Year 11 - 2024/2025 - Support Thread - the final stretch

[QueenMabby]

A new thread to take is to exams and beyond! All welcome.

Meant to say @queenofthesuburbs bit sure what if anything school has told told him about what might come up. Seems a risky strategy to try to predict, but maybe I am wrong on that

DC have Eng Lit, Comp Sci, Biology, Geography and Maths next week I don't know how they're going to structure their revision for it all.

This morning they're discussing (very loudly) some poetry analysis strategies - I am not strictly convinced this counts as "revision" but they claim it is useful. I'm going to ask them about mind maps and expect more eyerolling.

@VioletIndigoBlueGreen
She has the same exams on Tuesday.....but they they start every subject in year 9 so everything is 3 years worth of revision!

@Covidisdrivingmecrazy
I've had those comments too!

Dd has English Lit, biology, geography, media and maths next week.
2 x exams on Wednesday and none on Friday.

DD also has four exams next week. It seems to be a heavy week for most people.
And it's always glorious weather.....

Yes...no doubt it will be in the high 20s 😬

Seems odd this year that dds last exam is on a Monday (physics)...I can't see much revision being done for it!!

Dd said Latin lang went well. It’s a 1 1/2 hour exam and she had 1 hour to check! 🤣🤣
She said pretty much everyone had finished by the 45 minute mark!
Eng lit next which she’s nervous for. Next week is her busiest. Six exams with two each on Thursday and Friday.

@queenmabby
I have a feeling this will be dd in her science exams!

DD will be using all the time, for sure! She has similar to others - English Lit, Biology, Maths & History - with a day off in the middle on Wednesday. She currently seems ok about them - she’s doing a lot of English revision; not sure about the others.

DS has 4 next week similar to a previous poster Eng Lit, Biology ,History and Maths-he said he felt like a 7/10 confidence wise on them all last night. Let’s see! Am determined to remain calm this weekend-let us also see how that pans out…

Dd should get her art grade in a couple of weeks 😬

@QueenMabby I remember DD1 saying the same about Latin Lang - there is just no real way to fill the time! Latin culture was the funniest one though - right at the end of her GCSEs five days after anything else and nothing to do except revise different types of gladiator and how romans went to the toilet (I'm a classicist so felt I was alright to take the piss).

DD2 was OK about history - worries she didn't get enough points down on one question - suspect she's worrying too much. Less OK about the huge telling off she got from matron about not having stripped her bed, five minutes after she walked in after the exam still all full of adrenalin. Phoned me in tears from her bedroom and then had to do an unexpected bassoon masterclass that she was late for.

She texted me and said 'not my most dignified moment, but I managed to work on some vivaldi'.

Poor kid. Glad I'm down on Sunday.

@minisnowballs- your poor dd! I hope she has some time to process today. At least once you’re there you can run interference for her.

@minisnowballs Poor DD, and when feelings are running high too.

So after a promising start on some actual revision yesterday, today has gone less well. This morning in the midst of "working together" on Eng Lit, DC cooked up a massive argument over goodness-knows-what.

I had to send DD1 to a separate room to carry on with her work, while DD2 took the opportunity to flop about sobbing that "now I can't concentrate, I need a break" even though she hadn't even produced a single stroke of writing yet. Finally cajoled DD2 back to the books, I had no choice but to sit next to her like a glowering gargoyle because she was using every procrastinator's trick in the book. Eventually she produced an essay and asked whether she could ask DD1 to mark it and in return she would mark hers - like a fool I said "sure" but this turned out to be an excuse for both to cook up yet another massive shouting argument.

DD1 has shut herself in the other room to do a Comp Sci paper, DD2 is once again flopping about sobbing that she can't possibly think about working now that she's so upset. It will take me another ??? hours to persuade her back to work 😩 It's taken basically all day to get one essay that's one part of one subject out of DD2! What about the other 4 subjects being examined next week??

If I have any hair left on my head at the end of these six weeks it will be a miracle.

I'll be so glad when the English lit exams are over. It just seems like a big memory test (I started a thread on this and was told that it's not a big deal memorising quotes but in this house it certainly feels like a big deal right now!).

@Poisoningpigeons
I'm stressed on your behalf reading that! 😬
Emotions are running high for sure...I heard dd on the phone trying to calm a sobbing friend last night 😔
Sorry dd had an upset @minisnowballs
Older dd is furious and feels she has "wasted 2 whole days" at university doing various group projects/presentations.
So, she'll be in a lovely mood 😬
I'm feeling quite envious of dh who gets to go to Europe on a work trip next weekend for a WHOLE WEEK 😫
I wonder if I cling to his legs and cry, if he'll take me with him?? 🤔🤣

@destiel00Which exam board gives Art grade so early?

Aqa...
It won't be moderated yet but they'll get the teacher grade for components 1&2 apparently

Dd tells me that she's done quite a lot of English Lit revision at school today (3 hours) which means she's going out this evening 🤣

@destiel00 I like your DD's style.

Also, DH has gone away AGAIN after the ten day work trip he's just come back from. Clinging on by a thread to my sanity here with the two A-Level students, no matter the GCSE.

I have spoken to houseparents and matron and apparently they are sorting DD2 out a bit... but seriously, who has a go at a child who has just walked in from taking a GCSE paper?

@Poisoningpigeons that sounds awful, but oh so relatable! The girls are getting AI to mark their papers a bit - that might avoid some arguments?

I am looking forward to this being over!

It did sound quite draconian @minisnowballs
I hope they are being kind now

@minisnowballs
It's hard, isn't it?
Doesn't usually bother me - we are used to it - but even dd seems to be a bit anxious about him going away this time 😔

My DS said similar. They also have to get in for a 730 ‘warm up’ on Monday