Y11 2023-24 thread 4

[Techno56]

New thread for GCSE survival 🙂

@TrixieFatell oh no, hope it doesn’t take hold. I hope everyone who is feeling under the weather makes a quick recovery, things are tough enough at the moment without getting ill on top.

DS got his first full study day at home tomorrow he is really looking forward to it. Told him to rest this afternoon. Hoping he is well enough Friday for Geography and physics. He looked worse when he got home than when he left this morning.

I can relate to this. I'm feeling strangely sentimental about it all coming to an end. I can't wait for Friday and to be through the GCSEs but I'm having a few pangs about DD ending secondary school and moving on to 6th form. It feels like life goes by so quickly sometimes.

Hello all, Need some advice. Dd now wants to take A Level Maths purely because it would be very useful for university. She gets 6s in maths with no revision and thinks she has gotten a 7 using last year grade boundaries.i definitely feel she could get a lot higher if she revised. She does like maths more than other subjects but she is naturally better at the humanities. She is prepared to work over the summer to catch up. It would replace politics (history,economics, maths). Is this a good idea?

Morning, I may not be the right person to advise on A level maths, but my DD is taking it with Chem and Biology hopefully. My oldest DD started it and dropped out as it was too hard and she got an A at GCSE maths (pre numbers).

DD2 loves maths, always worked at a 9 until she messed up paper 1 and now predicts a 7 for herself. I am still encouraging her to do it though, and do believe maths is about consistency and hard work as well as ability. I do think it is one of the hardest A levels though, and if DD gets lower than a 6 I will be chatting with her about other options, I just don't want to place too much stress on her if she feels unable to do it. She would need a A at a level though to do what she wants so that places another level of pressure.

Maths would go well with economics for your DD too.

If she doesn't get a 7 it may be moot anyway

What does 'useful for university' mean? Does she think it will 'look good' for the application, or is she thinking of a course that needs or benefits from A level maths?

If the former then they may care more about grades than subjects. It would go well with economics though.

X-post.

Many places require at least a 7 to fo A level maths. There is a reason for that. Can she start with 4 and drop one?

Feedback from DD yesterday was Chem and History were both so good!. What a relief and almost (just physics left on Fri now) finishing on a high given the ups and downs on the past months other exams.

Luckily she isn't bothered about physics so is destressing already by a sleepover at her friends house last night ahead of the last 2 days revision today and tomorrow.

I must admit I am not going to miss DD being at her school, academically it has been great, socially not so much. I am looking forward to her new chapter at sixth form, and glad to never have to go through GCSEs ever again 😂.

A lovely calm morning here. Leaving DD to it today.

I'm working from home tomorrow (that's a lie, I'll be watching Bridgerton) so we're going to break up some physics revision with a nice lunch.

DD looked awful last night, not unwell just exhausted! Both exams were very good yesterday but she had worked so hard for history in particular she was spent!
She has to get up in about an hour for tutoring and then a day of physics, she hasn’t done any yet. She is also planning to practice geog paper 3 past papers. These exams are much less stressful for her as neither relate to A level.

I, meanwhile, have the Prosecco chilling in the fridge ..

I’m feeling strangely twitchy! DD1 only has physics (Friday) and further maths next week so spent last night ‘chilling’ and obviously felt like she couldn’t relax as she went for a bath at 7.30. This morning I said she could have a lie in (supposed to be in school but she has a ‘headache’) and I’d wake her up as I left the house for work but it feels so strange. I almost want her to be up and at the books which is irrational. I think we both need to learn to relax now!
i also made the mistake of reading through the results day posts on here which scared the life out of me. All those children with much lower grades, especially in English lit. I was feeling quietly confident as DD has always been a good predictor of how well exams have gone or not. Maybe it isn’t so easy with the real thing 🙈

DD has 2 days at home now, she's having a lie in today and will probably have one tomorrow too.

DH was stressing at her last night, saying that she should be revising "all the time".

Maybe she should, but she isn't. She's working as hard as she is willing to do.

It doesn't help that DS1 was a machine when it came to revising and got excellent results and DS2 did very little revising and still got very good results.

She will get the results she needs to progress to where she wants to be.
No one will die if she doesn't get top marks.

Can't wait for our household to be an exam-free and so a stress-free zone, until DS2 does his mock A levels .....

DD had to take out her contact lens halfway through Further Maths yesterday and complete it with one eye…

I have said she can have the day at home studying today after her 3 exam marathon, but now annoyed to see that she was up at midnight last night probably dicking around on TikTok!

Arg I just read it too! DD is a definite 8/9 in English. Well at least I can prepare her for the eventuality she may get a random lower grade. I think I’m going to try and set her mind to the future and looking at what she needs and if she misses some high grades although she can be rightly pissed off, it doesn’t actually affect anything. She’s worked so hard there so nothing she could have done better (well maybe more maths revision, but she chose to focus on other subjects instead so it’s all about priorities ).

DS is home alone today as DH away with work and I am in the office so not sure how much he'll get done. I think today will be a look over some Geography and tomorrow concentrate on physics.

I'm going to get ds up at 9.45. He'd sleep in until midday if it was up to him.
He's doing combined science so I'm assuming they average out the scores?
I told ds it's his last push and hopefully boost his score by getting a good grade in his physics. That's all he has left now.

I honestly have no idea what ds outcomes will be. He's a kid that everyone has said is capable of high scores but is too easily distracted. He did badly in all his mocks. Even the subjects he was interested in. It knocked his confidence so he doesn't even know what what a levels he wants to do.
I think he's waiting for results day to let us know what he wants to do.

2 days off here. I'm off to work. DS is still in bed. His Dad is WFH tomorrow, so he will likely get him up early

DS spent yesterday evening unwinding and gaming with friends and asked not to be woken up today, so he'll probably emerge in the afternoon.

He has two days to revise for geography 3 and doesn't think there is much to do for this one (his strongest subject). Then his plan is to cram for music over the weekend. I suggested he might like to do a bit of music sooner but he says there's so much to memorise that he wants it to be as close to the exam as possible.

Not sure of the wisdom of this but ultimately it's his decision.

History, economics and maths sounds like a great combination, and DS is hoping for similar (plus geography). Maths is on his list also purely because it's required for some uni subjects (he doesn't yet know what he wants to do beyond it's likely being a social science.) I am ambivalent about this because doing maths A level means putting a lot of time and effort into a subject he doesn't enjoy. He is predicted an 8 but if he ends up getting lower I will suggest he reconsiders as there is a big jump in the level of maths between GCSE and A level.

History, Economics and Maths is a great combination. DS was thinking about Maths but the school want an 8 to do A Level maths, and whilst he is predicted an 8 it's still a bit close for comfort. I suggested economics but he read the A Level syllabus and it didn't light any fires.

So we're back with History, English Lit and Classical Civilisation at 1st choice and History, English Lit and Politics at 2nd choice. He knows what he wants to do at University so facilitating subjects aren't as relevant for him.

DS has no exams today but does have his leavers assembly this afternoon. Physics revision this morning and tomorrow morning, exam, then all over!

Oh god, I knew I shouldn't read it but I did. 😕 A natural born worrier and now I'm on full on panic. 😱

I remember the posts about English grades being wide of the student's predicted grades last year. There seemed to be quite a number of students affected. My friend's son was predicated a 5 and got a 7, so the strange grading went both ways.

@MrsHamlet may know more?

I'm hoping that things are more settled this year and our teachers have got their estimates right and the exam boards haven't lost the plot. 😬

Interesting to read the discussion about English grades although I don't think I will read the thread as don't need any more worry! DD was always put out that her English class always seemed to get lower grades overall than the other English class (different teachers). I know there are mark schemes but English is so subjective. I said having the harsher-marking teacher is better in the long run. Hope I'm proved right.

I know nothing. Grades don't exist until the papers are marked.