GCSE support - the final frontier!

[SheilaFentiman]

These are the voyages of the GCSE Enterprise. To support our DCs, bemoan exam boards and to boldly go through the last fortnight like no one has gone before!

Another here saying aqa higher chem was not good and I don't know it. She also said the questions were weirdly set @Letskeepgoing . She thinks a 6 normally an 8.

DD liked the IGCSE Edexcel Chemistry paper. But I think it's probably her strongest science and she was pleased that stuff she revised last night came up. She said some of the longer questions were a bit tricky.

I've just read this to my son and he said yes that's bang on, weirdly set is exactly what it was.
I guess if everyone found the same the boundries may be lower?

Thanks @Madcats @jajajajaja @kidstaxidriver @gcseeeee .

I have a splitting headache for the first time in years. DD upset about eraser packaging being removed, there was nothing on it obviously, I gave her a new one on Sunday night.

It is such a long stint of exams I don’t think anyone goes through without a nose bleed, hay fever, period pains, tummy bug, broken glasses, timetable mix ups, pet or grandparent dying (hope that isn’t insensitive but that has happened us) equipment failure, anxiety and stress issues etc.

Yes, ds said everyone though the iGCSE Chemistry was very hard. Ds said it was ok, with an edge in his voice which means it wasn't really.

Sorry I missed that. Why was her eraser removed? My son's calculator got taken before one of the Eng Lit exams and they lost it! He had it for years and had got use to it. How you can cheat using a calculator in English, I'd like to know!

AQA Chemistry Higher and DD said it was quite difficult but she expected it to be. She thinks she’s done okay. 🤞

@Letskeepgoing I'm reading it to dd when I get home. Hopefully boundaries lower and she's done OK. She has high expectations and unfortunately this is an a level choice. All the others have been fine!

DD said it was ok. A couple of annoying questions and an overly complicated equation to balance that everyone was frantically working out on separate pieces of paper.

Question on fermentation that expected more than they'd been taught or so she says

Other than that ok

@Letskeepgoing it was a staedtler eraser, they removed the navy paper wrapper it comes in, not the actual eraser. I guess they were worried she could have written something inside the wrapper. She was front row in the hall and just got paranoid and stressed after that. She is worried she is in trouble. 100% there was nothing written on it. She’s just an overly conscientious type and is worrying. Hopefully she will shake it off. I’ve told her it’s their job to be suspicious!

@Letskeepgoing I would be very annoyed they lost his calculator. That’s just silly! My DD has a favourite calculator too, that would have thrown her. Glad when this is over.

that's what DS said too!

DS is very poorly today. Meant to be going in this afternoon for maths revision before his exam in the morning but I don't think he's going to manage it - he's worked himself up into a right state. DH has taken him round but not come back, so they're probably still in the car outside the school. He really needs this session - he's had no input from his maths teacher at all since February.

Oh blimey. My son has a wrapper on his I think. Will have to remove just in case!

@spiderlight I would be pushing him to attend too, short term pain long term gain but my teacher friend always says to me if they aren’t well it won’t go in! That’s probably not very helpful.

OCR Gateway higher triple Chemistry. Went ok she thinks but many found it quite hard. Unlike other science exams so far she was working on it pretty much to the end and had to spend around 20mins on the last part of the last question as she kept misreading/misunderstanding it.

@CornishCoast - I think he'd have been better off revising here, in retrospect, but he was so up for going right until about 20 minutes before he had to leave. He hasn't been like this for ages. So frustrating!! They haven't come back so I think DH must have taken him to get a cold drink or something. I know he'll kick himself later and all this time has been wasted.

Well DD declared foundation spanish easy and finished with 15 mins to spare to go back over and check.

I'm really not sure that's a good thing but she seems really happy and confident that she will get top marks.

The main event in chemistry today was that someone's phone went off.

This was in the extra time triple science have. My daughter is combined so want in room but said everyone was lined up and not allowed to leave until they were scanned.

Apparently AQA reserve the right to disqualify you from all exams.

Oh god imagine if that was someone's DM calling to see how they'd got on and they'd just forgotten they'd left their phone in their pocket - oops

https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/18/mobile-phones-in-exams-what-malpractice-stats-show-us/

@HappiDaze that's what I said to her. She said there is no way you can accidentally forget - they remind you time after time and they don't have blazers so only place it could be is a trouser or shirt pocket and you would feel that.

Apparently girls underwired bras were setting off the detectors and they had to lift jumpers to show no phone in shirt pockets.

Yes, ds said everyone though the iGCSE Chemistry was very hard. Ds said it was ok, with an edge in his voice which means it wasn't really.*

Mine said the same (and it's one of the A level choices).

They have detectors

Oh no...
If it was a real accident I feel sorry for that child as they're likely to be disqualified.
My son can be very absent minded and has left his phone at home everyday.