GCSE supporting - to half term, and beyond!

[SheilaFentiman]

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

It’s either foundation or higher tier @BaconAndAvocado. In my sons school anyone who got a grade 6 or above in the mocks was put into the higher tier. I’m not sure what the top mark you can achieve in the lower tier is, maybe 5.

For Maths (and Science) there is a foundation paper which is much easier or a harder higher paper. For foundation, the top grade acheivable is a grade 5 and for higher it is obviously a grade 9.

AQA maths has higher and foundation papers. If you take foundation papers the higest mark you can get is a 5 and there are no questions on it at a higher than 5 level. If you take Higher you can get any grade. Your child will know which they are doing and really it should have been discussed with you at parents evenings etc.

I didn't get it either! DD didn't do that board.

@Hellocatshome and @iwantavuvezela similar story with Spanish here. Dd used to be good at languages but lack of teaching during covid paid its toll. She’s doing foundation and will be lucky to get a 4 at this rate.

Dd had Maths (higher, Edexcel) and History today. She’s become increasingly reluctant to tell me much but seems to open up more to her 20 year old sister. Older dd doesn’t betray any confidences but did tell me dd was particularly pleased with her English language creative writing so that’s something.

Went to ask DS and he did not see an Octagon question, only a 9-sided Polygon question. That made my heart stop, maybe he did not answer all the questions?

Fret not. DS took the iGCSE Edexcel, not the GCSE Edexcel Maths. His friends in other schools who took the GCSE Edexcel confirmed they had an Octagon question.

In case other Edexcel Maths parents are wondering ...

Anyone heard anything about edexcel history? Had phone call from school at lunch saying they couldn't find dd which was terrifying. Five minutes later oh sorry yes she was with her tutor. She's been so anxious about history I'm sorry she ever picked it. Normally an 8-9 student but puts herself under pressure and history has been her nemesis

Happy birthday for tomorrow to your DS too @Jowak1
I've not heard from DS who was doing edexel higher. He's currently sitting history but a bit worrying he didn't message me at lunch.

Hellocatshome it probably was discussed with me at a Parent’s Evening but my menopause brain retains very little.
Thanks for clearing that up. He’s doing higher.

It would quite possibly only be discussed for anyone hovering around a 4-5. Any lower it would be a Foundation and any higher a Higher.

My DD found Edexcel (higher) maths OK today but did say the last few questions were hard and she couldn't do one (a three marker) at all. She's got a tough two days coming up - PE and Further Maths tomorrow and then Biology and Geography on Friday. She is still going into school everyday but they put on a bespoke timetable for each student. So after Maths exam today, she has had PE and further maths revision sessions. I'm really impressed by the school (and grateful!)

Ds said maths was good, and history was "half good". Apparently history of medicine was the good half and Normans were the bad half. I said 75% was a good mark anyway and he gave me a "look".

He's looking forward to his birthday tomorrow as he only has the first lesson then he and friends are coming out to go to the cinema.

DS say numeracy and History were fine.

That's history finished now - than god - I think I'd had enough of inter war German politics.

Still not heard anything and DS not home and I’m just expecting the worse. If it’s gone bad I blame it on Harry Potter

That Hitler Edexcel meme is so funny though. I didn’t feel this much pressure during my own exams.

Ds has just got home, he's in an excellent mood! He says he feels the maths exam went well except for that last question! He was also pretty happy with the Edexcel History paper, even the Anglo-Saxons. No exam tomorrow, his only exam free day in the whole 4 weeks, though they still expect him in school for revision sessions. This evening he's planning on watching some documentary on Weimar Germany

Dd didn't enjoy foundation maths. She rang dh in tears after it and asked that he could give permission for her to come home. We need a 3.

School have excelled themselves again. Shirt signing day was a non exam day. They've changed it to a day 19 kids have a music exam, including dd. Head said those kids would have to get them signed where they can but must bring a clean shirt into school to change into before the exam.
Last day was the 20th. Dd booked her dentist appointment for the 19th. Last day now changed to the 19th.

I didn’t feel this much pressure during my own exams.

I wonder if it was because it was more under our control - revision and sitting them so more to do than just worry - and we took less though DH does remember our exams being longer - I don't remember at all.

DH says ds1 doesn’t think he did well :-( he wants to do it for a level too

Reassuring to hear others found the Edexcel maths tricky too. DD is bottom set but still doing higher paper, but said lots of others in her year had no clue about the last question either. Ah well, she said she attempted answers for all questions so hopefully not a total disaster .. haven't heard about history yet - gets extra time so maybe hasn't finished.

Ds found the History hard. He said he just froze and couldn't get things down that he knew were there in his head. Its such a lot lf content for them. I think his concentration went as he had tried so hard in Maths before hand.

My son thought the last question on the higher maths Edexel question was really hard and the only one he didn't attempt to answer. Apparently a news article about the paper said the last question has also been used in A level maths! ( sorry don't know how to link to article)

We have had a nightmare today.

DD went in, expecting two history exams today.
Gets to tutor time and someone says it's maths. On their timetable it says history.

Maths is their worst exam subject. But they must have a 4 or they have resits and can't do the A'levels they want.

The member of staff she told said "oh well just get on with it". Problem is they're OK if they know it's that exam but not if they don't.

They spent all morning after it getting really upset down the phone and think because they were so stressed they flunked history as well because they didn't manage to and everything.

I've asked school how on earth the wrong timetable was sent to us but they don't know.

No exams tomorrow so hopefully they can relax

DS is home now. He thought Maths was okay but the last few questions hard. It's not a very strong subject for him but he seems a bit more positive than for paper 1.

History was better than he thought. Anglo Saxon topic easy and American West not too bad. He said the AW questions were a bit weird but he felt he did decently.

I've asked school how on earth the wrong timetable was sent to us but they don't know.

That is really bad.

Might be worth checking rest of exams with the boards published timetable to be sure there are no more nasty surprises ahead- you can usually google and find them or https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zw27tcw has most exams boards up there.