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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

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

999 replies

OhYouBadBadKitten · 16/05/2016 20:37

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 :)
Wine

OP posts:
Maladicta · 26/05/2016 11:06

Dd's just phoned, said Maths non-calc was horrible. Wasn't helped by a 'friend' breezing past telling everyone how easy it was...

Have given her official permission to tell 'friend' to fuck off Grin

Can't believe your dd's school didn't finish the syllabus Exit!

Breakfast this week has been a pain au chocolat fest as requested.

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:08

OH GOD Sad Shock

thank god I had a good chat with dd about how it could be a really really horrible exam. She was to do her best over the first few questions and that if it was really hard then everyone else would have found it hard also...

Maladicta · 26/05/2016 11:10

DD was AQA Higher - the linear one

flatmouse · 26/05/2016 11:11

I just had txt "Test was alright" (edexcel A non-calculator), but he's talking about going home at lunch to revise - so i'm wondering if it didn't go "alright". I don't get much more detail and i don't ask as i feel what's done is done.

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:12

TWITTER SAYS IT WAS INCREDIBLY HARD

think i'm actually going to cry

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 26/05/2016 11:14

which board hewl?

OP posts:
hewl · 26/05/2016 11:15

edexcel

on the plus side Twitter is so, so funny.

flatmouse · 26/05/2016 11:16

If it is incredibly hard - it's incredibly hard for all - and although it's confidence knocking to do a paper and find it hard, the grade boundaries will prob be lower.

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:17

yes - and tbh she was expecting it to be impossible anyway! So very hard might actually be better Grin

flatmouse · 26/05/2016 11:18

hewl who are you following on twitter to see comments?

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:20

just hashtag edexcelmaths

i dont actually have a twitter account

TheSecondOfHerName · 26/05/2016 11:24

DS1 felt the Edexcel non-calculator paper was all fairly straightforward apart from the last question, which he was unable to even attempt. He is not a gifted mathematician, but is hoping to get an A in the GCSE and do single Maths A-level.

TheSecondOfHerName · 26/05/2016 11:26

I think the Edexcel Maths higher papers are designed to be fairly hard, especially towards the end. You usually only need around 35% in order to get a C, so a lot of students will be unable to answer parts of it.

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:30

well hopefully dd will surprise herself

tbh she usually does better in the really hard questions!

LineyReborn · 26/05/2016 11:35

Anyone's DC doing the foundation maths? OH's DD is retaking and she really needs a C to go into nursing / midwifery. She just panics, though, when faced with numbers. Which isn't a great start.

flatmouse · 26/05/2016 11:38

I'm going to stop looking at twitter - it's making me feel sick on DS's behalf!

Icouldbeknitting · 26/05/2016 11:38

DS took edexcel maths. Let's just say that it's not his strongest subject but he has pulled it round this year and he's borderline A/B. This is the first exam where I've had a text during the day, he's been breezing in from the school bus on a wave of "fine, fine". I've had three texts of woe and failure already. I imagine the A is out of the question now but he only needs a C and if it all goes belly up he just gets to do it again while doing his A levels.

Did that sound calm and supportive enough? I need to practise before he gets home at 3.40.

ExitPursuedByADonkey · 26/05/2016 11:41

I've sent DD a text but she seems to have gone for radio silence

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:41

im picking dd up at 2. Will stop off for chocolate on the way.

LineyReborn · 26/05/2016 11:42

Sounds fine to me, Icouldbeknitting. If he's not continuing with maths or aiming for a hard science degree at Boffin College Oxbridge then a C is fine, surely?

flatmouse · 26/05/2016 11:43

DS been told for science A levels he needs min B in maths.

Travelledtheworld · 26/05/2016 11:43

Edexcel Higher Tier Maths, yes they all thought it was hard.
My son who is brilliant at Maths predicted A* and doing Additional Maths too said he had no idea what the last question was all about. He was aiming for 100% but says all he could do was an educated guess and show his workings.

Last question was only worth 3 marks.

hewl · 26/05/2016 11:44

dd would be delighted with a C

FantasyAndHope · 26/05/2016 11:45

DD doing higher tier IGCSE has come out of the exam realising what silly mistakes she's made and now thinks she's failed

Icouldbeknitting · 26/05/2016 11:51

A C is good enough for what he wants to do because he's not looking at maths or science A levels. He would be hugely disappointed with that because he's put a lot of work in but life's hard. That maths paper is gone now, forget about it and move on to english literature.