GCSEs 2018 (16) - The Final Countdown

[mmzz]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3304925-gcses-2018-15-the-reckoning?

Alexander glad hospital ruled out a lot of nasties hope you get some firm answers soon.

Sticker DD trains through the holidays. Just ten days off now while dance teacher has a holiday in Ibiza. DD has enrolled in some pole fitness classes to fill the gaps and improve upper body strength.
DD got the job at posh restaurant. No shifts as yet and of course a zero hours contract.
Keep thinking about GCSE results and feel a bit sick, bought some more clothing for Sixth Form yesterday - left tags on in case she ends up at the college!

The whole asking about results I think is a tricky one, I just ask if they were happy with their results, if they say no I can commiserate whilst quickly moving on to what are they doing next but if they are pleased the parent can share the news if they want so I can congratulate them......and find out what they got

DD off for second week of NCS fortunately she does not have to be there till 10.30 and the Uni is about 15 minutes away.....apparently they are having a movie night and have decided to watch "High School Musical"....following on from Oratory's post about DC's attending there are just 2 DC's from private schools on the program everyone else is from state school...far more boys than girls and far more geeks than non geeks (so interesting film choice given DD stated that most of the boys had been playing Warcraft on the coach).

Not really expecting any surprises with DD's results (probably because most of the exams are still letter based), just crossing fingers that she gets the Chemistry grade and passes History...some of her friends will probably have very good results - one has an offer of £4000 incentive from a 6th form if she gets 8 x 7-9's/A,A which she is very likely to get...a couple of the others should have a clean sweep of A's....and one may not get good enough results to stay on but has an offer elsewhere (she fell apart with the friendship issues in the run up to the exams).

JufusMum didn't I see you on the GCSE results thread from last year saying that your DD's school had forced her to take some exams early?! Why would they do that? It's such an odd thing to do. Did she have to resit them this year.

mmmz yes the entire year was forced yo sit English Literature early. I didn't agree with it because I felt DD wasn't emotionally ready - she is a summer baby and was just 14 when she sat the exam. I was proved right when DD had a massive panic attack in the first paper and had to be removed from the hall. Just under 30% passed. DD got a 5, just four marks off a 6. School would not send paper back for a remark.
She had this option to resit this year but decided to concentrate on other GCSEs.

DD packed off on NCS and from the one text i had she seems to be enjoying it. She commented before she left that she feels that results are getting scarily close as she'd always associated them with NCS and that's here now.

We have booked a meal out for next Thursday so celebrating whatever the results. I am expecting a long awaited email from a family member (with two brilliant A* children) who I've no doubt will be coincidentally checking in to see how we all are on the 23rd.

English Lit would be the hardest one to sit early, IMO. The DC need maturity and general worldliness to understand the poems and novels /plays. The more life experience you bring, the easier they are to understand

I mean good luck with An Inspector Calls if you don't know that socialism and communism were the big, new shiny ideas, positively brimming with hope in the first half if the last century.

Jufus just to let you know you can request a review of the marks if your not happy, well your DC can as it is them that have to sign the form but you would have to pay, although if there is a change of grade either up or down you get your money back......DS's school would never pay and don't suggest it either no matter how close to the boundary you might be.........although to be fair someone has to be right at the top of the grade boundaries just like those who are right at the bottom and just got that next grade up!

WhatIhavefound I wonder if that's what the people who know me think if me?

The thing is, academic success is only one very small part of career success, and career success is only one possible factor in having a happy life. So, really it's no bigger deal than developing interests, or being charismatic, or good looking or, best of all, having a tendency to inner contentment.

Bluebelle is there a time limit on applying for remarking?

Yes review of marking is 19th September, you can get a priority review but that has to be in by the 29th August.......the reason I know all this is that our school has sent all the details to everyone, I'm not being overly pessimistic

There is now no longer remarks, where the script is literally remarked without the subsequent marker knowing how it was marked previously but a review of marking, I believe Loose explained it up thread. I think the change was to stop all the scripts which were being put in for remarking and again it favoured the schools that could afford to pay and the parents as its not cheap!!

I am preparing myself for DD not to do so well in her results. I know that sounds pessimistic and I would only voice these thoughts on here. But she did very little revision and was troubled with friendship issues at the time.

whatihavefound empathise with your situation. My DN sat his GCSEs same time as DD and he likely to get very high grades.

mmmz I have no career success and no developing interests, charisma, good looks or a tendency to inner contentment, so it's a bloody good job I'm academically gifted

Terf me neither. I wish I did though! Getting As at school doesn't really cut it if there's little else, does it?

Bluebell123 I was annoyed because I offered to pay for the remark and they refused and would not even give me the forms.

If DD is close this year and they do it again I will take it to the LEA.

Great time on holiday - saw porpoises in the bay this morning!
I think DS is managing my expectations on GCSEs - lots of uncertainty!
Yes, you can get exam papers reviewed - but just be aware a paper that's 2 marks off a higher grade boundary will still be 2 marks off it the mark scheme was applied correctly - they can't tweak the mark here and there, the answer would have to have been placed in the wrong band in the first place and then adjusted into a higher one in order to alter the mark. Or the review might show it wasn't added up correctly, I suppose.

Have just dropped DS2 off in Bloomsbury, at the registration centre for his summer school.

It happens to be across the street from the halls of residence where I lived in my first year at university.

It's not just him who is outside his comfort zone. I've just left a young person with ASD at a place he's never been, where there is nobody he knows, and where he has never done the journey home.

I informed the staff of his SEN, have given him a map and a tube journey plan.

Where are you Loose? I'm losing track of everyone's holidays now.

Now worries on comparing results here. My DN may or may not get his maths resit. My oldest DN left school without any qualifications and my youngest has life threatening disabilities, so DD is girl wonder by comparison academically. I will tell my DB how she got on, but gloss over any grades. I suppose that's a positive from the new scheme - a grade 6 or 7 does sound quite far down the pecking order to the uninitiated. My parents think she is marvellous anyway and her other grandparents are probably too ill to register that it's results day.

Well done TheThird. You are worrying because you have put all of those pieces together and have registered that there could be an issue. He will not be worrying to the same extent, there will be others there just like him and he will thoroughly enjoy himself.

I was thinking too that an advantage of the new grades will be that most people won't know what they mean in detail and 5/6/7 sound much the same, as in middle ground. But it seems that already a 7 is becoming a new high level 'cut off' in that we are starting to hear people talking about grades 7 to 9. I presume replacing the old 'x amount of GCSEs at A/A*'. So may be a 7 will be an advantage over a 6. DS only realistically anticipating one of these (maths) with an outside chance of a couple of others so not that relevant for him but may be for others.

Oh and I've been rewatching the 'Educating' Series on catch up starting with Essex and working forwards - its a great leveller and gives a real sense of perspective and reality.

You're right Stickerrocks
I should be celebrating the fact that he has reached the point where he can attend an event where he doesn't know anyone and then can travel half-way across London independently.

I still won't relax until he's home though.

Oratory1 I love the 'Educating...' series and hope they do another.

mmmz I'm sure they don't. Just venting as I'm made to feel bad for not being a pushy mum. I want my DC to enjoy life and not worry about exam results. I'd rather they had common sense than straight As.

I aim to respond to everyone's questions as vaguely as possible

Just been sent an email asking us to check that we can log into the parent portal ok. Getting close now!