Starting Yr11 Gcses 2020 Support Thread [Edited at OP's request]

[OrangeCinnamon]

A continuation of a Year 10 support thread
previous thread

Last thread was great and supportive as some of us tried to navigate year 10 and some very helpful peeps steered us through.

Although - I have just thought about predicted A levels for those wanting to go to university. Do schools use GCSEs to predict A level results?
And do universities use A level predictions when deciding whether to offer a place or not?

I am not sure how the A level predictions work exactly Hangonamo and suspect there is some variation over different schools. Now AS are pretty much gone I think most schools use their internal exams at end of year 12 to predict the A levels. 2 schools have said that this week.

There is however something called ALPS that has cropped up which is A Level Progression score and something another 2 schools have been pushing and saying they are best in the county (pretty much all have them have said this using a variety of different measures !) I think these are calculated using progression from GCSE obtained to A level obtained so if that is correct it does suggest there is some kind of algorithm they may use too.

Proggy I'm quite surprised at that. I thought using last year's papers was pretty standard practice from reading around on these boards.

But just to make it less scary I know a number of DC who are at decent universities with lower than the advertised grades. If you read MN I think there is a bias to the high achieving DC in a lot of the threads but there are many many more with DC’s who are not and it can be a bit panic inducing at times.

Some universities won’t budge but a lot do. There’s also a lot of hype over Russel Group Universities. I know DC who had heart set in one of them , didn’t get their places so went elsewhere, One is due to start a job with Microsoft this summer when graduates, another is at GSK on year out so lack of RG university not held them back at all.

I know other DC who have felt the university not way forwarded and are on apprenticeships that will lead to degrees and others who have found jobs and are very happy doing that. There has been a fair amount of parental angst along the way from all of us but it is coming good and it’s been great seeing them all go and do their own thing.

Theoretically I am in for a smoother ride with DS than DD as he is very self motivated , works hard and less prone to vomiting but time will tell ! I think he’s worried about the exams next week as he has just hoovered his room....

The edu.gov performance table site reports progress from KS4 - KS5 .

I'm finding sixth forms all find a "we're best at ..." angle to push. TBH schools did the same thing for secondary school entry, so we've learnt to take it with a pinch of salt. I always wonder if KS4-KS5 progression being good, simply means that students underperformed at GCSE.

on the question of how much to push, I'm really struggling with this (as previously mentioned). DS has "decided" he doesn't want to take the higher paper in 2 of his sciences but will settle for a solid 5 on the foundation paper (which he should get in mocks, so this means he can coast for the next 6 months). I'm frustrated that at this point he's decided he can't be bothered with 2 subjects anymore. I get the argument of only doing as much as necessary to get to the next stage, but as he doesn't know what he wants to do at KS5, I don't think he should be closing off 2 options, and there is no saying that not getting a higher grade in science might not close off another option in the future (which I think is what hangonamo was alluding to.)

"Less prone time vomiting"

Oh FFS "less prone to vomiting"

I know what you mean @RedskyToNight
My DS has similarly got subjects he is not really arsed with and half the time I feel I should be pushing and nagging but then I think a) it's his life not mine b) he will probably do well enough to do the a levels he wants and whether he gets 4, 5,6 or 7 in an unrelated subject doesn't matter and c) I think laying off him will probably mean he works harder anyway

I think RedSky that is a scenario where I might think about pushing a bit on the science. If he was reasonably sure of a direction I wouldn’t worry but with science I think I might force the issue a little -maybe send him off to look at some university courses he might be interested in and look at requirements.

It’s so hard knowing how to handle them , they are all so different. DD is still a vomiter but we have that down to a fine art! I think though a hefty dose of self preservation is needed at this point as we still have a bit of a long haul. I planning I have some things to look forward to for me to give myself a bit of a break next year.

Teen it is standard practice which is why I asked at Parentd Evening,
However,given how widely the papers were discussed on the Student Room and Twiitter, without factoringi in the availability of said papers to tutors, it begs the question what information could possibly be gleaned about where a student is prior to the exams proper by using last year's papers?

I think a pupil would have to go actively looking for info on last year's papers, whereas all the others are easily accessible.

If a pupil (or external tutor) actively uses last year's papers, knowing the likelihood of the school wanting to use them for mocks, then the student has shot themselves in the foot somewhat. They are only harming themselves.

But previous years' papers should be available for the student to use to practice as they feel best. It's a great way to test application of knowledge and exam answering technique.

DD, y10, recently had an assessment on Jekyll & Hyde. We knew it was going to be on Mr Hyde but no more. DD's external tutor said 'I bet they are using last year's question' but then didn't tell her what it was or 'revise' to it, as that wouldn't help her in the long run.

Past papers were used for end of Yr10 mocks and are being used for end of topic tests:assessments in Yr11.
DD will certainly use them for the exams proper but for her mocks I'm giving her free rein, as I always have , to revise in the way that best suits her.
They are mocks after all and she is fully prepared that she may drop down 1 or 2 grades from end of Yr10/ current attainment grades.
Having said that, if treated as al Learning curve students can go up 1-2+ at the exams proper.

The boiler has broken at DD’s school so it’s closed to all but years 11 and 13 taking mocks! She’s been allowed to go in her own clothes but apparently it’s cold!

One of DS's mock exams included approximately 80% of questions they had covered in revision sessions over the previous 2 weeks. (As in, precisely the same questions, not just similar ones). And the "long" question had been set for homework the previous week.

So clearly this particular teacher didn't see a problem in the students seeing the questions in advance. I was a bit when DS first said this, but actually I think this tests a different set of skills - presumably whether the students had listened and understood in class and actually bothered to apply some thought to the homework. And in fact DS ran out of time, even though he remembered most of the answers, so we do now know that time management for this paper is something to look at.

@RedskyToNight that's interesting - I assume the kids didn't know that the questions they'd done in class would be used? I see your point in interpreting it positively.

We had one mock that consisted of a paper that had been made available as a revision resource in the school's online system - so if you had availed yourself of that to aid revision, you'd basically done the exam in advance. I was a bit because I felt that the kids who had done this would get a false sense of achievement but I like your way of looking at it!

(DS was not one of those who'd availed himself of that particular resource so his mark, when it comes, will not be able to claim any advance insight whatsoever )

Well day 3 of mocks and if I didn’t have work tomorrow I’d be on the gin already.

History and biology were both on the bits wobbly ds hadn’t done much revision on ie at the end of his books. 😩He left out 15 marks worth of questions in one. Came out miserable tonight( hope not spiralling). Maths( his strong subject)not great as he couldn’t focus. Said hard which is unusual for him. Lazy twin said the same but that everybody else said the same with a couple of kids very upset. Lazy twin has form for silly mistakes and no workings so doesn’t bode well. On a more positive note wobbly twin said Eng Lit better than last time but made yet more Super Noodles and shuffled off to his room miserable the min we got in. Who knows the reception I’ll get when I remind them it’s time to get bank to the books.

Just realised the year 10 GCSE thread is relevant to dd who I keep forgetting about and that a revision class ds needs to go to clashes with his counselling sessions due to start next week.Running around dealing with non GCSE stress involving other family members x4.

Cheers!

You’ve certainly got your hands full! Take it a day at a time.

Re missing out 15 marks, was that biology? Dd missed out 11 marks but biology grade boundaries are always really low (I think AQA was 60% for an 8 last year) so she’s not too worried. She’s also had English Lit. Poetry was apparently bad!

Dd just seems to see exam time as an excuse to hog the lounge for revision and stuff her face with ice cream/chocolate etc! Which is fine except that she has recurring issues with body image and unhappiness about her size so I feel a bit anxious when I see her eating nothing but junk But I can’t say anything as that will make it worse.

@Bl00mingCactus

No mocks here yet. Current school Sixth form open evening went well and DD decided on A level Music, Drama, Photography & Psychology as her choices. They pick 4 and then have the option to continue with 4, drop one to an AS or completely. However music and drama is A level only so are definites. I will be strongly encouraging dropping one (psychology as it’s 100% exam and not where DDs strength lies) completely as all the uni courses only seem to need 3. Got the sixth form college open eve next month which is plan B which is for a BTEC extended diploma.

DS came out today and said he couldn't think straight in his maths paper and thinks he has done very badly. I can't help but blame the very full on mocks timetabling - today he had a 105 minutes exam, followed by 25 minute break, then another 105 minutes exam, followed by a 45 minute break and then maths. I'm sure there was an element of exhaustion coming in there. Thankfully there are 2 other maths papers (not scheduled last of 3) for him to recover. He is contemplating maths as an A Level option and it would be really good to have got a representative idea of how he was doing in these exams.

Interestingly that’s exactly what my ds said. Couldn’t think straight and it didn’t go well.😬

I think mocks might actually be more stressful (for me, never mind DS ) than the real thing will be ...

Told my two they are for you to screw up and learn from. Need to keep reminding myself.

Crazy one of mine does that. Buys junk because he says it’s the only thing that’s nice at the moment. Screens are obviously limited and he’s trying to keep off SM as much as poss.We’ve all pointed out that junk makes him feel like shite but I can see treats are kind of necessary. Who’d be 16 again?

Paddington : music AND drama? Are you really very very sure about that as a path?

I ask out of good intentions knowing how exhausting the extra curricular is. 4 A levels, too, is too much with that. No unis require 4 A Levels and I don't know why schools persist in encouraging it.

Just offering an honest opinion, meant kindly. I am sure you can persuade me it'll all be fine!

Paddington I'd also question a bit the Music and Drama and Photography.

They all sound like subjects with rehearsals with others or in the case of Photography having to go all around places taking pictures. The upshot of which is she can't just 'get on' with any of them quietly in her room.

It seems to me (with totally no experience in this past my DDs doing Drama GCSE & a friends DD having done Photography GCSE) that this could cause a nightmare in scheduling / getting things done?

Otoh of course, for a well organised DD who doesn't want to be holed up in a room it could be fantastic.