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Original poster

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

999 replies

Stickerrocks · 22/05/2018 21:53

Thread 8

OP posts:
Nettleskeins · 25/05/2018 11:56

I can't believe they used one extremely "old" poem and one extremely"modern" poem. It feels like a real guinea pig set of questions for the cohort.

Cherryburn · 25/05/2018 12:05

Just heard from DS. 'I think it went really well. Am off to play football.' In other words, that's all the info you're getting for now mum because I'm going to enjoy my time off!

DoNotBringLulu · 25/05/2018 12:06

mmzz I told my ds's tutor I was concerned about him as he never goes out, and he said at least you know where he is! We are removed from any worries about alcohol, drugs etc. 6th form and uni I am hoping our quirky dc will come into their own and people around them start to value different things. My ds has two Scottish accents and talks to the cats in a Russian accent, he is hilarious...probably 15/16 year olds don't think so.

Thank goodness Ozymandias has come up!! He has been studying that one in relation to the Wordsworth. I love the extract from The Prelude, I studied it for A Level.

Oratory1 · 25/05/2018 12:07

Really pleased for you and Dgd Sost.

DS enjoying a chill day at school today but need to wind him up again for half term with some important ones to come that haven't been looked at for weeks.

TheSecondOfHerName · 25/05/2018 12:08

DS2 is home.
He compared Ozymandias with My Last Duchess.
He did the beast question for LOTF rather than the Simon question.

DoNotBringLulu · 25/05/2018 12:10

And....the Blue Ray player remote control has turned up!! Sticker great suggestion - it was underneath his mattress. I did think he may have absent mindedly left it in the bread bin while making toast, barking up the wrong tree there...the obvious alluded me, it must be stress related!

Oratory1 · 25/05/2018 12:13

I think we've decided that DS should definitely do maths next year, whatever the result, as he actually enjoyed a tricky maths paper and came out buzzing. I guess its because it didn't involve having to recall information from the depths of his brain, or form it into sentences :).

hmcAsWas · 25/05/2018 12:19

Glad English Lit has gone well - seemingly for everyone. I got the customary "Exam was okay" feedback for CIE, which is pretty much the same feedback given for all her exams (apart from Chemistry which was "not good")

Dd's prom is a small affair - there are only circa 20-25 students in year 11. They chose to have it in the school hall (they were given the option of in town and they declined) on a Friday evening in early July (they're too sensible for their own good). Apparently the after party is at our house! - they will be camping in our field and dd has made arrangements with them to bring their camping paraphernalia to the last exam in June. I can't really see that happening - and how am I meant to get everything in the car boot. Two-thirds of them plan to come to the after prom 'party' apparently

We are also 15 miles away from school so dh, myself and another set of parents will have to pick them up and transport them here. Not sure why I agreed to it

hmcAsWas · 25/05/2018 12:20

Does he not have problems remember the methodology to use Oratory? I know dd does. She enjoys maths but I don't know about A level - sounds scary

Oratory1 · 25/05/2018 12:22

Mmzz and Lulu same here - adults think DS is great but gets a mixed response from peers and I'm hoping this will improve as he, and they, mature and sixth form may also mean they spend more time with like minds.

He is shy and self conscious too so won't initiate anything with friends who are all a similar unsociable group.

But he is very comfortable in the environment he s in so I am grateful for that and know that might not always be the case

LooseAtTheSeams · 25/05/2018 12:23

Oh Sostenueto that sounds brilliant - well done to your dd!
DS will be pleased about Ozymandias.
Slight sense of relief - a student I tutor asked me last night to go through Singh Song with her! Smile

brainmelt · 25/05/2018 12:25

sost happy for your dgd.
I got a text saying CIE Eng lit had gone great. So all is good here too.

Original poster
Stickerrocks · 25/05/2018 12:25

DD is off to the year 11 BBQ. English Qs were good apparently.

OP posts:
farangatang · 25/05/2018 12:26

Ah, lucky you hmc to be volunteered for such duties! You must be a very cool parent indeed Smile

second I am happy my DD is also going to go to her prom as she is so similar to your DS in her preference for staying in. She has even asked about a new dress, to which I've agreed readily as I spend nothing on her clothing or outings compared to DD2 who is a social butterfly and rarely at home. Goodness knows how she will cope with exam 'confinement' when the time comes

farangatang · 25/05/2018 12:28

ooops - did I mix up second with Oratory? Glad I don't have to take these GCSEs!

areyoubeingserviced · 25/05/2018 12:29

DD said that Singh Song was unexpected and was the weakest poem for many of her peers, including herself
Fortunately, I had told dd to study her weakest poem last night , so she is thrilled.
She now thinks that I have psychic powers becsuse I predicted that Macbeth would be on the supernatural and the different reactions of both Macbeth and Banquo

hmcAsWas · 25/05/2018 12:29

Or just a mug farangatang Grin

mmzz · 25/05/2018 12:29

I just got text from DS: Exam went badly. Couldn't think of anything to say. Singh Song. Everybody going into town but they didn't tell me where they were going and they left whilst I was doing the extra time. So coming home now.

Oratory1 · 25/05/2018 12:31

hmc, yes that used to be an issue but practise seems to have resolved that. He seems to revise through doing (ie practising past papers and questions) as learning formulae etc is impossible. I tried to persuade him he should go actually revise some maths methods and formulae etc but he insisted no need and I think the zillions pf past maths papers have drummed it in. That's how he learned the physics formulae too, by applying the to questions and understanding the physics rather than trying to learn them. The lack of past papers is annoying and I'm glad I warned him that the new papers would be more tricky so he was ready for that, and the CGP practise books have been helpful.

The only downside is I seem to have spent the past three months constantly marking papers - it takes ages. I know he should do them himself but trying to maximise limited time so I just make him go through the mark scheme for the ones he got wrong.

hmcAsWas · 25/05/2018 12:31

Sad mmzz - that text pulls at the heartstrings a bit

hmcAsWas · 25/05/2018 12:33

Yes - dd is better in learning through doing Oratory.

I think she is clear on her A level options, but perhaps we should await the results and see how she does and not discount anything at this stage (including maths)

farangatang · 25/05/2018 12:33

Grin hmc

Sad mmzz Bless. Hope he cheers up soon and can put this exam out of his mind. It upsets me when 'friends' seem to forget our DC, isn't it?!

areyoubeingserviced · 25/05/2018 12:34

I think it’s so unfair that the conflict poem was a poem that most student would have covered in detail, but the love and relationship poem is a poem that most students would not have covered in detail.
I wonder what effect this will have on the grade boundaries

Oratory1 · 25/05/2018 12:35

Sorry to hear that mmzz. Feel for you - not much consolation but hang in there til next year when hopefully he will be in his element.

LooseAtTheSeams · 25/05/2018 12:37

mmzz oh no, poor DS. I just want to give him a hug (probably not something he would want to hear from a random internet stranger through).