenship this afternoon - a subject she hates and thinks is pointless.

Her school won't be offering study leave until after 13th June. DD says that she would probably get more revision done at home.

Fantasy my DD found the hydrogen question easy too so perhaps you can re-assure your daughter. I think all of her classmates found it fine. It was great that it ran more smoothly than Biology.

Latin tomorrow.

What exam board is your DD marmite my DD didn't do the exam that caused all the frenzy on Tuesday my DD is igcse it was paper 1 on Thursday
2 out of 6 science exams done

DS is home, and says Chem was 'a piece of piss', which I hope is not misguided confidence. Says it was easier than Biology and that was the consensus among his cohort.