Y11 2023-24 thread 4

[Techno56]

New thread for GCSE survival 🙂

@BlackBean2023 Yes, I agree that three tiers could be revisited now that there are more grades available under the numerical grading scheme.

Foundation edexcel here.... DS said it was easy. Always a double edged sword that response!!! But at least he's come out happy!

My DS also claimed it was good. There was a question on density that confused him but apart from that was ok. 🤞

Exactly the same here! Ds said it was good except he struggled a bit on the last question. He is not a grade 9 student. More like a 6 with hard work.
I was worried he got the foundation paper too.

Ds another who said the two weird questions on Edexcel were the only ones he struggled with, otherwise he’s happy.

Doing a bit of Chemistry for tomorrow then full focus on Geography. He has to do well in Paper 3 but his teacher hasn’t actually given them any concrete guidance on techniques for it 🙄

Wrt friendship groups, he’s never been one for going out much. Has a lovely girlfriend in the same year at the local girls’ grammar so sees her a lot and Summer weekends are for playing cricket at a local club with his older brothers 😁

In his year there’s a very definite ‘party set’ but he’s never shown any interest, even though he’s had a few invites. Makes life a lot easier!

I agree. My DS is in the same position. Higher far too difficult and foundation a bit too easy, to the point he has a habit of second guessing the really low grade questions. My DH did A Level maths a million years ago. He said gcse maths is like year 1 of his A Level maths. Why is it necessary to have that level of maths as standard? Especially when you effectively can't access any further levels of education and are severaly restricted on jobs if you can't get it, when you could be perfectly competent in everyday maths?

I do wish that schools would look at teaching the Functional skills exams for both maths and English.

The point of that course being that you have functional maths/Engish for everyday life.
It would mean that students who struggle could do a course more aimed at real life skills. A functional skills level 2 is considered to be the same as a GCSE pass.

I think it would relieve the pressure enormously for those who are borderline, and stop them sitting in an exam where half the paper is too hard for them

I agree. These were the grade overlaps I had in my head. DP did the intermediate paper back in the day and went on to do A Level maths getting a B grade, so it wouldn't necessarily stifle opportunity to progress with a subject.

Totally agree with this!

Totally agree about the maths. Given so much rides on it then they really should look at the way they are tested.

In regards to social groups, my eldest didn't go out. She has a history of social anxiety and preferred to speak with friends whilst playing games online. But since she went to college she has made more friends and does go out with them occasionally. School wasn't her place, college most definitely is. My middle has a few friends that she's had for a while, between them and her boyfriend she is more social.

@steppemum yes! Totally agree! I work with teenagers and we offer the FS qualifications- they are brilliant. But we are not a school and only work with students who have EHCPs.

Functional Skills Maths and English would work so well for so many students who struggle with GCSE content and would get them the required grades to enable the next steps.

DS said edexcel foundation maths was OK, he reckons he's done enough for a pass in that paper. (But then slipped in that it probably won't be enough overall for a grade 4 as he did badly on paper 2 - which is news to me!)

He really would have benefited from functional maths and English. Bizarrely he's much better at Eng Lit than Eng Lang - I mean he can read and write very well but wants to be an electrician, so I don't know why he really needs to have an English Language GCSE, there's not much need for flowery language and a fertile imagination for writing stories when you're wiring up a house.

Hopefully I can persuade him to do some chemistry later for tomorrow, but we're on the home stretch with just 2 exams left.

Agree 100% on intermediate and having more practical maths taught. In fact I watched a documentary where the man who created the first maths GCSEs and now is calling for a total rethink!

I could be wrong but I'm sure I read that if they pass English Lit but not Lang then they don't need to retake the English lang?

My DS finds English hard too but like yours found the literature side easier than the language. I think because it's a bit more black and white and he's fairly good at learning facts/quotes whereas the language requires creativity which he struggles with.

Hi Anyone heard back from their kids about Spanish writing?

Aqa Spanish was good. Apparently, it all just popped in to his head, but he got a 3 in his mocks, so I'm slightly 🤔
You may want to wait for someone more reliable

I suspect we are on final week, so sod it all mode

@boredwithfoodprob no it's English language they need to have unfortunately.

Ah shame 😕

Report back on Latin was eeeeeeasy…

A level choice and a firm favourite so never really in doubt.

Further maths and chemistry tomorrow with a well deserved evening off after that.

Thank youmy DS had similar mock result just didn't want it to stress him out too much.

Same feedback (and same mock grade!) from mine. I’m beginning to think he’s telling me they’re all easy so I don’t nag him to revise.

Must say it’s very cathartic to remove revision books from his room: one pile for his younger sibling, one for charity/friends, one for the fire pit this weekend

Imedia went alright, she was happy enough with what she put. She said after speaking with her friends they all had the same answers for maths so she feels she has done well but is worried she's getting her hopes up for results.

Going to start chemistry and history revision in a bit, anyone else staring to feel mildly hysterical and excited about it almost being over.

My eldest is ill and still has three a levels. 😔

Just got home and she seems quite positive about maths now "except for the last question". I'm guessing she's been on tiktok and looked up some answers!

Just got back with DS, he said AQA Higher maths was easy and he finished the paper in 45 mins! 😮😮 He said he went back and checked everything again because he was worried he must have missed something. Apparently they all came out saying the same thing. It's a bit worrying though as now I'm assuming grade boundaries will go up and it's already 90% for a 9.

Spanish was OK and, other than a bit of difficult Spanish in the translation, he thinks he 'cooked'.