GCSEs 2018 (2)

[Stickerrocks]

Pre-empting our 1000th post.

That's actually a very good question User!
I don't know the specification for iGCSE but if you go to BBC bitesize for English language and select 'other' for exam board there are some useful tips on writing for a particular purpose and includes letters.
I'll dig around for some other stuff.

user it sounds as if he's doing CIE like my DS...? Like mmzz said, even 8 gcses is good these days. The disparity between the class prediction and the mock grade could be due to the time pressure in his case and maybe nerves?

DS had time issues with some papers, and was told to be less messy in one of them. So he has to write smaller and clearer but also faster! DS said last night he will practice that. How to undo in a few weeks years of badly taught handwriting and pencil grip at primary school...

However all mock results back and really pleased, 9 As plus one 9. One of those letters is supposed to be a number which I guess I will find out on parents evening as there is no precedent for that subject. They're good results but there's no doubt that an A could be an 8 alas it sounds better, because there's nothing above it like a 9... DYKWIM? But I won't get into the subject of the new grading...

Awesome results drummer, beat my dgd! Though she is going ALL new GCSEs so all numbers.

I was told that it's virtually impossible to change a pencil grip or writing position after year 3/4. That was when DS1 was in year 6 and was discovered to have dysgraphia.

Year 6 was the first time that anyone - myself included - actually looked at DS's pencil grip and saw that it looked odd.

Typing is the answer. I'm currently trying to find out how to type maths. It must be possible, else how do they make maths text books?

Wouldn't they have to have a special keyboard mmzz?

Txs sostenuto alas I read somewhere that even though most mocks go up one, two or more grades by the time they sit the real thing, there are also plenty of students going down on the real thing! So I'll wait to the real thing to get very very ... although of course I have congratulated the effort ("Growth minsdset" and all that...) Well done to your dgd too and she will conquer that English land, you'll see.

Wanted to tell mmzz ... Your DS sounds lovely and mature. I'm sorry he's feeling the stress, not surprising considering the pressure our DCs are under, from all sides. You seem to be so supportive and informed of the whole process though, he's lucky to have you.

That's what I was thinking. Either that, or its just a piece of software that you download that uses the existing keyboard. (Similar to how another language's keyboard might replace the Y with a Z, but when you set your PC up to read the other keyboard, even though you press a letter with Y written on it, your get qwerz). Its an easy change to go back forth between difference languages in Microsoft's operating system.

@drummersmum what a lovely thing to say. Thank you!

Oh thanks mmzz so no hope for pencil grip then... DS had this massive callous after the mocks! He's not a fast typist and would be going back to correct spelling like user said. I don't think typing is the solution for DS. He writes very longs answers. Maybe he can look into that.

Cross posts!

You can get him an ergonomic pen, that will help a lot (with a callouses). Stabilo used to do a great range.

However, what DS finds makes the difference (to the hand pressure, and therefore, pain) is the amount of dragging on the page. Try some black gel pens. They might be enough to get him through.

e.g. Pentel BL77 EnerGel Retractable Gel Rollerball Pen 0.7mm Black
^^ These are the ones DS uses for exams.

I agree on the dragging mmzz however DS was told by school that gel pens are not allowed for GCSEs... Your DS should make sure he is allowed.
DS used uni-ball eye which is ink.

Will check ergonomic pen. Tried in the past but he wouldn't use it unless I reminded him.

I will check, thanks. That's going to be a real problem if your school is right because DS will be in real pain by the end of the exams he uses a pen for.

Uni-ball eye has almost no resistance...

you're right - no gel pens allowed!

qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/Support/Conducting-examinations/Instructions-for-Conducting-Examinations.pdf

You must not use:
• correcting pens, fluid or tape;
• erasable pens;
• highlighter pens in your answers (although you may use them to highlight questions,
words or phrases within the question paper or question/answer booklet.
You may also use a highlighter pen to highlight extracts in any resource material provided);
• gel pens in your answers;
• blotting paper.

For the 'real thing' the exams should be a bit more spread out which should help with that. Hope fully exam practise over the next couple of months should hep too. And I've been hugely impressed with the support available to his sisters at Uni in terms of recorded lectures, speech to text devices provided etc so I think this year will be the worst in terms of not being able to get down on paper the knowledge that reflects his true ability. He also struggles with short term memory and learning things by heart but I guess he'll just have to try his best. Lastly he's also quite busy in terms of extra curricular drama and music etc but that's what keeps him going - I've got a dyslexic non sporty boy who at the moment loves going to school so I don't want to take a away the things that make him want to go in each day if you see what I mean. Any more advice gratefully received !!

mmzz For the maths based professional exams which my students take, they are given a blank word document which they just type in as usual without special software of any description. It is deliberately marked to ignore the formatting. However, these are not the sort of maths exams requiring special characters like Pi (see, I can't find a character for that!) I'm not sure if GCSEs would be the same.

User You can't turn up at Hamilton, collect the tickets and hand them over, from what I've read on other threads.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3152060-GCSEs-2018-3

Time to move to the next thread kindly started by mmzz

Pointlessly filling space.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3152060-GCSEs-2018-3

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3152060-GCSEs-2018-3

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3152060-GCSEs-2018-3

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www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3152060-GCSEs-2018-3