GCSE Supporting - first week nearly over

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DS1 also didn’t quite get through AQA geography

Mine did Eduquas, which I think is the same as WJEC? I think it's harsh that they have 3 papers. History (OCR) has three too, soooo much content. She regrets going large on the humanities - German too (4 exams!). She really wishes she'd taken art instead of history, but she was dissuaded by the alleged amount of time it took. As she does art/craft in every second of spare time I don't think this would have been insurmountable!

Update from ds, geography was fine, he wanted to cry when he turned over the chemistry paper! He sat paper 1 last year and got an A so a bit of wriggle room but even so. WJEC here. He is very tired he says!!

My dd our first to GCSE and wasn’t educated in the uk. Could someone kindly explain higher science to me. Does she get a gcse for each science or a combined result ie poor chemistry pulled up by good biology? I should know but the system beyond me!

Yes as far as I understand the three are all added together and then there is a range of grades. Instead of being a single number as it's two exams it will be 2. They can only ever be the same or one apart. So 6-6,6-7,7-7 etc.

That's if she's doing higher combined not triple

She’s doing higher triple so….

DS WJEC Geography only has two exams - both this year and a piece of coursework long since done.

History WJEC- 3 exams and one written piece in classroom/controlled assessment. He sat one last year - has two this - one left. The content for history has been huge though.

It's hard to know how exams have actually gone - I've walked out enough talked to other who then convinced me I've missed things or got confused - and then I've ended up with the better mark.

My dd our first to GCSE and wasn’t educated in the uk. Could someone kindly explain higher science to me.

Double science only option offered to DH and I at different school back in the day - means they do all three sciences but miss some topics and come out with two GCSE - same grade.

Tripe science is when they take all three and come out with a GCSE in all three subjects and can have different grades for each. Usually consider a better basis for science a-levels.

They only let top set 30 kids take triple at DC - I assume labeled higher papers.

I actually don't know if they have lower papers for each science GCSE or if it defaults to double award - rest of DC school year just have to do double and then get three option subjects to choose rather than 2.

DS said AQA Chemistry was "actually alright". Friend said the same. He was dreading it too.

That's easier she get a GCSE in chemistry - another in Biology and last in physics - all based on the papers (and for DS board practical) they sit in bio,chem and physics respectively.

There's no overall grade to pull up or down other sciences. They are three separate subjects.

My dd said chemistry AQA was okay but geography was awful...how did your children fiend geography AQA?

My ds did some questions he wasn't meant to do in Geography 🥲

Same for my DS, he said it was OK and thought he did relatively well. Out of all the Sciences, he likes Chemistry the least and was dreading the exam today.

Just to correct @TripleDaisySummer - in the combined science, you don't necessarily come out with two grades the same - one can be higher. So you can get 6-7, 4-5 etc. There will only be one grade difference though.

Same here. I got 'chem was pretty good' and 'geog was pretty bad' by text, then the full debrief once she got home: Spent all that time learning 12 case studies! Then only 2 came up! And there was a 12-marker on 'some stupid topic'! Geography worst subject anyway + somewhat prone to catastrophising so not sure how bad it actually was...

DS said the same re having learnt all the f'ing (language!) case studies.

Both today's were 'alright' but then again everyone so far has been 'alright' - man of few words my DS 😂

@ArtfulPuss exactly...dd said the 12 mark questions were weird...it stated everything in the questions and she felt there was nothing to add to the answer...struggled to add a case study but similar to your child managed to add two because it was a 12 marker but honestly felt you could quiet easily not add one in!!

Normally she finds geography okay but felt this time the questions threw her

Spits and bars featured. They aren't popular in our house, not entirely sure why

Ahh - sorry - in my day it was the same grade and I thought we were told it was same here but wasn't paying that much attention as all mine wanted to and were able to do triple.

So sorry for mis-information.

So my DD did Higher AQA Chemistry and she didn't find it terrible - she said she saw a girl on tiktok who was confused on chromatography and electrolysis but she found those questions fairly simple so feels condident. It's nice to see her happy with a Science as she wasn't too pleased with Biology and is absolutely terrified for Physics!! She didn't do Geography but kids at her school found it really easy apparently.

She’s hoping to pull up on paper 2 thanks for the answers.

No worries @TripleDaisySummer - we're all sharing as much as we know

For higher triple you get a GSCE for each of the 3 sciences

DD home now and thinks Chem (AQA single) went ok as it could, she's not a scientist. I think the majority of students to single, with maybe a class or 2 doing combined. I wish she was doing combined.

Does anyone have any tips for programming for Computer Science please? This is by far her weakest subject, combined with lots of teacher absences and she is already stressing about the exam on Thursday. She just says she has never 'got' programming and it's too late now. She's watching Craig and Dave, got flashcards etc but I am unsure as to what else to suggest

Yes, my DD said the same - first paper she looks and feels confident on - which after last week is a real plus!!!!