Current Year 11 2021/2022 support thread pt III

[StColumbofNavron]

Thread for the parents of DC sitting their GCSEs in about 4 weeks time - eek.

AQA Chem hard as expected by dd worst subject. said she did get a few 6 markers. We just want a pass really. Not bothered about 6/7/8 in Chem and 4/5 is fine.

@Luckything50 I’m just very lucky with DD, she’s always been quite academic and focused, but my DS will do his GCSEs next year and he doesn’t even do homework now, so there’s no chance he will revise. I’ve no idea what to do with him to be honest.

@Rollergirl11 We’ve just had a leaflet put through the door for a community Jubilee party 2-8pm on the Saturday, with a bar and music etc so I cam going to make sure we go to that. Don’t mention the football - my DH is a massive Liverpool fan and can’t watch the match as we’re going to an event. He’s very sore!

We need a 6 minimum for science

Saw this on Twitter...

My dd just said chemistry was horrible

My DD came out raging from AQA Chem - she worked v hard for it and got 9s in past papers during revision but said that everything she had learnt hasn’t come up - I asked her what did come up and she couldn’t remember! She’s gone off to the gym this afternoon with her friends to take it out in the treadmill thank goodness.

She is my 4th and I don’t recall any of the others having such unpredictable papers - last week Maths Edexcel igcse was a shocker as was Eng Lang. Eng Lit this week had some unusual Qs as well.

Don’t think removing parts of the syllabus has helped at all really.

Glads it’s half term think we are almost 1/2 way through.

Don’t think removing parts of the syllabus has helped at all really

I agree. I think it’s just caused confusion. For most subjects they have to learn everything anyway eg languages, where they’re given a small steer by on what might come up in one part of one paper but still need to learn everything, or sciences where they’ve been given a steer on the subjects that may be a major focus but anything could come up.

My DS is exactly half way through, I've just counted. 11 exams done and 11 to go.
I remember when I was at school that it was often the boys that thought the exam was easy and the girls that thought it was awful and yet invariably the results did not align. It's interesting how people perceive an exam to have gone.

I have told DD to chill and just wait and see as she may not have done as bad as she fears. Just because she found it really hard and wasn't sure, doesn't mean she hasn't picked up some good marks.

Yes, I commented to DD that often the exams that one thinks have been most difficult end up being the ones one does best in!

DD is out with friends at the moment so I don't know about how Chemistry was but I presume if it had been really awful she'd have come home instead so am hoping it wasn't too bad. She won't be doing Chemistry next year but still wants to do well (in everything...)

I am just so shocked that the papers have been so awful, this year have had it harder than any other year for exams. Even if they get the results they need due to lower grade boundaries, the knock in confidence will be dreadful.

And potentially puts them off taking certain subjects @PugInTheHouse DD is wavering on taking Chemistry now.

@PugInTheHouse I wonder if the exams are more difficult so they can rationalise lower grade boundaries? I can't even properly recall now what the exam boards are planning to do this year - results somewhere between 2019 and 20/21?

My DD went to talk to her teacher after the exam. Teacher was very supportive, said most people struggled and she understood it didn't go well, but to not lose too much hope because the grade boundaries will end up lower.

@LouisCatorze The results in 2020/2021 were too high. They're not aiming to put them back to 2019 levels this year so as you've said, somewhere in between. My poor lazy DS next year though...this is tough...he'll never cope!

I can imagine @CornishGem1975 it's awful when they have been performing well at a subject but it puts them off.

@LouisCatorze apparently that's what the teachers have been told. At DSs school they based the mocks results on 2019 boundaries so said they expect them to be more lenient. It doesn't makes sense to make the papers so hard, apparently on maths higher in January the pass mark for a 7 was 48%, it shouldn't really be lower than that surely!!

@CornishGem1975 they were extremely low last year which is such a shame as even those DCs who deserved to get really high marks will never be seen as having genuine results.
My nephew was predicted 4/5s and has learning difficulties,
he got 7/8/9s and is reallg struggling at college.
My friends DD was predicted to fail her A levels and got A*/A/A, she had to pull out of uni before the end of the first term as was not good enough to be on the course.

Yes, that's the risk with the slightly overinflated grades @PugInTheHouse I've heard that from a few people.

I think some were more than slightly inflated which has skewed things across the board, I am guessing a lot of it was how well the evidence was provided by the schools also. I have friends who work in colleges and said its been a really tough time.

IGCSE Chemistry here, DS said it was easy, fingers crossed, he will be doing Chemistry for A level and his needs to get at least 8 in order to stays at his current school to do it. He will be revising physics and German writing during the half term.

Chemistry and computing done here, DD finished both 30 mins early as she had a migraine but did complete the papers. She arrived late for chemistry, we got a call, but was still within time limit for full allowance. She said computing was fine and chemistry was (AQA) was harder than normal but thinks her educated guesses were right but says she won't know until results are out. She is happily back with Mr Floof and having a well deserved rest. That is 12 plus French speaking down, 15 to go in 3 weeks of 5 each so almost half way in number.

Well done to everyone's kids for getting through to half term and hope they can have a break then.

Thanks Louis Chemotherapy is very tiring and makes you feel rubbish but luckily I do not have to work through it thankfully, feel so sorry for people who have to but thankfully had saved a lot when worked in London and also lucky DH wfh full time. Will be very glad when its over, another 5 weekly sessions to go, 7 done though they are having to add gaps due to bad neuropathy but I like the gaps.

2 new silkie chickens arriving today. Mr Floof has been going a bit crazy, he is not keen on DD being out for 2 exams, really selfish of her.

So sorry to hear of distressed children, and hope half time gives them a chance to feel happy again and enjoy life / take breaks. The main thing is they sat it and not to worry about it. Feel so sorry for the kids with lockdown, covid, less teachers, lots of mocks and now real things. DD has managed pretty well but DS is in pieces with it and my cancer. Just starting to see a bit of light with him though. Have lovely half terms everyone.

Reading all the messages from today and agree. Both mine doing AQA - one triple and thought it was horrible and the other Combined also thought it was horrible. The only thing to take comfort is that everyone seems to be finding it hard but it does really seem to knock them. Luckily half term next week. So far according to DSs advance information hasn’t been that helpful.

@Silkierabbit wishing you all the v best with the remaining chemotherapy. When you set out above what the year 11s have gone through it has been it really tough - their last normal school year was year 8.

It is an observation that the core
subject papers have been awful and harder than they have been used to but their options subjects have been ok.
Chemistry double (higher) was v hard but DD said she didn’t look at the advance info this time and just revised everything (not in red obviously). She was right, it was like Biology and loads of the green stuff didn’t come up. I think this advance info has been confusing and misleading for them.

Hi All,
Well, we have a bit of a break now. DD is nearly half way through (11 down, 12 to go) but the three weeks after half term are a bit more spread out. Overall she is doing ok and hasn’t had any terrible exams. Some weird ones, especially the strange AQA English language at the start of the exams. She has done chemistry (Edexcel combined higher) and computer science (OCR) today and felt very positive about both. She is currently fast asleep on the sofa and I am contemplating if I should wake her to have something to eat or let her sleep. She has worked so hard and is wiped out. A sensible balance of revision and time off to relax is the plan for half term. Hope you can all get a bit of rest too.