GCSEs 2018 (8) Dozens of DCs, 1 DH and Flashcards in the fridge

[mmzz]

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DonotbringLulu really pleased to hear that your DS is holding up well, I remember you saying how nervous and anxious he can be over the exams.

DS next week has Eng lit x2, Geography, physics and maths and then 12 after half terms 6 on both weeks so quite nicely spaced out(given the ridiculous number!)

Over the weekend he is planning on 6 hours on both days with probably a couple of cycle rides and obviously eating copious amounts of food....not sure where it all goes!!

catherine DS is doing Engligh Lit for A level too. Welcome to the club
teen I sleep with this and it's transformed my life: www.boots.com/ecotools-sustainable-sleep-mask-10122668?cm_mmc=bmm--Google+Boots+PLAs--BAU--C=%28GB%3AWhoop%21%29+Boots+Shopping+-+Category+-+Health+and+Pharmacy+-+Desktop%28GB%3AWhoop%21%29+Eco+Tools&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8dfPwYmP2wIV4b_tCh3CfgogEAQYASABEgKRSfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

sandy they don't do IB at DS' school so yeah you're right!

brainmelt - thank you - I have not tried masks. This time of year most days I feel like I have done a full days work by lunchtime.

DD doing Physics revision this morning , she doesn't seem to think that she has much to revise for Eng Lit (apart from exam technique) - Is this your take on it too (IGCSE Edexcel with coursework)@Oratory1? Just some quotes from Of Mice and Men and everyone seems to think that Curley will feature within the exam this year.

Thanks brainmelt what other subjects does your DS want to do at A ' Level. DD thinks biology and physics but her photography teacher really really wants her to do that.

loose thanks again, I have emailed it all so far to DD who says thanks too, she knew "most of it" but picked up some new bits of info so is v happy!

brainmelt that sounds like a nice mix, English Lit, Music and French. what instruments does he play? Or does he sing?

I don't get why DD wants to do sciences, but I'm rubbish at them! DH has (most) of a physics degree (long story!!) so I suppose it makes sense! I did do English Lit myself at A' Level so I might be able to help her.

mmzz the part of the brain that recognises faces is a different one to the part we use to remember anyhing else whether visual, auditory or language based.

sandy I thought our DSs were at the same school too, but no IB here either!

French Reading Comp this pm, then 2 x Eng Lit, Geog 1, History Sources, Maths 1 and Physics 1 next week.

DS aiming for English and History Pre Us + Politics and Philosophy A levels next year, probably dropping one at the end of Year 12.

No feedback on French just a quick YES! at the news that the Gloria Estefan musical is coming to the UK next year.

Wow kingscote that's really essay heavy.

brainmelt he comes from 2 long lines of writers who quail at the sight of a formula! Essay writing is his idea of fun... with a bit of music as light relief.

Brainmelt and sandy I think we're on the same schedule as you both. So next week DS has History (sources paper), 2 x English Lit, Physics 1, Maths 1 and the monster 3-hour Geography paper. The latter is ridiculous IMO. I really don't think GCSEs should be 3 hours long! It's his heaviest week by far.

Catherine glad it’s useful.
Final summary:
Paper 2 section B is quite straightforward. You have to write for or against a particular view, so be as persuasive as you can! One thing to watch out for is the format - it could be an article (so needs a headline), a letter (so letter format) or a speech (so remember to thank the organisers for asking you to speak!)
You don’t need to be even-handed as the idea is to promote your viewpoint using suitable rhetorical techniques. In the past, students have been told by Mr Bruff and others to make up facts and statistics as evidence - if you do, make it really plausible because once someone else reads it, it often sounds fake. Definitely don’t invent experts and interview them! The exam board doesn’t like it.
Check the question for the intended audience - newspapers are more likely to be read by adults so you can anticipate their views, for example. A college magazine will be fellow teenagers.
The other tip is to anticipate one or two objections to your argument and acknowledge them, but only so you can counter (or ridicule them). After all that, check SPAG really carefully because the same marking criteria apply as on paper 1.

Kingscote and Brainmelt your dcs have chosen great options! I think DS is a bit torn between what goes best with psychology and what he enjoys. I’m hoping he can actually start 4 and drop 1 later on, but we’ll have to see.

cherry yes same but Latin instead of Geography

Just checking in

I did psychology for year at university. Biology and the ability to write essays are the two things that go best with it. 3rd runner up is some basic statistics.

You rock loose thanks for taking the time to type out the info.

Catherine my pleasure! Please do ask if any specific questions and I’ll try to help!

mmzz do you think DS could get away with English lit, biology and psychology? He’s really undecided between English and Maths! The good news is that means he’s trying really hard with both of them for GCSE and he enjoys biology. I think on balance maths is a better choice and trying not to be biased in favour of English!

DD2 is doing a psychology degree - her maths (statistics) A level has been invaluable, plus her current neural module has been Y1 biology degree extra reading (ie the stuff they're supposed to do on top of lectures, but never do!). So both those are good for psychology.

She reckons those people who came into the degree expecting to write "english or history style" essays have had a bit of a shock, as psychology writing tends to be more reports than essays. Her writing style was described as "sparse" further down the school ("but not in a bad way" ), so she's adapted to the report style quite easily. I think if you were coming from a more prose-y background, the "write 500 words on x, covering a, b, c and d" would be pretty tough, even DD is struggling to cull words sometimes.

MyVisions - that's very helpful, thanks! DS is a good writer, but I have doubts about how much he'd enjoy writing literary essays so the maths option sounds best.

DS2's week of nine exams is done! This was his worst week in terms of exam clashes and number of papers.

I just got home from work and he's immersed in a game of online chess, so not currently available to discuss how French went.

Two subjects are now finished (French and Computer Science) and another (Latin) will be finished on Monday.

Loose you really shouldn't have asked me if I have any questions!! you are too kind. I do have one, do you know where I can get the same advice for English Literature? Wish I knew someone who marked those papers!

Interesting to see a post from DD's school stating that the IB students have finished their exams today...18th May...and the A-level have not yet started their exams ...what a lovely long summer for the IB students.
Are there any DC's considering taking the IB on the forum? I think DD only knows of 3 girls in her year to have already opted to do IB ..although I guess there will be some external students joining the 6th form.