Y 11 2023-2024 thread 3

[Techno56]

For when the other thread fills up tomorrow as we all discuss English lit 2 😁

DD was soo some Spanish writing test papers today and on one question was 1 word away from the 90 she needed.

So she popped (in Spanish) Fantastic! At the end

Certainly saved reading back several times looking for where to pop a random word in.

Well revision seems to be back on now, thank goodness. DD had a day of maths yesterday and seemed more positive about Monday's exam.

DD is moving schools for sixth form from a single sex grammar to co-ed non selective. She is very excited to move and needs a new start. She was planning on taking maths, chem and bio and probably further maths (or an EPQ if FM is too horrible). However, since the trauma of maths paper1 we may have to revisit after results are out. She even mentioned maybe French instead of maths so is definitely keeping an open mind now , which is good.

Honestly I think EVERYONE found maths paper one traumatic (particularly the last couple of questions). Tell her not to panic just yet. A stinky paper means lower grade boundaries.

Nine more here, ds has done some revision but not masses - really struggles to organise his thinking at home. He’s got a loose plan for today and the weekend with a cricket match on Saturday and more revision Sunday…

EPQ is expected at his school unless you’re doing 4 A-levels, two of his older siblings did it and both had uni grade offer reductions as a result. He’ll also be expected to do at least 1 hour volunteering a week and take an online course in something he’s not done before. Think there’s also a Sports Leaders course, really like the breadth of the extra-curriculum stuff they do.

I'm actually quite surprised at the number of schools who expect either a fourth A level or three plus EPQ.

We went to lots of open evening and all said that four A levels should be the exception and not the rule, and should only be considered if they would help a uni application. The thinking was very much that three excellent A levels would be far more beneficial than four good A levels as most universities base offers only on the top three. This was particularly stressed at the super selective. They only allow four A Levels if you get 64 points from top 8 GCSEs and if you can demonstrate why you want to do it. The vast majority of their students doing four are doing maths and further maths, rather than disparate subjects. The main exception to this is if someone is taking an A level in an MFL in which they are fluent.

DS is taking three essay based subjects for A Level, one which has an NEA (history), and was told that essay competitions, and showing additional work and research around his subject/s, would be viewed more favourably than additional qualifications.

At his first choice sixth form there is also compulsory participation as a volunteer in one of the school's "four pillars": Excellence, Integrity, Leadership and Community, which I think is wonderfully positive. DS is looking forward to this.

I also love the sound of @Pharos DS's schools "take an online course in something you have not done before". Perhaps everyone should do this at least once!

@Waspie a lot of the people who start out with 4 a levels drop one - its quite normal to do that.

Really hope so re the grade boundaries!
DD currently at school for a 3 hour Maths session then one hour with her tutor on Sunday.

So much better when she's at school as I don't have to bug her at home to revise!

No school after half term but at least it's only another 2.5 weeks of exams then .....freedom!

That was my impression too @omnishambles but again, at open day events we were told this wasn't possible due to timetabling and numbers. Perhaps it's more flexible if the sixth form is part of your existing school?

We were at open days across three different counties too, so not isolated to just our local area. DS did apply for 4 at one college with a view to dropping one in October (couldn't decide between two subjects) and he had to have a separate interview with the head of the college as the person interviewing him said it was "unprecedented" for subjects other than maths and further maths And this was a large sixth form college with a PAN of over 500.

@waspie it sounds like it is related to the volume of students doing A levels and them being unable to accommodate four subjects, due to timetabling etc as you say. Quite a few of the teens for ds’s sixth form experienced a timetable clash when looking at four, but school have been able to have a little jiggle about. This is a sixth form that is smaller than 500 pupils though.

DD has to see head of sixth form to ask to do four until half term as she can't decide between two subjects. It's not usual at her school but was agreed because her GCSE predictions are ok and because she's viewed as "sensible and a hard worker". mostly🙄

DH and I are quite prepared to try to change DS's A-level subjects if the worst comes to the worst. (He is staying in his current school for 6th form.) DS didn't choose his strongest subjects, he chose his 4 favourites. I hope the school would be sensible and flexible if his GCSE results are unexpectedly bad. Fingers crossed it will not come to that.

I think there is certainly more flexibility if the student is going to the sixth form at the school they are at. Unfortunately we didn't have this option as DS' current school doesn't have a sixth form as yet.

I suspect it's a lot to do with numbers too - the current year 11 cohort is very large as the birth rate was at peak prior to the monetary crash and interest rate rises etc. of 2008.

It's interesting hearing how other children's schools deal with their sixth forms.

We don't encourage 4 unless it's maths and FM, and we certainly wouldn't add EPQ to the 4.

We do our blocking once the choices are in, and if a student meets the requirements, they can change subjects easily up until the start of term. Last changes have to be done by October half term.

About 50% of the cohort is our own kids, and the rest come from a range of other schools.

And I’m really hoping a kinder paper 2 and 3?! 🙏

Studying in a church building must be so much more atmospheric. We thought about our little local library, but it is hardly ever open

not atmospheric - modern hall!

But 3 hours of revision done, and a good encouraging conversation about Eng. Lang, we talked about how to use her speech topic (social media) and crucially how to transfer the same skills / structure to another topic, and used the example of a speech about environmental issues. A penny really seemed to drop in terms of transfereable skills, so all is not lost!

Waspie agree - at DDS first choice for a levels (her current school) it's compulsory to pick 4 but you can choose one to drop aftet year 1

So that's not pointless

I think the point is meant to be that it isn't unusual for them to keep their 4th choice and drop one of their initial top 3 as A levels aren't always as the student expects.

Ok so I’m now wishing they didn’t have study leave 🙈
It’s a logistical nightmare with going in late, coming home earlier and the fear of messing up and missing an exam! I work full time so pulling in all the relatives 😬

at dds current school (super selective grammar) they all have to do 4 things.
either 4 A levels (that is not usual, only those doing further maths and some medics do that)
or 3 A levels plus something else, that is either gold DofE or EPQ

It is supposed to be about furtehr developement.

I came on here to say I was worried my daughter has relaxed a bit too much this half term and am so relieved it's not just here. I've just had a word with her and she's now sulking. I think she underestimates how much work she has to go through for the sciences and history, as well as revise for maths. She did attend interventions but only for two days. Today she was meant to have studied biology but has only done one topic before playing online with her friends. Her boyfriend was a over earlier too so I'm going to be the bad guy and say he can't come over if it means she doesn't study. I feel horrible being like this but I know she will panic when she realises how much she has to cover.

I say this as someone who barely revised for her GCSE exams 😆

Dd has a place at a state school, which insists on 4 or 3 plus EPQ. Most drop the 4th A level after one year and sit an A/S. However, she is staying on at her current independent, which prefers 3. She’s too ill to do 4 anyway and cannot cope with the move. I wanted her back in mainstream but it isn’t to be. Idk if she will do an EPQ. I don’t even know if she will be well enough to attend school full stop.

@Mummyoflittledragon sending positive vibes to your DC that everything goes well.

As far as EPQs go, for us it was a positive experience (got an A grade = 24 UCAS points). It's supposed to take up to 100 hours, but ours took half as long again. The main thing we found was it needed consistency - it's not just the final report/artefact, but the 'journey' to get there (and we had a strict timetable to stick to). Everything needed documenting, which was a real departure from the usual scribbled notes on the bedroom floor! About a third of DC's friends started them but then gave up. It can be overwhelming. BUT we still feel it was worth it, and it's been great for uni/college applications. (I use 'we' here but I must stress that of course it was solely done by my DC).

Why would it be pointless? I think this it's a good idea, particularly for subjects you haven't studied before. Unfortunately DS hasn't been given this option at any of the schools and colleges we visited. The reason given was timetabling.

I'm impressed that so many of the young people discussed here are given that opportunity.

I watched the video by the EPQ co-ordinator at DS' first choice school and of the 180 PAN about half start EPQ's but about 50% drop them. It was an informative video.

@Neveragainisaid - thank you. This is certainly the impression I'm getting from my investigations. Did your daughter do EPQ alongside essay based A levels, or STEM? I am trying to work out if the EPQ skills would be complimentary to, or just a duplication of, the skills required to do the NEA part of a subject like history or geography.

@Mummyoflittledragon for your DD. Wishing her strength and health.

The majority of DD's cohort apparently opted for 4 A Levels, presumably with the assumption they could drop 1.

They had an assembly a few months ago to remind all students that they needed 56+ points from gcse in order to be allowed to do 4, and a request not to take up 4 if they're almost certainly going to drop 1. Imagine the staffing headache (and cost) if the required teaching hours dropped by 100x9hrs after October!

As it happens, DD had chosen to do 3 A Levels which she feels confident she can get a really good mark. Plus an EPQ. Plus she is almost at Grade 8 in her musical instrument outside of school, which counts towards UCAS.

I can't believe that in 2 weeks time we'll have no more school runs, emergency Amazon orders for black pens, praying for dry weather every weekend so that uniform can be washed/dried/ironed etc.

DD has been studying like a demon. I don't want to disrupt her momentum by reminding her that I expect her to be productive in the summer hols, not just bum around. I don't care if it's a job or volunteering. With the weather as awful as it currently is, I don't want her to waste 3 months sitting indoors on her phone.

Be wary of thinking things like grade 8 counting towards UCAS points. It will only be for certain courses at certain universities.
For higher ranking unis offers will be grades based.