GCSEs 2018 (11) Big week coming up

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old thread

Comes to something when a grade 8 is being predicted as 60/65%.....all a bit demoralising for all the DC.
Thankfully only English tomorrow.

@alexander - sorry to hear about DH but sure he’s going to be ok. Flowers 💐 and cake 🍰 for you.

Thanks cherry I have now checked the exam schedule and of course you are right. The past paper he was doing at home yesterday 4HR

I guess its to split out the top performers they have had to put in the extra hard stuff to find the true mathematicians amongst them. I have seen plenty of past papers and then saw this one today and it definitely had a greater number of higher level.stuff than usual.

DS is worried he will only get an 8 now!!! He sat it in the main room. I was with extra timers. I said you would be happy with an A on an A paper so be happy if you get an 8 not a 9!!!

Grade boundaries were low last year so its possible

"Only" 6 papers next week, compared to 8 this week. Biology, geography, maths, chemistry, Spanish & physics.

I’m Over ruling. I need to be there for dd. Her grandparents (his side) are panickers.
Packing a few bits then setting off.

Oddly enough DD found Paper2 slightly easier and answered the second to last question but didn't put any effort into the last question (she knew what formula to use - but I think she just didnt know where to go after the first line). She was hoping for a 7 and estimating a 7 around 60%...she often find harder papers easier than easier papers - same with Chemistry she can do the harder paper but struggles on the easier paper. She said that overall that the first 2/3rd of the paper was fine and then the questions got harder.

Thinking of you Alexander. It sounds like he is getting the treatment he needs and I'm sure it's a good plan to keep your DD company.

callmeadoctor thanks for the advice. She had the music listening straight after the Spanish exams and the CD was paused for her.

I'm a bit embarrassed contacting the exams team again, as she has an issue where her glasses broke before her RS exam and she had to complete the paper without them! As she has special lenses for her visual processing problems, she also didn't have the glasses for her History paper a few days later because we couldn't get to an optician with suitable frames in time.

But if she didn't receive the provision required for Spanish, I hope they won't mind me contacting them again.

Anyone willing to predict grade boundaries for aqa higher paper maths please?

Probably higher for aqa as report back is was that it wasn't a hard paper

Hope you feel reassured when you see your dh and the medical team Alexander

I think you are doing the right thing, AlexanderHamilton. The worry is an awful lot for a 15 /16 year old to have to cope with alone, and I don't think you'll begin to feel ok until you see your DH for yourslf

Alexander I hope your DH is well on the road to recovery and your DD is not fazed by the situation.
7 days until DD's final exam.

What will we all talk about once these exams are over and done with?!

So true farang will need to find another hobby.
Got feedback from DD. So paper not horrendous but a strange paper are her words. She said she got the last question - it was a trick question. But guessed the right answer for the penultimate question then crossed it out. She thinks she has definitely lost some marks where she got questions wrong. I imagine they must have talked about the exam after as she stayed in school.

upset DS home - hes done the fatal compare of questions and realised he got some wrong. Convinced hes failed and will have to resit.

Hes quite stressed by it all, currently having a break on the xbox before dreaded English tomorrow - another one he will fail!

Dd did the igcse maths (Edexcel) today / as ever I got a brief comment on the exam: was hard, but better than she'd hoped for. Couldn't do a couple of questions but did her best on the rest.

She finds maths tricky - dyslexic type issues going on though no formal diagnosis. Tutor picked up on in within the first lesson and before he knew she'd had additional support lessons re dyslexia issues at primary. But, as she wants to yeah, she needs a B equivalent. So fingers crossed - she can do the work but finds it harder to get it down in a time restricted pressurised setting.

DS did the iGCSE Edexcel 4H paper and said it was hard. Reckons he only managed about 65% of it. He's in the bottom set for Maths though and they weren't even taught all the A* stuff, so A was expected to be their maximum ceiling.
Isn't this the paper where the C grade level was 27% last year though?

By the way, The 3HR/ 4HR papers are Regional papers for school in different timezones (to stop any sharing of papers etc).

Last day exam day for dd tomorrow: English and History.
Then she's done.

I think I'll need a large drink, never mind her!!

Aragog - sounds very similar to my DS - he can do the maths, but sometimes he can't understand what the more wordy questions are asking, due to his dyslexia .

Alexander - I hope your DH recovers quickly ...it will be a worrying time for you all, but I would want to certainly be together as a family at this time...has your DD an exam tomorrow ? I am sure the school will be aware and giving their full support.

Just 5 exams left - Yippee and then back to normality ...DD worked on History all afternoon ...she seems to know what she is walking about and everyone i offered her a past paper she said she had already completed that one!

I messed the uniform trying on today (one of those day's)..so its next week now.

Aragog you must be the first to cross the finishing line. Enjoy and plan something nice for you all.

Ds1 doesn’t finish until 22 June.

Ds2 in y8 starts his on 18th June and finishes on 6July 🙈🙈😭😭😭

Slinkyme - think she is the first of her friends too. She is off to visit great grandparents in Scotland for a week, with my mum, on Saturday. Her and a friend (one other finishes tomorrow too) are planning on doing 'something' tomorrow after the exam to celebrate and then DD has asked to go out for dinner with me and her dad.

Then its the long wait til August I guess, though lots to do between now and then for us all.

Alexander - fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

alexander hope all goes well with your dh. Hope dd copes which I'm sure she will as she will have you there to support her. Will be thinking g of you all and send a prayer that everything is resolved quickly for you all.