GCSEs 2018 (2)

[Stickerrocks]

Pre-empting our 1000th post.

All mocks condensed here. One per subject plus speaking for languages and extra maths in class time.

Ds has come home with a maths paper to do on the front it says autumn mock 2017 paper 2, would anyone know is this last years paper or a paper specifically prepared by the exam board. Just wondered really.

Maths and geography were like the real thing. I think science was 2 papers each rather than 3 but different to the double science, computing paper was like the real one. RE as well.
English language and lit were one paper each so quite a bit less than the real thing!

DD has gone through her mock papers (sat them at beginning Dec) and listed out the topics where she dropped marks, which is going to form the basis for her revision. I don't know if that idea came from school, or if it's all her own work something she saw on Buzzfeed but i was quite impressed .

Waiting to find out the results of the Computer Science NEA debacle (consultation ends today I think?) - her teacher at parents evening said he'd be happy to just stop work on it, and start full on revision classes.

Another set of mocks for us in March as well

DS1 has a "results day" for his m9ck on the 12th. They have 5o collect the brown envelopes in their main hall! There is an alert parents evening for those kids the school feel are struggling at the end of the month and further mocks in February and March.

School have issued timetables for twiight revision sessions starting next week.

We have a parents' evening at the end of the month so any mock results we don't know before that will be on the data sheet.

computing decision announced just now - course work will not count towards final mark.

... well that was a waste of time

So annoying. It looks as though they're still required to do it even though it doesn't count!

One paper per subject for the mocks here, but she has two more weeks of mocks after Feb half term when they will cover the other half presumably.

I think the first time DD will see a further maths paper in school will be on the day of the exam. They've had a weekly session after school and I got her a revision guide. I'm itching to teach her myself, but obviously I know nothing in her mind!

DS has 6 hrs left to complete computer coursework.....I wonder what will happen now, can't see any of them really focusing on the task in hand

His mocks were also the condensed version and only one paper per subject, probably how they managed to cram it all in to 4 days!

Does anyone have a link to the results of the consultation regarding the Computer Science NEA?

I read it here www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42608372

Thank you

Dgd gets brown envelope on the 12th. She asked when should she open it at school or when she gets home. I said the decision is yours, whatever you feel comfortable to do. We have parent evening on the 1st February which is usually chaotic.....

Do students typically improve by a full grade between mocks and the real thing, or is that just an urban myth?

There's a lot more granularity in the grades now, so maybe it's easier to be seen to improve now.
DS currently getting his results at school now. They just give them out in lessons and then go through the paper(s).

Regarding the computing GCSE coursework decision, this is the link to Ofquals page.
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-assessment-arrangements-for-gcse-computer-science

Was this too do with cheating?

mmzz regarding the urban myth! My personal opininon is that the vast majority of students do not work as hard for their mocks as the real thing hence the increase. However, if you've done incredibly well in your mocks due to working hard then I wouldn't expect an increase in all those subjects.

My DD did better in her mocks than the real thing........you really do just have to concentrate on your own path and not get too caught up with predicted grades and if you got a 5 in English in your mocks then you will get a 6 in the real thing!

@Bluebelle you may well be right.

When I was at school (a long, long time ago), we finished new work around February and every lesson after that was either revision or doing a past paper. So, even if we hadn't revised at home during the Easter holidays, we'd have still been really well prepared for the exams and that's why our grades typically improved.

However, looking at what DS still has to do, I can't see how there is going to be much time left for revision in class. It depends on the subject, of course, but Religious Studies (for example) still has loads left.

What the mocks were genuinely useful for was helping DS learn how to revise, and how to plan his time. Also, he now knows how much work he has to do without the teacher guiding the way and that's a step forward in itself.

mmzz my DS also has an awful lot more of the syllabus still to be covered and I know in the sciences not one of the teachers I asked at parent's evening said that they would be finished by Easter! I assume its going to be like that for the majority of schools that are doing these new GCSE's.

Personally I think the pressure on the DC is immense and so I tend to steer away from all conversations regarding grades, and just say carrying on doing what your doing and what you get is what you get. Obviously, if he was like his sister who didn't work then a slightly different approach would be needed.....although in her case nothing we tried did work, she learnt the hard way!!

I know children whose grades went from U in a subject (Higher Maths) to an A from mock to RThing (but with intensive tutoring in between). And same child had an A in History Mock but was ill on day and got a A, and was really disappointed. luckily none of my children's grades are A*/8 atm so they won't be disappointed

Nettleskeins exactly anything is possible and anything can happen, hence why I try and not let my DS with his ridiculously high predicted's focus too much on them, or at all if I had my way!!

DS1 got a U in his Latin mock and an A in the actual GCSE.

mmzz thank you for that link

I do love Latin it is always the most reliable of GSCES/A levels once you get your head down. It was my best A level..cannot remember any of it now though, just the roots of words vaguely make sense.and something about barbarians having beards and horrible means your hair stands on end handy for plant nomenclature too.

just been talking to someone about ds2's EHCP and how it affects Sixth form application, feel a bit calmer, funding clearly carries over so not such a blot. Feel more convinced than ever that it would easier to stay in his present school and just work that bit harder for the GSCE that is the deciding factor, English Language. So important to have good writing skills, if you are not a mathematician (which ds2 isn't)

dd, having been forced to read two good books last month, came up to us last night and said she had now found it easier to revise her set books, because she hadn't tuned out after the first page. I am very pleased.