GCSE 2019 support thread 6

[DeRigueurMortis]

Hello All,

Welcome to thread 6 - results...

Last thread here:

Gcses 2019 support thread 5 http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3610608-gcses-2019-support-thread-5

It's been a fantastically supportive set of threads to date with a diverse set of expectations and challenges (for both parents and children).

I expect this thread may be the most emotive for us all (crikey how did the time fly!!)

Good luck everyone

Just seen of fbook our school is available from 8.30 in morning. dd said she is getting nervous but they can repeat in our school if they don't get the grade. We are in NI

Well DS, on his way out to get a haircut and meet up with friends, said that if he doesn't get the grades for the dreaded sixth form (six 8s remember and a seven in English), maybe it would be better to try asking one of the local comps rather than the other independent school he sat the exams for and got an offer from, but which we turned down in favour of the dreaded sixth form! We thought about applying to this particular comp (we looked at four state opportunities, including his current one, before he decided he didn't want any of them although this one was probably the favourite out of the four), but never actually applied (he was so negative about it when I suggested this as a back-up, and we thought maybe we would ask the independent, as their requirements for their offer were much lower). No idea if suddenly preferred comp would take a late application on results day! They may well be oversubscribed (no idea)! His current school would take him back no problem (the headmistress said so explicitly on prize day) but DS doesn't want to go there.

Good luck to everyone here. Not posted on one of these threads before, but my eldest DS gets his results tomorrow. He has Aspergers and did zero revision for anything apart from a couple of hours the night before each exam and that was just watching YouTube videos. He is not remotely worried and says he can’t understand why people get anxious about exams or their results. He wants to do A levels, but I can’t see how he can get the appropriate grades with so little work in his part.

What were his mock results like, zen1? Do you think he could be one of those people who found the exams easy, or was able to pinpoint more or less just what he needed for target grade.

Update from Dd on tomorrow.
Her & her friends are going to head straight to MOD Pizza from picking up their results...their results slip gets them each a free 11 inch pizza.

Nando’s
Chicquitos
Bella Italia
All offering something for results day .

Dc has been working on and off throughout the hols and we're all very glad they've got a full day at work today to take their mind off results.

DC was quietly confident of 7's, 8's and a possible 9 until the A Level results were issued with generally lower grades than in previous years. This caused a pessimistic downgrading of expectations on their part and although they still feel confident as far as 6th form and chosen subjects goes they're not looking forward to results as much as they were.

Sounds a bit first world problems as far as the range of abilities goes plus some year group eventually has to be the one that experiences the effect of grade deflation I suppose. Just a bit sad for all our dc if it's this year that things turn.

Are grade boundaries out yet ?

Fingers crossed for as many dc as possible to be able to access their chosen paths for further qualifications beyond GCSE's.

DD was already up at 7 am which shows me how worried she is. We had tears the night before about the results as she is convinced she has failed (though her mocks were all very good). We know what she needs to get to be able to go back for A levels and we don’t have a plan B which is now making me nervous. I’ll be glad when it’s all over now to be honest and we’re away for the weekend to either celebrate with her or cheer her up.
Good luck everyone, we’re nearly there!

My DS won’t let anyone mention tomorrow. He needs minimum of 6 6’s across his strongest subjects although as he wants to do maths he has been told he really needs an 8 in order to do well in the A level course

We are going in to school, but will be able to see results online from 8am. I will lurk in the car or the garage over the road with Starbucks coffee

Welcome Zen

Well in a way it's good he's not worried.

We've had some lovely stories here from posters (like onaroll above) whose older children didn't get the grades they anticipated/needed and who've since gone on to be very successful.

Some in other disciplines (as one door closes another opens as it were), others doing re-sits and some who went on to ace their A Levels and attend a great Uni.

I'm trying to keep that in mind.

Like others we've no firm plan b here so if things don't go how we hope I think there's going to be a whirlwind of activity looking for alternative HE places (or desperate begging to the school - likely both).

Oh and just a quick note to any lurkers.

Don't worry if you haven't contributed to any previous threads - everyone is welcome to come and say hello!

It's a pretty broad church here (as per my OP) with a wide range of aspirations post GCSE and the tone of these threads is always supportive (and not competitive).

I'm off to do a totally unnecessary supermarket shop to pass some time....

Teacher here (English) also feeling very nervous about my charges - just want them to succeed. Are teachers allowed?

DS insists he isn't worried ("as long as you don't do badly it doesn't really matter how well you do" -full marks for coherence) but interestingly has gone out to play footie with friends from his prep school, having not voluntarily left the house since the second day of the hols (except to go to the gym daily) so I suspect he (and perhaps the friends) are expressing their nerves in the opposite manner from those children reported here have suddenly started by troglodytes.

And I just opened the Times only to see the "800+ pupils got 7+ grade 9s".

V restful. And not even relevant as DS's school and those of most chums so mostly IGCSEs.

Thank you, DeRigueurMortis from a Lurker over the last few threads. I didn’t have a lot to say as so little was forthcoming from DS about the exams . But it seems a very friendly, supportive group of posters.

Lol marmite that’s one way to keep yourself busy!
Dd is on a course this week. I’m really happy it coincided with results week as it has kept her days busy and also helped tire her out a little.
She will take time out of it tomorrow to do results
Dd has no idea what she will get now.. it’s like she’s completely forgotten how they went and also lodt sense of the yardstick in terms of comparison to mocks etc.
It is what it is.. if it’s disappointing news for her she will no doubt dust down ( after copious tears ) and move the heck on.

DD back from cattery, we watched an episode of ER, and now she is off on her bike. I think I might attack the garden, a bit of vigorous pruning always good for the nerves .

michaelahpurple That's OK. About the same as last year then, which means grades overall must still in the "curve" percentages you would expect.

ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2019/08/gcse-results-2019-the-who-what-where-and-how-of-grade-9s/

I just keep telling myself that I got very mediocre GCSE results, equally uninspiring A-levels (in fact I failed one out of the three I took), got rejected from ALL of my initial UCAS applications, ended up having to take a gap year to re-sit and re-apply...

...and now have two undergrad degrees (a 2:i and a First), an MSc (with distinction), a PGCE, work as a lecturer and run a hugely oversubscribed degree course at an RG institution and am just about to commence PhD applications.

Some people just blossom, academically speaking, a little later than others!

Ha, reading that back I hope it doesn't look smug...just trying to reassure myself that GCSEs (and, indeed, A-levels) are not the be-all and end-all.

Argh. I think I might go and have a nap!

Hi, another lurker here.
I have a reversed stress situation, I am more worried that my son WILL get the results he needs to get on his college course.
He is autistic with additional medical needs and was only at school part for yrs 10 & 11, he needs grade 2 to get on his animal care course and will be redoing maths and English along side. If he gets a 1 or U, he will just do maths and English for the first yr. he has decided that this is the better option for him as it will be easier so doesn't actually want the grade needed anymore, I'm worried how he will react if he does get them, as this could cause a major meltdown due to the stress. I really don't care which course he does as long as he is happy.

Hope he gets the lower grade then Anniecott! Unless after the initial meltdown he might be able to reset his expectations for the combined course?

You're right, this has been a really supportive group
My dd could do really well if she believed in herself but struggled to do any useful revision so who knows what her results will be like. I'm hoping she's done enough to continue on with her a-level choices. She needs a 6 in maths and 5 or above for the others. The maths is the one I'm concerned about, her mock was a 6/7 but she could do a 4 or an 8 depending on how anxious she was and the type of paper... eek.

Hello and welcome to saucery and Annie.

Fancy yes teachers are welcome!!! In fact it's lovely to see/hear just how many are equally nervous and hoping their pupils get the grades they need!

Annie that sounds tough. If he does get the grades are you under obligation to do the animal care course? Even if he gets the grades maybe you could defer and focus on the maths/English next year to carve a less stress inducing pathway?

Maud didn't sound smug at all!

I think some of us will be really thankful for stories like yours tomorrow. It really feels like make or break but that's not true and there are always other paths to take.

Thanks for the advice, do you know, I would never have thought of doing that, he has enrolment next week, so will see what they say. X

Hi Annie ( and also to new names) hope your Ds gets what he needs to get to do the year of just English and maths. That sounds a really good way of doing it.

Afternoon all.

I am beginning to be nervous as hell! DS is at work all day and round at a mates later so hopefully he is holding on (unlike me).

He ‘should’ do ok for the a level courses he wants to take and we have no plan B!!

Wishing all of us and our young people everything they need for tomorrow.