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!

We were watching Mr Everything English live blog and he listed it as an option.

Yikes! A blog is a quite specific style and form, I can imagine my son going totally off kilter.

4 to go here. DS seems a bit stressed today and not very happy. I've just told him that he know where I am if he wants to talk.

I daren't mention to ds the possibility of a blog!

However he did say it had never happened before.

Thank you for this! Assuming you are an English teacher? Just had a ‘discussion’ with my DD about writing in a slightly different way depending on a letter or article etc and she is adamant it does not matter. I have been crossing my fingers for a week now hoping she is right( she will not even discuss altering the exact format she has been told to write in and she also said she had been told to ‘ignore’ whatever it says to do and just write a convincing argument for and against using all the linguistic techniques. She is a good writer and v humorous! Hopefully this will be what’s required.

Yes I am.
They need to cover the topic set, but the marks are for content and organisation and SPAG.

MrsHamlet
You've helped so much on this thread and really grateful.
Can I ask another question? Ds handwriting is really scruffy...however the teacher has never said anything so I assume if they didn't feel it was readable they would have said by now.
I really hope the examiner can read it. Do you come across really bad handwriting? Would the marker try hard to read it? Or I guess no marks if they can't.

Bad handwriting is an occupational hazard!
If it can't be easily read by an examiner, there are lots of things we can do - adjust the size and the contrast for example. We are obliged to try to read it - it's quite literally what we're paid for!
As a teacher, I have a couple of year 10 students who I'm really working on hard with this, so I hope that by the time they get to exams, it's clearer.

OK, thats reassuring that the marker tries hard to read it. I don't think it's totally unreadable but when he's rushing then it is worse.

I'm sure his teacher would have escalated it if there was a problem

Thank you 😊

Not a problem :) It's a break from marking!
It's too late now but one of the things I try is different pens. I've got a year 11 into writing in a fountain pen and it's made a huge difference.

I'm an examiner and oversee other examiners and we all have to try our best with handwriting. I have in the past pulled someone up on not bothering but I can't remember how. In general, it's understood that you have to be as fair as you can.

Thanks for the new thread, great title!

Best of luck to all our dc for the last hurdle.

I was pleased that dd went to her Saturday morning dance classes and (once/month) Sunday associates today. Did her good to do something different.

Dd reckons as the last few years has been an article it won't be this time.
She is rather chilled about this one. She says as it's unseen she isn't revising it's stuff she should know and does know.

Good luck for all the English Lang exams this morning, especially the 3/4 borderlines.

Have you stared marking GCSE papers already? I was wondering when it's started.

Good luck to everyone today, English language in the morning. Hope it goes well.

Yes. We start within a fortnight of the exam.

Last week and 6 exams left for DD. She was a bit grumpy last night, think the heat and stress are catching up with her.
She's another who says you can't really revise for English. She had some printed past papers but honestly don't think she's put any effort in this weekend.
Good kick for all today sitting English.

Good luck to everyone's DC today. DS has 5 to go and with exam fatigue having definitely set in, Friday can't come soon enough.

5 left here, good luck to all today, English language is the one DS hates revising for. I must say after his mocks we were a bit concerned he wasn't taking things seriously but since February he's worked his little arse off and I know what ever he gets will be because he has tried his best. Roll on Friday!!

Good Luck everyone!! Smash it!

Really sorry, another question! Would this pen be ok to use, he's been using a bic pen until now.

That'll be fine :)

Thank you. It says no gel pens, didn't think it was one but wasn't sure.

4 to go.
Again "can't revise for English" but her lovely teacher has done some fantastic videos explaining the whole paper so she's rewatched them a couple of times.