GCSE 2018 (7) [wine][wine][wine][wine]

[mmzz]

A new thread to take us through the exams
Link to old thread

Morning all

DD slept well. I did not! She’s eager to get underway and is as ready as she can be.

She told me yesterday she was leaving her phone behind, without any suggestion from me. I was impressed!

Virtual hugs to the mums, dads, grandparents, guardians, etc who are applying the brave face while inwardly experiencing the nerves and anxiety.

DS never has breakfast in the mornings as it make him feel ill... the deal was he could choose whatever he wanted as long as during GCSEs he eats before going to school.

So hes had hot chocolate and some Cheerios this morning.

I feel like a bit of an interloper here, but hope no one minds.
DD is in year 9 and has GCSE ICT today - it's just started, in fact.
It shouldn't be a big deal as it's the short course unit 1, but she has ADHD and preparing for it has given us some insight into what it's going to be like in a couple of years' time...and it's frightening; her working memory is so vad, it's been a huge struggle to get her to remember even very basic info. We've also had to do battle with the school over access arrangements.

She did a mock last month, which turned out to be a paper we'd gone through the week before, so she got an A* and thought that meant she was going to do as well in the real exam, with no further revision needed. 😐 It's been stressful! I have no idea how we'll survive 10 subjects!
Good luck to all DCs with exams today.

I'm delurking to join in. DS starts today in earnest - we had French speaking last week plus an outlier History paper but from now on its heads down, exam a day for 3 weeks.

Ds is a very chilled boy, which is useful if a bit infuriating. On the plus side, we haven't had any drama (other than losing his history flash cards the afternoon before the exam which turned up in the fridge ) On the minus side - aaaaarrrrggghh, I'm not sure he has much to be chilled about!

He is at a very good school but is not one of their high performers, and its not clear whether he will get enough to got through to their sixth form. (We have a Plan B). All I can hope is that the school is extremely well drilled in getting them through exams with good passes. I've not really interfered in revision because the school propel them forward - I've just bought post-its, gel pens and been biting my tongue at the amount of surfing clips being watched.

DH said yesterday evening - which I agree - that its not about revision now, its about confidence so we are all being calm and gung ho at home. Its not exactly how I feel!

Joining in here as well.

DD has her ICT this morning.

Good luck to all.

other than losing his history flash cards the afternoon before the exam which turned up in the fridge

Good luck to all the DC today

Hello to all the delurkers - good luck to your DC's today...

Floottoot - Good luck to your DD.

Welcome to the new people joining the thread.

The AQA Biology is very frustrating. DS2 is gifted at science (started KS3 in primary school) and knows the material inside out and back to front, but when answering questions he doesn't always use the words or phrasing that are needed to get the marks. I don't know whether it's due to his ASD or just a feature of the exam style.

He has familiarised himself with the command words and looked at mark schemes. In the end, I told him it was like an adventure game where you have to utter certain key words or phrases in order to unlock the next level.

Thank you, Teenmum. It's been a difficult few months, as DD decided to come off medication after a particularly awful reaction to a new one. We have had to persuade her to go back on them for the exam but not before she had a major meltdown yesterday, which was quite scary.

Stickerocks - dd is doing RS & she only has two papers. Both this week.

My DD has 2 papers today, which they give them together and the third one this Wednesday - AQA

thesecondofhername, we have the same problem with DD. She knows her stuff but it's as though she talks ( writes) in shorthand, with the rest still in her head because obviously she knows what she means so she thinks everyone else does to. I have banned her from using the words "it" and "they" and tried to drum into her that she needs to make sure she has honed into exactly what the question asks and spell it out in her answer. Marking schemes have helped but she tends to lock onto her own script, IYKWIM, and can't seem to move from it, no matter how many times we correct her.

The Second - dd has exactly the same problem with AQA biology. (also has asd). She just does not get the marks on the exam paper. She had been thinking about taking a science at A level with a view to physiotherapy if the dance career didn't work out but her grades are not high enough (though I'm hoping Tassomai has lifted her from 5/6 to a 7.

kyrenialady, is that WJEC unit 1?

Surely Flashcards in the fridge has to be in the next thread title.

I think dd is doing Edexel RS (though I'm not 100% on that one. She has Christianity today I think and Islam on Wednesday.

Good luck to all DC's.

DD went off to RE this morning fairly happy, refused to hug me.

I actually feel sick. Am I going to feel sick until 21st June??

I actually feel sick. Am I going to feel sick until 21st June??

'fraid so

Flash cards in the fridge

Yes well said about that it is all about the confidence now (apart from last minute cramming)

Just looked up and realised that today's Latin paper is worth 50% of the gcse. Didn't tell DD that. She is feeling the pressure to not just do well but get the top grade. Countless years of work and it has all come to this one 1.5hr paper. And also quite sad for DDc actually as she loves the Classics but won't be carrying on with it to 6th form.

Need a bit of a lie down after trying to catch up on the 156 posts since I last posted on Saturday evening - have skimmed but may have missed a few things

Good luck to everyone with exams today - mostly RS and CS? DD is doing neither so her next exam is tomorrow; biology which is one of her planned A level subjects.

Oddsocks my dd has anxiety, had a period of school refusal in Y9/10 and much of her anxiety was social anxiety. She was referred to CAMHS but I didn't want to wait (and I wanted an arrangement that would suit our timetable, location etc rather than take it or leave it NHS provision) - she sees a private Child and Adolescent Psychologist once every fortnight. The talking therapy has really worked very well. She will always have anxiety but is a great deal better at managing it now and at talking herself down. A private arrangement may not be suit you, but I thought I would flag it as a possibility. I pay £60 for an hour long session fortnightly - its a fair bit, but it has been worth it

TheSecond - yes I think its normal as others have said. I've been having exam dreams and I woke up at 4 am today and couldn't get back to sleep. Wine consumption has increased too

Teenmum - I hope you find something to ease your dd's irritating symptoms. Its all she need with exams ahead

mmzz - I feel your pain. I am always saying to dd : state the bloody obvious - the examiner doesn't know you and isn't aware that you know this material, so demonstrate it to him or her and write it down!
Arggh!

slinky I didn't k ow it was 50% eitheras there ate 3 papers! Thanks for the info!
flash cards in the fridge well at least he has made some...
thesecond it seems to be an issue with Biology across boards. DS doing Edexcel and it's always about the eight terms and concise etc. He knows the stuff bit it's how he words the answer.

Jeez my typing.

Right terms not eight

..does anyone know how long IT is this morning?

DS has promised to text me once he's out - just wondering what time to expect the text?

Re the flashcards in the fridge, we think he ambled over to the fridge looking for a snack, found something that needed a two handed approach and put the flashcards down. But they were slotted neatly in one of the door shelves, so who knows.

Eve, WJEC unit 1 was 1.5 hours, starting at 9am...so all over now.