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!

I’m not sure what the topics are, I will ask him tomorrow. I assumed they had looked at it in class.

He got a 7 in his mock based on quite minimal revision so I would hope he could achieve that in the real thing. To be honest I don't think any A level is ‘easy’ my thought process was probably more about which was the least time intensive - he’s a lazy so and so at the end of the day! 😂

Lilgreen he didn’t mention either of those, I’m sure he said it was more modern stuff.

Maybe a different exam board.

Exam board used at DD’s school for History A level provides two options for students to choose from, between Early Modern and Late Modern. Most choose late...DD will opt for Early that includes Tudors as well as lots of International history - Russia, China etc.

DD’s exam board for History was OCR.

Most schools will just do what the teachers feel most qualified to teach out of the gazillion options on the spec. Most schools won't give students themselves a choice. And most will have a mix of modern and older.

For example, DS was told at one school he visited that he would do The Stuarts, Nazi Germany and Russia. I can't remember the options at his current school but there is a similar historical spread. Pretty sure at my own school they do the Cold War and US, and the Tudors plus something else.

It seems to me history misses out the Victorian era these days!

Yes good point. I have warned DD that her preferred topics may not be the preferred choice of the history teachers’!

Re: Biology - DD's school do say its very 'Chemistry' heavy at A level so it's a good option as long as you like Chemistry as well.

Dd has been sent a letter about an interview/audition for Music A level at the college in two weeks time! I'm still worried they may not run it. They have three doing it this year. It seems to be propped up by vocational courses that won't work with A levels she wants to do. Locally the offer is v restricted for Music A level so if they decide not to run it , it will mean a long commute which she really doesn't want to do. I want to ring up the college and have a chat about it....I'm resisting as this is all her choice/decision (thankfully I think v. sensible and good idea). If she really wants to do an academic music degree or other humanities degree she will find a way to make it work.

We have the same problem round here for music and Spanish. It's very sad. Music depts. of universities are going to somehow have to address their entry requirements , otherwise the subject will either die or become (even more) private school dominated. same with languages.

@OrangeCinnamon I hope it works out for her. I guess they won’t know for sure if they can run it until results day? Ds’ school run Music A Level in conjunction with 3 other schools - same with languages. It seems the only way they can resource these minority subjects is by pooling resources.

Dd has an interview at the comprehensive sixth form on Wed, which will give her a bit of a chance to see the school as she didn’t do the open day.

@piggywaspushed I remember your posts about Spanish so frustrating. I do get worried about Music at Uni level purely because we were really skint until about year 6 would have loved for Dd to have had lessons , luckily her primary school fostered her interest , lent her a flute let her and others play in a mini orchestra (they were all beginners cute but noisy). Late place at secondary meant that she took up vocal lessons. I'm so afraid she will be miles behind others who have lessons since three, on lots of instruments, at Uni even on some academic courses the competition is immense. We will see I guess.

What gets me annoyed is that parents end up having to shell out for private lessons, private exam entry or private schooling! It is not like they mfl and music are obscure courses at University Level. Not just Mfl either very few state comps do latin which always hinders possible classics students one way or another (extra year or extra work) . It makes me so annoyed !

Me too.

My school actually offers Latin and classics : one of something like 6% of state schools to do so. It's very popular. Exam results haven't been great, though, because our kids are up against a heavily top end skewed cohort.

My DS has private euphonium lessons (at school but we pay the teacher) but the school does give him free guitar lessons because he opted for GCSE music. But all the exams and prep with accompanist, and paying the accompanist certainly adds up.

Grammar is shocking today sorry ! Not v well , hiding in bedroom feeling sorry for myself

OrangeCinnamon, I’m a pro musician (flautist), so might be able to offer some advice.
If your DD can’t find a school:college that offers A level music, unis will accept a pass in grade 8 theory as an equivalent.
Not everyone who takes A level music will have been learning an instrument since they were tiny, so don’t worry about that, and actually, even if they have, the academic side won’t be something they have an advantage in.
When I did A level music, students from other schools that didn’t offer it came in each week for the music lessons - not sure if that might be possible in your situation?

Just got email telling us French teacher is being replaced by a new teacher, but we shouldn’t worry, they are up to scratch with requirements in the GCSE syllabus .

Thanks @Alsoplayspiccolo. They have just merged with another college that has a good rep for music but is miles away. Im hoping they will still run as they have brilliant facilities for music because they do lots of vocational Just a question of staffing I guess. Trinity or Guildhall do.a distance music a level that could be an option too.

Just got DD’s 6 form letter through the post saying she has got her choices, only they have got her choices wrong and have put down chemistry instead of computing. Dd is now stressing and emailing the 6th form tutor to tell them they have got it wrong.

Haven’t been on here for while. DS is revising for second batch of mocks at the moment. His others were in Nov & he got 8 few 7’s few 6’s & 5.

He’s now decided he wants to do Biology, Chemistry & PE a-levels so needs to get 7 in Bio & Chem to do it. He is feeling the pressure.

His lovely physics teacher has shown them an online revision timetable that you can put in your exam dates/ extra curricular stuff to help them manage time. I think it’s given him some confidence re time management.

@Northumberlandlass where can we find that online revision timetable please, it sounds really useful?

@OrangeCinnamon DD in a similar position. At DDs school/sixth form 3 pupils did A level music in 2019 and 2 AS level music (found this on the website results). Not sure how many are doing this year but they have now stopped offering AS music. I was worried that if there were too few applicants that they wouldn’t run A level but had a good chat with the Music teacher at the sixth form open evening who said they are confident it will be running. DD has also been asking around and 2 others in her year said they had put music A level as one of their choices. Fingers crossed.

No mock results till next week so eagerly awaiting them.

This week DDs Music GCSE performance was recorded and went really well and the teacher said there was no reason she wouldn’t get full marks! She is really pleased as it counts for 30% of final grade.

Here you go @crazycrofter

getrevising.co.uk/

Sorry to read about the issues doing Music and MFL at A level. Seems insane to me, but I'm Canadian so the whole process seems bonkers.

Oh that get revising website looks good!

@Piggywaspushed
Latin at A level is as rare as hen’s teeth around ‘our neck of the woods’!
How many students does your school deem to be enough to offer it at A level?