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 :)

Hi everyone!

The week seems calmer slightly after the horrendous Biology exam, but my DD found chemistry hard, its her worst subject. She scraped a C in mocks but who knows arhhh its not the end of the world getting a D right?
She has PE today and some more citiznship I think. Anyone else doing GCSE PE?
Next week like a lot of you is going to be tough....one day at a time. Eng lit, maths, is it history, geography and German?
I think just keeping the house calm and quiet will help her (and me). Trying to think of food she likes too...any ideas tips from you lovely lot?
Home made cakes always a winner
Going to go for brunch tomorrow with a mate whose son is also GCSEing...we can compare notes

Lots of

And to us mummies

Liney that's brilliant news about OH DS today! GCSEs or functional tests, all are achievements

DD texted to say AQA Spanish listening was hard but reading good. She's not learning loads of English Lit quotes, but enough to embed in answers to meet AO's. She prefers memorising them to flicking through book in exam, but just way it works for her.

And exhale for tonight for a while with glass of vino - me that is, not her!

maxtrue - I've made about 3 lots of these banana flapjacks over the last week or two: www.recipebinder.co.uk/recipe.aspx?rid=1844

Good for giving energy to tired teens or as quick pre-exam breakfasts for teens (like my DD) who don't like eating breakfast at all.

Jealous of those of you with teens earnestly learning quotes. DD has 3 Eng Lit exams next week but hasn't opened an English book yet. She has, however, painted her nails immaculately, cleared a load of rubbish out of her room, etc.

Thanks fidelix will give them a try!

I found a great banana muffin recipe that both kids love but cant remember where from - i have it written down if anyone would like?

My dd has not bothered much with quotes but apparently has loads of poems to learn

The biology teacher I work with said the exam should have been really easy! I do wonder whether they actually focus too much on past papers, and rely a little bit too much on them, so when something different turns up it throws them.

DD has been learning important passages for each theme and where to find them, rather than actual quotes. Hopefully when she sees the question she'll know exactly which passages she needs to go to for quotes. That's the plan!

It sounds like she's had a really lovely last day today.

Enjoy the weekend everyone, sounds like most of us have a tough week ahead next week!

" DD has 3 Eng Lit exams next week "

Three? DD has two English lit exams and one English language. AQA

Yay. One week done. Later n was "Ling and boring but ok", according to DD. We went for ice cream afterwards which was nice. Roll on next Friday! Hope you all have a calm and productive weekend.

Latin was "long and boring but ok". Damn autocorrect.

Regarding CIE chemistry, ds never mentioned anything. Hopefully he was okay with it, but not going to ask in case he wasn't. Chemistry is finished once and for all as far as ds is concerned!

NicknameUsed - DD has 3 Eng Lit papers next week (OCR) - Drama and then Prose from different cultures (Of Mice and Men, actually, so not that different) on Mon, and Poetry & Prose on Fri. Maybe other boards do that as 2 exams?

derek - really agree with you about the problems with focusing too much on teaching to the test and past papers. For example, in History, DD was really thrown by a question that was "How far was X or Y the cause of WWII?" instead of "List all the causes of WWII", which is what they'd studied. To me, it's clearly the same question, just phrased from the perspective of a couple of causes, but obviously to answer the "How far" bit, you need to bring in the other causes too and compare them. DD seemed to think this was most unfair as a question and impossible to have predicted.

With the biology, it sounds as though the data was given and it was just asking students to compare the data; it doesn't really matter if the data was about drunk rats or teens or snails or whatever, it just required an approach based on reading of the graphs etc and a GCSE-level knowledge of biology. In DD's case, as she had spent very little time revising the facts, this kind of general knowledge question may have played to her strengths! I am hoping so..!

Ds1 has used sparknotes (its free)for English and encouraged ds2 to use it as well.
Latin went ok for him today he seemed happy enough afterwards.
Six subjects next week though.

Latin comprehensions all done and dusted, hurrah! 'Only' Pliny and Virgil to go!

Next week pretty heavy going here too, and first of the A levels thrown in for good measure.

(Maybe it was A levels that tend to be on the same days, sorry for any confusion! DD1 in hospital, so the education person there was showing me how they organise exams.)

DD did PE today maxtrue, was a bit anxious as self-studied for it and only started last October, but she said it was an easy one and was confident she did well.

Another one here who thought Spanish was hard, DS predicted A* he's not convinced at the moment,

dd isn't allowed her books in for English lit. think they do wjec board (odd choice!)

DDs first English lit exam on Monday is poetry a clean copy of a poem and either an extract question or a question where they need to use quotes they've learnt from memory. On Friday they get a book

I don't think dd is allowed books either.

DS is on Wjec too kitten I don't think they are allowed books. He's quite excited the set texts they've had though.

DS has AQA literature where a clean copy of the relevant text is provided (says DS and the syllabus). He talked me through it this afternoon, he seems to know what it is he'll have to do so that's good enough for me. The second exam is the poetry one including the unseen poem. That would put the wind up me but DS seems fine with it.

The potential hiccups next week are maths and physics, DS doesn't "get" them in the same way as other subjects so past papers have been a bit hit or miss. I'm sure it will all be fine.

DS1 (he of the memory difficulties) has managed to learn a quote!

"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy."

Largely same big week here next week. All 3 of DS2's A level choices next week, with a double header on Tuesday I think just to add to the fun. And then Maths and Physics thrown in for good measure. Not in best spirits after Chemistry yesterday, but seemed to get the message that what's done is done and no point dwelling on it.

Study leave available from today, rather earlier than school originally indicated.

A week down and DS seems to be coping well (but another 3 to go so things could go downhill any time)

English Lit, Geography, Physics, Maths and 2 more Latin next week. It's a bugger of a week but he has a clear day Friday and then half term. He is planning to do something with his friends mid week so they all get a bit of a break.

You all deserve lots . I don't drink so I'll have one of these

Now that is a quote that takes them a step closer to adulthood TheSecond.