GCSEs 2019 - support thread part 2

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Here we are again

DS is having a day off today - off to lunch and cinema with friends. He was quite worried last night about eng lit but really my philosophy now is, whatever happens happens. There is absolutely no point in getting stressed at this point in the process.

I asked him how he was feeling about maths and sciences to which his response was, don't care as long as I get a 4.

Of course I would like to see him reach his academic potential but his mental health is more important. I work in a university and the number of students I see every single day who are on their knees with anxiety and obsessed with getting a first is quite sobering. It's unhealthy and unnecessary. There is so much more to life than exam results.

Having said all of that it would be nice to see a couple of 7s at least

Ds just came in and asked "mum! What's the atomic number of sodium!?"
Um....
(Fyi its 11!)

DD is ill. She finally succumbed to the virus DH and I have had in the last couple of weeks. Sore throat, aching bones, cough, and just generally feeling crap. Her next exam is Tuesday, but then every day next week, so she is, understandably, pretty stressed today about missing revision yesterday, and not feeling up to much today. Fingers crossed she will feel well enough later to get in a couple of hours, and hopefully tomorrow be a bit better.

I think I might phone the school tomorrow to give them a heads up, she may need to sit one or more exams alone next week. Does that seem reasonable ??

I have a dd doing her GCSEs and a ds doing his A Levels so we have had a few fraught moments. Particularly on Friday night when ds damaged dd's laptop charger

I'm really impressed by how much work dd is doing. She keeps doing old exam papers and has been told she's been put on a list for pupils currently overachieving. After last year with boyfriend dramas I'm really glad shes single and able to concentrate more , frankly.

I think we get some results when we are away on holiday which will be stressful.

Yes silent hope she feels better soon.
Frankly itll be a miracle if ds1 gets through the exams without being ill

Just swinging by to say hi. My youngest took GCSEs last year and I am also an invigilator.

Easy to say now but before you know it this will all be a long distant memory. As your child progresses the workload of A levels seems less (or at least it does to DS because he now has only subjects he likes!)

Good luck to all of you and hope that your DC all achieve what they need to achieve to allow them to move to their next steps, whether it is A levels, BTECs, apprenticeships etc.

Try to remain calm, make things easier for them (excusing chores if need be, healthy meals, checking timetables etc). See you all on the other side!

Thank you bobble

SilentSister - as an invigilator let school know asap as they may need to hire extra people in to facilitate this. Hope she is better soon. Also if you get a medical certificate from GP they can submit this to the exam board and they may increase her grades by up to 5%.

Oh dear, DD (Year 8) had a nasty bout of diarrhorea yesterday and quite intense stomach pain - in spasm etc. DS is insiting we isolate her to one bathroom and doesn't want to touch anything she has touched. On one level he is right, but on another, it is really tough on DD and unpleasant on the rest of us. And DD needed a lot of cuddles from me, so I will probably end up getting it, despite being neurotic about washing my hands. Don't know how to keep it away from DS, although we are doing our best (swapped hand towels and whatever we can). DD almost certainly got it from her BF, who had it Thursday! Today her stomach still hurts, but more manageble, it is low level, and she had a bit of plain breakfast.
Folder 2 for Art is finally done. It will go in tomorrow never to be seen again (well until it is all over)- hoorah! Not sure what is being revised today, it was English lit quotes for the books on Wednesday (Macbeth and Dr Jeckyll yesterday, as well as some biology).

Silent this is my big fear too. When DD did her BTEC exam in Feb she had full on flu. It was awful. She was told to come in and sent home straight after her exam.

At the moment I have had a virus which resulted in a chest infection for the last almost month. I've been really rough and I'm trying everything not to pass it on!

Hand washing and being sensible is all you can do.

For being ill on the day, 2% is almost certainly the maximum special consideration you can get, not 5!

From the JCQ guide:

2% The most common category of allowance - the majority of cases will fall within
this category:
• illness at the time of the examination;
• broken limb on the mend;
• concussion;
• effects of pregnancy (not pregnancy per se);
• extreme distress on the day of an examination; (not simply exam related
stress)
• allowance on last paper taken in a day when a candidate has been entered for
three or more examinations timetabled for the same day and the total
duration of those papers is more than 5 hours 30 minutes (GCSE
examinations) or more than 6 hours (GCE examinations).
(Where extra time has been used following formal approval, this should be
included in the calculation.)
(Supervised rest breaks must not be included in the total duration of the papers
when applying for special consideration.)

1% Reserved for more minor problems:
• noise during examination which is more than momentary;
• illness of another candidate which leads to disruption in the examination room;
• stress or anxiety for which medication has been prescribed;
• hay fever on the day of an examination;
• minor upset arising from administrative problems.

Dd1 had tonsillitis during her GCSEs - had to get a letter from our completely crap GP surgery, which was more stressful than the actual illness!

Hope everyone stays as well as possible x

OkBobble, nice sensible advice

Good luck to all the kids!

Good luck everyone!
🍀

Good luck!

DS will be sitting exams with a strapped up broken finger (luckily left hand). I hadn't thought of him being given any leeway, it doesn't really affect him. I sat my GCSE biology with sunstroke and a bucket under my desk! He kicks off with RE tomorrow, so much content to learn. All rather 'dry' too. I'm hoping it's a case of get the worst over with first.
Good luck to all.

Good luck to all our kids starting these exams.

Good luck everyone

Suffice to stay the stress levels are high here. Dd is like a bomb waiting for an excuse to go off (having already gone off twice today about toddler worthy things - think cutted up pear). Dh and I aren’t talking. I’m exhausted and she hasn’t even started yet. It’s going to be a LONG month.

Good luck everyone.

Latin tomorrow.
Ds is quite confident. it's the language paper which he finds the hardest so has been doing vocab practise all day.

I have my eldest ds doing a levels too but he has another week before kick off.

Nothing tomorrow but French x2 and biology on Tuesday. Dd has been weirdly relaxed today but still not asleep tonight. Am expecting a roller coaster of emotions.

Good luck to those sitting exams tomorrow!

Just here wishing everyone's DC the very best. I thought DS would be burning the midnight oil tonight but he stopped revising early evening after putting in about 3-4 hrs today. Although inwardly, I know the feelings of stress are there, (I have reassured him that this is normal), he does actually seem okay in himself today and that is all I can hope for.

Hoping all DC stay well through exams

Thinking of all those - and their parents!! - whose exams start today x

Morning! First post here but can I ask - is your child's RE exam also in the afternoon today? Seems strange for the first one to be in the afternoon