Starting Year 11-GCSE2021 (title edited by MNHQ)

[indy69]

Good morning Mums,

My DD will start her GCSE journey this September. MN always has such good advice that I thought we could have a new thread to support each other. My DD has 4 options apart from English, Science AQA and Maths Edexcel. She has Art and History - Edexcel, and Psychology and Economics - AQA. It wpuld be lovely to know what your DC are doing and we could share resources here. I look forward to meeting you all on this thread. We have 4 weeks to go to start of term and a ton of homework to finish. My DD is feeling too lazy to do anything at the moment, but I guess they have earned the break. I will start reminding her next week about the work. Thanks

I'm hoping they go ahead. DD isn't in school, or doing learning, and has halved her number of GCSEs. With luck and a following wind we might get her up to speed for June. If they go on CAGs the school will have next to nothing to work with.

I too am hoping the exams go ahead, as previously mentioned DS has done nothing for his mocks, won't be surprised if he gets some shocking results.

@TeenPlusTwenties how is your DD doing? I often have moans about my lazy DS (like above) and then realise what ever happens to him is own bloody fault. We tend to get too absorbed in that, and forget there are DC's who are struggling through no fault of their own (above and beyond the situation affecting everyone). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you xx

Though I’m wondering what the plans are going to be....

“In England, A-levels and GCSEs are due to go ahead next summer, starting three weeks later than usual. Plans for how to manage them in a pandemic are expected to be published later this week.”

Higher exams to be cancelled for Scottish pupils www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55230774

DD had 3 exams yesterday, two history papers in the morning followed by computing in the afternoon. She was pretty wiped out last night. Better news today as only Physics this morning and she said it went well...she's had a new teacher since September and really likes the way he teaches. Last year physics was her worst science so if it becomes her best mark then that just shows what a difference a good teacher can make.
I think England will push forward with the exams in June.

Hello Thanks for asking re DD. Some teeny tiny glimmers of hope emerging that I am clinging on to. Not actually in school or doing any independent work yet though.

Thinking of you and your DD Teen.

I too want exams to go ahead, although DD was so annoyed with the Chemistry mock today she said they just haven't been taught half of it. So that will be the problem, her schools online provision wasn't great so they obviously still have content to teach and they are being hit very hard at the moment with Covid, our borough of London has the highest rates and there are 23 teachers out and most of Y11.

DD2s school has closed permanently on a Friday afternoon with no end date and have said they can stay home next week but with no online learning so just an extra week off, I can't juggle all that with work so my brain is fried and I just can't wait for the end of term.

Thinking of you Teen and your dd. Also all posters whose dc are experiencing such difficulties- we’ve been very fortunate (2 cases and lessons as normal since September) and my children have still found things massively stressful so can’t imagine how it is with such disruption.

Teen that sounds very tough. Are you officially home schooling?

Like a pp's DC, mine found the Chemistry mock very tough and couldn't do some of it. It's one of her best subjects out of all that she's doing and definitely her favourite science so it's been a surprise that she found the physics paper better in comparison.

We very much are not home schooling, definitely still on school roll, so they retain responsibility, and will enter her for exams etc.

We are trying to improve DD's MH enough for some work to be done at home, and then eventually get her back in at least part time. We live near enough to school she could come and go as seems best.

My eye is on college in September and to get her well enough for that, preferably qualified to do the level 2 course.

I hope things work out @TeenPlusTwenties. What does your DD need to be qualified to do Level 2, 5 GCSEs at grade 5 or above?

AsPer Amazingly, she only needs 4 GCSEs at grade 3 (inc Eng Lan & Maths) for L2.
We have agreed she will take Maths, English Language, Biology and RE. If she were to pass all 4 she would actually qualify for the level 3 course but before lockdown we had actually agreed L2 would be the right starting level for her. We need to cover the 'extra' biology (was doing combined) and she has missed about 1/4 of the RE content too. But Maths & English Lang is just practicing.
It is doable with luck and a following wind.

That is quite amazing Teen but it’s great there’s options like that. I shall be wishing for you to have that following wind!

Ah well done teen - it’s so important to keep it simple & slow it down isn’t it? DD2 doing GCSEs is fine but DD1 doing A levels has attempted suicide twice since September. She’s at school & applying for uni but I really want to hold off and take it slow. It’s a very difficult balance.
DD2 has had English & maths mocks this week. They’ll have the rest after Xmas. First day back!!

Very sorry to hear that about your DD1 @ComplexNeeds How tough for you. I hope she’s getting good professional support.

Welcome to the thread btw (I don’t think you’ve posted on it before but forgive me if I’m mistaken)

Thank you, I think I posted moons ago but not sure. I do a lot of lurking to be honest. Same with the A level thread.
DD1 wants A levels to go ahead, for similar reasons as teen - she wouldn’t get great CAGs due to her MH. whereas DD2 knows her teachers well and has performed pretty consistently since yr7 so providing there’d be no crazy algorithm she’d do ok. She’s been working incredibly hard this year. It has certainly been relentless. I think I’d prefer her to do exams (maybe) so she sees the purpose and benefit of revision. They’ve had to isolate twice so far but the online has been ok. So I don’t know what’s fairest fir the country. Neither seems fair tbh.

I think there is no fair way in the middle of a pandemic tbh.
Sorry about your DD1 Complex education is important, but MH even more so, so it is all difficult to balance.

Really, really hope everything turns out alright for your DD's Teen and Complex ... and honestly, I hope you are both looking after yourselves too (I know it's probably very difficult at the moment).

They give with one hand and take away with the other hand

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/support-materials-and-advance-information-in-2021-gcse-as-and-a-level-exams/support-materials-and-advance-information-for-gcse-as-and-a-levels-in-2021-html

Well, I think the equations sheets is a no brainer, as would for example being allowed to take in clean copies of set texts for English Lit.

Not sure how if at all you can give advance notice for the sciences or maths.

No idea how it would work for humanities. No doubt all will become clear.

Tbh, the formula sheet is an odd one. If you don’t have working knowledge of them, how would know how to apply them in the exams.

I’m hoping vocab in gcse Spanish is made available

portico My DD1 got an 'A' for physics paper 2 in the old GCSE purely by plug and play with the formulae.

We had this method:
Write down what you have.
Write down what you are looking for.
Find the formula that uses just those things.
Plug in the numbers, rearrange and solve.

Honestly she didn't really have a great clue otherwise.

Also maths, area of a trapezium (l+s)/2 x h . Easy to forget if you aren't that way inclined.

TeenplusTwenties - Will try your approach

Son finished his mocks a fortnight ago; this week we started the revision earnest. We use exampro topical questions practise questions; I made copies for his elder brother. The approach worked for him, and looks promising for younger son. I see no support provided by ofqual so we are going for it and assuming the syllabus is the same as 2019 - and also aiming for the same 2019 stretching grade boundaries

Apologies for typos, typos inserted in uppercase

TeenplusTwenties - Will try your approach smile

Son finished his mocks a fortnight ago; this week we started the revision IN earnest. We use exampro topical questions FOR PRACTISe ; I made copies for his elder brother AND USE THESE. The approach worked for OLDER BROTHER, and looks promising for younger son. I see no TANGIBLE support provided by ofqual so we are going for it, REGARDLESS, and assuming the syllabus CONTENT is the same RIGOUR as 2019 - and also aiming for the same 2019 stretching grade boundaries

portico Don't know if it will work for the reformed GCSEs, but good luck.

TeenplusTwenties - think it will work, as nothing in our specs has changed other than Eng Lit and Spanish. This approach guarantees 8/9s