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

[QueenMabby]

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

Similar mayhem here: DD doing GCSE chemistry, English Lit, sociology, French listening&reading, RE, physics, English language

DS doing GCSE chemistry, physics, English language.

Just need to get to the end of the week in one piece!

Yes !!

My daughter’s done 5 exams so far, got 7 this week and another 9 after half term. Very jealous of those who are half way through!!

My daughter is 25% through too - done 6, got 6 this coming week, and then 12 after half term. Whilst it might seem demoralising to still have the bulk of them to come, I think it works out better as so far she has had only one exam a day - I feel for those who have had 2 or more in a day, must really pile the pressure on.

Just dropping in from Y12 to send continued good luck and lots of stamina to you all (and the DC!).

@NicolaCasanova DD’s friends in the year below sat the IGCSE paper you mention. Chatter afterwards re was about the OMAM character question being on Slim and the theme question being on loneliness. Most had opted for the latter. Not sure if that’s any help to you!

We will be glad when this week is over too, 7 exams.
Chemistry
English lit
French and Religious
Physics and Media
English Language

After those are done we’ll be 13 down and only 8 to go after half term. I hope this week goes well for everyone. 🤞

Hi all, read the last thread and this one with great interest - nice to talk about it as I feel quite stressed for DD, even though she’s quite chilled! She has chemistry, physics, English lit and English language this coming week; bit of a killer but least she has Wednesday off.

Last week, she had 6 exams and it was her birthday on the Wednesday - poor kid spent her 16th birthday revising for maths and German! She decided to keep it low key and doing proper presents, cake, banners and the works on the 18th June as her last exam is on the 16th. She is keeping pretty focused and we’re leaving the revision to her but she knows we’re here is she wants testing on anything.

Her school aren’t officially allowing study leave but if we email her HOY, she would get permission to. She only wants to if the lessons are subjects she has finished (business and German atm) because she finds it impossible to revise in those lessons because people are just chatting etc so think she has a sensible approach.

@claryit looks like you have a dc a similar age to my oldest as you have the old A grades with a few number grades. Ds1 did English and maths in the newer way with no coursework and 9-1 grades. Then the others were the old A-F with coursework.

That’s always been the case (in ds2’s year it was German that was late and French was first). I presume it’s to help those taking multiple MFL.

I can’t believe how much there is on this new thread already. I couldn’t find it the other day when I had a brief look, I forgot to look again till today.

@QueenMabby
The Edexcel Revision Guide for Russian History has taken me right back! To all the Stalin bits I liked and the collectivisation bits I didn't. Is dd more prepared than she thinks she is? Which bits specifically is she doubting?

I've offered ds2 help just now, offered to test him. He doesn't seem keen, which is a bit worrying. I'm wondering if I'm being too gentle and subtle and should be more forceful, making him study. 🤔

Ds2 seems knackered. He's got 6 this week: chemistry, PE, Lit, RE, Physics, Lang.

I am worried.

We had 6 GCSEs and 4 alevels last week in the house, 4 GCSEs and 2 alevels next week, which seems positively relaxing 😂. Dd working through a few chemistry past papers today. Leaving DS to it. He knows what he needs to get for uni so that’s motivation enough.

I really feel for those who have 6 or 7 this week, that’s s lot.

i’m s bit confused on French reading and listening as they appear to be scheduled at the same time, do they just do them back to back, so essentially s 1hr 45 min exam? Or do they have a break in between?

They do them back to back with a small break to change paper (well at my school they do).

Yes my DD3 did.

I hear you. DS has become totally averse to any testing or involvement of any sort. Prep and mocks etc been variable so it is making me v nervous. I know I have to let him be…

DD3 sitting IGCSE (U.K.) and had literature 1 on 12/5 with language 1 scheduled this week. Not sure if that’s the same as your DC @NicolaCasanova - I got a full account if you want info.

I think it’s more the frustration that there’s not as much stuff on it. To be fair, she knows all the factual stuff but has more revision slots than past papers I think!

Tough week ahead for DD - Chemistry, English Lit 2 & Classics (a day she is dreading), French, Physics, English Language 1.
Then half term followed by almost 3 more weeks of much more spaced out exams just to really drag it out!

Such a heavy week ahead here too. Hoping he gets through it to half term. to focus on paper 2s. He was supposed to be studying chemistry today but is really struggling. He watched a paper 1 youtube revision guide but glazed over midway through and admitted he hadn't leaned much. He's taking a break now. He isn't stressed or angry which I am grateful for but has shifted to being very un-focused and non-motivated this weekend.

Hope your DC are okay and you all are hanging in there.

Ds also keeps changing his mind about which A levels to take. He has ticked the boxes at school for maths, chemistry, physics and geography. They drop one of them over the course of the first year, so he’d drop geog. Then he decided he’d ask if he can take further maths and not geography. All being well he’d keep doing all of those. Next he decided to do all 3 sciences and maths, dropping a science. Now he’s decided maths, further maths, one science and French. I told him that surely these options limit him if he wants to go to university. He doesn’t want to do a maths degree so that just leaves whichever science he’s chosen (or maybe he will need 2 sciences to study one of them at uni?) he gets angry if I try to discuss it with him. He says I’ve got no idea what I’m talking about. He’s probably right. But I think French is pointless for him really. Especially as the only gcse he’s really been stressed about was the French oral.

@icanbewhatiwant if he’s interested in sciences at university then maths often counts as a ‘science’. It’s tricky to narrow things down when they’ve really no clue what they fancy doing.

They usually put different boards on the same day as no one is going to be doing the same subject in a different board! Perhaps he's doing IGCSE not GCSE (which would be weird for English speakers as it's aimed at ESL).

Honestly, I would take all of this with a pinch of salt until the GCSEs are over. Once the exams are done, he can think about what enjoyed most (or hated least), and he could do a little bit of exploration into uni courses. Until then I’d just be encouraging about everything 😊 He may change his mind again once he gets his results.