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

[mmzz]

New thread for GCSEs 2018

Everyone has to go to college down here unless they are at private school. Kingscote do they break up as soon as their exams are over or do they effectively start 6th form early?

The worst this possible happened today for dgd yep you guessed the dreaded 'blob' 10 days early! So home comes a very stressed teen really hot from sitting in exam room all day, doubled up with period pain, yes, sore throat too, and unbelievably emotional crying for at least half an hour, moaning about heat, exams,art teachers, life, me, the dog her mum , her stupid boys in her set, blah blah blah and even about her dinner. (Sigh) luckily I was round dd so after giving dgd a hug made a hasty retreat home

I'm sitting sipping a rum and coke and a nice cream cake! Yep all will be well in a bit my dd said dgd a nightmare at mo. Great thing about being a grandparent is you can just leave dd to it and remind dd that's what she was like at that age

sticker at DS school they don't return to lessons at all. They have a sixth form induction day. No prom either as school goes up to y13.

Art went...........and dgd thinks she will struggle to finish. I elected to say absolutely nothing. She has art tomorrow again and I should think she will finish as though she's completely fed up with subject she still wants to do the best she can. Art teacher said the DC have got to do art homework tonight evaluating exam piece which they can't do till they have done it as she wants the exam book by the weekend. Don't think that will happen somehow. Have email to art teacher waiting to send but debating whether I should or not. Any advice as to what to do?

Does anyone know the date for exam work is? I know coursework for art has to be done by 30th may.

Sorry, to clarify I meant it's difficult for them to tell if they think it's gone badly. Not that those for whom it has gone well might be wrong!

Got a bit more out of DS1. He says it was indeed a report (a father reporting on his son's work experience). He says he's seen harder papers but it was a difficult one. Apparently they'd practiced every other format (persuasive letter etc) but never a report.

He also thinks that the paper on Friday is the easier one.

No leaving do for him. A couple of 6th form familiarisation days but it just seems to peter out.

Sorry to hear DGD has got her period sostenuto. I feel for her, got mine on my wedding day

Nite to all good luck for tomorrow to all DC and though it be hard remember, a smile a day keeps the doctor away!

Sandybailey was that aqA?

Sandybayley was that aqa board? Or do all aqa sit on same day as DGD got eng. Language after bank hol.?

It was IGCSE CIE sostenuto

No it's CIE igcse Sost

stickerrocks the email was not explicit but it used the phrase "your child's teacher" so I think it went to the whole year.
This school does not favour the most able. In fact, quite the opposite - the most able get out in the largest classes, are most likely to get cover lessons and get progressed at the rate of the lower sets so that students from the lower sets can be moved up a set without having to catch up.
I don't think the most able get anything extra at all (except maybe a quieter, better behaved class to be in, which obviously makes a difference).
It's been an irritation sometimes, tbh.

I'm obviously not an English teacher, but one of the biggest issues we have with students writing reports in exams is that they start off with good intentions (headings, an intro summarising the requirement) then it all fizzles out. They forget to link elements together, so they move abruptly from one element to another, and rarely put a brief conclusion at the end.

Now, do I ask DD if they've practised writing reports as well as the persuasive letters they seem to have been wallowing in for months?

I do think it must be an anti-climax if they don't have a moving onward/upwards event of some description.

mmzz I bet the maths dept love whoever made that decision as well!

Superdoodle - Could it be hayfever and tree pollen causing the sore throat - both DD and I struggling ..DD nose partly blocked and breathing is quite bad and sore throat (but hoping that worst is over with three pollen and then we can progress to grass . Try antihistamine may work.

No leavers assembly either - school goes up to Yr 13...they had a party in the playing fields last Friday...Hoodies are given out on the last day they all sit the same exam so assume that will be either Eng or Maths. Prom tickets already on sale ... There is a prize giving in June but only for girls who are awarded a prize.

Keep chins up for the DC's who found English tough today..onwards and upwards...

I don't think I ever want the words Computer Science mentioned again after next week ..I'm expecting DD to spend most of this week on the said subject largely down to gaping holes in what was taught over the last two years.

DS will have last exam on the 15th, then a week of work experience, then they have an U16s cricket tournament on the 26th and 27th, back in school for 28th and then end of term on 29th!

Cricket all that weekend and then a 3 school festival the 2nd, 3rd and 4th and then that’s it.

Thanks sandybayley and cherrybun

Prize giving for year 11 is not till October.

Wait! They have to be able to write in several styles in English? Not just persuasive writing?? I don't think I've ever seen either of my two ever write anything that wasn't persuasive writing!
I'll ask DS, but I'm hoping it's my ignorance, rather the English dept putting all their eggs in one basket!

Sost what are the prizes for? Is it mainly GCSE performance?

mmzz all the exam boards will be different. On CIE it could be a letter, report, article etc. Check your DS's syllabus if you're worried but I'm sure it's fine.

DD was practising writing a newspaper article in English last week ... a large sigh from me - DD's IGCSE Eng Lang after HT!

DS was struggling to revise tonight so I told him to take the night off, he was a bit reluctant so I suggested we watch an Inspector calls, as its one of his books for Literature, I was just getting in to it when DS turned it off apparently it was confusing him as its different from the book.......he's definatly reached the point where he's struggling to get any enthusiasum for revision. I shall be glad when monday arrives!!!