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Original poster

Are we ready for a GCSE’s 2019 thread?

997 replies

KittyMcKitty · 28/08/2018 22:59

If so I’m in.

DS (my pfb) will be going into year 11. Mocks after half term. Crossing my fingers for him - needs average point score of 6.5 (across all 10 subjects) to stay for 6th Form.

Anyone else?

OP posts:
Soursprout · 17/09/2018 20:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chocolateworshipper · 17/09/2018 21:31

Zoflora would dictation software help at all? Or has he ever tried mind-maps to help organise his thoughts? DD1 is severely dyslexic and found mind-maps could be a could start to get thoughts in order.

flatmouse · 18/09/2018 10:48

DD struggling with drama. Doing the devising drama part. Most put into friendship groups, DD is in the "stragglers" group being friendly but not really friendship group with any others in class. Unfortunately this group don't really know each other, at least one has no mobile phone, another is limited on what apps they use, so the work has to be done in school - no bouncing ideas around in the evening.
However time after school is limited due to different commitments/revision sessions 😥

All suggestions so far on theme have been shot down in flames by teacher, but with no explanation chance to justify.
She came home ranting yesterday and my questions only served to inflame the situation. Let her calm down and then chatted to try to understand. Have sent her link to exemplars with commentary so she can try to ensure that her portfolio is as good as possible to counteract potential poor performance.

Soursprout · 18/09/2018 11:09

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flatmouse · 18/09/2018 11:24

Funnily enough DD had to decide between photography and drama. We preferred photography. Her then drama teacher piled on the emotional blackmail and she chose drama. Unfortunately that teacher then semi retired and she got a teacher she did not get on with!
Will suggest weekends, although this weekend she has a PE trip. Think it will be before school/form time/break/lunch and then try to agree which revision sessions they'll miss. Unfortunately out of the 4 they are split into different "halves" of the school, so 2 have English revision Monday and 2 on Wednesday. I'm sure for 3 weeks they could attend each other's, ie all go on one day.

crunchtime · 18/09/2018 16:56

Ds did his devised piece last year. They worked on it at break and lunchtimes and after school in the drama studio.
He is working on his portfolio now and then in October /November they are going to do their scripted pieces. His teacher told him yesterday that she was upping his target from a 7 to an 8 so he's obviously doing OK.

pointythings · 18/09/2018 17:04

flatmouse sympathy from me too. DD2 did devised piece last year and teacher didn't allow friendship groups to choose each other - but she did end up in a group of 5, 2 members of which did absolutely fuck-all except prat around. DD2 and the others put the whole piece together, choreographed it, did stage lighting, sets, costumes, music, everything.

It did come right on the night and the two useless ones were given a rocket by the group so they at least performed their very minimal bits well, but it was hugely stressful.

DD2 isn't the strongest performer, the written part is absolutely her strong suit.

chocolateworshipper · 18/09/2018 18:08

flatmouse sorry to hear that. If it's any consolation, DD1 had a similar issue when she was doing drama. In the end it kind of worked to her advantage as it possibly helped her grade that she shone out compared to the rest of the group, whereas if she'd been in the group she really wanted, it would have been very hard to stand out. Is there anything she could do where her part is kind of a monologue that she could rehearse on her own? (may be clutching at straws here)

flatmouse · 18/09/2018 20:27

Thanks 😊 Today is more positive. They now have an "approved of" idea. DD is excited to think about costumes and staging although less excited to write her monologue that forms part of it. But this is good news, and i feel she is more hopeful now.

OlderThanAverageforMN · 19/09/2018 15:16

Blimey - Your DC's have already done one part of the drama.... can I ask which board?? DD is just starting devised piece with her group, due to be performed in November. They will do their scripted piece in February. Portfolio pretty much done. On top of that DD has a Grade 7 Lamda in Feb and the senior school play in March. Starting to get twitchy.

flatmouse · 19/09/2018 16:27

DD is ocr - doesn't know when portfolio to be handed in, nor when she is doing scripted. Devised is to be performed before October half term.
Did your DC get to choose stimuli? OCR give 10 options each year. DD drama teacher chose which stimuli class using.

AtiaoftheJulii · 19/09/2018 17:13

Dd is doing AQA drama - they did their devised piece at the end of last term. Doing the devising log was hard, but they had interim deadlines for each section which helped break it down.

How's your ds getting on with his log Zoflora?

OlderThanAverageforMN · 19/09/2018 17:25

Correction to above - They did a practice portfolio (log), not the actual.....so only just been told this is done AFTER the devised piece, so they have everything left to do - EEEK.

DD is doing WJEC eduqas - Weird never heard of board!! Anyway, they get 4 stimuli: a quote from a play, a line from a song, a picture, and a quote from a novel. Each group can choose which one they want to do. DD group has chosen the novel by Maya Angelou "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you". Great quote, great for devising. This part of the exam is total 40%.

OlderThanAverageforMN · 19/09/2018 17:27

I got so confused by this log thing...... hadn't realised it was part of the devised piece Blush

AtiaoftheJulii · 19/09/2018 17:30

I just looked, prompted by this thread. In AQA the devised piece is 40% of the GCSE - broken down to 10% performance, 30% devising log! Didn't realise the log was so important when she was writing it ShockGrin

OlderThanAverageforMN · 19/09/2018 17:46

Atia

I'm glad it isn't just me. I have just asked DD to break it all down for me too.

Her devised piece is 10% performance, 10% Self Evaluation (a 90 minute exam), 20% Portfolio (Log).

Scripted performance piece is a further 20% which will be picked by their teacher.

Final written exam (90 mins) is 40% of which 30% is for the set play which is "War Horse", and 10% is a self chosen play that you have to have seen live.

Does that all make sense ?? My mind is buzzing.

OlderThanAverageforMN · 19/09/2018 17:49

Who said Drama was easy?? Ours is actually called "Theatre Studies" which I think better describes the new focus on analysis rather than performance.

flatmouse · 19/09/2018 18:24

DDs set play is Blood Brothers. I understood the portfolio/log goes hand in hand with the devising.
They did mock devising end Y10 for which DD got 0 for performance because members of group out on other school stuff on day! She got 19/40 for portfolio/log so good start to base proper one. DD stimulus is the statue "the anonymous pedestrian".
They also had mock exam paper which they all did really badly on as they'd not had a clue what to expect or how to manage their time!

woman11017 · 19/09/2018 20:04

Could I ask, has anyone checked with schools on their plans for exams taking place if the 'no deal' brexit goes through? Or have any teachers been given any information from exam boards about this?

crunchtime · 19/09/2018 20:55

Why would it make any difference?

woman11017 · 19/09/2018 21:25

If there's a 'no deal' and freight and lorries are held up at the border, food, petrol and medicine supplies will be running low when exams start. Car manufacturers are planning for up to 6 week shut down from 29th March onwards. We may have other infrastructure problems. As other industries are disseminating their contingency plans, I was wondering if schools and exam boards are doing the same.

doublechocadooberry · 20/09/2018 13:02

Oh gosh, it is worrying. We have just been told DS isn't responding to treatment - which is already toxic enough - but therapy needs to escalate. The plan is for immunotherapy to start in next couple of weeks alongside current meds which will continue through exams. Terribly upsetting for us all and stressful for DS. Anxious about shortage of medicines and what that would mean.

woman11017 · 20/09/2018 13:33

Flowers doublechocadooberry So sorry. Hopefully it will be OK.
I don't mean to alarm, hospitals and security are preparing, I just wondered if schools are going to release information on their plans.

myrtleWilson · 20/09/2018 13:37

Flowers doublechocadooberry - I hope DS treatment/medications remain easy to access.

Nothing from our school on no-deal, we've just had to keep free the nationwide contingency date for any disruptions but that is it..

woman11017 · 20/09/2018 14:06

Thanks myrtle one of mine has really important exams this year, like all of you, and I am just trying to find out.
doublechocadooberry don't know if this is any use, it's a thread specifically talking about accessing meds from 29.3.19.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3370225-I-know-Im-annoying-but