Anyone up for a GCSE handholding thread?

[BaconAndAvocado]

DS2 has his GCSEs in June. He had mocks in November and more (why??) next month.
He needs to get 5 6s to stay at his current school (IB, not overly keen) or to transfer to another local 6th form.
He said he’s going to start revising this week......
Think his school will be helping him devise a revision timetable this week. I’ve bought him flashcards, he just needs to knuckle down now.......

English Lit here this morning. Poetry anthology and Of Mice and Men. She is prepared, but putting pressure on herself as this is one of her better subjects.

I totally get why digital and smart watches aren't allowed, but don't understand why an old fashioned analogue wrist watch isn't allowed. In my daughter's school, they sit exams in the Sports Hall facing the front. The clock is at the back of the hall, so all the kids have to keep turning around all through the exam to keep an eye on the time. Why they don't face the desks the other way, I don't know.

That’s dreadful @MimiGC - turn the desks or move the clock!

I think it’s easier than policing watches to just say none.

Yes same! Dd18 has been helping Ds with revision and happened to go over reflex arc on Monday night 👍

Eng lit is one of the ds worst - being autistic he really struggles with the analysing stuff and thinks Shakespeare is ridiculous 😄

Dd really helped a lot with his revision last night when I has thrown up my hands as he wasn't engaging. Hopefully it will be enough to get him a pass. Luckily the rest of tis he week is history, maths and computing which he is very good at.

English Lit not one of DDs favourites.
Hope she comes back cheerful!

No he can’t. He’s short sighted but doesn’t like to wear his glasses for written work. They’ve said he can sit at the front. It’s just annoying that it was allowed in January but not now!

That's rubbish, he needs to be able to see a clock. I guess glasses on his desk if need be.

@MimiGC that's very poor. It was a million years ago but in my school hall they always brought in massive clocks and placed strategically round the room.

They should have clocks at the front- I think they might fail an inspection of not.
They had to bring in the watch rule as getting harder and harder to tell which are smart watches and which aren't!

I guess glasses on his desk if need be.

It's not ideal but having just glasses on desk to check time is an option.

All the schools have discouraged watch wearing so assume it's easier with exams.

I'm now glad DS did English lit last year though at time wasn't at all pleased as doing it in 12 months and lack of a permanent teacher wasn't a great experience for him - but I just don't see how he'd cope with even more exams now.

Clock behind the students is shocking!

Watch ban makes sense but schools should also have a big digital clock for the considerable number of students who cannot use an analogue clock (this is a marker for dyslexia, so it’s not laziness). Good timekeeping is crucial esp for exams like Eng lang.

just looked on JQC site. All watches are now banned.

Browsing Twitter (not busy) - looks as tho AQA was a gift today - character of Macbeth and ditto if Mr Hyde. “Ape-like fury” gets in there. As does “fair is foul and foul is fair”

Hope it was ok for all

I got 'it was amazing'...Macbeth and P&P.. phew .. after the horror of yesterdays Biology...

Good news for AQA students. Hope everyone’s went well. I’m waiting for an update on eduquas 😬

My DC has also reported AQA Eng Lit went "really well". Most positive comment this week. Everything else has been "ok"

Eduquas also a good paper today. Phew!

Do you know what was on the Eduqas paper?

Is Eduqas the same as WJEC?

just spoke to Ds1, it went well.

i think eduquas is the sane as wjec. My DC did Romeo & Juliet (question was on Romeo, which she was hoping for) and the poem was London.

Thank you. My DS was doing Macbeth. I think that London would be a good poem for him (fingers crossed!)

Ds has let me know AQA English Lit was 'most excellent' today, changing character of Macbeth and the theme of greed in A Christmas Carol. Both questions he was more confident with so that's a relief. Edexcel History and WJEC Film Studies tomorrow, his first day with more than one exam but two of his best subjects thankfully

My daughter hated the extract for Macbeth, it him with Seyton and the doctor, found it difficult to pick two decent quotes but English is usually her strength so fingers crossed. Think it was a mean one for those who may struggle with the subject. Question was nice though.

DD said it was good. AQA R & J (Juliet's feelings) and Greed in ACC. Both good topics and she said she had so many quotes she had to leave the weker ones out so fingers crossed. The R & J question was the opposite of lasts years which was Romeo's feelings. She was hoping for conflict as a theme but this was fine too.

Off to a PR booster session before PE paper 1 at 1pm.

Day off tomorrow !

Dd2 (edexcel igcse) says it was a tough paper, but she hopes she’s done ok.

she had the 2 poems from the anthology that she didn’t want, and the character she didn’t want (Candy), but said the unseen poem was good.

she’s got Business studies tomorrow - not one of her best.

DD reports Edexcel IGCSE Eng Lit was tough. She thinks two sections went well but one didn't. Fingers crossed as it's one of her A Level choices