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

[mmzz]

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

Rufus- I hope things go as well as possible. Your poor DD.

So PE today was not great. Difficult long question apparently... that’s all I’ve got. It’s OCR board.

love the way all the different levels of student ability, of parental involvement and of wider worries and being accepted and supported on here. Long may it continue. And the sensible balanced and resilient approaches being taken give hope for the DC.

Dh texted last night to say the decision to send dd to live in a caravan by a lake during exams was fantastic. She is revising loads but she is so calm and there are no stresses of home (ds with his demand avoidance) to distract her.

They might change their minds if it rains.

Cherryburn: I feel your pain. My DS is also dyslexic and has memory problems. I can't help feel it unfair that most of the exams seem to be based on whether you can remember. He doesn't have a chance in hell of remembering one poem, never mind 15 for the English Lit exam. He also doesn't do well actually reading so pouring over revision books isn't working for him. He seems to favour watching videos and using websites such as BBC bitesize. He is getting himself so worked up because he can't remember what he has just spent 3hrs the night before revising. The educational psychologist report stated that if I asked him to go upstairs and get 3 items but the time he arrived at the top he would only remember 1 item. I feel so helpless in what I can do to help him.

I wouldn't mind a caravan by a lake - it does sound quite idyllic

Dd did that paper too RosieLigg and thought it was tricky but okay(ish). Your ds may well have done better than he thinks - as someone said upthread, dc tend to overly worry about what they found hard whilst not acknowledging that they managed 80% of the exam without too much trauma.

And there I am worrying about dgd with no health issues when other DC are coping with illness makes me hats off to all with DC who are suffering with illness as well as the stress of exams all of them little

lightattheendofthetunnel - with my DS we focussed on understanding and practise rather than trying to learn by rote,. But recognise that doesn't work for everything. Although in the sciences he decided not to use up time trying to learn some of the things you just need to learn and accepted he would not get those marks - and spent the time instead ensuring he understood as many as the concepts as possible and practised loads of questions.

Can I ask those of you with DC with dyslexia, what they plan to do after Gcses? My DS(15) has dyslexia and his gcses are next year - I'm dreading it.
Where my DD is going on to study A-levels after these exams, I just don't think my DS will have the inclination to do them. He is definitely more practical but his working memory/processing speed (and writing!) just let him down.

light is it AQA English literature? Which anthology has he got? You don’t actually need to learn all 15 in depth but you need a passing knowledge of them and then some of them in more depth. The key thing is knowing which ones are good for comparisons and why. He could use coloured file cards with poems and themes on and match them up and then try to explain to you why he’s chosen them (i.e. active revision but not writing notes) he could put one or two-word quotation on other cards and then match those up with the theme and poem to see if he can connect them. I’m relying on repetition to a certain extent with that, though! But I think he’s right about the videos and BBC Bitesize - they will work better for him than trying to memorise lots of quotations.

I'm guessing your ds will be able to do his GCSEs on a pc and with extra time Pickwick (and possibly have a scribe if deemed necessary) - it doesn't entirely level the playing field but it helps a bit. I guess it depends on how severely dc are affected. My dd hopes to go on to do her A levels but reasons that she may find them easier (although still challenging) - since she has selected only those subjects she really enjoys and with only three subjects its more straight forward preparing for exams? (At least she hopes so)

Oratory: "Although in the sciences he decided not to use up time trying to learn some of the things you just need to learn and accepted he would not get those marks" - uggh - like the 21 distinctly unmemorable formulae you need to remember for physics? Not a hope for dd!

Loose: it is AQA English Lit. I think it's next Tuesday so many thanks for your ideas, will try them out. I thought it was lazy revision at first but then I watched a few of the videos with him and they were very good. I would love him to do mindmaps but he just doesn't feel comfortable holding pencils/pens. We have tried every pen there is, he is able to use a laptop in the exams and has extra time.

Pickwick: He isn't sure what he is going to but is hoping to go to college but any decent course seems to require 5 GCSEs, I'm sure in my day you didn't need such requirement!

Pickwick, my DS2 has ASD and is finishing a level 3 BTEC at college. It's an extended diploma and is worth 3 A levels. There is much more emphasis on assignments and less on exams and it really suits those who are willing to put some effort in but may not be brilliant in exams. You can go to university after if you want.

Otherwise if he is practical he could look at apprenticeships which might give level 2 or 3 qualifications. They are competitive though and he should be researching them in the autumn. Most will have been offered by Easter.

Feedback from RE paper 2 Judaism was good, easier than Christianity paper from dgd a few moments ago. She had to rush off to Spanish lesson so will know more later ( if I can muster up energy to ask).

light poetry is actually Friday next week so he's got a bit more time! It's the Shakespeare/19c novel on Tuesday. (Possibly he won't be thrilled by that, either!)
Sos that sounds very positive for dgd!

That's good news, Sostenuto.
I haven't heard from DS yet. I asked him to text me, but he'll likely forget if it turned out ok and will want to forget about it if it's even half the disaster he's been expecting.
They're both doing Edexcel, right?

Question for everyone, which exams do you really care about versus three ones that would be nice but aren't really that important in the grand scheme of things?
DS is doing 10, but the only ones that I'm desperate for him to get certain results in are the ones he's doing for A level and English. If I'm honest with myself, I'm not that bothered about the others as long as DS is happy with his results.

DD just wants the grades she needs to move on to 6th form. She’d love an 8 in history, english, photography and classics, but is realistic about the impact her health is having on her performance.

She achieved 6-8 grades in all of the above for mocks, but is struggling with maths, computing and science.

We’re at the stage with chemistry revision where she’s just revisiting what she can understand and process and ignoring the areas she’s never been able to get to grips with.

With her health as poor as it is, we’re having to prioritise and this is the best way to approach it. The sciences aren’t her strong area and she’s done her very best.

And I think we could all benefit from a caravan by a lake right now!

What an absolutely brilliant arrangement for your DD @AlexanderHamilton

Hi hmcaswas. The physics equations are exactly where he switched focus to understanding rather than learning. He found it impossible to learn the equations last year and was getting really frustrated as he loves physics but the penny dropped when rather than thinking of it as an equation you have to learn, think of it as a description of what actually happens so you understand it and can visualise it (ie what increases as the other thing decreases etc) eg speed = distance/time is something he just couldn't remember by rote but knows that as if something gets faster the distance covered will get bigger or the time shorter. A simple example but applied to other topics and with lots of practise it seemed to help. Most of his revision has been practise questions.

After GCSE he is hoping to do A levels in maths, physics and computing as he wants to stay at sixth form (loves his school) and is supposedly bright (according to ed phsyc reports in year 6) and his maths has just started to take off. But the physics GCSE result may determine whether his physics is strong enough. So needs to pass English and get high enough in Maths and physics to go down this path. I don't think University study will be for him though so he's looking at some sort of Computing apprenticeship after that.

In answer to your question Mmzz we have different levels. Really care about English (need a pass so don't have to retake), and maths and physics (to confirm a level choices). DS cares about computing as its first choice a level and probably career choice but I keep reminding him that the a level entry requirements for computing are low and with all the issues with lack of teacher and NEA debacle not to worry about it too much. All the others it would be nice to do well because of the work he has put in and he should be able to well at the other sciences but as long as its a pass we wouldn't really worry too much.

Sorry for long post answering three questions at once !!

Always very sensible to prioritise and I think at this stage they're better off refreshing and making secure what they do know rather than trying to get new things. We have prioritised to a lesser extent - focusing on English and A level subjects and accepting that the other sciences and history could have been much better but sacrificed for the sake of English and A levels.

mmzz the overall package of results is what I care about, not any individual exam, even the subjects DD intends to take for A level. It's the overall spread which acts as the 'passport' in university terms. I think DD herself would like a 9 in Art if at all possible - lots of work goes into Art, more than for any other subject. So if absolutely pushed: Art!

She isn't currently intending to take Art at A level either. My others have all minded about Art too and only one took it to A level.

DS back from RE and says it went well.
I'd say in answer to mmzz question that he's most bothered about doing well in maths, English, geography, biology, computing and music. A good RE grade would be a bonus if he does decide to go for A level philosophy.

Dgd wants that 9 in geography wants to do well in biology, chemistry, maths and english. English mainly because she's got to get a 5/6 form her preferred 6 the form.

mmzz
I'm not sure whether my answers would be the same as DD's but mine are :
Three I care about: Biology (because I can see DD having a future career in this area, Physics(DD has always shown natural ability and I feel she has lost a little of her mojo in the last few weeks) French - I feel that DD has shown real resilience and I feel that it enforces my belief that you can do anything if you put your mind to it...if she passes I will be very happy if she gets higher than a B, I will be ecstatic (she was picked on/almost bullied by the teacher and made to look small in front of her peer class).
Some Grade 7/A's would be nice not looking for grade 9's or A*'s - if they happen they will be icing on the cake...