Y11 2023-24 thread 4

[Techno56]

New thread for GCSE survival 🙂

English language went okay today. Another one done.

Article for college paper question.

Do you think 100%writing one way eg I agree is good enough or would you expect one paragraph at least saying, however some people may say??

We're down to 5 now and the last weekend of nagging revising!

Lots of biology revision happening tonight which is a relief.

The revision workload seems far more manageable now with only 4 subjects next week - Monday: Maths, Tuesday: Chem and History (USA - her strongest of the 4 history topics) and then a nice break before Physics on the Friday afternoon. Like a PP I feel exhausted, let alone her!

I advise to write one paragraph acknowledging another point of view (more balanced, mature)

So you might start with ‘Some people might say that….’

The important thing is to then shut that argument down with ‘However, the truth is that….’

If you acknowledge a different point of view but don’t squash it, you can look like you’re sitting on the fence a bit.

My son has always been told to pick a side and stick to it for this one.

DD thought the paper was ok. She is much worried about biology tomorrow however..

Techno I find that such strange advice... It's what my dd did but I would always say mention the other side!

DS presented a 'horses for courses' view, i.e. status matters for some people but others are more motivated by altruism, so he said he flip-flopped all over the place!!

Does anyone know how the question was phrased so I can work out if that was an okay approach?!

Mine says "smashed it" for everything. When pressed he just says "it was alright", so I'm none the wiser.

He only needs 3 grade 4's, including English and maths (I think - the bloody college website now shows different requirements, but I think it's wrong), but if his mocks and levels of revision are anything to go by, it could go either way.
Biology tomorrow, which is my specialist subject,but does he want my help? Of course not. 🙄

For our paper it was something like " do you think you should work for the common good to help people".

@anoukis my DS has said everything is ‘fine’, I maybe get a bit more information if I ask a lot of questions but most of my info has been from this thread 😂

Final push here, Monday he has Spanish and Maths then the dreaded 3 exam day on Tuesday. He’s going to be so exhausted so I’m really glad he then has a couple of days free before Physics next Friday.

Same next week except also geography on Friday, apparently another one you can’t revise for , except that dd says doing past paper practice is impt for that one.

DD is just too tired . She just is finishing her final biology flashcards and then plans tomorrow morning to spend 2 hours going through all her key flashcards. She seems to have a plan for how she revises now so I’m not getting involved anymore. She did a bit of biology at the weekend too so seems ok.

DS has 6 next week, Monday, Tuesday and Friday all double exam days. He’s dreading it and so am I!

Ds has 4 left so only 3 next week. His first week was very full with 3 on one day but this week it's been one a day so manageable.

@GlomOfNit Yup that’s it.

DC has one two-exam day next week (Tuesday) but then Weds and Thurs off. DH's nephew is finished next Friday but DC has a final music paper on the following Monday, but they're pretty chilled about that so can take it easy on the weekend.

Well, thanks Mr Salles for all you have done. Goodbye. School was useless for Eng, but sounds like Mr S guided my DD to do a good paper!

I'm going to miss Mr Salles and his threatening spatula

I’m not sure I can do this all over again with child number 2 🤣😬🤪😳

I have a big gap between kids so I have another 9 years before GCSE stress again. If A Level stress hasn't done me in.

I feel like maybe I should have listened to the advice of the women who went before me!! Have a bigger gap or maybe twins
Of maybe send them to boarding school 🤣I’m about a stone heavier and a whole lot more grey 🤭🫣

Or just have one. We're done on 14th 😊

I think A level will be so much easier with DC as just so many fewer subjects and all stuff that interests them. Well, the Biology not so much but they need a science for the kind of degrees they are thinking of (and they are good at science, rather to their chagrin).

SO glad I have 3 school years between my 3. Not sure I could do this again in a year or even 2! 🤪🤪🫣

I have this all over again next year with DC2. Then A levels for the next two years followed by a year off then DC3 has GCSEs (and DC1 has finals).

I've spent the last 15 years saying small age gaps are brilliant, I now officially retract that.