Year 11 - 2024/2025 - In the thick of it!

[QueenMabby]

New thread. Sorry. Forgot to start it - I hope everyone finds this!

Ours had Love and Relationship poems, Eduqas exam board so poetry was in paper 1 earlier this week.

"It won't be love poetry as it's been love the past 3 years"
"that is what they want you to think revise some just in case"

It was love poetry.

My DC has been on study leave since 2nd May! They don’t have to be in apart from for exams - I’m not even sure they can be in apart from in the library. Suits him though. He’s decided to play cricket this evening for a break - back to it tomorrow.

It's not that we make him revise.
He just revises better with another person. He is happy to do maths/science (a level choices) alone, but even then his favourite way, and most effective way, of revising chemistry is to make his younger (year 9) brother do past GCSE papers (which his brother is perfectly happy to have a stab at) and then he explains the question and answer.

Everyone finds their own way.

It's not happening this evening regardless it would seem.

Me too - I let my DS do his own revision - he wouldn’t want my help - I have offered . It was more curiosity as there seem to be so many doing other topics

Ours has a choice between study leave, going in to use the library or going in for structured revision sessions. We have to fill in a form about what they plan to do at the start of every week. Mine revises better at home.

That's a great way to do it! It's also good for your Y9 son to get an insight into what's coming down the line for him. My DD is an only so unfortunately her study buddy would be me and she gets cross when I don't know what she's talking about. Can't win!

Our ‘official’ study leave starts next week so DD will only go in for exams now. We took our own study leave on Weds as she works better at home so that was the priority! Resting tonight and will do an afternoon activity tomorrow.

Dd has love and relationships - edexcel

DD2 is going to revise at a friend's house tomorrow IF she can have permission to miss some oboe concert that all woodwind players should apparently be attending.

I have emailed and asked permission in case they take exception to her doing so, so fingers crossed! I have very little jurisdiction over what she does, it seems. It really is very odd. But she does promise she will do some revision. Particularly keen she has her head round the chemistry practicals for the next paper as that is what went wrong in the mocks.

Dd feels quite drained today.
It's been a looong week.

DS2 tells me quite a few students have no breakfast before coming to school (there is a breakfast club with a poor selection of food), that some write nothing in the exams, that some fall asleep. One chap got asked to stop colouring his arm in highlighter as it was disrupting other students.
Needless to say, no study leave has been granted.

Mine has regular lessons in between exams. It’s not great. He had history exam this morning, then double English lesson, then business exam.
Some teachers are allowing them to do revision.
They barely got 10 mins after history (loo and drink) then straight to lessons.
If they “bunk off” they risk not being allowed to go to Prom.
I’m going to see how next weeks exams and lesson timetable works and maybe talk to HOY. DS isn’t one of the students they need to worry about attendance wise.

When I invigilated few years ago (pre covid) there were a few students who wrote nothing in any of their exams and one or two slept through them.
Apparently, they come in because if they don't attend an exam they are entered for the parents have to pay (not counting illness)
It's really sad.
In one subject, a teacher had to physically go and collect a pupil for each exam (parents were substance abusers)
😔

@groovylady it's sad - certainly something my DD1 would recognise from her gcse experience - along with friends who she had to get out of bed herself to go to the exams.

I remember kids not writing when I did gcses too - loads of them. But also lots did not take them at all, just stopped coming into school the day after their 16th birthday. I guess that doesn;t happen any more.

AQA History this morning, Weimar Germany and the inter war years. Seemed to go OK although DD read a prediction that women under Nazi rule would be covered so did a load of revision and it didn't come up.

She's relaxed this afternoon as her next exam is Wednesday and it's been lovely to see a spark of joy amongst all the angst.

DS texted after the history exam to say it he thinks it went well. He is hoping for a 6.

He has just left to meet a friend, He was really looking forward to a night off from it all.

My Dad marked exams papers from the mid 80s and I always used to help him check the marks were added correctly and they were all packaged up and yes there were blank ones and pictures etc.

the one I still remember though was when he marked o levels and a levels from a prison and it really stuck with me how much they tried

Dds gone out with dh for a couple of hours.
It'll do her good to get out of her bedroom.

DS who hates history said it went surprisingly well, he answered all questions said some we’re unusually weird.

He came home after his exam and crashed, his dad has took him and his friend who destroyed his bedroom to watch the Newcastle Falcons game and we’ve said he doesn’t need to study today and tomorrow as he looks exhausted.

Think he’s looking forward to his rugby game tomorrow to belt some frustration out on the pitch 😂

Mine too. But DD hasn't slept well the past 2 nights. I think there's just too much adrenaline in her system so she couldn't sleep properly. She had double maths in the pm but she decided to come home after history which was very wise. She finally vslept most of the afternoon and woke really happy and relaxed. Her brother said they did very little in maths and just chatted to friends so not sure what the point of them being in school is, and having no study leave. Or probably benefits a few of them. DS is working really hard and gets a lot more done at home. School are running 5 hours of revision on SUNDAY. 3 hours in school and 2 hours online. It's just such a punishing schedule.

Yep. Same here.
Dd very tired and cross about it

Mine is supposed to be in school - but she went in the other day and Head of Year asked her why she hadn't stayed at home. So that was my 'you have to be in school' out the window.

So she stayed at home today and isn't planning to go in on Monday - but is very motivated to revise for Tuesday's English Lit after the first paper went much better than she hoped.

I do sit over her revision. But only because she is ADHD and executive function skills are low and procrastination skills are definitely grade 9 territory. I just work on the basis that she's functional level of a 12 year old in terms of need for scaffolding (3 years behind is what they recommend assuming for ND kids).

It will be a great deal more hassle if I don't and she has to do resits or something as a result. You make the choices based on the individual child, and some need a lot more handholding. Sometimes she even surprises me and things are done before I've even reminded.

Mine has been on study leave since Friday 2nd May and it works for her she is much better revising alone and coming back after the exam and decompressing with me

Chemistry Monday is a favourite but has also realised she needs to learn poetry for the 2hr Eng Lit

really pleased she has Wednesday off as well after the eng lit

DD came back earlier than I expected yesterday. The exam started before 9.00am as everyone was there. I thought that wouldn't be allowed.

Not certain on this, but I think that is OK provided they are kept in the exam until an hour after the official start time, as I believe an hour after the published start time is the latest the exam can start elsewhere iyswim. May well be wrong.