GCSE supporting - to half term, and beyond!

[SheilaFentiman]

Making a new thread to support half term revision and the set of GCSEs afterwards!

Missing calculators have turned up! Obviously I have already bought a new one and it’s been out of its packet so too late to send back.
DS had an in-school English revision session on Thursday so has been concentrating on other subjects since then.

Oh same....my ds really struggles to concentrate anyway and with a cold he can barely function let alone do an exam. Fingers crossed it goes after a couple days for them!

DD is OK about the English language test on Monday morning, they're not a fan of transactional writing but the creative writing with prompt is fine.
On Tuesday after school, they're going in for an hour and a half to have some intensive History catch up. No exams Tuesday though.

They're not looking forward to maths at all.

I also wish they'd spaced out history better, two in one day seems excessive and with dates and things quite difficult.

@filchards i hope it’s not covid both my kids had it like a heavy snotty cold but then I got it and it wiped me out for 2wks, then DH was out with it. I haven’t bothered to test for covid for well over a year but I started coughing pills weren’t touching it so I dug out an old test kit and within seconds I was positive. Luckily my DD got it the week leading up-to exams starting.

What is on tomorrow apart from English language? DS1 doesn’t have any tomorrow (he has done iGcse English language already)

DS also did IGCSE English. Tomorrow, he has IGCSE EDT Paper 2 (1 hour) and GCSE Greek Paper 3 (1 hour). Then "just" the home straight of science and maths/further maths!

Is anyone’s child struggling with doing revision? My DD worked hard for her mocks had a set in November & February & did well (not brilliant) & has totally lost motivation. She’s been in the garden most days on a lounger with a text book but any time I look out she has her eyes closed listening to music. I’m not a nagger at all & don’t get to involved in their school work other to help & test. She’s about half way through days she thinks they’ve all gone ok, thinking about offering some kind of incentive to get her motivation back

I actually think the half term break has been tough on them!

thanks @PhotoDad

DS says he doesn’t feel like he’s had a proper holiday.
Well, yes unfortunately that was the idea! (He will have had 3 completely revision free days out of 9).
Trying to persuade DP to take a day off with him to do something fun after the exams are over.

@kkneat my DS has been the other way round - couldn't get him to do any revision for love nor money until a week before the exams started when he turned into a revision monster! He's really knuckled down during the half term. But my fear is that it's too little, too late.

Trying to work out the percentages / ratio of DS's reluctance to do English Lang work today: Cold v ADHD v general loathing of the subject v grumpy teen.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all over by next Monday ( English Lang paper 2) as the exams after that (Maths, Chem, Physics) will take care of themselves. I shall be celebrating alone then. This has been such a struggle.

Tomorrow afternoon is French paper 2 but, with Eng Lang in the morning (together with boy flu) he is not going to do very well, I fear. Luckily it's not a subject which particularly matters for the future. Tuesday free, Maths/Further Maths on Weds/Thurs. Next target is Biology on Friday.

@tourdefrance - I keeping saying IT'S NOT A HOLIDAY and pointing out all the weeks of holiday he will have when these are finished ... Not been any kind of a holiday for me either...

Eng Lang and French writing tomorrow here.

DD struggling with motivation. Not as much revision happening as I'd have hoped, but if we push she'll collapse in a small damp heap.

Thanks @Piony slow start this morning on Spanish which is on Tuesday - he doesn’t enjoy it!

Yes motivation here is low the sunny weather isn’t helping the desire. This next 2.5weeks are going to be harder than first 2 I think. DD has exams every single day going forward, she’s only revising 1-2 subjects ahead now as can’t cope with anything else. School still have a timetable running in the afternoon after morning exams. But they have agreed she can “have a” prom ticket now. So it’s removed that “stress” geez the ridiculous strings/incentives that were put around that ticket were awful!
She’s also still training on average 10-12hrs a week in her sport it keeps her sane we’ve dropped the training sessions that finish late the night before a morning exam but it’s such a part of her life she needs that physical release for her mind and body.

DS doing maths and English language today. A bit down and recovering still from the tonsillitis boy flu 🤧 but I am quite proud. I’ve never pushed him so much in my life and I feel awful.

We're having motivation issues - he's fed up and school and home been revision focused for a long time now.

Anyone else's child struggling with hay-fever. We started Alevia in April as he usually gets it bad and it's worked a treat until this weekend. Initially I thought a cold but his eyes are all puffy and itchy today, he's sniffy and was coughing last night :-(

Last minute motivation tips that does not include money would be great right? Any tips?
I just keep saying imagine how good you’ll feel knowing you gave it everything. I sound kinda nuts tbh now hahaha where’s Tony Robbins ?

Oooh 😯 poor kid. Can the pharmacy prescribe anything?

Motivation has to come from within so we’ve never used money tbh, I know all kids are different but I do think it’s up to them and just having an alternative route if it doesn’t work out as planned. My younger DD may only get 4-5 GCSEs if she’s lucky as she doesn’t fit the mainstream model despite being “academically bright” she’s autistic so it’s been eye opening to me researching the alternative pathways and you just don’t need 10+ GCSEs to get a degree level education. I just wish school / the mainstream education system would help more to offer different options as I fear we will end up homeschooling our 12yr soon.

Ds has started struggling this weekend too. A bit later than usual.
His montelukast dose has recently increased and he been doing his eye drops for weeks. Think I’ll need to get a nasal spray tomorrow for him too.
His washing is being dried inside and we keep his bedroom window closed. Showers when he gets home and before bed if he’s been out again too.
Hope your pharmacist can help.

Mine is streaming with hayfever as well. The only tablet that's safe for him to take with his nausea medication is making him drowsy. We had lots of tears yesterday about English. He hates writing but I really hope he can do enough to pass.

Thirteen GCSEs is crazy, even spread over three years! I think it's ten that DS will get, including the Welsh Bacc, although I have no idea how the grading works for that. I have a vague memory of it being worth two GCSEs - is that right?

Ds will (hopefully) end up with 12 spread over 2 years. I honestly don’t see the point in getting more than 8 or 9 good ones

Same here!

Thirteen GCSEs is crazy, even spread over three years!

Not three years here - that another who's DC did 15 GCSE having three years which is still bad .

For DS it's been 2 years plus one extra half term for three subjects.

It's usually this half term for three subjects English Lit, Skills and RS - but DD2 Y9 should have started these and has only started RS - which she already hates.

He's been doing some Seneca - which is something - but he just wants it over with now. DD1 is fussing about everything but her A-level exams- productive in job hunting/volunteering and dealing with some stuff form university she wants to go to.

With hay fever Vaseline in the nose first thing works - GP wouldn't give me anything for years when I was pg and BF - but it's worth talking to a pharmacists see if there are any other options. Read recently probiotics might help longer term.