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

[mmzz]

New thread for GCSEs 2018

BlueBelle123 - I'm finding DD is revising but she's more laid back than she was in January with the mocks and it's definitely tools down at 8pm every night.

Oddly enough I think she has a mature attitude towards the exams ..she's put in probably more than enough work to get decent grades but is not fretting about higher grades - in her words, she does not want that pressure.

Bluebelle Same here. DS just gets on with it, but he clearly hates revising.

DS seems ridiculously laid back about it all I keep saying aren't you stressed/nervous at all!!!!!??? I know I shouldn't really say anything but at this point with DD she was up round the light bulb!! with me not far behind!

I am getting freaked out by the reference to the paper on Friday? In that this paper is not on dd's exam list. Her English language exam is listed as:

Code O55DS
Title: First Language English OPT DS Reading Passages (EXT) 21
Board: CIE

It was a 2 hour exam but 2.5 hours for her with extra time

It was the one re work experience and a father writing a report

But also had another section on miners I think?

Anyway - we do not have a second English language exam listed for Friday?

But the rest of you do and it appears to be the same IGCSE

DS3 seems quite laid back at the moment. Hopefully not too much, but better than him stressing.

Most of the schools locally have sixth forms but there's a lot of movement between schools after Y11. There's also a large college. So the end of Y11 definitely marks a major transition. Even if you stay in your own school, a lot of your friends will be leaving and there will be a lot of new faces in sixth form.

DS3 gets study leave after half term and a short leavers' assembly on the 25th May, prom after the exams.

I hope all poorly DC recover soon. So miserable to be ill at just the wrong time.

I missed my A levels due to shingles, but in the days when sitting resits was fairly easy, so I took them in the following January. I had 6 months working and went to university with a bit of money behind me. It seemed a disaster at the time but it was fine in the end.

Hmc, can you find anything on the CIE website?

HMC - Did your DD do any coursework? My DD is doing IGCSE Edexcel so not CIE but she only sits one Eng Lang and one Eng Lit exam.

www.cambridgeinternational.org/images/422451-june-2018-timetable-uk.pdf

Anything on here?

Oh phew - yes she did coursework. That would explain it? I will double check with exam officer tomorrow

Its CIE though

Will look on website too in interim

Link not working sorry

Just checked in syllabus and yes the coursework accounts for why she isn't doing a second paper.

Doh! - got into a flap over nothing. Sorry! Normal service resumed

(I think I should be more familiar with the syllabus for each subject)

I only really know the AQA science stuff, lucky that that's the one DS is doing! Glad the panic is over.

Cheers Ellen - I'm off to bed. Think I am a bit overwrought and tired (like dd)

mmzz sorry I missed your query. Yes it will be on GCSE performance the prize giving I should think being its in October. There are so many really bright children in dgds school I doubt she will get anything apart from maybe the geography prize if there is one. There are some amazing really high ability children. I will be happy if dgd survives the GCSEs let alone what grades she gets as its horrible seeing dcs so stressed!

Are you having trouble sleeping too, Sost?

I guess your DGD is partly stressed because if those few days in hospital, Sostenueto, but to put it in perspective they only represent a tiny percentage of all the hours of preparation your DGD has done for these exams. No one could have done more. She is as well prepared as possible and now she just needs to go and put what she knows down on paper and collect the grades that she has justly earned. She has nothing to beat herself up about.

Superdoodle I hope your DS is starting to feel better today.

hmcAsWas so glad that's sorted, I don't even know all the exam boards of DS's exams (I'm sure he's told me I keep forgetting)

DS has a leavers assembly on 25th May, then a trip to a theme park and prom. Most doing A levels stay at school a few go elsewhere but as school only does A levels everybody doing anything else will leave. Then there is a celebration/awards ceremony in October.

Whoops yes I did means whatches not phones way back (phones on desks 😀). DS is staying on though a couple of his friends are leaving. We commented that there s a big celebration and loads of thing to mark the upper sixth leavers but those leaving after year 11 seem to be expected to just slink off even though they may have made a big contribution to the school.

DS planning to go in for some of the post exam leave for music commitments etc and then hoping to find a job which would be good I think as much for the experience as for the money

Just cleared the dining room which is nearly looking as bad as DD's bedroom in terms of mess everywhere - stationery lying all over the table - The area of the table she was working on was getting smaller and smaller.

I;ve been at home with DD all this week but she's at her DF's tomorrow (so I can do some work appointments) but back to me for the weekend..

Sostenueto good luck with day 2 of art - hopefully things will calm down a bit.
We have a 'celebration evening' for Y11 at school - it sounds a bit like an assembly rather than a party!
DS looks calmer than I feel at the moment. School texted me to say they haven't got his sixth form acceptance form - he's adamant he handed it in!

I am so glad DS1 didn't do art. From what you've all said I will probably discourage DS2 from it - he likes DT though and I think that may be equally time consuming?

DS1 has headed to school for a history revision session. Selfishly I hope he hurries home as DDog has the runs and I'm worried about him. Note to self - don't feed DDog chilli 😳

sandybayley
Yes, DT is time consuming but if he loves it let him take it. It's a nice break from all the academic subjects. Do make sure he takes lots of photos of his work as he goes along - he will need them!

Sandy - My daughter also does DT and will take it at A Level too - totally agree with @Astronotus that it is a nice break away from academic subjects and 60% of the exam is coursework. Just ensure that he tries to keep to timescales with the coursework - the grade boundaries for the coursework also appear high and fixed so it's important that he knows this from day 1 (Graphic Products had a grade boundary of 92% for its coursework for A*)

DS2 finishes school tomorrow, which feels a bit weird. After that he just goes in for exams. There's a sixth form induction day in early July, then that's it until September.

He is small for his age and a bit socially delayed due to his ASD, so it feels too soon for him to finish compulsory schooling.

DS2 has planned his long summer quite carefully:

• 1 week work experience (required by school)
• Orchestra rehearsals, concerts then tour in Germany
• Volunteering at the library (Reading Hack)
• 10 day family holiday
• 1 week Physics summer school
• Dungeons & Dragons campaign with his friends
• Bridging the Gap Maths course (home learning) and practising for the Maths A-level entry tests in early September.