Thread 3: Continuing to GCSEs Summer 2020 - Happy New Exam Year!

[OrangeCinnamon]

Continuation of previous thread
Thread 2

Thread 1 Year 10

At the end of last thread there was a bit of talk on prom dresses ( recommend Fonthill Rd in London if you can get there) by @proggymat and @crazycrofter

@TigerMum had a query regarding moving to foundation level at this stage.

Sorry peeps thread progressed without me noticing so none can reply to your queries!

DS had them during last set of mocks and I have had a few ,which my usually lovely friend has an annoying habit of pointing out to me. Like I might not have noticed Mount Vesuvius on my chin. Not sure teens and perimenopause is the best combination really....

Mocks finally over this week for DD and no results till Feb. Will be interesting to see results and whether higher paper for science was the right choice. Focus has now switched to actual music GCSE performance recording next week, Textiles controlled assessment completion and Drama performance practice. Revision set to recommence at half term.

Mocks results in for DD (at super selective) 5,6,7,88888,9.
6 is Maths, which will need work as it is a potential A level choice on the way to a possible Medicine degree.

Parents’ Eve on Tuesday, so that will be interesting.

KingscoteStaff

DS also got a 6 in his Maths mock (6,6,5 in the three papers) and is also hoping to take Maths for A-level. He wants to study sciences / computing.

I think he is capable of an 8 in Maths, but he needs to put in more work, especially practice papers.

Well done Kings DD!
@KingscoteStaff does your DD need A level maths for medicine?
Also, has she ‘parked up’ Maths as ‘collateral damage’ as my DD did to make sure she got the subjects she wants to do for A level ‘in where she would like them to be’ ?

parked up as in didn’t revise as much as other subjects?

Prog, yes possibly parked up. A lot of focus went into getting 8s in all 3 Science mocks.

The 5 was French, so that will need ‘unparking’ fairly rapidly!

Glad they are finished for your DD Paddington
Well done to your DD Kingscote. She will still have some options for medicine without Maths wouldn’t she? We’ve been round loads of schools recently and the majority want a 7 for A level Maths and 8 for Further Maths but I guess hers may well want an 8 if a SS.that does add pressure.

DS definitely sacrificed English and History on the revision front to concentrate on Maths and Science in mocks in autumn and suspect he will in next lots. Oh and RS as he has the hump he has to do it.

Great results, Kingscote.
I think the parking up thing seems to be a tactic for lots of kids for mocks; if you've been getting decent marks in subjects you feel confident in, it makes sense to push yourself harder in less secure subjects.

DD did this in the sciences, but the downside now is that one of her science teachers has spoken to her and told her she should seriously consider taking a science A level. DD is stuck for a third A level, actually, but I'm not sure of the use of a single science A level to go with drama and English lit? If she was staying at her current school, she'd choose Classics, but was considering psychology or maybe RS at the new school.

Forgot to say, we emailed her HoY to let her know about the missing English lit answer sheet and ask her whether DD's teacher could reassure her about what she thinks she might have got, had it not happened. No response as yet but HoY also teaches DD Latin and told DD she got a 7 for her Latin lit, so hopefully she understands why DD is so upset about English.WE

We had an email from school last week, giving deadlines about submitting A level choices, and it said very casually that some university courses require particular subjects so it was up to students to find out which for themselves. I was a bit 😐, given that the school is an indie - surely such an important factor deserves more than a casual line chucked into an email?

@KingscoteStaff those are amazing results, well done to your DD.

Does she actually need maths for medicine, or does she just want to take it? My understanding from our 6th form open evenings was that the only absolutely essential A level subject to get onto a medical degree is chemistry but I could have missed that maths is also required...

My main frustration with my DS's mocks was that the subjects he scored highest in were ones he has bugger all interest in taking at A level. Not because he put work in as felt they were weaker subjects - just seems to be total fluke!

ie physics - got a 9 - "well I don't know how that happened mum, I hate physics, it's my worst science"

computer science - got an 8 - regularly expresses the opinion that he doesn't enjoy computer science, wishes he hadn't taken it and would have much preferred to do graphics instead

spanish - got a 7 - absolutely loathes it with a passion

biology - adores and wants to take at A level - got a 6

Hey ho. To be fair he was feeling very sick on the day of the biology paper and does normally hit 7s or 8s in this subject but it did make it hit home to me how much illness is going to seriously impact grades if it hits them on an exam day (DS came home white as a sheet after the mock biology paper saying he really thought he was going to be sick during the exam). I guess they just have to carry on regardless! What would happen though if they were genuinely too ill to take a particular paper?

Spot break outs for DS here too but I think it's not just exams but teenagery-ness. he's been on a topical AB for this month although seems to forget to use it quite a often.

Hopefully last results today for English. marking so far has been 7,7,7,7,6,6,5,5. The 6s have both been a couple of marks off a 7 so definitely feel he can pull those up but I am worried about the 5s a bit.

Argh, I can't get started on spots. We've had so many futile attempts to bring DD's breakouts under control over the past 18 months, with no success. Definitely worsening now with the additional stress.

She did her first events shift this weekend. One was enough I think, given that the poor girl had been awake on Saturday from 05.00 to train and stepped through the door again when the organiser's uber dropped her home at 01.45. Made her realise how good/lucrative a babysitting gig is vs 7 hours' lower paid shift, and how she will now take a more conscious note of the waiting staff if ever at a formal dining event. A good lesson in people watching though.

Sounds like many of us have Parents' Evenings and options to tie down this week. Hoping we get History A level signed off in spite of no GCSE so she can relax and move on.

Trying to pick A levels here also which is hard when no idea what he wants to do. Achieving well in French but doesn’t want take it. He is mulling over Eng Lit, history and biology. I think someone up page has asked the same question I am thinking about which is, is there any point in a single science and should he choose something else?

Also v v spotty at moment, poor boy

@estherfrewen sympathy for the spottiness. I had severe acne, as did dh and dd, so I know how awful it is. Because we all had it so badly, we were given the medication accutane, which was rough, but did mean by year 11 I had no spots at all! And dd is in the same position now thankfully but the last few years with acne were stressful. But ds (13) is pretty spotty now and I'm planning on a trip to the GP soon.

Re one science, it might be a good idea to have a look at that site where you put your A Levels in and it comes up with potential degrees (I can't remember the link, but maybe it was on UCAS?). Then you can see if Biology actually adds any potential degrees - or whether they all need another science alongside.

@crazycrofter - good advice on both counts - thank you!

My DD is just doing Biology, but it links well to her other choices of Geography and Psychology (although she still hasn't discounted Comp Sci). Final choice before half term.

We has our one parents' evening in November - nothing following on from mocks at all, which seems a bit strange. I think we only get a grade report at half term too.

Thank you for your kind reassurances that I'm not a horrible parent. As you say, it's such a difficult balance between supportiveness and gentle encouragement to aspire. Ds is also a little bit lazy and very disinclined to work at the subjects he doesn't like. Plus there's always an excuse, nobody told him not to answer that option, the grade boundaries are notoriously high blah di blah.

Like Kingscote progeny, French is the right shocker. God what is it with modern languages. He's at a private school having been a very rough-and-ready primary. I've always said I'll never get a tutor as it's ridiculous to shell out on top of fees. My resolvecrumbling at the (year) 11th hour.

Could be talking rubbish but I think Biology in its own is probably more helpful than Physics or Chemistry which often need a second science alongside it or Maths. It would leave door open to physio or Occupational therapy for example.

DS not decided about Computer Science as yet but two interviews this week he can discuss it in.

Yes, I think Biology is more use on its own actually as I was looking at Sport Science degrees recently and that only requires Biology.

Biology would also be helpful in social science degrees such as Anthropology which has biological, medical and social strands to it.
Well done just DS!
Most DC go up 1-2 grades from mocks to the 'real thing' some more. They won't have started fine tuning the exam techniques yet.
Patience do you know which element he has struggled most with in French. DD's is the listening which will more work.

Yes I agree re biology. @Seeline my DS's choices are similar to your DD's - biology, psychology and history. A tutor at one of the sixth forms we looked at told him it was a really good combination to have the two science subjects balanced by a humanity. Parents evening for us this week too, the usual speed dating "talk fast and move on" fest Feels weird that that will be the last one.

Hope all the stress skin break outs clear up soon. DS was definitely spottier during mocks although I do wonder whether his revision strategy of chain-eating toffees whilst studying might have contributed!

College interview today, feeling nervous!!

Fingers crossed, numberchange!

DD's English teacher spoke to her, re the missing answer sheet. She said she would have expected DD to get at least 22/30, rather than the 10/30 she was given for the part of the answer that was there, but could only give her 15/30 max with the sheet missing.
However, all the lit marks have now been moderated (2 teachers in the department) and DD's other marks also went up 5 marks, giving her a final result of a high 6, which, according to her teacher, is a very good place to be at this point in the year.

So, overall, she got: 9-9 in combined science, 7 in geography and history, 6 in English lit and drama, just below 6 in Latin and maths (in both, she got 4 in one paper, 7 in the other, so still room to get the 6s). English lang hasn't been formally given, but her teacher told her she did much better than in lit, so guessing a strong 7 or even an 8. She's also already taken GCSE ICT and got an A.

If she can get maths and Latin up, I'd be over the moon with those results, come August.

That's really good @alsoplayspiccolo - sounds like a really good foundation for the real things. Has she decided where to go for sixth form yet?

Dd gave up Latin, which was her weakest subject. It felt like a bit of a cheat to me at the time, but it's worked well and 9 subjects feels about right. I'm dreading two years time as Ds has to do 11.

Hope the college interview goes well @namechangenumber2! Is this one first choice?