GCSE 2018 no. 6: stress, struggles and success (hopefully) *Title Edited by MNHQ*

[mmzz]

New thread for GCSEs 2018

Stickerrock I think your dd is very brave.
I hope everyone finishing school today has a good day/leavers' party etc - we plod on until and during exams. I believe there's a party at the end of the last exam week but nothing has been confirmed.

Stickerocks really admire you and your dd s calm and supportive approach to all that is going on which I am sure will help you both through the exam period. it also reflects the common sense and balanced views I have apprecated in all you posts. It in no way lessons what you both and the school must have gone through but it looks like you are better placed to cope than most. Hope you can have a restful weekend and best of luck for the exam period.

Thanks Teenmum. DD has her second day of Art today. So far so good. It will be very good to get all the art paraphernalia out of the way.

Not sure being anywhere on the scale of top grades/ lower grades adds particular pressure. I'd say it's absolutely down to the individual disposition, wherever they are on the scale.

Stickerocks absolutely second everything others have said. Your DD and her friends shouldn't have to experience these things as such a young age but it's a credit to them that they are handling it so well.

The school sounds like they have done a really good job of supporting the community.

beenrumbled If you are anywhere near Worsley, there is a coach from there to Winstanley College, which is an exceptionally good Sixth Form College.

DS has had a few unofficial sick days this week and was intending to do the same next week but is so thoroughly fed up with revising - when at home he has been doing 6-7hrs that he has decided to go to school as then he only does 3 hrs ...........I think he's got to the point where he just wants them to start regardless of whether he thinks he's ready or not!!

Aww shucks everyone, thanks.

stickerocks for your dd and you

mmzz thanks for the tip re pausing the paper 2 content on Tassomai. Makes sense at this stage to concentrate on the paper 1 stuff.

DS's last day at school today before study leave. I'm looking at his exam timetable/days for revision before half-term and trying not to do a Clive Dunn in Dad's Army. There seems to be an awful lot to fit in to not much time. Wish the papers were a bit more evenly distributed pre- and post-half term!

HesMyLobster
DS2 is doing Eduqas Latin.
There are some materials here:
www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/latin/

Cherryburn - you can select (your DC) the quizzes he/she wants to take - if you go onto swimlanes and view the topics for each paper then this gives you the option to concentrate on quizzes on each subject and each paper (for example they could choose their weakest topics if they are short of time or paper 1's in order of exam date etc).

Also doing the same re next week ...hope that DD will manage to mostly complete paper 1's on Tassomai...but I also found that the OCR website provides video's of all the topics in the Computer Science exam - so I think this would work well for DD (She's feeling quite grumpy about CS). I did ask her if she felt the two sessions with French tutor were enough revision for French exams and she thinks they are....oddly enough French was my biggest concern last year and now its probably the least because I know she's getting structured sessions.

Is anyone else's Dc getting mentally tired?

No signs of it yet (but then he’s not working as hard as yours) but it is something I’m looking out for. DS generally gets very tired and subject to lots of illnesses so much as I want him to keep at it I will be ready to get him to take a break if he looks to tired or starts to stress

I met a few mothers from DS's year for coffee this morning and we all said the same thing: our DC are mentally tired out. Maybe its just a school-thing? It has been working them very hard.

Just had the latest year 11 newsletter from school and it suddenly seems very real. Seeing the timetable for the last two weeks of this half term (with exam slots in bright red!) makes me really realise they are nearly upon us. I'm glad to see that during study leave they still have the option of going in to see their teachers during their normal timetabled lessons. Not sure whether DD1 will choose to do so but it's nice to see they have the option if they need some input.

Not so keen on the Sunday morning revision sessions which have suddenly been announced. At least they are optional.

DS2 is still fine, but did mention that he is now revising quite intensively all day at school, so he is finding it to then do more revision in the evening.

During exam leave (starts on 14 May) the school is offering a programme of revision sessions between exams for those who prefer to be in school, but these are optional.

...is finding it difficult

DS seems ok at the minute. Was understandably knackered after History exam on Wednesday, as much because he was so nervous before it I think. Played football in the afternoon though, and he's out after school today playing sport (and hanging out with his mates) so is having a night off revision.

This is why Y11/GCSEs is my least favourite bit of their school years. It's as much a test of endurance as anything else and it's the first time they've faced a real educational challenge. DD hated them-she shudders if she sees DS/me doing anything related to them (makes the sign of the cross and hisses at his revision timetable!)

It's a real balancing act. To an extent, tiredness (and being fed up of the whole thing) is inevitable and they just have to push through it to get through all the stuff. On the other hand, proper fatigue will impact how effective their revision is and potentially their health.

I can't wait for the bloody things to be over!

In DS's case, he just seemed to be at a point where he wasn't taking much in and making lots of mistakes that he wouldn't usually when doing work.
So had last night off and then tonight too, and then, hopefully, he'll be able to work effectively again.

I'd say DS1 is OK at the moment. He's working really hard but still taking time off to watch TV or play sport. He's completely dropped PS4 - which is astonishing. He's also walking DDog with me more - which leads to some nice chats.

He's eating vast amounts though - maybe that's what's fuelling him?

It's good but a little unnerving. I'm assuming that the 'normal' DS1 will reappear on 20 June.

Next week will be hell though as DS2 has his Common Entrance exams to get into senior school. He's only 12 and they are tough exams. I'm much more concerned about him. Pale, tired and a bit sad. But they will finish next Friday. The week after DD has Year 9 exams.

stickerrocks - I don't have the backstory to what has happened with your dd and certainly don't want to pry, but didn't want to not comment. Have obviously guessed that she has experienced a bereavement at school and I am sorry to hear that and wish her all the best with managing her emotions and coming to terms with it

Kickbishop - your history exam nightmare 30 years ago sounds exactly that - a nightmare, and I can understand why it still bugs you to this day! I am still pissed off that I got lacklustre results for my GCEs (as they were back then) because I did bugger all work - fortunately it didn't stop me from doing A levels or Uni. Glad to hear that your daughters German exam went well.

Yes mmzz my dd is complaining of being mentally tired and just generally fed up with it. I've told her she will just have to push through! I have booked a 4 day break by the sea from 25-28 May inclusive which will be a proper break and 100% revision free. It comes after her 14-24 May two week block of 10 papers, and after the paper on Friday 24 she then has a gap until 7 June (maths) and then only a further 3 papers in the week after that before she finishes, so I figure she can have 4 full days off directly after the 'fortnight from hell' as we are calling it. Its quite good to keep her incentivised in the interim

DSs are with their dad this weekend, so hopefully the revision is still happening.

DS3 is maintaining his 2 hours a day plus Tassomai for 1/2 hour, outside school. If he has an after school revision session with a teacher, he's counting that as one 1/2 hour session. Seems to be only Chinese and History that he's doing those for, his 2 weakest subjects, I think, (or for Chinese, the most strict teacher!)

He doesn't seem particularly mentally tired but as some PPs DC he's not exactly been over-exerting himself.

He's still only doing the 2 hours on a weekend, but at least that makes it feel like the weekends are time off.

I got another grade card this week. That's 4 this year. I'm not sure why we are getting them so often. He has improved or stayed the same in all subjects, so that's good. Not sure how they are judging it, maybe on past papers? If he gets what he's now predicted I'll be very happy. 9 for maths and 8s for his other two A level choices and mostly 7s with a few 6s (or Bs) otherwise. I guess we'll see in August!

I'm sort of looking forward to him starting now, slightly envious of your DC doing IGCSEs who have some exams completed. It will be nice to cross them off.

Ooops - not that it matters but I meant her two block of exams is 14-25 May and our 4 day break is 26-29 inclusive

Looking at last year's calendar, hmc?

Ah, what can I say - perhaps the pre-Exam period is getting to me too