GCSEs 2019 support thread 4

[TacoLover]

The last one is almost full!

Sorry to hear about the sleep issues, it is so hard watching our teens struggle. I remember when a cuddle and a kiss would solve everything now I have to stand back and make sure the cupboard is well stocked.

No History for DS, so onto English Lang and Music - dreading Lang and not really looking forward to the afternoon either. He is a performer rather than essay man, so today is going to be a challenge.

Good luck to all taking exams today.

Ds has just gone off for English lang perfectly happy - came down this morning at 6 to find a note left to say he'd gone off to fetch the hay in as it was going to rain today! Wandered back into the yard at 7.30 (needs to leave at 8!!!) had his breakfast and a shower then left. Apparently he went out at 5 - all I wanted to do was bawl him out ffs - what the hell he was thinking getting up at 5 the morning of his English exam god only knows!! Was very calm and didn't shout but I just wanted to shake him 😡 have visions of him falling asleep in the middle of it!

Time will tell 🙁

ds worried about Eng Lang this morning, he knows it matters, and so is more worried I think than for others where he isn't strong.
He has a creative writing piece 'prepared' to try and fit one of the topics, so I'm praying something suitable comes up!

whojamaflip
I wouldn't worry, it probably did him the world of good. Fresh air, physical exercise and something practical unrelated to exams, should put him in a good head space to now concentrate

gleegeek my DD is a terrible sleeper. My GP prescribed these to help her. She takes one an hour before bed and it helps her. Does not seem to effect her the next day. Obviously only a very short term solution. You can buy them over the counter at Lloyd's.

She slept!!!!!! Thank you all for your suggestions, I will keep a note of them for next sleepless night. She fell asleep about 12:45 in the end and slept through her alarm so a bit of panic about being ready in time(she had loads of time but likes to be early for everything)
Just got in from Eng lang... it was 'ok'. Apparently the first half was hard but she enjoyed the descriptive writing at the end - either a picture of a busy marketplace to describe or creative writing on the theme of 'abandonment' which didn't tempt her at all!
Another one ticked off - hooray!

either a picture of a busy marketplace to describe or creative writing on the theme of 'abandonment' which didn't tempt her at all

oh my word I hope that wasn't on ds' paper. Sounds horrendous. He doesn't have study leave so I won't know until this afternoon what it was like for him.

Any info on the edexcel English?

I asked dd about the Edexcel English and I got “meh”

She’s normally a little more forthcoming but I think she’s knackered!

Whoever it was watching Big Little Lies the new series is out soon, I’m a big fan!
AQA English Lang here, not a strong subject, went ok but she said she messed up Q3, however she said the extract was really good. She’s now revising for business this afternoon.

English went okay - AQA here - DD did the marketplace rather than abandonment...she's been telling me some of her phrases!

DD quite happy with AQA Eng Lang, though she didn't seem able to string a coherent sentence together talking about it to me, hopefully not a reflection on her performance!

Not much about edexcel on my Twitter stalking!

DS did abandonment - he says that unlike everyone else who did it from the child's perspective, he did it from the mother's perspective, so he hopes he gets a mother who is marking it !?!

I wonder if that was smart - he probably wanted to differentiate from everybody else but do you think a 16 year old boy can write convincingly as a mother ? I don't think they give marks for being ambitious .
I asked him whether he thought it went well and he typed "I hope so. Can never be sure with English"

Gleegeek, just to say we struggle with sleep too. But, in all the times it's happened, it's a 2 or 3 night blip of not sleeping until 4 or 5. Then on the 3rd night she'll sleep well like nothing has happened. She will be panicking and crying in the middle of the night, and I'll suddenly doubt every plan we've got for her going to Uni, because she's not coping mentally. Then in the morning she'll be completely fine, and as I say it usually does only last a couple of nights. She never ever has the enjoyment of a lie in though, in case it stops her sleeping the next night.

Abandonment here too, the idea of speaking from the mother's perspective is excellent in my opinion, but I'm not marking it. Very original so must go in his favour. DD says she spoke from POV that she'd been abandoned as a child, then again later in life or something...she doesn't speak much sense straight after an exam.

Haven't heard from DD2 yet but I am willing to bet she would have picked abandonment and written a terrifying horror story on that theme. Though the marketplace idea would have worked for a dystopian piece too.

readyforsunshine It was us! DD and I just need to watch the last two episodes of Series 1, Big Little Lies. It is so good. When Game of Thrones finished we were slightly worried where to go next, but now we are on to BLL, and Killing Eve starts soon too. Need the release to break up the revising. So glad we kept the NOW TV after GOT finished. Going to watch Handmaids Tale too as it is on the ALevel reading list for next year.

No exams here today, just revision (and some TV).

Got a bit more clarity on the "from the mother's perspective" bit. I thought he was thinking along the lines of Poppies (ie mother abandoned by a child growing up). But no (probably better??), the mother abandoned (forgot) her child on a bus (by mistake, oversight) and is now dealling with the guilt trip. Goodness knows what a marker will think of that, although sounds like some good lines on guilt. No idea where he even got the idea from, (although come to think of it, DSIL tells a story about coming out of Tescos will alll her shopping and other kids and someone running after her with her (fourth) baby in a carry seat)

Fourth baby is getting married right after the GCSEs!

Just spoken to Ds and he's seriously impressed with the idea that Binkhoms son came up with - says his teachers had told them to try and come up with something original and that never in a million years would he have thought of that!

He did marketplace instead and also loved question 4 - apparently wrote 3 pages on that which for Ds is amazing!

Dd not home yet, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the English was okay for her - it’s her most confident subject so I hope she feels it went well or else it may ruin the rest of her exams.

To all those who’s Dc’s Struggle with sleep , my Ds’s sleep paralysis started during the stress of GCSE,s , so my thoughts go out to those children struggling now.
He still has it now on occasions, (20) sometimes it’s a whole night of episodes , sometimes only once most of the time not at all.

He does not want anti depressants ( which is the general treatment) for it , so we try for good routines & calm at night time. These obviously now slip if he has a night out drinking .
It’s our barometer of how he is feeling I’ve learnt - then trigger was GCSE’s but at times he is stressed now, the paralysis returns.
Horrible for him.
Leaves us feeling useless at what to do to help also.

Annoyingly, ds1s back up 6th form has just confirmed there will be no transport bus.

There is no way to get there on public transport so that means parents car pooling.

Ffs.

Sounds a right pain iambuffy. If there a few would a minibus work on long term contract. Might be easier. Sons reserve choice much the same . Hes doing bus to station train then bus.. 1st 2.choices have free bus. Fingers crossed we don't get there.

Indeed!

Iambuffy Edexcel was a Dickens extract. The two photos weren’t the most inspirational imho - a couple sitting on the floor looking at a map and a key hanging on a railing - write about loosing something precious or (I think) being lost.

Ds did AQA this morning, said it went well but know no more then that!