GCSE Support - nervously waiting

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Hopefully everyone from GCSE Support The Final Frontier can find this new thread!

DDs school and the other 6th form she has applied to also need 8s in Maths.
Both selective grammar schools.

Our school need a 7 for a level maths.

DS2 wants to do Maths A Level, it's his best subject. Along with Biology and Chemistry. He felt those exams went well.

His weakest subject is English, his 6th form will allow a 4 in that. School had predicted MLG as 3, his Yr6 SATS prediction is 8. We found a tutor who really gave DS2 confidence but whether it's enough...

He is supposed to have 5 GCSES overall 4 and above. His Geography and History are very iffy, before the exams History was his better of the 2, but he felt History was a lost cause as the exams just left him baffled.

His maths teacher is SLT in school overall and 6th form admissions, and very supportive of DS2.

Absolutely no way he can access a mainstream college so if not able to stay on we'll have to fund online. I think he'd get on well with it, but agree @MrsBeetlejuice it's the loss of social interaction being a major drawback.

He missed all of January and was part time until the end, his attendance dipped below 50% but finished at 54%.

I recently had DS1s Annual Review for his EHCP and they started off saying about his 100% attendance. I couldn’t stop laughing, in rather a maniacal way having had threats of fines hanging over us for DS2.

@noblegiraffe As you are around....Still wondering here if it is viable for DC to teach themselves FM, maybe to AS. They cannot do FM and their favourite ALevel due to timetable. However they may (everything very very tenatative) want to take a combined maths and favourite A Level degree. FM not required, but looks like a fair number will have it.

It would definitely be a good idea to get some FM if doing maths at degree level.

As to whether he can self-teach - what GCSE grade is he hoping for? It might be worth checking in with the ASMP - local coordinators can help arrange FM tuition https://amsp.org.uk/

If he does self-teach he would be best advised to take Edexcel - the textbooks are excellent and there are lots of online videos for FM teaching which directly follow those textbooks.

Thanks, I wondered if they would get any help because it's not that the school don't offer FM. It's just that the other subject is non-negotiable. But they also really, really like maths.
Interesting about Edexcel. that is the board they will be studying for maths.
As for grade, well, don't want to write it down, but, you know, the very high one😁.

Ds needs an 8 to study further maths but can study maths alone with a 7. He needs 7 to study physics and then computer science - honestly I can't quite remember that one.

He's my eldest and has such an independent head on him that I was entirely in the background during the exam period beyond keeping him in snacks and anti-histamines for rotten hayfever.

I was feeling pretty calm about it all but today I feel like I have everything crossed for him including my stomach.

The college DC1 is hoping to get into requires 7 for maths, 8 for FM. As someone who found A-level maths hard despite an A at GCSE I don't think that's unreasonable TBH, although a bit scary as a target for her...

DS is the same with the grade requirements and the subjects he wants to do.

It's a lot to ask, I think. But then I cruised in to all my a-levels needing nothing more arduous than a handful of C's. Ds is remarkably chilled about it all though, so that's something.

DS and I had a chat last night and he's not remotely worried as he just missed the grades he needed for 6th form in his mocks so is very confident that he'll cruise through. I'm less convinced 😬

I so hope you are right about grade boundaries @noblegiraffe . I don't think anyone in my house has the stamina for yet another year of maths...

I don't have the budget for another year of tutoring at £35 an hour either

Elder ds got A* for maths gcse, then got an E at AS. He found Maths A Level very hard. Ds 16 being a bit more chilled this weekend.

How quickly was he able to get a feel for the difficulty of the subject? Was it apparent straight away and in time to reassess his options if he'd gone down that route?

I would be interested in how quickly DC get a feel
for whether or not they are suited to/enjoying an a level. DC1 is very unsure about maths and also feels that one of the GCSE papers didn’t go so well

Do you mean maths?
Confidence with algebra is important for A level.
Have they been given any bridging work by 6th form?

God, it's been ages since I felt like such a rookie at being a parent.

Ds hasn't been given any bridging work. He did do GCSEs in FM and Stats though. He's been looking through the a-level curriculum and seems confident that it is going to be fine. But as my maths knowledge peaked with long division, knowing whether that is bravado or an accurate assessment is beyond me.

Sorry yes I do mean Maths.

He has started some algebra bridging work and found it ok. He does need a lot of support from DH though which worries me

Just wondered your opinion on what my DS’s teacher told us on parents evening @noblegiraffe…… she was very laid back and said ‘once you get a 6, my view is why not go for or 7 or 8’. She said the questions are all much the same in her view and if you can get a 6 then the world is your oyster, she seemed very fixed on the 6. Would be interested to hear your thoughts 😊

DS needed Maths GCSE 7 for A Level, he got a 9.

He's just finished Yr 12 and got A* for his Maths A Level. He'll be taking his FM next Yr with the rest of his A Levels. He finds it very easy but says half his class dropped FM.

He says you need to keep up with the work etc and you will fall behind if you don't understand it because they move on very very quickly

I'm pretty sure DS college required a 7 for FM and only a 6 for maths, definitely not an 8.

DD who gets her results next week will be happy with a 4 for maths. We have absolutely no idea what she might get. I'm rooting for a 6

@HappiDaze did he sit Maths A level after only one year of Sixth Form?

At some places if doing both maths and FM they do maths after 1 year and then FM the following year. Not sure what I think about that really.