Year 11 support thread

[pasanda]

I can't find a new thread, moving on from the old full one, so I thought I would create one (please tell me if I'm wrong!)

Last night ds stayed up till 4.30am doing his biology coursework

This time the tsunami affect didn't work and he left it far too late to do a reasonable job. Which is a bloody shame because he wants to do biology A level and he has done so well in his other controlled assessments.

I wait with bated breath to find out his mark

Oh well, thank God for half term!!

[PossomInAPearTree]

Dd answered the questions she should have done in geography and had time left over so decided to answer extra sections she didn't need to on topics they haven't studied.

She swears her teacher said she might get extra marks if they did that??
I'm not sure it's the best idea. Surely if the paper says answer three sections you do that, not four! What if they count her worst three sections?

[pointythings]

I have created a new thread so we can continue the lovely mutual support.

[Fozzleyplum]

DS did AQA Eng Lit and AQA Geog today. The question on the Tempest was fine, he reckons, but the Jekyll and Hyde one was harder and he struggled. He said the Geog paper was "weird" (they all thought so), but doable.

[errorofjudgement]

WE NEED A NEW THREAD!!!!

[errorofjudgement]

AQA Eng Lit here today. (Macbeth & JaH)
Initially DD said it's the hardest exam, but she's home now and we've had a chat. She says the Year group were very polarised, some thought it very easy, others thought it much more tricky.
As I understand it, the questions were pretty easy e.g. ambition in Macbeth, but the accompanying quote wasn't an obvious link. So the quote was Lady Macbeth talking of how Macbeth needed to be encouraged.
So overall, I think it's been an unsettling day.

[ifonly4]

DD didn't know the Romeo and Juliet abstract, so threw her initially. However, she managed to pull something together bringing in other signs of male aggression in the book, quotes and felt she wrote concisely. Fingers crossed it's relevant to what examiners are looking for. She went and spoke to her teacher for reassurance, who said she got across a couple of good points they'd be looking to give marks for, so that's something. She's reasonably happy with Sign of the Four.

Geography, realises she's missed out on a few marks by not mentioning things she knows. However, happy with the 8 mark question, managed to quote examples and how splits and stacks are different, bringing in other information which she thought would add to it. One element she revised this morning came up so pleased about that.

She relieved today is over. A day off tomorrow, then dreaded physics on Wed.

[LittleHo]

Your poor ds dingit. Being stung by a wasp in a GCSE is terrible.

ds seemed pretty happy about his exams and has a day with no exams tomorrow. Thank goodness.

[pointythings]

DD felt both went well and that she knew her stuff in Geography - in her last mock she answered a whole bunch of wrong questions, there was a power cut and she had a panic attack and she still got a C. So she reckons she did a lot better this time.

Tomorrow is wall to wall guided revision at school for her to prep for the rest of the week's exams. She's adjusted her revision timetable for home accordingly without much nagging from me

[dingit]

Ds said Macbeth was ok, Christmas carol hard as it was on the cratchets, they haven't studied much on that!
Geography ok, they offered help with his coloured blindness, ( he didn't need it), unfortunately the poor lad got stung by a wasp near the end Bless him he soldiered on and went to maths revision until 4.

[Rockefeller234]

DS said both English AND Geography went well. English not as good as he had hoped but still good enough to get a high grade. Geography he said most of the case studies didn't materialise, so he was fine..ish!

[catslife]

So DD year ten had a massive anxiety attack in English Literature, was taken out of the exam for 40 minutes, then given ten minutes extra time.
I am not sure if the school have acted correctly here, but I think that if they are taken out for 40 mins they should have the full 40 minutes added on at the end so they have the same time as all the others. Your dd may also be eligible for Special consideration so ask the exams officer to apply for this. At some schools pupils with anxiety issues are either put in a smaller room or seated near the back of the exam room.
You need to ask the school what they can do to help your dd. Taking the exam early may have made any issues worse but there may be things that can be done to make sure her stress levels are minimised next time (or next year).

[Laniakea]

Jufus your poor dd insane of the school to enter them in year 10 ... it is not a straight forward exam at all.

Geography - weird, lots of insert reading & describing, minimal case studies, lots of marks on water management.

[BertrandRussell]

I just hope the grade boundaries are kind- a lot of our kids will be completely thrown by questions like that. And they need their 4s.

[BertrandRussell]

Ifonly4-thank you. They sent him home as soon as the exam was finished and he's in bed reclining on píllows like the dying Keats now....Media Studies tomorrow and that's all pre prepared stuff, so he can recover before the dreaded physics..........

[BertrandRussell]

And I know stats are completely unimportant. But they are..............

[namechange7711]

Oh Jufus your poor DD

Can you manage a spontaneous trip out this afternoon/evening? A girly film followed by hot chocolate and lots of TLC??

[ifonly4]

DD did Romeo and Juliet as well. That sounds hard. For the first time I'm sat here with butterflies in my tummy waiting for her to come home.

Bertrand - how's DS feeling now?

[BertrandRussell]

It's really frustrating- in a school like ours with very few high ability kids our stats are going to be completely buggered.

[Laniakea]

can't get hold of dd but twitter is not happy about it

[Fleurdelise]

Jufus can your dd retake next year?

DS said geography was really hard. Anybody else?

[Stitchintimesaves9]

Cafe - thanks for that! Let's hope grade boundaries are low..Whole family exhausted here too and it's only Week 2.

Jufus - your poor DD. Very daunting for a Year 10, with such hard questions

[LIZS]

An Inspector Calls on Friday here, also studied for Drama .

[BertrandRussell]

My initial thought is that if it's not going to really upset her, she should do Friday -simply because as it's the first year the marking might be a bit more lenient. And she might have done better than she thinks and it would be a shame to have to resit it if she doesn't have to.......stupid school!

[JufusMum]

Yes she can resit but no literature lessons next year so fully independent study. I've been telling the school since Christmas​ she wasn't ready - but it fell on deaf ears.