GCSEs 2018 (9) Will we get to half term, for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and who is Banquo

[Stickerrocks]

Thread 8

My children are past GCSEs, but I have come on this thread just to say the title made me laugh out loud. Brilliant. Good luck to you all ... this too shall pass ...

'...this to shall pass' - that's what @Changebagsandgladrags's DH is hoping

Thanks @looseatheseams

Re the Maths-I did read somewhere that they’ve taken on board feedback and will make the questions more accessible/wording easier -in the C type questions anyway!

cubscout DD is predicted 10 grade 9s which I've always maintained is silly. She's seemed calm throughout but after yesterday's physics paper I am actually concerned that it is creating additional pressure and that's something all DC can do without.

Head of Maths sent out a lovely email yesterday reminding students they'd been studying Maths for 11 years already, so had done 26.1 miles of the 26.2 miles needed - that got an "awwww" from DD rather than an eye roll, so I assume the tone was right .

Hope the exam belly settles for the DH!

I'm nervous about the maths too. DS capable of a 9 but also capable of making very silly mistakes on the easier questions. It's an A Level choice so I just want him to do well to boost his confidence. He had a couple of years where his confidence in maths was shot to bits through having a teacher who just really didn't suit him and wouldn't make any adjustments for his dyslexia, despite saying that she would. He's had a fantastic teacher for the last couple of years and he's back up where he should be (he got a Level 6 in SATS and a couple of scholarship offers based on maths performance in 11+) so I really want him to do well for his sake.

Pep talk in the car this morning about checking and double-checking the 'easy' stuff. Hope it sunk in.

Good luck all.

goodbyestranger what a lot of pressure for your dd! I said before, ds school not predicting 9's for anyone in anything. I'm fairly confident ds will get a 9 in Maths as he took AS last year and got an A (don't ask...) but anything could happen.

sandy 😆😆

Good luck to everyone this morning. Took a very grumpy DD to school this morning, but that’s her default mode before an exam.

I’m in awe of all the DCs being predicted 9s! I don’t think anyone has been predicted a 9 in DDs year. But that could be because she attends a comp, and we’re in a grammar area.
I’ll be overjoyed if she gets a clutch of 6 & 7s.

sandy but WHERE IS THE RUBBER? (perhaps not necessary?) and WHERE IS THE STRANGELY STUNTED PENCIL FOR THE COMPASS?

It's tempting do ask cubscout but since I'm barred..... :)

Yes, I think the school has been fairly liberal with its 9 predictions and I've been uber cool about them when talking to DD but I'm concerned now that they may well be doing more harm than good to how she feels. Oh well.

The last thing I'd want is a breakfast session at the start of a double exam day so I've every sympathy with your DS mmzz. Maths and RS here too but fortunately no horrible early start.

Need a rant........took DS in car to school on route I ask is your phone in your bag
Yes of course it is
You don't want to get complacent
I'm not stupid
If your caught with your phone you will be disqualified from all our exams!!!!! (I'm starting to get fraught at this point-not sure why!!)
He gets out of car and there on the car seat is his phone - it had been in his pocket the whole time.........words were exchanged he left for his exam, not even sure I said good luck.

To top it all its raining really heavily here and he is only wearing a shirt, he is going to be sat in the very cool exam hall soaking wet.........he also has a very good chance of hitting a 9 !!

DS (set 8 of 8 for Maths...) left this morning with 3 protractors and 2 calculators ‘just in case’...

Kingscote I thought about the rubber too, but I spotted on at the end of one of the pencils

idsisatwat crosspost. When I say liberal I mean very, very liberal.

nervous here too - shouldn't be as I know he can get a decent grade but its his one chance of getting a more than decent grade if that makes sense so would be nice to do well. And would also confirm whether A level maths is a wise choice or not.

@KingscoteStaff thanks for the rubber concern. There was indeed a small one at the end of a pencil. There was also an out of sight large one removed from DD's stationery Aladdin's cave. Of course I'm sure a rubber won't be needed much 😬

kings choosing the right stunted pencil last night was quite a job
Maths has commenced.

BlueBelle

I’ve had similar conversations. She’s driving me nuts, as in every exam she’s had up until the actual real GCSEs, she’s left her phone at home.

But now, when forgetting to put your phone in your bag could mean disqualification from your GCSEs, she has her phone!!!! Argh!!
And when I remind her to put it in her bag, the response is “god, I’m not stupid you know”. And breathe! Think we all need

I can't believe how nervous I am feeling that she won't have all her equipment. I run through the list every morning but short of checking it for her nothing else I can do. And I am loving that metal protractor. I had a wake up call when I realised that they need calculators for biology exams - glad she knew as I didn't.

So much for an early night yesterday. DD decided to tackle one last paper and it turned out to be really hard and she had a mini despair moment and thought that's it she is going to mess up the paper - it's so hard. The questions were harder than anything she has done to date. Plus to add to that we couldn't find the mark scheme.

She decided not to give up and said she was determined to work through it and so took her time did it and finally went for shower at 11:30. I managed to find the mark scheme in the meantime and we marked it together.

She has set herself a very high target for the Maths papers and she came in within 1% of it. But she was reassured that the real difficult stuff she got right and the silly mistakes that lost a point here and there could have been avoided.

Despite little sleep she said today she is looking forward to her exam. This is a child who didn't have that much confidence in maths before and has worked hard over the last few months to increase this. This is an A level choice so really hope that her hard work pays off. Igcse first year of 9-1 so no idea how hard it's going to be.

Sorry for the essay. I clearly write when I am nervous.

Thanks for that cubscout - It is nice to not feel less alone in my nausea....
DD is a 7 or 8 - she really wants an 8 and should be able to get one. She has two 9's for aspirational grades but they really would be the icing on the cake - who knows what these grades will look like percentage wise anyway?
One very very clever and super focused girl at her school is predicted all 9's and had a bit of a meltdown after Biology as she felt she had blown it - too much pressure I think.
Halfway there now baring delayed starts for scared people having to be talked into the room or random fire alarms.
Good luck to them all.

Cherryburn your DS sounds like my DD, she makes so many silly mistakes on the easier questions and loses marks, but the difficult questions at the back , no problem.

I too am feeling rather sick today - this is a big one for DD, as she needs at least an 8 to do Further Maths at A-level. Hope she doesn't go to pieces in the exam.

Good luck to them all

goodbyestranger
”.. DD is predicted 10 grade 9s which I've always maintained is silly. She's seemed calm throughout but after yesterday's physics paper I am actually concerned that it is creating additional pressure and that's something all DC can do without.“

We’ve got the same situation here, except DD’s already done two GCSE’s but she’s predicted 9’s for all 8 of the subjects she’s sitting. She too has been largely calm and pragmatic up until now but I see her frustrations with these exams growing. Yesterday’s Physics made her have a small wobble as it’s her best and favourite subject. She’s been used to getting between 94 and 97% so says she’s worried.

Pickwick it's so frustrating isn't it?

Slinky same for DS, first 9-1 paper for igcse (Edexcel). DS is expecting it to be harder than the old papers. And when I say he's capable of a 9, that's a bit finger in the air since no one knows where the boundaries will lie!

Lightattheendofthetunnel I'm sending good luck vibes to your DS as well, he really deserves to pass plus if DS doesn't get his 9 its not going to impact on his future, dented ego at most, its those that have to get a 4/5 that I think really deserve all the luck today!