GCSEs 2019 - support thread part 2

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Here we are again

No oral at this time. Right at the beginning of the GCSE there was some sort of oral, but it was only pass/fail, and apparently nobody really failed, and it didn't count for anything other than one needed to pass. What sort of oral does edexcel require lambuffy?

As much as I can get out of ds1 is that it was him and his teacher and was filmed - comparing 2 poems I think

How odd.
Why dont all students do it?
Is it a moderation thing?

Def edexcel
I just checked! :(

DD had to do an English oral but it wasn't focused on any of the literature. She had to prepare a presentation/speech based on three topics of her choosing. It is listed/will be listed on her GCSE forms as a fail/pass/something/distinction but doesn't count to her English GCSE mark.... Not really sure why they did it to be honest

re English Oral.

Until ~2014 there was an controlled assessment in English Language called 'Speaking & Listening' which was worth 20% of the final grade.

As far as I understand there was some issue regarding how well pupils did in this compared to what they then showed they could do in their written work.

So in 2014 it was dropped from the course, with little notice, after many schools had already spent quite a lot of time preparing. Instead, the pupils got a grade 1-5 (I think 5 was the highest), alongside their English Language result.

(My DD1 did her GCSEs in 2015. She was really impacted by this change as the exams turned into 60% instead of only 40%. She was great at S&L and CA, but hopeless at the actual exams),

I don't know what has happened re oral for the reformed GCSEs, as DD2 is only y9.

No idea where that sad face came from!!

Hmmm. Interesting. It seems to me it must be a moderation thing if not all pupils do it?

That sounds to me what DD did soursprout

Ah that will be it then.

Yes at DS's school everybody did the English oral, but only some people were filmed. My DS is pretty good at public speaking (he has won competitions), and they got him to give his oral again so they could film it, to show what a top notch oral looked like for the moderation (that is, he and everybody else did the oral in Year 9, when they started the GCSEs, as they do a three year GCSE, and they apparently wanted to get the oral out of the way, but they didn't film enough of them at the time, and failed to film anyone who got a distinction (not sure they knew them well enough at that stage to know who would), so they asked DS to repeat it for film a fair bit later). It would have been great for us if it had counted towards the final grade, but it doesn't, the only thing that matters is that they didn't fail. They could speak on anything they wanted - the suggestion was to speak on something they felt passionate about.

Thanks all for the explanations :)

Ds1 did 4 hours of physics yesterday and was out all day today.
4 hours of chemistry and some maths tomorrow
Geography revision day at school on Thursday
Day out again on Friday
Then back at it on Saturday and Sunday.
Then back at school.

Then 2 weeks til the exams start!!

Good luck to all those Dc whose art exams began today x

Back to school today and Art GCSE will be done by the end of Friday. Will be glad when it's finished as the sketch book takes up a lot of time. Just got to get through DD's self doubt and her thinking that her final piece is rubbish. 🙄

Drama portfolio should be finished this week too. Finally feel that we are slowly getting there.

Term began today, so back to normal lessons. PE this afternoon is optional so they can go home, study in the library, or use the gym.

5 1/2 school days until study leave . Monday is German Oral.
Then first timetabled exam Thursday 2nd. All getting very real.

When are we going to fit in Avengers End Game and Game of Thrones!!

Still on holiday here so we've been out for a lovely family brunch this morning. Some physics happening at the moment and then some maths I think.. Studiously avoiding Spanish

We've booked for endgame this Saturday!

No optional PE here - there always was previously, DD2 was most put out at having to do actual PE! She'd much rather be revising, especially since it's rounders, which she hates.

Oh godddd ds hasn't done anything for the last few days!

Then again, I'm trying to keep things in proportion. He was mugged on the way home from school today (thankfully not hurt) and his phone was nicked. He's putting on a brave face but he's clearly quite shaken. I just keep thinking it could have been so much worse...we live in a 'nice' part of south London but I have never been complacent about as violence in London, particularly involving young men, just seems to be getting worse and worse. The worst case scenarios don't bear thinking about

First exam in 13 days...

Bloody hell, Maud! How scary for you both! Thank God it was "just" his phone. Sending love x

Well, no idea what's wrong with me but that was the 2nd night this week of no sleep at all. Yawn.

Ds1 is st geography revision at school all day today. He did a fair bit yesterday. Day off tomorrow and then hitting the books over the weekend.

Tbh I'm not sure he is working smart, but when I gently suggest that perhaps he ought to be revising the subjects that he is doing in his first week I get a lot of attitude so I'm keeping quiet....for now :)

Iambuffy Well planned. I think we will now have to wait until next week, after the first couple of exams, and then give DD a break. Next Friday afternoon looking good, biggest screen at local cinema and no-one in it . Good excuse for her to avoid social media for a week too . No sleep here either, think it is sympathy anxiety (plus bloody birds making a racket at 4.30am) We are all on Kalms again. DD doing pre-bed yoga too which seem to be helping...... I might join her. Oh, and, sympathies on the attitude, I no longer ask nor comment on revision. Too scared.

Poetry being done here today.... at the moment DD seems good, working hard, exercising and trying to get decent amount of sleep, nervous but not excessively so, is round at a friend's house tomorrow night.

I suspect returning to school on Monday will bump up the nerves - although she's chatting with friends, seeing them a bit during the holiday... I think going back to full classroom environment with the risk of domino'ing hype and nerves could kick in...think will stock up on chamomile tea for her!

It's very unlike him sister so I'm putting it down to nerves.

We have booked a badminton court for an evening a week from next week....just to give him a break and some exercise.

I'm expecting ds1 back about 3.45pm.

He may do some revision tonight...we will see :)