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!

I’m so nervous 😬 I am not going to cope today until I find out how it went. And it’s not even started yet fgs! (I did hide my nerves and anxiety from DS)

Might need to go and do something that takes my mind off the exam.

Good luck all. DD seems pretty chilled but I know inside she'll be willing this to go well with every fibre of her being! All our DC must be so tired by now.

Indeed, DD has mixed feelings about Maths feels P1 went bad so just hoping for enough for her to move on.

DD is more chilled this morning than she was last night busily revising and glaring at anyone who came near her to go away.

Didn't help that DS returned after his Maths A Level declaring it was so easy he knows he got an A * He's exceptionally good at maths which is a great burden to DD. I had to immediately drag him out of earshot to continue the conversation

Good luck everyone!

Good luck to all DC. Maths not a strong subject so just hoping to get the grade needed for college.

Good luck everyone for Maths. At least (hopefully) after this DD never has to go near it again. Must be so stressful if you don't particularly like it and know that if you don't pass you'll have to retake, extra good luck to those kids.

Good luck all!

Good luck everyone

Same here, I hope it's a good paper for your DS. My DD had strong practicals for music so hoping the written paper is ok for her as the written papers are definitely weaker for her 🤞. And hears hoping this morning is the last maths exam she will have to sit. Almost there though. Good luck to everyone's DC today. Hope they are coping with the heat and hayfever. Almost at the end and I can see a large gin or two happening Friday lol.

Anyone got any DC on ADHD meds? How are they finding the exams? After a pretty horrendous few years or so My DD got diagnosed yesterday with quite severe ADHD and they have put her on meds to take straight away to see if they help. I'm a bit nervous as wasn't sure if she should take them mid exams but the psychiatrist was positive they would help. She did take some yesterday and they did stop the leg tapping and constant fidgeting for a bit with no horrid side effects. It now makes sense why she's struggled so much with concentration and focus. Just hope they don't have any horrible effects during the exams. I'm so nervous for her.

Best of luck to everyone for Maths!

Argh. Trying to get very nervous, very nauseous DS to actually eat his breakfast, one minute before he had to be in the car to get to his exam, and the blooming dog vomited copiously right in front of him and made him feel ten times more sick. It's the absolute last thing he needed, and now I'm worried about the dog as well, because I don't know whether he's thrown up his morning steroids and our blooming vets are shut.

Dd doing edexcel GCSE higher maths today. She has found the previous papers "very hard" but is hoping that the grade boundaries will be low so she does ok! She normally gets around a 7 and is not continuing Maths for A level.

Argh. Trying to get very nervous, very nauseous DS to actually eat his breakfast, one minute before he had to be in the car to get to his exam, and the blooming dog vomited copiously right in front of him and made him feel ten times more sick. It's the absolute last thing he needed, and now I'm worried about the dog as well, because I don't know whether he's thrown up his morning steroids and our blooming vets are shut.

Oh no, it never rains etc etc. (Actually at the moment it feels like it literally never rains but it pours.)

DD was quite calm about the exam today. She really lost her confidence and enjoyment of the subject during lockdown.We were really lucky finding her an amazing tutor who built her confidence back up again. However, she is totally looking forward to never having to do a maths exam again after today!
Hope everyone has a positive feedback about the paper today.
I was really stressed out by the revision progress (or lack of )but amazingly I found that I haven’t been as anxious as I thought I would be during these exam weeks.
Lead up to results day will be another story I think!🫣

DD thinks she flopped it, she counted her points for the things she knew and thinks she's looking at 55/80. Just praying she got enough combined over the papers for a 4 at least.

She only got a 2 in the mocks and I have spent a fortune on an amazing tutor for the last 3 months so her confidence is much better she just struggles so hard at maths.

Just need a pass 🤞 Hope everyone else got on better.

Music later which she's dreading and then 2 Friday and it's all over thank goodness!

I think we both know she will be retaking maths - luckily her school will accomodate it if she stays at sixth form.

WJEC higher paper wasn't great, according to DS - he was struggling with hay fever and barely able to breathe in the room. Says he only answered about 3/4 of it 🙁

Morning all!

Just seems so weird that DS can go into school, take an important exam, come home and be sitting drinking tea with me at 10.30.

Luckily a bit cooler first thing and hay fever has settled down. Thoughts are with all those still suffering.

Maths is his strongest subject so he's chilled. Physics on Friday and then Further Maths next Wednesday. All A level (and potential University) subjects so he's really so much more chilled than on Monday with English.

This thread just goes to show how all our DC are so different and how tough it is to be pushed to perform well at everything. Of course some are great all-rounders but, for the majority, there will have been something to cause massive stress. I'm just so glad it's nearly over. Having online company from people here has been a great tonic. I agree we will need a results thread!

Nothing yet from dd about maths. Fingers crossed.
She's worried about music though. This is the one she's predicted an 8 or 9 in.

@Woody1979 - really interesting to read about your DD and fingers crossed re. the medication.

My DS was diagnosed 18 months ago and recently decided he wants to try meds for the brain fog / lack of focus. Long, long waiting list to see the NHS specialist so decided to go private. I ummed and ahhhed about whether it should be done so close to exams (and argued about this with my son). By the time I pulled my finger out and found a private psychiatrist, it was a month's wait anyway. We're going on 1 July. Of course, if it works out well first time, I'll be kicking myself I didn't do it earlier. He has suffered for years without us really being aware (oh the guilt ...) . He worked it out for himself during lock down. Hopefully we'll get him sorted out over the summer and he can start his new school 6th form in a better mental space. Good luck to you and your DD!

DD, Edexcel Foundation not happy. She said it was harder than paper 1.
I've said forget about it until results day now.

DD1 (usually a 6 plus to 7 for maths) rang to say higher Edexcel was 'good, actually'...She's hoping that is maths done for good now - she doesn't love it .

Music listening this afternoon may be more of a problem.

She wings a lot of it because she's done grade 5 theory and being a violin/viola has given her an excellent ear, but this will not help her with her lack of knowledge of the set texts (she was 100 years out on when Bach wrote Badinerie when she asked me to test her last night). Thank heavens coursework was alright.

I think it's always best to wait till results day - because it is so bloody hard to know how it actually went.

DD1 is now reluctantly revising for last chem exam - I nixed the doing it front of TV yesterday as ridiculous - but worried as guidance is prioritizing her least good area though guidance last year for maths and chem was really off anyway.

DS is being a pain the arse about revision - only has additional maths left and next Wednesday seem to far in the future to him.