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!

Good luck to all the food tech and further maths students (and probably a few more exams) happening next week.

Also a big thank you to the teachers(?) who sign up to mark all the scripts/artwork/compositions/performances/food(?).

Mine has come down with a heavy cold. I'm sure it's a post stress thing, run down because he's been so tired

DS has had a very random day out to celebrate - basketball, Pride, Primark, and Ikea 😆

Dd performed with her school choir for the very last time for armed forces day yesterday. Music has kept her sane through secondary school. She's had a singing lesson every week and had the music scholarship for the last two years.
Her solo on her first professional stage brought me to tears.
As a choir they were absolutely amazing.

Dodgy music teacher decided he was too busy and didn't attend. A teacher removed dds bracelets which she said she couldn't wear and still has them. She wasn't allowed to put them in her own pocket or give them to me.
They had to sing in full uniform but at the last minute they were allowed to take off their blazers in the 25° heat. Nice of them.
Mon is a bbq on the school field for a fiver a kid and then that's it. Thank god.

@Rowgtfc72 That sounds brilliant, so proud of your dd!
I do hope she gets her bracelets back

She'll be getting them back Monday!

Quizlet still sending out automated revision reminders for GCSE Spanish.

Read the room, Quizlet 😀😀

Got an automated reminder email this morning to tell me that DD had not started this week’s work on Sparx Maths. Doubt that’s high on her list of priorities now that she’s finished all her maths exams and will hopefully never have to do another maths lesson ever again.

Just the GCSE dance exam on Tuesday left for her now.

Dd has reluctantly revised today. He still has statistics and further maths.
I feel he may go into a slump next week and not know what to do with himself once exams finish.

Dd had the day off. Went to dance and is planning pointe class this week too Still has fm on Wednesday and.half a day in school with her maths teacher so not pushing the revision. She's still worried about chemistry paper 2 and I had to firmly say a 7 was a.good mark.and a 6 equally so , she want and 8,/9. I also reminded her ther was no point in worrying till the 27th August! If she carry on like this it will be a long summer. Anyone else's.student fixating like.this?

My son also about Chemisty 2. He's doing it for Al level but paper 2 didn't go too well.

@jamimmi the English teacher told the kids at DS school that a 7 is a B.

I had to question her on that on parents evening and she said something (can’t remember) but he’s convinced it’s a B or will become a B.

7 is equivalent to an old A

@Jowak1 hope your son had a good birthday, nice he can now enjoy his present to the full.
Mine got a new (2nd hand) bike for his birthday and is loving the freedom, not sure we'll see much of him this summer. So lovely to see him happy as he was a miserable so and so these last few weeks.

Does it matter if a 7 is an A or B? A 7 is a great result either way and surely nothing higher is required to go on and do the A Level in that subject? I think it's sad and a little worrying that some people seem obsessed by this.

Absolutely this!

Totally agree with the comments re worry. Totally dd driven and school driven ds got a collection of 4/5 and were proud of him as he worked hard . @Letskeepgoing its an Al choice here too which I think is driving it. Minimum of six needed. I remember they agreed on paper 2!

You literally cannot do Further Maths A-Level if you get a grade 7 in Maths. (And you will struggle with Maths also)

That's fair enough @PicnicBunny but my point still stands - what does it matter if a 7 is equivalent to an old A or B?

Interestingly, at our local college you need a 7 in maths and a 7 in physics to do further maths.

DS2s school school says 7 to do further maths.

It officially says he needs a 5 in English to do A Levels but they've said they will accept a 4. And the SENCo has said I can make a case for him if he doesn't get it. But that's because he would be do maths/sciences and he'll need to get 7 maths 6 in sciences to do those

A levels at DS's school you need a 7 to do Maths but they prefer an 8. You need an 8 to do Further Maths. 7 in Maths to do Chemistry and Biology. 7 in Maths to do Physics, but again they prefer an 8. For Physics and Chemistry they prefer students to do a Maths A level. If you choose 3 sciences and no Maths then there is a compulsory Maths for Scientists course.

Hi all. One more exam for DD tomorrow and then she's done. It's been a tough weekend trying to paper over the cracks on this one. They've not had a teacher all year, and DD has not spent much time revising it. I think she'd already written off her chances of a high grade, so it felt like the time equivalent of throwing good money after bad.

Good luck to all those with exams still ahead of them.

Morning and good luck to all those taking textiles this morning. Last one for DD and then we can truly relax. It felt as though she had finished off a Friday so DD has to force herself to revise yesterday.

Good luck to those doing Food Tech tomorrow and FMs later in the week.

DS1 did no revision at the weekend, but he’s got two free days now so hopefully it will be further maths all the way!