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Original poster

GCSEs 2018 (3)

999 replies

mmzz · 28/01/2018 08:40

Following on from:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3113917-GCSEs-2018-2

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
Oddsocks15 · 04/02/2018 10:11

The good news is Amazon prime has delivered the Mr Salles guide... the bad news is the new laundry basket is still to arrive... oh the joy.. Think I will read the book before DD as she is currently still asleep

Teenmum60 · 04/02/2018 10:14

mmzz - I definitely have your DS's twin sister ...the times that I have heard the words - well no one else is doing that yet !

Sostenueto · 04/02/2018 10:36

Well, dgd rang to say its Mr Salle's day today so will be working through that today with her. Not until I've had my Sunday roast though!

Sostenueto · 04/02/2018 10:38

That was quick oddsocks! Pity about laundry basket though. If your dc is anything like dgd clothes in her bedroom go around on top but rarely in laundry basket!

DoNotBringLulu · 04/02/2018 11:43

Hi all, my ds is knee deep in Science mocks at the moment; he's done Biology and doesn't feel it went well. Apparently the school made a mistake with timings...

Does anybody know if schools have outside invigilators for mock GCSEs?

Sostenueto · 04/02/2018 11:59

Don't know donotbringlulu being as they are just Mock's I shouldn't think so. How long did your D's get for exam? If a triple sciences then 1 hour 45 minutes for each paper if a double science 1 hour 15 mins. That's the times for real GCSEs.

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/02/2018 12:43

Sostenueto very sweet photo!
I have got the Mr Salles book and enjoying it so far - it will get passed to DS, I'm just checking it won't lead him astray!
Our school has outside invigilators as well as teachers.

BlueBelle123 · 04/02/2018 12:43

Donotbringlulu at DS's school they have outside invigilators for the mocks. The trouble with Biology is that there is just so much to learn! just remind him its just a mock and its better to make your mistakes now and learn from them, than in the real thing.

Sostenueto · 04/02/2018 13:00

Great loose! We will all be able to help each other with Mr Salle's! I wonder if he knows he's do popular!Grin

Sostenueto · 04/02/2018 13:03

Pup is 6 months old and a handful loose! But she is sweet!

GCSEs 2018 (3)
Teenmum60 · 04/02/2018 13:18

Dd's school all invigilators were internal teachers for mocks- probably explains why the Food tech exam answers were attached to the exam paper :-( Poor girls ended up having to resit the mock.

DD's Biology mock was mainly all plant biology which did not go down well but I guess in many respects covering this in depth in the mocks and then going through the paper in lessons becomes very good revision if the top topic was not that interesting.

DoNotBringLulu · 04/02/2018 13:32

He's doing double Science - I can get his Grandad (retired Science teacher) to help, but ds says he just didn't know enough so more revision needed. He says he was OK with timings on the mocks, I think from reading posts from angry parents on facebook it is the triple science that was affected. Apparently they did have outside invigilators.... I've been helping him with History looking at sources about Vietnamese war, really interesting; he thinks he will only get a 4 or 5, but I disagree just needs more practice with thinking analytically. I played him the 80s hit 19 by Paul Hardcastle. Anything to bring it alive!

Oddsocks15 · 04/02/2018 14:06

Lulu I love that track. Do they do a Horrible History version for teens?

We need to ask Mr Salles commission Grin

BlueBelle123 · 04/02/2018 14:34

I've decided to reward DS with a little treat(£10 accessory for his bike) as he's been sticking to his hour a night revision and 2 hours at the weekend, he also did well in a recent maths test last years non calc paper he got 74/80. Just wanted to show him that his hard work has been noticed........fingers crossed it continuesSmile

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/02/2018 15:27

Bluebelle that's a very strong result - he's definitely earned his treat!
DS had a slight hitch with last week's biology mock as his calculator broke in the exam so he missed two questions. He has a new one but we may be sending him into the real exams with two!

Original poster
mmzz · 04/02/2018 16:12

The NVQ threat seems to be working. DS2 took up the mantle and read gleefully from the college website "Oh look, DS1, you could specialise in Health And Safety."
DS1 now says that he never said he planned to start studying on April 1, but rather he only said that it would be nice if he could wait until then. And, more importantly, he went upstairs and did some History revision for a few hours.

OP posts:
Oddsocks15 · 04/02/2018 17:18

mmzz well done - spoke to my DS (twins) about their handwriting and GCSEs and they just replied “la la la la” so immature... sigh

Original poster
mmzz · 04/02/2018 18:47

You were moved to speak about handwriting (and spelling) because of what Mr Salles had to say about it?? I read the same passages and I thought "ouch" because it rings true.

OP posts:
Teenmum60 · 04/02/2018 19:01

DD currently doing homework ....dare I say that there appears to be allot of homework this weekend, which makes me worry that there has always been allot of homework but most of it was given 5 minutes of DD's attention in form time. Amazing what the affect of a meeting with HT and also parents evening on Tuesday can do! DD is also going to Chemistry clinic tomorrow lunchtime - because the Chemistry teacher stated that if girls did not turn up it showed that they did not care about the GCSE exam!

Bluebelle - well done to your DS...

I dont have any leeway to argue about BTEC courses - DD's dad has already stated that she has NO choice but to stay on at current school otherwise he will not buy her the car he has promised when she is 17 (more money than sense)...so i guess this is some form of incentive/pressure because she has to get 6 x B's and at least A's to study some subjects.

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/02/2018 19:22

I was marking paper 2 for English language last summer and I really went out of my way to be kind about the handwriting but I'm lucky enough to have a large monitor, which helped a bit. Even then it was a real strain on the eyesight!
The only thing I don't agree with is not printing. I know quite a lot of people whose cursive writing is unreadable but their print is legible. I just want to be able to read it! It is slower than cursive, though.

AlexanderHamilton · 04/02/2018 19:33

I’m currentky fighting for Ds to be allowed to use a laptop. He’s Year 9 & was able to in his last school but his new school is patchy. His handwriting is truly awful, it actually hurts him to write & he scored very low on the DASH test.

Oddsocks15 · 04/02/2018 19:34

mmzz mostly yes I was moved to mention handwriting to DT because of what Mr Salles has to say. However their poor handwriting has been an issue for a number of years so I read the paragraph from the book to DT. They are both have poor handwriting and the use of a laptop has been mentioned to one of my DT but all gone quiet from school recently

Taking to a mum at football today and she is having problems with her DS in y11 and lack of revision etc etc... seems to be a common theme

AlexanderHamilton · 04/02/2018 19:40

What does Mr Salles say?

Oddsocks15 · 04/02/2018 19:46

Alexander DD now has the book in her pit, but essentially the examiners get paid by the hour not by the number of exams they mark so if takes too long to read they don’t bother with it. mmzz have you got the book to hand?

Oddsocks15 · 04/02/2018 19:49

Alexander didn’t see your earlier comment about laptop for your DS (same year as my DT), I’ve read mixed reviews about letting children use laptops for exams. My DS was having touch typing lessons at school but nothing since Christmas despite several emails to SENCo. I’ve requested an appointment with her at parents evening this week but not heard back, might have to introduce myself!!!

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