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

[mmzz]

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

Sofabitch DS is holding a conditional offer which requires an 8+ in Maths.

mmzz last time I asked DS that question he said he cares most about "all of them"

Stickerrocks thanks for asking......all I will say is that the school thought it best that he sit by the door.....

DS thought PE was fine he did OCR.

I would like DS to do well in Maths, sciences and just to annoy DH History

Given DS capacity to go spectacularly wrong in tests/exams we would settle for a 7 in maths, 5/6 in physics and the rest as 4's. hoping for more but that's what we would gladly accept and move on

DD has a tendency that way too, Oratory. She needs 6s across the board for her preferred 6th form but if not, well, there are other options.

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)
He has already been assessed and he will only get extra time, which I'm thankful for.

my DS2 has ASD and is finishing a level 3 BTEC at college
This is the option he will probably go for, because I really do think he will struggle with A-levels, and as lightastheendofatunnel says you need 5 good gcses to get into any decent course and I don't know if he will get that. He's got a good brain so I think he would be wasted on some of the courses where you only need 2 at really low grades. What Btec is your Ds doing?

Meanwhile DD said RS was good and she's busy watching Netflix swotting for Chemistry tomorrow
The Gcses of hers that I'm not bothered about are French, Geography and RS. I'd like her to do well on the Sciences, English and, as I said before, she needs an 8/9 in Maths.

DD would love to get a 9 in Geography and we would both love her to get a 9 in Biology but I would be very happy with an 8 in both.
Chemistry, History, Maths, RE and Eng lit - 8
Eng lang and Physics - 7
French - 6.
Those are her aims: I would be happy with 6 8's, 3 7's and a 6. I am not allowed to say that though as apparently it means I have no faith in her abilities (I do!). Anything better would be a bonus and if one is lower not a disaster either.
I am proud of her effort not the grades.

Did says Islam (AQA) went much better than Christianity & she had enough time.

OK, major panic from ds. A friend has told him he should have left 2 lines between each answer in the AQA RE paper - he didn't and he's now convinced he got 0. Anyone know how much they are penalized?

DS just wandered into the kitchen to get a drink and they were discussing the 'carrot question' from yesterday's biology paper on the radio. He visibly paled and said 'was there more than one Biology paper being sat yesterday mum?' He thought he'd turned over 2 pages at once in the exam as he had no memory of the question!

He's been revising Chemistry all day-did a past paper this morning then has been going through that and all the others he's done to plug any gaps this afternoon.

cubscout I'm pretty sure he won't be penalised at all for that, tell him not to worry.

Cubscout - is it not an answer booklet where each question has separate lines?DD is Edexcel but has checked and has checked the two lines are just for scanning purposes.

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4112437

Inarticulate in my quest to reassure!

cubscout DS didn't do RE but I doubt your Ds will be penalised for not leaving a two line gap, I imagine its just to make it easier for the board as they scan the papers and send out to markers - as they don't tend to mark the whole paper but just eg one marker will mark all Q's 1 and 4 .

DS did similar in the CS exam he did his drawings in pen but it said to do them in pencil!

Apparently it was a blank answer booklet (questions on separate paper?) which threw him a bit. Well, a good lesson in how not to make silly mistakes. I'll tell him not to worry - anyway it's done now so nothing can be done.

Priorities are:

Biology - a 6 needed and that would be fine, but would love a 7 or even 8 - she and I can dream). One of her A level choices

Art - dd thinks she wants to go to Art school after A levels and into a creative field. She's technically really talented, but I don't as yet see much self expression in her work, so whilst she hopes for a 8/9 she may get a 7 for being too 'safe' with her final piece

Maths - a 6 required to study Psychology at A level. Hmmm - she might marginally miss depending upon the papers - hopefully they will accept a high 5

English Language - a 6 required as above (she should get this and possibly a 7 despite her dyslexia)

In the others- Physics, Chem, Eng Lit, PE, History - 5's would be fine but obviously she would really like 6's and 7's and maybe an 8 (PE most likely candidate for a high score)

Pickwick DS2 is doing computing. Unfortunately he's not very motivated and is happy to stop at the 'pass' criteria. My friend's DS who also has ASD and didn't do as well as my DS in his GCSEs has worked harder at his engineering BTEC and is on target for DDD. (distinction x 3) If they are prepared to give it a bit of effort they will do well. DS2 needed 4 GCSEs C or above including either maths or English because they can/have to retake maths and English, but they needed at least a D (3?) in English to access the syllabus.

There is the option of doing a level 2 course in Y12 worth 5 GCSEs and you can use that to go on to level 3 in Y13 (and Y14 if required.) There are many types of BTEC, each worth a different amount of equivalent A levels. Eg Diploma, 90 credit diploma, subsidiary diploma, extended diploma etc. Your local college should be able to give you more info. Another friend's DS is taking the 3 year route of level 2 then on to level 3 and is excelling. He has mild SN but is such a lovely young man. He was recently presented with an award by Princess Anne in recognition of his efforts.

There are many routes through education and life, they don't all have to take the traditional route of A levels and degrees to succeed and more importantly, be fulfilled and happy.

RS: "Best one yet" apparently.

Oh Bluebelle ....

DD is desperate to do well in maths, English, physics, history & geography, which happen to be the subjects DH & I both took further. She plans to take maths, history, politics & possibly English for her A levels. I really want her to do well in maths, English & history. Anything from a 5 upwards for Spanish will be a huge achievement & I'll be immensely proud of her.

"There are many routes through education and life, they don't all have to take the traditional route of A levels and degrees to succeed and more importantly, be fulfilled and happy. "

Amen to that. We should probably have that as a strapline running through this thread!

A close friend's DD left school 5 years ago with a BTEC in dance and not a lot else. She did a travel & tourism course for the next year and managed to blag an interview at a big financial institution for a customer service role. Somehow she got the job without the relevant qualifications (it must have been the reference I wrote!) Now she leads a team of graduates (age 21) and got a large enough bonus to treat herself to an Audi A1 a few months ago. Personality and determination can still outweigh certificates if you get in front of the right people.

What DS needs versus what he's hoping for:
Maths 8 vs 9
Physics 7 vs 7
English 5 vs 7
four other 5s (out of 7) vs 6X7/8 plus RE which hopefully he'll get something in.

Dgd school likes the bright students but is a really successful 6th form with at least 6 to Oxbridge (8 last year) over 50% to Russell group and a fantastic pass rate for A levels. Much better than the GCSEs.
It is very over subscribed too so no chance to change minds about what A levels to take.

He was recently presented with an award by Princess Anne in recognition of his efforts
Wow, well done him

Thanks for the Btec info, certainly worth thinking about.

There are many routes through education and life, they don't all have to take the traditional route of A levels and degrees to succeed and more importantly, be fulfilled and happy.
Well said.

What wants versus what needs.
Geography. 9. 6
Biology. 8. 6/7
Maths. 8/9. 7
Psychology. N/A