GCSEs 2018 (14): the aftermath

[mmzz]

Following on from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3275972-GCSEs-2018-13-Untwisting-our-knickers-lucky-for-some

As I've mentioned on here before, DS2 needs an A in Further Maths (but would love to get an A if possible). Last year they needed 67% for an A and 85% for an A.

I know he's capable of it (he has averaged 95% in the last few practice papers) but he will need to (a) write legibly and (b) not make too many careless mistakes.

Good luck to all the DCs with exams tomorrow.

Do you remember sharing our grade predictions two years ago, Third? I wouldn't like to guess this time around, certainly, but hopefully not a lottery. I hope your DS gets his A hat!

Good luck to all the FM DC's tomorrow.....DD will be relieved that she is actually sitting the DT Graphic Products exam and not any form of Maths exam! I'm looking forward to :

Do you remember sharing our grade predictions two years ago, Third?

Yes, I was very close indeed with my guess for DS1's grades.

I wouldn't be able to guess DS2's (9-1) grades with anywhere near that confidence.

DS has made a stab at grade predictions for himself, but I haven't because I wouldn't have any confidence in them, no concrete knowledge to base them on.

DS's guesses are based on how he feels he got on in the exam against what those sort of answers would have got him in class tests. They are ok, but a grade or two lower than the teacher predictions. I've written them down so that I can use them for DS to argue against himself when he's talked himself into a bunch of 3-5s by mid-August.

What they actually turn out to be matters, but one thing that DS definitely won't have to face is self-recriminations that he should have tried harder if they turn out to be disappointing.

From personal experience, the hardest thing to live with are those thoughts inside your head when you wish you could turn the clock back and make better choices.

I scribbled down my predictions a few days ago and filed them away for future reference. DD is refusing to say anything, she simply says she doesn't regret how she approached them, but knows she could always have spent a few more minutes more constructively.

Today she is rebelling by wearing vibrant nail varnish for her last day at school. However, she is not rebelling that much, as she has asked me to take her in mid morning whilst the staff are in lessons and not on uniform watch on the gate.

Morning all. Good luck to those doing exams today.
Thanks for link thirdofhername I always said new exams so much more challenging.
Things just about bearable at the moment for me. Just sickness and tiredness

DD and I talked about predictions about a week ago and she has a note of what she thinks she will get ...(I did suggest perhaps all her friendship group could put their own forecasts in sealed envelopes tonight when they are out but she didn't think that was a good idea).

I think there is probably one exam taken in the first week where she didnt quite get the revision right plus one question on the Eng Lit paper she messed up due to mental block. I've been impressed with her maturity she seems to have been calm, cool and collected throughout the exams and just handles everything in her stride.

We can now put all efforts into finding Prom shoes...which seems to be a tough task...

Damn phone! Posted too early
Only exam dgd is fretting about is English language. Dd and dgd coming over today to see me. Have broken news to them. Dd thought I was hiding something. Dgd devastated but I told her treatment is just to make sure they got it all. Only a 3 week treatment too and I'm going nowhere! I will be there for graduation for uni and beyond

Morning Sost Can pup bring you some ginger biscuits in bed?

DD is cross with me. One of her friends went to a burning party on Friday night. I jokingly said "but what about your resits?" Apparently that is a bad thing to say.

Avoid shoes with glitter teen. They stick like Velcro to the frock.

Sost I hope it feels as though a weight has lifted by sharing the news. You're a great team and can all support each other.

Sost -

Sost love your positivity

DS has also said what grades he thinks he'll get........I hope he's right

Good luck those doing Maths and DT!!

Dgd seems to think she will get 6/7s rather than 8/9s apart from English which she thinks she's failed I said the results this year will not reflect the real ability of our DC because as article said teachers and students have had no idea what is expected by new exams really and humungous stress too. I will be proud of her whatever she achieves.
But we must remember the girls of Syria who have sat their exams in secret as they are not allowed to sit exams. And if found out would be beaten up or even killed by ISIS members for studying. They studied by whatsap and other methods on mobiles. So to them I send my thoughts and prayers as study really is a matter of life or death!

Sost . We’ll save the for when you’re feeling better. So glad you’ve been able to tell your family now, you are indeed a great team.

Good luck to those with exams today. It feels like a month since DS finished on Friday.

Thanks for best wishes. Dog Walker has arrived, along with nurse! Talk later all the best to all.

Sost and mmzz do your DC think they have done enough to get into their first choice 6th form? It must be awful having that extra worry DS has low entry requirements so he knows he's got in.

Bluebelle DS thinks he got about 80% for physics, but that depends on whether the answers he gave fitted a prescriptive mark scheme.

Sometimes in a 4 point question, DS gives an answer which touches on 3 or 4 parts of the mark scheme answers but goes deeper / more technical and neither of us are sure what an examiner would do with that. It only takes a few dropped points to not get 80% and then who knows where the 6/7 grade boundary will be?

Sost glad to hear that you have been able to share the news with your family so that they too can have the opportunity to support you just like you have been supporting them.

Good luck to all those taking exams today. We too have add maths. Last exam here and DD has been poorly yesterday - time of the month and some other bug. She is run down and am going to let her sleep in this morning a bit as exam in afternoon.

I don't think DD will discuss what she thinks she will get across all the subjects. She is convinced that she messed up her English language paper and so unlikely to get top results there. Rest she has done everything she can and it will all be dependent on mark scheme wordings, grade boundaries. She says she knows she hasn't done badly but she doesn't know if she has done as well as she would like. Not sure if I have the guts to articulate even to myself what grades she could get - I think I am very superstitious.

mmzz you have to remember that this is the first sitting of most of these exams so grade boundaries will be lower.......who would of thought to get a 9 in maths you would only have to get 79% (first sitting) if its a 7 your DS needs in physics and he reckons he got around 80% then I really can't see how it would be lower that a 7 ...........both DS and I are glass half full kind of people so are take will always be on the optimistic side

I think grade predictions are almost impossible. I was one of the ones to try on this group and wish I hadn't.

At the time DD was of the 'failed them all' mindset. After a week of reflection and looking at last years grade boundaries she's back to the 'I think I probably got an A/7 in everything except maths which will be a 6'. Don't suppose you remember but maths was the one she was physically sick in twice!

Even though she logically knew that you didn't need to get 90% in all your papers at the time all that was in her head were the answers she wasn't sure of. She laughed out loud when I told her the answer to the last questions on the maths paper was supposedly zero because that's what she got and didn't think the answer zero could possibly be correct

Fast forward to the night before results day and she will be predicting 4s and 5s again.

The human brain is a funny old thing!!!

I am going to try REALLY hard not to start thinking about it until mid August.

Have you all done post exam autopsies with your DC yet or have they already 'moved on'?

I think the boundaries will be lower for GCSE's too - the IGCSE for Physics A* last year was 71% against GCSE 90% and I would expect the boundaries to be similar to what the IGCSE exams were last year...(not sure what my rationale is for this though).

My DD is refusing to even think about possible grades - she wants to just forget about the whole thing until results day.

I mentioned something yesterday that I'd seen on Twitter about one of last weeks science papers and asked if it was on her paper- she said she couldn't remember, she's already wiped it all from her mind!

She has well and truly moved on!

Good Luck today to the mathematicians 🍀

I'm not going to try and predict grades. If DS1 does as he did in his mocks I'd be happy! The most likely scenario is that he does pretty much as he did then with one (hopefully not two) slip ups. If I were to predict the slip up I think it might be biology.

Ad Maths today at 1.45 and then it's over! If there is one he fears it's thus one but he has had a couple of eureka moments over the last 48 hours on topics he's found tricky to date.

@Sostenueto - thinking of you. V glad you've shared with your family now.