Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

GCSEs 2018 (11) Big week coming up

999 replies

mmzz · 04/06/2018 20:31

old thread

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Stickerrocks · 04/06/2018 22:48

DD has a sniffer sitting near her. DH has suggested putting up her hand and asking the invigilator to give her some tissues, but apparently the sniffer gets anxious about blowing her nose in public and she is in the small room because of her anxiety. DD's teachers deserve medals for going that extra mile and doing things like taking anxiety sufferers for walks to calm them down until the last minute or calling on an emotional support dog before each paper to relax all the DC. They won't get that as they move through the exam system.

English language & geography tomorrow.

TheThirdOfHerName · 04/06/2018 22:49

DS2 has English language and (human) geography tomorrow, neither of which are subjects he particularly enjoys.

After the lunchless exam day a couple of weeks ago, I've made a pasta salad for him to take in, so at least I know he'll have something to eat in between exams.

Stickerrocks · 04/06/2018 22:52

P.S. I hope I haven't sounded disrespectful to anyone who suffers from anxiety, but I would be absolutely useless in that type of situation & would probably be utterly insensitive, telling them to get a grip as a history paper has never killed anyone! It was meant to be in praise of physics teachers stepping outside their comfort zone of a science lab to support the DC.

hmcAsWas · 04/06/2018 22:57

Don't worry Sticker Grin

Teenmum60 · 04/06/2018 23:04

@stickerrocks - My dd can be an awful sniffer when she has hayfever - thankfully I think she is OK at the moment...she doesn't realise how annoying it can be to others (has nasal spray etc)....although she is sat in the main hall towards the front....so maybe its not quite so bad....even I get nasal rage because she will not use the spray.

BackforGood · 04/06/2018 23:13

Glad I just read this TheThird - it's prompted me to put some cash into the cashless system for her lunch tomorrow Grin

Stickerrocks · 04/06/2018 23:18

DD's tolerance levels are being stretched to the limit. Still, I would rather she was stressing about a sniffle than worrying about whether she has forgotten her pencil case, inadvertently taken revision cards in with her in a secret pocket she didn't know existed or has been accidentally entered for Mandarin rather than Spanish. You can tell the direction of my dreams at the moment & why I Don't sleep beyond 5a,!

calzone · 04/06/2018 23:35

Ds said History on crime and punishment went well.

English Language tomorrow......🙈

It will all be over by 22 June......it will all be over by the 22 June.....it will all be over......

TheThirdOfHerName · 04/06/2018 23:36

DS1 & I are both feeling better now that he has done his first exam.

After being quite challenging to live with for the past couple of weeks (understatement), this evening he shared his Ben & Jerry's with me, had a proper conversation with me and complimented me twice.

This evening has reminded me how much I'll miss him when he goes.

calzone · 04/06/2018 23:39

Third.....where is he going?

CatherineCawood · 04/06/2018 23:39

AQA History went well today apparently. AQA Eng Lang tomorrow, DD's fave subject.

Glad everyone ok.

Teenmum60 · 04/06/2018 23:45

this evening he shared his Ben & Jerry's with me, had a proper conversation with me and complimented me twice.

Third - thats is so sweet ! hope the rest of his A's go well...

TheThirdOfHerName · 04/06/2018 23:47

calzone
Leicester if his actual grades are higher than his predicted grades.
Northampton if his actual grades are the same as his predicted grades or lower.

calzone · 04/06/2018 23:51

Third.....for 6th form?

TheThirdOfHerName · 04/06/2018 23:59

calzone sorry for confusion, DS1 is in Y13.
DS2 (the reason I'm on this thread) is in Y11.

AlexanderHamilton · 05/06/2018 00:10

Dds not done much revision for English. She says she knows the techniques to use for each question inside out so has concentrated more on music. Music (Wednesday) is a worry because she reckons she’s pretty much self-taught herself the Set works. Why the hell she didn’t tell us this beforehand I don’t know seeing as her dad & I both have music degrees & he’s a teacher (FE though not gcse).

KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse · 05/06/2018 06:12

stickerrocks my dd is both a sniffer and a knuckle cracker Blush

She's had awful hayfever this year and drives me insane with her sniffing.

I'm used to the knuckle cracking but I feel very sorry for dc sat near her in long exams.

I've just woken up early after a stress dream about an English language exam where there was a gdpr data breach. (My current work stress!) ShockGrin

Stickerrocks · 05/06/2018 06:50

Kick I've been dreaming that DD keeps calling me upstairs to have a look at what she's done, but when I take a look at the page it's completely blank & she says she doesn't know where it's all gone because it keeps disappearing!

GDPR - I have no idea how small businesses are meant to have a clue as the terminology is incomprehensible. I tried to audit my data flows on Friday, but at least I'm showing willing.

beenrumbled · 05/06/2018 07:06

Alexander DS has said the same for English Language.

He was allowed to leave school at 1.40 yesterday as no exam in the afternoon, and thinks he will be today too, so he is revising maths and Business Studies in the afternoon at home. He hasn't even looked at his Science since Friday!

He has Business Studies tomorrow.

He is just leaving to head off for a "Wake Up" revision session for English. Too early for the school bus, so he is walking the 40 minutes to school.

BlueBelle123 · 05/06/2018 07:20

When I drop DS off this morning for the dreaded English exam I shall also be saying no sniffing (he's getting over a cold), stop flicking your head up every 15mins to look at the clock, use your watch, stop flapping your hand when it gets sweaty (probably a boy thing) and hurts (holds pen too tight) and no more fidgeting in your seat........unfortunately I am not joking people sat near him have commented to him on all of these distracting things Blush..............I have half been expecting a thread on my DC is being distracted in thier exams what should I do!!!

thisagain · 05/06/2018 07:21

AlexanderHamilton DD is doing music too. She's very keen to get a good grade because she is one of only a few in the class who play instruments and says it's expected of her and it would be embarrassing if she didn't! I think she cares about music more than anything - which is lucky because it was one of the subjects that was well taught in her school. She still isn't doing as well on the past papers as she would like. Geography however, had a series of teachers going on maternity leave and then covering the same stuff during year 10 with quite a lot being self-taught, crammed in to lessons or left out in yr 11. I'm more worried about that exam for her today because at least with English Language I know she'll be able to write something but Geography could go one way or the other!

adrinkofwater · 05/06/2018 07:32

DS seems to have done no English revision. When I asked him last night what he'd been doing in his laptop since he got in from history he said "making a game"! He said he'd briefly considered doing an English paper but decided against it! He is clearly feeling very chilled!Hmm

DD (year 13) has the 1st of her A levels today and my mind is more on her!

AlexanderHamilton · 05/06/2018 07:53

There are hardly any past papers for the board Dd is doing (Clock & Beatles). She has friends at a different school who are doing Defying Gravity & several others.

For dd her strength is composition. Her string quartet was fantastic. Her school has always done very well in music in the past but I think the issue this year has been her group have had two teachers who havnt co ordinated well. They always do very well on performance.

LooseAtTheSeams · 05/06/2018 08:18

DS seems ok this morning - I think he's more nervous about English and geography today because he's supposed to do well.
I sympathise about music. DS did really well on performance and well on composition but the written paper requires a lot of detail and I'm not sure he's learned the set works in enough depth. At least it'll be another subject finished off after tomorrow.
Good luck for today everyone! Smile

JufusMum · 05/06/2018 08:29

Third thats sweet, I live near Northampton if you need an eye!!

DD went off for English breakfast revision at 7.15am, pressure this week as she needs to get a 6 in English to study Sociology and Psychology at 6th Form. She got a 4 in November mock, then a 6 in Feb, then an 8 in March mini mock so who knows? Employed v.expensive but worth every penny tutor in December so I hope I have spent my money wisely.
Then Geog which she loves and wants to do well for favourite teacher (Geog teacher is also form tutor and is a diamond in that pile of crap school) - but Paper 1 went badly...stressful day. No exam tomorrow so I am hoping she will go to dance tonight to unwind.
Good luck all DC sitting English and Geog today.