GCSEs 2018 (12) Are we nearly there yet?!

[mmzz]

Triple AQA for dd too.

Her Tassomai wheel has got very behind the last few days so she going to concentrate on that today. Only 3 turned up for yesterday’s revision session which considering the teacher took the time on the Saturday afternoon to go to the boarding house I though was poor.

She & her friends had planned to go for a celebratory meal after physics on Friday but they’ve now been told they can’t leave school until 6pm as there will be dance rehearsals in the afternoon. This makes it a bit tricky for us if they go out in the evening as dh can't drive & I’ll be taking Ds to rehearsal 45 miles away.

But we will find a way.

That's interesting mmzz. Dd usually does better on paper 2. Too many careless mistakes when she can't check with a calculator.

It would make sense to save the level 9 stuff for paper 3 so it doesn't freak out the level 5/6 candidates until they've got some marks in the bank. I just wasn't sure if it was a known thing or just happened to be true on the mock paper they sat.

Kick there are a few establishments locally famous for high staff turnover due to owner behaviour. The young staff suddenly have enough and “do the apron”, walking out whilst throwing their apron over counter.

DD got told by a chef “You girls should wear tighter clothes to show off your nice figures”

She’s in engineering now and gets asked

“Did you play with Lego as a child?”
“Is your dad an engineer?”
“What will happen to your career when you have children?”

To be honest that just an analysis of one class's mock results. The teacher sent the raw scores out in an email to everyone. I think it was by mistake. When I saw your post, I dug it out and just did a quick analysis on it.

peggy that last question would have been highly relevant to me. Having children us what happened to my career and meant I had to find something else to do to earn a living.

How is your DH, AlexanderHamilton?

I think there were (still are) notional grade boundaries on Edexcel for each of the papers from last year ...which will give you some idea of how hard the DCs found each component.

He’s doing my head in! Trying to do the bins & recycling (because no one else understands the recycling apparently) & hanging the washing out when he should be resting.

DS gave up on Tassomai just before the science paper 1s. He'd got 80% plus of the way through the whole course (Bio & Chem only). He said it was well worth doing and was a good way of slow and steady revising since Feb. The problem was he got more and more frustrated with it as it got towards the end. A lot of the answer alternatives are very very similar and he was finding that he was getting stuff wrong that he knew because his dyslexic brain was mis-reading things. And then the wheel would go backwards.

Still well worth doing though and I'd use it again if I had a younger DC.

Cherryburn that sounds familiar only that's what happens to DS in exams (I think he sometimes feel that a wheel is going backwards when his work is being marked and he s loosing marks for content he knows :):))

What I have learnt from this thread though is that all the DC and families have their own shares of difficulties and strengths, good and bad luck, illness and health - some of which we have all been through but at different times and others so tough we can only imagine what it must be like. I guess all we can do at the moment is help the DCs do the very best they can with the hand they have been dealt (and stay calm !!).

Oratory that's a lively summary of these threads. We all have our problems and it has been nice getting to know everyone a little. I know it's been talked of previously, but I do hope we keep on contributing here and there to the threads so that we are all there to help each other face the challenges of sixth form and beyond.

Alexander you are a better person than me, I'd have snapped at him by now (and then felt guilty).

Alexander I'm sure its a distraction technique if he's sat doing nothing he may dwell..........my DH would be exactly the same, I hope he doesn't overdo and makes a full recovery.

Hope all DC are doing ok. DD dragging her heels with Biology revision. Insisted on cleaning all three hamster cages and the fish tank before starting on the revision. She's in her study but whether or not she is revising is anyone's guess.

Oh apparently the last question on paper 3 math will be a proof involving a trapezium.......DS has just rolled out of bed and that is the only time he has ever dreamed about the exams so clearly its a sign .........

Jufus, DS is revising but feels very much like going through the motions - I hope something is going in.

I started on the GCSE thread with DS1 and it took us all the way through sixth form/college and on to university. It fizzled out after the first year at uni. I think by then they are settled and out of your influence. As they should be, IMO.

I still pop on to the thread for DS2 but as he's not doing A levels or going to university it was less relevant.

I'm sure a sixth form/college thread will be popular. Maybe slightly less prolific?

Well we have a weekend in London booked for dd and dgd to go on straight after exams finish. (16/17). Because we couldn't get the tickets for her Korean group we did this secretly. So she has sightseeing/ shopping on the Saturday morning, London eye and river trip in afternoon followed by tea at the savoy!. Sightseeing Sunday morning then home. They go Friday afternoon almost straight after physics exam. They are going by coach and we were so lucky local coach company running a luxury weekend in London and we got 2 cancelled tickets! Its worked out brilliantly as my first treatment on the 16th so when they come back I can then tell them. Exams will be over and a great reward for dgds efforts.
Pup is lot better! Still not eating much but she is willing to leave her 'baby' at home now and is paying it less and less attention though still carts it to lay down with when she sleeps!

Sorry for the delay in getting back on economics. One of the papers I teach is A level standard and I have people taking it with an arts degree or who haven't studied maths for years. Here is the official 6th statement for A level (they expect a 6 at GCSE maths, not a 5).

How much maths is there?

In A-level Economics you will be need to have a good understanding of basic GCSE Maths. You will need to learn some equations, make simple calculations such as percentage changes and interpret statistical data. However, if you wish to read Economics at university we strongly recommend that you also choose to study A-level Maths as there is a very high maths content in many Economics degree courses.

Good luck with your treatment, Sostenueto.

Its going to come as a shock to your family when they realise what they've been thinking about these last few weeks, whilst you were dealing with your illness alone, but at least they'll be able to support you from now on.

I think you've been extremely brave and self-sacrificing.

Stickerrocks You are an expert on this! Would you mind if I ask you a question? How much writing is there for A level economics? Are there long essays? How many words?

I'm not an expert on A level, as DD won't seriously consider it because I love it! However, there is a lot of explanation, especially on the macro side.

Sostenueto good luck with the treatment and please start putting your self first.

Alexander just thinking about your DD's meal on Friday - if one of my DD's friends was in a similar situation I'd be more than happy to offer help in the way of lifts etc, or if lifts aren't possible (I know you live quite a distance from school) possibly have your DD for a sleepover after?
I would genuinely want to help, so don't hesitate to put a plea out to your DD's friends' parents, I would hope DD's friends would ask.

Sost that sounds like the perfect treat for you DGD. I hope you're feeling positive about your treatment, I am in awe of you keeping it to yourself all this time, you're truly selfless- nearly time for you to be looked after a bit now
(Glad pup is recovering too!)

Sost I’ve known people keep illness from adult children for reasons like Christmas which I’m not too sure about but in your case I can absolutely see why you have kept it from your family. You have been amazing and so supportive, especially with all those super early starts.

I’m sure they will have a great time in London. It sounds like a fab trip.