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

[QueenMabby]

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

Yep. Dd finishes with physics on 16th.

Food and Nutrition on the 17th and then Further Maths on the 18th here.

@2025istheyeari my dd felt similar about AQA biology, came out a bit perplexed that others said it was a good paper. Also predicted an 8 and really wants to do well so had done loads of revision. Think she found the six markers a bit vague, and probably a bit disappointed that a lot of the detailed and complicated things she'd learned didn't come up. Hoping she has done ok and that she is just over thinking it (and paper 2 is better!)

Also agree that 7s end up being quite devalued in current system. My dd maintains that lots of people are just 'smart', do no work and get 9s - I have told her there are some people like that but am sure it is not true for most!

My DC last exam is 13th June.

Agree. I was at a grammar and nobody got all A grades (first year of GCSE). 1 girl got 7 and a couple got 5.

You needed 5 B grades to go into 6th form.

I got a C in Biology and then took it for A level and got an A. Can you imagine suggesting doing A level Bio with a 4 or a 5 today? There wasn't even a discussion then, C or above was fine.

Interesting that you took biology A level with a C @OhCrumbsWhereNow and did so well.

I recall we allowed a student to take German A level with a C grade, somewhat against our better judgement (this was about 15 years ago, so more recent than you) and it was a total disaster and they quit after about six months, as they just did not have the necessary skills and knowledge.

I just think exams were very different then.

I don't remember it being stressful and Bs and Cs were all perfectly respectable grades. Now they all seem to get 7-9s. At least half my A level class had a C and only a couple had an A. We all got A-C at A level.

Yes I think maybe GCSEs moved more towards CA and possibly by 2010 there was not such a level of competence needed to gain a C (without throwing any shade on those who gained Cs in that period; but reform of GCSEs was well overdue IMHO). I must say our usual bar in MFL for A level was a B at GCSE, which would be a 6 now so about the same. I was not teaching in the early 1990s tho so I guess things were different then.

I was at a girls' comp, second year of GCSE spec, and only one girl out of 180 got all As (we only took 8 or 9).

Yes, that’s pretty much what ds said! Let’s hope they do well!!

Thanks for clarity on iGCSEs, I hadn’t realised that not all our children do the same format of exams. ( I do realise examining boards differ).

DS was really upset with Geography today, he said he accidentally answered a question he wasn’t meant to?? Anyone know what that’s about? Couldn’t get any more info out of him…was there a section where they had to choose one out of two questions to answer or something?

Not sure about that @eyespartyparty mt daughter said she was happy about it. She was pleased there was a waterfall question. That’s the only example I can say. Sorry :(

Not sure, sorry.
You could check the spec?

So glad to have found this again

Hi, managed to lose you, even though I could see that we were at the end of the previous thread!
I hate the new grading scheme: it just increases nerves/makes everyone feel like a failure. I was in the first year of GCSEs, and I believe the school overall had a 50% A-C rate that year: it was a comprehensive, but probably had the best results in the county. I got 8 As and a B, but I did go on to Cambridge.
The syllabuses now definitely have harder content as well.
Meanwhile, plants largely absent in AQA Biology, and they had measles vaccination. Geography went OK, despite DD arriving late after missing the school bus. She was happy there was a question on the 2010 earthquakes we revised last night. She is actually looking forward to Maths tomorrow, so I hope it goes well.
DD’s mental health is very fragile: I am now hiding knives as well as painkillers. GCSEs seem like the least of our worries tbh.

Hugs to you @ChannelLightVessel

Welsh today was fine, I am told on to maths and German tomorrow and then a long weekend.

We’re still using letters here in Wales, DD did edexcel Portuguese last year and was a bit disappointed with a 6 until we looked it up and found out that apparently it’s a B, which she was more than happy with.

Could you tell us exam board? I could ask my son. He also had the waterfalls qu and the 2022 drought in UK/ beast from the East.

Does anyone prefer Maths non calc? My DC both say much harder. DD often makes calculation mistakes despite correct methodology. DS very good at Maths and still gets around 10 marks less on the non calc paper vs calc paper. Feeling a bit nervous for them this morning.

If he answered an unnecessary question it won't matter except for time on other questions.
However if by answering an unnecessary one he totally missed a necessary one, then (obviously) he will lose the marks for the necessary one.

It is still only one bit of one paper of one subject.

My dd did AQA geography - apparently they had to answer one question which they had studied in one section, either glaciers or rivers. They had done rivers. She said the teacher was reminding them as they went in not to answer the glaciers question but 2 people still did.... I think it won't matter if they have also answered the question they were supposed to. I imagine they would not be able to say much on the topic they haven't studied.

@ChannelLightVessel that sounds really stressful, and puts things in perspective - hope things improve for your dd.

3 today, maths, German and phycology. The last 2 are a clash so she’ll be in lunchtime supervision as doing German early. I’m also invigilating this am. For non calc please make sure the kids have protractor, pencil, compass, rubber, ruler. It’s a very busy day for us handing out stuff and we only have limited supplies and they do run out.

Oh that puts everything in perspective @ChannelLightVessel, sending much strength.

@ChannelLightVessel Just a reminder that
. If someone is ill (MH included) for an exam and doesn't sit it they can still give a grade based on the other papers. (Don't know what medical evidence will be required, but if school are aware of MH issues they should be able to advise)
. You don't need 9/10 GCSEs, quite often 5 are enough for next steps (though of course depends on various things)
. The world doesn't end even if no GCSEs are passed (my DD missed all of y11 with her own MH issues, 4 years on sitting Maths again today)
. Look after yourself.

Good luck to everyone for maths this morning and for German, Psychology and anything else this afternoon.

Maths is probably DD’s strongest subject (if not her favourite) and she’s quite looking forward to this exam! Needs a 9 to be able to take FM at A-level at her place and a 7 to take Maths A-level.

German this afternoon and that’s her first subject done.

the obsession with 9s is so off putting! I hate it. Makes perfectionist children feel like failures- and means that those who are not real ‘all rounders’ suffer.

Good luck to all on maths today- another weird igcse difference is there is no ‘non calc’. Not sure what difference this makes really to scores but grade boundaries seem very high.