Y11 2023-24 thread 4

[Techno56]

New thread for GCSE survival 🙂

Also praying the English language texts are good tomorrow and DS can find all the things he needs to write about in them. He's been drilled by his tutor in the techniques to answer them and did well in the mock but I just never know with him - his performance is so erratic. Eng lit was sacrificed somewhat and everything aimed at this.... he just needs to pass it so he never has to do it again and just get on with his next step.

He's tried so hard with English lang and engaged so well with his fab tutor. He just does not enjoy academic learning and finds it hard - I so want him to do ok.

DC has two more this week, 4 next week (but with 2 days off, including their 16th birthday and the day after) and then a final music paper on 17th.

They have been practising papers for Eng Lang and occasionally asking me for help - I'm a bit scared to offer because I don't really understand the criteria and don't want to mislead, but I have given them some advice on what to do if they feel initially bamboozled by a question, as in 'OK, then look for all the features you're supposed to recognise or the type of thing you are supposed to write and think "How can I make them fit this question/piece of writing"', because I do worry they will panic and freeze if the question or task initially seems opaque.

It's also a worry though because it sounds like it can be hard to judge if you've done well - maybe the words all came out and you can think you've written something good, and maybe it is good, but if it's not what they were after you have barely any marks. They did drill them a lot in how to answer in the last 6 weeks before exams though.

Neither do I and I've been teaching and examining it for two decades...

How the hell has it been that long??

Agree with you. Teacher here, also.

Masses of things can be revised - language techniques, structure techniques, sentence starters, evaluation vocab, how to analyse and evaluate, drop, zoom, flash, flash, end, counter arguments, text type formats, awareness of audience…

Anyone with younger children, don’t let them tell you this when it’s their turn!

Good luck to all the kids today.
DS did a lot of revision for English really hope it pays of. Even got his teacher to stay behind school and go through stuff with him for 30 mins, shame he couldn't get that help sooner but suppose better late than never!

Good luck to all the Eng Lang students today, especially any 3/4 borderline ones.

Good luck everyone 🍀

Exactly the same situation here. DS will need a small miracle and a bucket load of luck for a topic in Q5 he can make an opinion on. Just needs to pass. I never want him to have to do this again!

How things have changed - neither of our alarms went off (phones went dead) so the only reason we woke was because the dog wanted his breakfast. 😰
Back to setting multiple alarms on different devices from now on!

Good luck to everyone today. I know this is the big one for many - we will def be nearly there once this one is done!

Good Luck everyone. English seems like one of those papers that can go either way.
DD had a tutor for last year, since the beginning she has agreed that the writing needed to be more structured. I really hope she gets the score she is aiming. And after this never have to write an Eng exam again.
School didn’t give them any guidance, which I am really cross about. They rely on kids motivating each other, which they very well do. But that’s not the point and then they select weird board as well, no one else follows. So YouTube videos doesn’t help either. @Apolloneuro I really hope the tutor shed some light on the techniques for her, whenever I ask, “ it’s alright” but then worried as well occasionally.
I really am more worried than her, can’t say anything at home, so putting it all out here. Very lucky to have find this thread at the right time as well.
I suppose most of us will be doing the same for A levels in two years time ;(
My two are very different in terms of motivation and studying, but then DS is in year 6, I refused to worry about it now ( but every single day DD comes back from exams and comment on it, my mind goes to “what would I do with this one” lol

It’s interesting reading how many of us are worried about our current year 8s having been through it with our eldest child.

My yr 8 wants to do really well but needs frankly put in more hours than her v v high achieving older sister to do almost as well. Although she DOES work it isn’t at the same level of focus. She’s also highly anxious and as a result v defensive and argumentative, whereas oldest will take guidance. I’m already gearing myself up for a very difficult time!

All the best for Eng Lang today. Not a favourite of oldest but prefers it to the creative writing paper which is at least over and done with and went ok. Eng lang was one of my strengths and I find it easy to pluck ideas out the air which she struggles with. She will certainly be glad to put this away forever!

Good luck today for all the English Language people.

It is so tough isn't it, when the effort is there but they just struggle? Have one of those here

Hope he gets what he needs and then on to the next step x

Mrs Hamlet

Almost time ... good luck folks x

Oh lord! Panic stations!! Well done that pooch

We have no English today, but Economics in the afternoon.

In case this helps any younger siblings who hate English. My DC are VERY stem orientated especially DS. Moaned all the time about English. Told them maybe we can find a “Sciency” way to approach it.
So we looked at how English is marked and what you have to do to get marks in exams. So for example. English Lang you are marked for “imaginative use of vocab” so have a list of ambitious words for bad, good, happy, sad, hot, cold etc. Also marked for use of “language devices” so have a tick list of alliteration, simile, metaphor etc ready to use. Spag- tick list of different punctuation to get in.
Same goes for texts. Can also do the same for Poems. Learn 3 quotes per character, 3 per theme etc. Use the shortest or ones you like the best. Poetry analysis.. (DS worst part). Read the poem. How is it making you feel? Find the sentence that is making you feel like that. Which words?

DD has been told by her teacher to try and make the persuasive writing funny if they can or to take an extreme view. We’ll see how it’s gone later!

DH's sciencey and not very 'creative' nephew, also doing GCSEs, ironically finds English Language much easier than our DC does, and even quite likes it. And I'm not suprised because in many ways it is a much more logical approach than a creative one.

Fingers crossed for a good English paper everyone!

Biology tomorrow, an afternoon exam with no morning exam which is a first.

I'm sure DD will be up at the crack of dawn studying......

Anyone else get to this time in the day and start to get anxious?!

Oh goodness, that's a frenetic start to the day @Countrylife2002 - thank goodness for your dog's breakfast needs!

I hope the English paper is going well for our DC. I was talking to DS last night about it and he said the 40 mark question (AQA) is about beating the examiners head with an argument - he said it literally doesn't matter what the argument is you just have to be incredibly clear about it. He said he did one answer in the first mock where he argued against both sides of the position given and got 38/40, but said it was a risky move. These exams are so much more structured and formulaic than the GCSEs I did back in the early years. (Grove impact I guess). It seems that it almost doesn't matter what you write as long as it ticks the mark scheme boxes correctly.

DS has biology tomorrow afternoon and then 4 next week ending with Physics 2. I'm so glad he dropped further maths and his exams don't extend into the next week.

I'm on my phone and can't reference the poster, but with regard to the independent marking which caused mocks grades to drop from 7 to 4 - this is very worrying. I hope the school took onboard the comments made whether the re-marks were harsh or not. DS' school is part of a MAT and they tend to lift 10% from each set of exams and give them to senior subject teacher in on of the other schools in the MAT to re-mark. That system has worked well. It's particularly important for his school as it's very new and the first set of GCSE students was in 2021 which was still Covid marking so they didn't have the historic information that more established schools had and needed to benchmark themselves.

Not long to go until the end of the exam now....Off to lurk on The Student Room

DD just called to say the extracts were good - one from This is Going To Hurt (which she's read/watched) and another on Mary Seacole. She did say the section B was a bit trickier- an article on helping the vulnerable in society rather than focusing on wealth/status ? (I think- she was garbled by this point!) - given that there's no foundation/higher in English Language she said she thought this was quite 'high brow' and might not have been as accessible to lower level students

Definitely not me looking at my son's Fitbit on their website to see if he's moved yet, or is using his extra time ...!! (He hasn't moved. Don't know if this is a good or bad thing)