Y11 2023-24 thread 4

[Techno56]

New thread for GCSE survival 🙂

Thank you. I hope that's the case. She needs an A but they will accept a B if she gets AA in the other two which she's more then capable of. I just hate seeing her so down on herself. It's knocked her confidence and she has one more.biology exam to go.

DS also said AQA physics was very-very maths based so that might be why the kids either found it great or a nightmare. A few sneaky unit conversions in there that DS only noticed when he went back to check his answers.

I'm super jealous of everyone who has finished. We've got music and further maths to go. For music, has anyone found any online resources to practice for the 'write in the missing bars' question?

What a day! After “straightforward” Geog 3, Physics 2 (AQA Combined Higher) went “extremely well” and that was that. A group of the girls from school stopped off for an hour or so at the ice-cream parlour on the way home, which struck me as a sweetly old-fashioned way to celebrate their freedom.

After shedding her uniform for the last time I thought DD was going to collapse in an exhausted heap, but she has been fizzing with excitement this evening about her next steps. She’s taking up a new language next week, has booked her driving theory test (she’s one of the oldest in the year group and will be 17 before we know it) and has been on the UCAS website checking out when she can open her university application account (answer: next May). It’s as if the schoolgirl has vanished in the space of a couple of hours and been replaced by a swishy-haired student readying herself for whatever life’s got in store.

Meanwhile I am all TGIF and ready to flop.

Best of luck to all those still on the exams treadmill. Not long now.

well it is over, but not quite how I was expecting.

Dd suddenly got really emotional over leaving. She has had a shit time at this school due to ongoing bullying and because she is so bad at friendship issues (autism). I thought she was glad to leave but this evening she was really upset and said she didn't want to leave. Blames everything on bully, even the fact that she is not going to get good GCSEs. This is a very skewed picture, but I get why she thinks it.

But the thing that has thrown me is that she completely flunked her physics because she was crying through the paper because it was their leavers' party afterwards. She literally left loads of questions blank. She was hoping for lots of questions about stars, she got load sof questions about stars, and barely answered any of them. Then found the leavers' party horrendous, and came home in pieces.

But it is over.

See you all here on August 22nd!
Good luck to those who are still going next week. xx

Oh no your poor DD. How did she do on the other science papers? It may balance out.

Well I had a massive row with DS because he adked me to collect him and didn't follow my directions so I ended up driving round with nowhere to park trying to find him! I think it's just emotionally draining all round. I'm exhausted and DS went to bed at 9, which he hasn't done for ages!

Dd very happy with AQA single physics but since this is the first time she's actually properly revised for it I thought that might happen. Last exam here but a few of her friends have exams next week. She and her friend who are doing triple science and have no more exams came out of their exam and all their friends who did combined had already gone home to revise for next week so she said it felt a bit flat. Party next week though. Not all her friends drink but some do including DD. From how they all are when we give lifts home they aren't drinking much even though they think they are. So I don't mind, it just happens at parties at people's houses.

We live in a leafy market town in the north (so very very white) and DD has been to most of her friend's houses for multiple parties. DD2 not so much but I know in one case that's because her friend is embarassed by her parent's half finished DIY (they are friends of ours so we've been to their house). DD2 is one of a couple who are 'the hosts' which suits us.

DS isn't long home. They have had an epic evening/night on the beach with all the local Y11s
Full on chill weekend

Your poor DD. Sounds like she's done an amazing job keeping it all together until now. I hope she's able to put the last exam behind her and I hope the next chapter is a more positive one for her

Oh @steppemum that sounds so tough for your poor DD. I hope she can look forward to better days ahead.

After extensive googling, I've answered my own question about online resources for the music listening, including the 'fill in the missing bars' bit. I know what DS will be doing today!

Ds said physics was good.
I jokingly asked him yesterday evening that he must be feeling bereft, with nothing to do and he said he's already bored and needs to find a job.
Im sure he'll adjust and I'd love him to find a job but there never seems to be anything for 16 yr olds. Job hunting will at least keep him occupied for a bit.

@steppemum I’m so sorry to hear about your DDs last day and her time at the school. I hope life turns around for her now and she moves on to a much happier phase of her life. X

DS said last night he doesn’t feel excited it’s over as he is still in the mind set that he has to do more revision, hopefully this weekend he’ll switch off and be excited about the summer!

Thanks for this we will use it too
Seneca has a section for revising the set works too.

I'm so pleased it is all over. Can't help feeling sad still over English lang paper two though, he was so upset over it as it was the one he was most confident with, he just found the texts really hard and couldn't see what he needed to for q4 which meant he was massively put off for q5. He did so well in his mock and so could have done really well, now he's looking at not passing. Really hope he's done enough for a 4.

Trying to forget it all now until August!!

@steppemum your poor DD, I hope things start to become easier for her x

Only Further Maths to go on Wednesday so we’ve decided a weekend off revising and just go for it Monday and Tuesday. DS is so over exams and tired I think a proper break is more beneficial!

He’s looking forward to a new start in September, he has nice friends but has never really fully felt he’s fitted in to be honest. He goes out occasionally but is not into drinking or girls yet (which the others are!). I do worry sometimes he’s lonely but he has a great relationship with his younger brother, 18 months difference, so they go out to play tennis/into town etc together quite a lot. He also still really likes hanging out with DH and I so said he’s looking forward to dog walks with me and helping at the allotment 😂

@steppemum that sounds so tough for your Dd. I hope things are better now and she can look forward to the summer.

We picked DD up from the party at midnight.
When I woke her up to go to her job this morning at 6:30, she said, "I actually want to die" 😂

A revision-free weekend here, then 2 days for preparing for her final exam, Food Tech.

@steppemum that sounds a really tough last day for both your DD and you. Really hope that over the next few days she feels better. And about her Physics, it's so hard not to feel gutted for them isn't it. Like @Popfan my DC completely messed up one of their English papers, a subject they'd really hoped to do for A-level. All I hope is that the grade boundaries are kind and that their other paper/s might go far enough to rescue things.

@steppemum hope your DD is feeling better today change can be hard. @Popfan fingers crossed he got his pass
I am already dreading results as DS is concerned about Eng lang.
DS started sorting his room chucked all work except Eng Lang just incase and Geography as planning to do for ALevel.
School 6th form sent email all OK for ALevel choices if he gets required grades except for core maths seems a lot want to do it so they will be in touch.
Getting DS to try the journey to 6th form college this week to see what it's like.

Oh @steppemum that's awful, your poor DD! I hope she is a bit calmer today and has got things a bit more in perspective. She may not have completely failed physics and she may have done better on paper 2 than she thinks It's over now and hopefully she can reset and focus on the future.

Unlike a lot of your children, DS is refusing to do anything today. No room clearing, getting rid of old notes or getting out old uniform for me to wash and return to the school for the "pre loved" PTA uniform sales they hold. He's not coming across as emotional or exhausted but is a bit mopey and subdued. I guess they all react differently.

He has a few things set up with friends - tennis this evening and football watching next week. Then two transition days and then we're off on holiday for two weeks.

Hope your weekends are going well.

DS and his friends appear to be bored already. They have just gone to Sainsburys and for a walk. It's 11 weeks until they go back to school/college. He definitely needs a job!

Hugs to everyone with flat or anxious post-GCSE teens. It's so hard and we can't really do much other than prop them up, listen, and distract.

DS and I went to see a talk last night from a scientist he idolises and we took so long hanging around the museum and getting books signed that suddenly it was half nine and hardly anywhere in town was still serving food. We did find something in the end, and then ate too much, too late - so both of us were feeling quite sluggish this morning! He's spent the day building Warhammer miniatures, having opened the huge order he saved up for and placed on the middle of GCSEs as a big carrot for him to keep going.

Hope to do lots of fun things and watch some films with him over the next few weeks. I also think he needs to look for a job or a volunteer opportunity, because this is going to be a long summer and I think even building a tiny plastic army is going to pall...

DD is beyond knackered. I’m going to run her an early bath and pack her off to bed very soon!!

Thank you for all your kind messages.
Dd did really badly on paper 1, so not much chance of a pass. Although she has admitted that she did answer some of the paper 2 questions.

She has been out at pride all day and has come home buzzing, so she is OK.
(although she lost her phone and finally find it 6 hours later)

Off on holiday on Monday morning, so time to chill.

Good luck to all still going next week x x