GCSEs 2018 (3)

[mmzz]

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

Hear 👂

I'm with Alex & co on this one. Banking a higher grade for the proper maths GCSE is far more valuable than an extra GCSE which many people don't understand the content of. Speaking as someone with O level, A level, S level and degree level statistics, I would have dropped the whole lot to have got an A for maths at O level instead of the B which I was gutted to receive.

DD'S favourite at the moment Sost is "Ew, people".

Stickerocks

Two years ago, when DS1 was choosing his GCSE options, I was surprised that the school only allowed a maximum of 10. Some of our friends children had 11 A*s, and I'd heard of some schools allowing 12 or even 13.
However, now I'm beginning to think of GCSEs as simply a stepping stone to the next phase, and I am wondering if 9 wouldn't be more optimal?
I haven't done extensive research or anything, but for the small handful of 6th form college admissions criteria that I have seen, they all tend to require 7+ for the A level subjects, 5s for maths and English and then x no of points in total from your best 8. Some require all exams to be done at the same sitting too which makes me question the value of sitting them early.
On the downside, you have to record all results on university applications, even the ones you bombed at, which are no use to your degree and you only did because the school made you (RE).
If that is widespread, then wouldn't it make more sense to put all your efforts into getting 8 good grades, rather than spreading yourself thin over 10/ 11/ 12/ 13 etc?

I think so mmzz

Me too...I think it was different when there was a certain amount of coursework but with the new linear system less is more ....although I guess its difficult to give DC a wide choice of subjects then ?

I've had a look back at last year's GCSE support thread, and I think ours is way better!
Maybe it's because it is the first year of the new GCSEs, so there is something to say?
We have:-

• Narration of our DC's experiences as things hot up month by month (and our own).
• tips on study aids and ways to support our DC
• thoughts on striking a balance between free time and study time
• descriptions of sixth form open days, interviews and applications
• information sharing about the new exams
• mock exam descriptions
• talk of proms and prom outfits

and much more

I have found it all really useful and supportive.

If a current year 10 parent wants to know what is in front of them next September and get some good tips, they'd do well to read these three threads.

My top tip (ie biggest regret so far) is not getting the DofE sorted before year 11. It has been a pain in the neck!

I’ve found this years thread more stressed than my one two years ago, that only really started around this time as there wasn’t the same pressure from school.
Students this year are certainly more stressed.

It's the dual stresses of the linear exam structure and the newness meaning that no one really knows what to expect.

Supermum my DS's school made everyone take statistics last year, which at the time I thought was madness, as they were teaching it in the maths lessons as well as the new harder GCSE.

Well my own personal opinion on it now is that if your DS is good at maths and wants to do A level then its worth it. DS got an A* and still on track for his GCSE grade. Also A level maths has a statistics module so good grounding. Plus he had the experience of sitting a GCSE last summer and knows what it feels like to get the result!!

However, if your DS is not strong in maths then I think all efforts should be on getting a good GCSE grade (at DS's school they did not spend anywhere near 40hrs on statistics).

Good luck to your DS whatever you decide!!

TheDrs I agree but the unknown is scary and the fact that no-one knows where these grade boundaries will fall is unsettling for all, people like certainty and at the moment in the education system there isn't any in a couple of years I think things will of calmed down alot!!

Are we as parents more stressed or are the DC more stressed? My DD would have been a typical straight A/A* student under the old system, but I'm afraid that she will consider herself a failure if she doesn't get some 9s alongside 7s and 8s under the new system. The new spread of grades will be far more similar to those we experienced in the O level generation, but I'm not sure if the kids themselves will see it in the same way, when those in the year above received the grades the current batch think they deserve.

Stickerrocks I agree DS has said if he was doing GCSE's under theold system he wouldn't of started working until Easter but due to the new grading he has started earlier, I feel they will be a lot of DC who will have excellent results but will still be disappointed (DS being one of them!!)

mmzz I agree.

DS had his interview for his school 6th form yesterday. He said it was ok but getting details out of him is like getting blood from a stone.

He did however mention Biology A level when he got home, and now I am totally confused, as I though he had decided on Maths, Physics, History, and had Government and Politics or Business Studies as a back up. He did not even want to speak to any of the Biology departments when we rent round colleges.

He has put in place his revision timetable and does now seem to be working to it; he has gradually increased the time slots fr each subject, and now usually does between 1-2 hours a day depending on what other activities he has on. He still has twilight revision sessions after school 4 days out of five too. He has said the French ones are really helpful.

In reply to the question regarding Statistics GCSE, DS had to do this, he was given no option.

All the triple science students were made to do it as they had timetable gap and school did not want them doing nothing so put them all in for GCSE Statistics. He hates it, the teacher is awful, and none of his stet for it (they are tops set maths) are getting to grips with it. They have all been told they need to go to a catch up session tonight instead of the Maths one. He is not happy. But school will not be swayed. Stats will be his 10th GCSE. So GS would say if you don't have to do it, or don't have an interest in it, don't do it!

His school (all boys) don't do a prom thank god, but I am waiting to hear about the class hoodies they have ordered the last few years.

He has school photos next week, they will do a form one as well as an individual one, so it will be lovely to see how the boys have changed since the YR7 form photos!

More mocks next week for English, then again after half term for the rest of his subjects.

This thread has been really useful!

I agree -give it a few years and it will be much calmer. DS2 in Y8 is likely to be better prepared. It will also be easier to make informed options decisions.
Some subjects that notoriously caused angst, like GCSE art, have been made even more stressful by adding significantly higher requirements to the coursework. It's wrong-footed our school and the students so the last-minute scramble will be even worse than it used to be. DS1 is very fed up although he is cracking on with exam prep.
In English language there's only one tier and frankly it barely acknowledges students who would previously have done foundation.

notsomanky just saw your post and it sounds so familiar!
DS1 is now commenting on how much he enjoys English, which wasn't on his list of A level options before. It is his best subject though. And I have the distinct impression he'd rather do music. He has an interview at sixth form college tomorrow so goodness knows what options he's going to tell them!

If the old system of GCSEs were still in place my dgd would have absolutely no problems! She has another English assessment exam today and tomorrow and this morning she wasn't very enthusiastic. I told her to trust in her own ideas as far as inference goes, find enough evidence to convince her idea is valid and own her idea! Told her to build on her idea each paragraph in a logical way ending one paragraph so the next one follows in sequence. Told her to believe in herself because she has a great brain so she should trust it! That's all I can say really to her. She will ring me at break time to let me know how it went. Fingers crossed.

Our DC are under a great deal more stress than last years cohort. All exams new way for my dgd anyway and in my mind so unfair because as some of you have already said if she doesn't get the 9 s shed like she will feel a failure in her mind no matter his many times we tell her they really are much harder exams. So unfair on thus cohort, so unfair!

As far as the meeting with HOE and teacher went well thinking about it now it was rubbish! Waffle and rubbish!

@Sostenueto If i were you, what i'd take from that HoE meeting isn't what was said, but what was not said. What was not said - but is implied - is that the teacher knows things have to change and the HoE is watching to make sure that they do. You wouldn't expect the HoE to give the teacher a negative appraisal in front of all the parents, would you? Yet, it sounds to me like the teacher has had her wings clipped by the very fact that she had to apologise to you over the tutor comment and she had to sit through the meeting last night.

Anyone who resorts to quoting their qualifications is on the ropes, and that's exactly what the teacher did at parent's evening. She was struggling, probably why she took the condescending attitude. Now the HoE knows what is going on and is monitoring the situation.

DS is definitely stressed. He just isn't himself at the moment.

At primary school, people always used to talk about how the DC were exhausted and needed the holidays to recuperate and I used to wonder what their children were doing that wore them out so much as my Dc showed no signs of weariness at all. However, this time around, I'm really grateful that its half-term in 3 days time because I think DS really needs the mental break (even though he will has about 12 hours of revision scheduled).

Sostenueto your advice to dgd was spot on - so much of it is being confident, in fact!
Don't despair too much about the meeting - much more may be going on behind the scenes than you realise. I had a parallel situation last year with maths.
I wish schools weren't allowed to predict 9s at all, to be honest. It's so dependent on how well a small percentage of students perform against each other.

Thanks loose and mmzz

Well I continued my pondering in the car with DD earlier. She says she thinks that she is less stressed than she would have been under the old system. She thinks there is an element of luck of the draw this year, whereas in previous years she would have been expected to get straight A*s because that's what "everyone" did. She thinks she is in a relatively strong position because she has a good memory and can string coherent sentences together, but she also realises that her results could bomb because the teachers and exam boards have misinterpreted each other. therefore the stress is all mine apparently!

However, she is only take final exam based subjects. Her chums taking music, art graphics etc are either procrastinating or struggling for perfection on their course work and getting a bit more tetchy.

I wish schools weren't allowed to predict 9s at all, to be honest. It's so dependent on how well a small percentage of students perform against each other.

I completely agree with this. How does any school know that a student is top 2%, unless the student is a clear genius? It raises false expectations and makes an 8 disappointing, when really its a fabulous result.