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

[QueenMabby]

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

@Poisoningpigeons DD did edexcel normal gcse - didn't seem particularly planty. How weird they're so different.

Got a call after English Lit which was 'open book' - a fact that seems to have come as a total surprise to DD2... i don't know whether it threw her - she seems pretty happy with the extract from Streetcar...

That's Eng Lit done! Apparently she's allowed to miss symphony and is planning an afternoon of maths cramming instead after Eng Lang. She's got a short(ish) list of topics to hit before she goes in that she's really unsure on... something to do with equations for perpendicular lines.

Maths teacher grandmother on hand for one final zoom session tonight before she takes the thing.

Forgot to mention - after Monday's Eng Lit paper, DC said the bin in their school locker room was full of To Kill A Mockingbird books !

@clary
It must be a local thing. All the 6th forms round here require 5s.

Gosh, I'm like an ill sittng hen 🐔 today 😬

5s required here too for all the 6th forms.

Got a happy DS on the phone as Geography went great and he "knew everything" . His weakness is long answer questions and not making enough points, which we stressed the importance of repeatedly and practised a lot of, so hope he remembered to do that. No point delving further into it as he seems happy as it is and Maths is an important one tomorrow so don't want to stress him out.

Hope other DCs are doing well today. Just Maths to go this week but next week is a killer week and apart from the sciences he's not prepared that much for next weeks papers, so this weekend is going to be busy. I'm running a 10K race on Sunday and leaving DS and DH to last minute Chemistry and PE revision!

Good luck for thr race @DataColour🍀

I have some posh chocolate shortbread from M&S (they are huge!)
So I'm going to stuff my face 😁

My vices are red wine and crisps at the moment!

Sigh.
Now I want crisps 😬🤣

DD said Geography (EdExcel B) was 'interesting' - and then that is was 'okay' but the 8 markers were 'so hard'.

It's easily her worst subject so would have been surprised if she was saying it was great.

It's probably dds worst, too

Who else has a DC who has just come out of Cambridge iGCSE English on Shakespeare & Unseen, and is going into Language - Creative writing this afternoon?

Apparently the Shakespeare questions were a lot more difficult than any of the mocks have been, but the Unseen was so interesting DC has tasked me to find out the details of the whole book and order it!

I had a huge tub of Hagen das yesterday. Oops!
Good luck to everyone with exams today. DD has today off so in her room writing history past paper despite History exam being Friday & maths tomorrow. Although she’s bottom set maths (it’s a semi selective school so…) she thinks if she sat maths today it’d be ok whereas history could be a disaster. She’s previously spent a lot of time on maths so she’s probs right about the balancing today.

@RareGoalsVerge I THINK the shakespeare CIE is actually the same as DD2's streetcar one - you can choose either - she didn't do the unseen as she has done coursework. But she is into creative writing this pm too - already stressing about structures. Good luck to yours, that's a lot of writing in one day.

Re the comment about GCSE and IGCSE being different: GCSE and IGCSE are very different exams with different target markets. GCSE is an exam in England (and Wales, tho with differences); IGCSE is aimed at international candidates. Coursework is no longer included in non-practical GCSEs but is allowed in IGCSEs which may be why some private schools choose IGCSE (not an option for state schools in England).

The exams for MFL (my subject) as an example are so different. The IGCSE written exams are all in the target language (all questions and answers) while a lot of the GCSE paper is in English (so you need to know what the TL words mean!); there is also translation in GCSE but not in IGCSE for obvious reasons. Grammar task in IGCSE but not in GCSE.

The speaking specs are very different as well. AQA and Edexcel GCSE are actually very similar; but yes, Edexcel GCSE and Edexcel IGCSE are very different. For Edexcel IGCSE the candidate chooses a picture in advance and can prep answers to the likely questions on that; they are also questioned on two other topics chosen by a grid. For Edexcel GCSE the candidate chooses one topic and speaks for 1 min and then has questions on that and one other topic; they also prep (on the day) a previously unseen roleplay and photocard chosen by the exam board via a grid. Very similar to AQA GCSE, but Edexcel GCSE/IGCSE not similar at all apart from the topics covered.

I imagine there are similar variations in structure and form of the exam with other subjects. Maybe it’s more obvious in MFL bc of the translation aspect and questions all in TL.

This of course underlines the importance of the candidate knowing and understanding the spec for each subject and the different boards. I do a lot of speaking assessments for two MFL, all boards and specs (14 different specs this year!) and I’m astonished every year that while some candidates are very well prepped, some will come into the speaking exam room without any clear idea of what the assessment will entail. I asked one candidate last year (as I am supposed to) if they had any questions for me (they need to ask me two for AQA A level) and they said, in excellent German, “no, not really.” Arrrgh.

I'm feeling pretty chilled. I feel like the build up (including for DC) was worse than the actual exams! They've done so many mocks that the exams just feel like another mock, I think. They don't seem particularly nervous either (twins).

My DD's biology teacher sang for them yesterday before their exam (she is an opera singer in her spare time). They did normal GCSE, not IGCSE and said not much plants. DD revised one of the 6 markers over lunch just before so she was well happy!

Dd has had an awful year. So I think I'm more worried than I would have been.
She also has a chronic health condition that could flare up.
Older dd makes her life a lot harder than it needs to be so I worry about her, too.
I don't let them see my worry - I am unfailingly upbeat around them - I think that's why it's nice to have this thread to offload a bit.
Dd seems to be coping OK atm which I'm grateful for.

@clary
Thank you for the explanation!

Sorry it was an essay!

groovylady, so sorry your DD has had a bad year and health issues. I do understand as that was the same for my first. I remember mentally willing them through that hour and a half - just getting them through their GCSEs with their health intact was my main goal. Look after yourself too. xx

Thanks @CakeFace1234
(Sorry, I don't want to make this thread about me.)
I think this year's cohort have had an utterly rotten time of it since 2020.
And, sadly, dds school seem to have rather given up on them :(
No revision sessions, leavers hoodies, no school based celebrations announced yet...I feel for them, especially those who've had siblings in previous years when the ^ above was done.
Dd more than ready to leave (whilst also being terrified of the future!)

I've eaten 3 - yes, 3! Huge slabs of chocolate chip shortbread and now I feel sick 😬🤣

@groovylady that is bad - are they not having a prom? DD has a leavers hoodie, a yearbook from her tutor, signed shirt and a prom and awards all booked in

Geograohy went well and revising history (won’t revise maths)

It’s such a shame to hear that some schools make no occasion of their students leaving.

My DC school have been brilliant which has helped cement sixth form being their next step.

Yes, there is a prom but I've no idea who has organised it - it think it was the pta?
No hoodies, tear book, nothing
No 6th form at dds school and she wouldn't stay if there was, tbh.
She loves some of her teachers (and they've been great) but...yeah.
Kids know when they aren't a priority, don't they?