Year 11 - 2024/2025: Half way, half baked, half term!

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

Exactly the same here. He's tired and fed up, but he is borderline to pass so he needs to crack on with it even if tired. Currently DH handling it as he won't listen to me anymore. I'm hiding upstairs 😔
What I've learnt from this experience is thateeading good books is not a guarantee of success in English GCSE. DS is an avid reader of good quality books, loves reading, but is struggling with English. DD who hardly ever reads for pleasure is getting 8s in her assessments recently because she's worked out how exactly to maximise her marks. It's all so prescriptive.

Mine doesn’t seem to know any structural terms for tomorrow. I’ve got a bit cross and now feel guilty. Hoping it’s just down to tiredness. Roll on tomorrow when it’s all over for a week!

Anyone else do OCR physics today? DD said it was calculation heavy (seems to be a theme across exam boards), but she seems happy.

DS said physics went 'very well', which he then changed to 'well - not very well', which became 'actually there were some really hard maths questions in there so who knows?'. He had done well with physics past papers but I think they lulled him into a sense of security. He said he expecting a 6, not a 7/8 as he was before setting of this AM.

He's not really doing any revising for Eng Lang, he watched one youtube video but fell asleep, just really looking forward to half-term.

Yeah DD totally run out of steam. So grateful for a week off exams after Eng Lang. Physics is the last one again after half term. Poor, old Physics (not really sorry. I hate it and neither of them want to take it for A level).

it’s 15 hours guided study. You need to do atleast 30 hours a week self study to get the top grades. A levels has twice the amount of content as gcses at a much higher level

Dd did aqa combined higher. Very happy with the maths based questions and according to tik tok 🤦🏼‍♀️ she got the laptop charger question. She’s intrigued how I know! Lots of her friends hated it.
I also invigilated the paper and my room said it was the hardest science paper and q1 was odd!
DD doing the wjec English paper tomorrow. Apparently she has 4 stories to choose from rather than the Aqa 2 options.

Exactly the same here. He almost fell asleep at the dining table when watching a podcast. He is also borderline so really needs to focus tomorrow morning.

What the podcasts are saying is to do Q5 first as your creative flow is fresh and you can crack on with the others after. With hopefully a good chunk of the marks in the bag. He has decided to do that and max Q5 as creative writing is his strength in that subject.

He is currently watching Dahmer, says it relaxes him 😳 whatever works son 🤦‍♀️

This sounds like my DS on both fronts. Physics sent went, although did it because he can’t be sure how much was right with all those calculations. Been chilling all evening, he was just too tired!

Good luck to all dc doing English Language tomorrow 🍀

AQA

my daughter got a 6 in gcse physics and then went on to get an A at A level. Was lot to do with the teacher being absolute pants and she was only 14 at the time of her gcses so i think her hormones didn’t help

I’m new, and I thankfully found you guys this evening, when I was thinking I was alone in this.. (🙄)… so, “Hey! Thank you for being here… just a shame you’re having GCSE Hell, too!”

@DataColour@VivaDixieand all..
Ditto for English AQA for tomorrow. My DS16 is ND- ASD/ADHD and he’s mentally exhausted tonight. He lost it with me earlier- shouting some really horrible things at me ( not usual for him- unless in Aut. Meltdown). DH had told him that if he revised English at school today, in his free period, he didn’t need to revise at all tonight. Which he clearly didn’t tell me, as DS is very, very borderline and ANY extra revision on top of the little he’s retained is a blessing…. so, I would have said no, and for him to at least try something… (they can leave after the exam, and he can chill at the weekend).. which was compounded as DS came home early as not feeling great, so he didn’t do very much revision at all this afternoon ( DH was aware he’d come home). So, when I nervously bright and breezily put my head round his door about 5.30pm to ask what time he wanted to eat to fit round his revision, he was furious with me, to put it mildly… ( I had no idea of DH’s “promise”).

Anyway, he’s done no Eng Lang, or any revision, tonight, just been online with his friends and is still refusing to talk to me….. so, I’m feeling like a pretty crap parent all round tonight. I’m so very sorry to introduce myself ..then moan 😿🙄… I hope 🤞 🙏everyone and everyone’s DC get some sleep 💤 tonight… and Good Luck, tomorrow 🍀

Welcome @Sisublondie I only joined a couple of days ago and feel like I have spammed the thread 🤣
You could be describing my DS there, he is also so rigid and won't flex any plans, especially if they involve no revision. He would also have procrastinated if he was feeling off.
It's such hard work at times like this. But I get it as I am sure we have similar neuro diversities.

@Sisublondie My DS also has ADHD. I was hoping he would do some English language tonight but I don’t think anything has been done. He does the opposite as to what I tell him (learnt through bitter experience). So I have to leave him to it..

Hoping he’s done enough in school. They are exhausted!

Sorry to hear that. Your DH should have communicated what he had agreed with your son to you so don’t be too hard on yourself, but mistakes happen when everyone is stressed out.

Hopefully half term will let everyone recharge and get some revision done as well as get some rest. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. Tomorrow is another day as they say. 💐

@Sisublondie Oh and you aren't a crap parent. Mine spoke to me like dirt last night after MUFC lost. He completely lost it with me. I was firm that he couldn't speak to me like that no matter how stressed or upset he was but also remembered that he is up to his eyes in it. He gave me a cuddle later on 🙂 and was fine.

Your DS knows he is in his safe space and that you love him regardless which is why he is not speaking to you. He will have forgotten about it tomorrow

Bless him! He so definitely needs that Saturday lie in. He sounds like he has good taste …( I love Dahmer and True Crime….😼! I hope he enjoyed it ( if that can be an appropriate thing to say 🙄)!)..

Thank you so much for the Q5 tip! My DS misses an awful lot of class sometimes, when he goes to Quiet Room to chill. I had no idea about that ( hopefully he might be speaking to me before the exam…. so I can pass the wisdom on). It’s scary how the marking scheme is basically the key to ALL successes.. (I simply don’t remember the importance when I did them.. guess it must have been in place then, too).

I hope your DS manages to get a good sleep, and the paper is good to him 🙏🤞🍀..

I haven’t told NoRevision I am getting him up early and am going to meet him half way and get him to watch YouTube English Lang paper 1 tutorials
I will IV Diet Coke into him
and make cinnamon buns
H has to be up at 5am to be at his desk (unusual early start) and he is WFH tomorrow
so it can be caffeine at dawn for all

Hope everyone gets the Eng lang they want tomorrow. And for those whose DC won’t do any work tonight – it’s OK. GCSEs are a test of two yerars or five years even. Not a test of the night before. Better maybe for them to get some rest and face it brightly tomorrow.

Re A levels – mine found them a big jump. Both DD and DS2 did very well at GCSE esp in their subjects, but 8s and 9s became AAB for DS2 (I mean still excellent obvs) and for DD 9 and AA became BCC. I do think for her tho the exams are the terrifying thing as at uni, able to pick modules with coursework, she did outstandingly well.

But yes, a high expectation from A level. I only really know the MFL specs well and I think they a) assume a good deal of knowledge (grammar and vocab) and b) require a huge amount of research into the topics and the book/film.

Thank you SO much for saying that. It means a lot, as I’ll admit, I hid in my room and had a good cry ( it was the specifics he came out with.. not the “ I HATE YOU!!!!!” (although I got that!), but the ( I overhead him screaming it to DH “ I DON’T EVEN WANT TO GO ON HOLIDAY WITH HER!!.. but you’ve just paid and I’ll HAVE TO!!!” ( we booked family holiday abroad last night, DH sharing room with DS18 and me and DS16).

That’s crap with the football thing last night.. something that is WAY beyond your control!! But somehow you are made to feel responsible ( DS18 does that when him team lose, too). Bit of an important game to lose..😠..typical bad timing- you must have SO 🙏for a win! That’s so great you said that to DS, because it is so very true. I’m terrible, my eyes well up and I stumble over what to say cause I’m so hurt, and that makes him more cross. But, how lovely he gave you a cuddle after..( a good long hug is just the most simplest, but special things they can give/ do after they have been nasty and said pretty crappy things.).

You are right, when you’re stressed you can take it out on those who will forgive unconditionally… ( despite the fact he’s still blanking me, and said what he did earlier, he’s still forwarded an earlier promised link to the swimming shorts and “sea spray hair thing he wants”!). Which I ordered……😳..

Good 🍀 - and thank you so much for replying and saying such lovely things. ( I really was quite sad and stressed when I finally plucked up the courage to make my first ever post on Mumsnet tonight!- thank you for making it easier 😻).

@Sisublondie
You aren't crap.
It's a hugely stressful time.
My dd had had an horrendous 6 months so I'm very wary of "rocking the boat" so to speak.
It's her exams and her results so 🤷‍♀️
I'm trying to be more zen 😬

DD did her AQA combined higher physics today and thought it went well. She’s not a fan of science but is better at it than she makes out. She’s not a was doing triple but after the mocks, most got moved to combined - 7 was the cut off grade and because Dd was one mark off a 7 in two of the sciences, she could have stayed with triple but decided combined was a better fit. She needs at least one 6 as wants to do psychology A level.

DD is another one that sees little point in Eng lang revision but has gone over the timings and some grade 9 vocabulary - she’s great in terms of creativity and knowledge but struggles with having to think so fast and then get it all down on paper. She said she likes time to develop her ideas 😆

She’s having the weekend off though; seeing Olly Murs with her friend on Saturday then joining us to meet friends on Sunday for a local music and food festival. Then back to it on Monday!

Oh I want to give you an enormous hug 🤗

Remember it's not about you it's about his feelings. And he does want to go on holiday. He knows that deep down 🙂

I drove to a supermarket miles away rather than the local one tonight just to get out of the house and breathe. So locking yourself in a room for a good cry was a good call.

Be kind to yourself and have a good sleep 😴

I did that last night! 😁