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

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

Hello, I’ve lurked! I’ll join!

DD school sounds nothing like everyone else’s. They’ve told the DC they don’t want to see them unless they have an exam. DD had to sneak in to get a book from her locker.
English Lit is done, not well, but she plans to never read a fiction book again.
RE tomorrow, second RE exam, and DD has no idea what she’s supposed to be revising. The CGP book looks incomprehensible to me. She’s going to her hobby. School sucks and she can’t wait to get out of education . Thanks Gove!

Dd happy with AIC question on Gerald and Sheila, and compared Exposure to Remains (along with practically everyone else, it seems - though agree with above, my understanding is you can choose any poem as long as you can compare in line with the question).

Also seems to think she has done ok on the unseen poem about the table - she says she wrote a lot, though I've no idea what about. This is a small miracle, as until the start of year 11 she appeared to have no clue how to approach English lit or language in terms of analysis, not helped by dyslexia and slow processing. Has been helped by having a great tutor and progressed from 3/4s in year 10 to hoping for a 6 or maybe a 7 with a fair wind 🤞

@MaffsMover school isn’t for everyone, our current GCSE teen is leaving school, was has effectively left because a college setting will be more suited, with fewer subjects, taught in a less formal way.

Has she or you or both of you together looked at revision tutors on YouTube? I know some who do this, might not be a lot of time for tomorrow but for many there is still a physics paper (Thursday) and the first English Language paper Friday. She might find some YouTube cramming helps organise some things that will help. Plus there is half term to check out maths, and other outstanding subjects.

Some of the time it is just a case of finding a method to engage a student which teachers in a class of 25+ pupils have to take a middle ground of what will work for most.

If you know which exam boards each exam is, you can look for information on what is covered on each paper and then search YouTube for a tuber which she likes.

I spend a fair bit of time with our GCSE teen at the moment because he works best with someone around, from books, past papers, so most of it offline but there are resources, BBC bitesize is another one, there to help.

We have no coursework at all. Nothing everything is dependent on these exams. It’s not ideal, but it’s the school year and system he is sitting, he can complain all he likes it’s not going to change now.

If you can between you find something that clicks, it’s just 3 over 3 weeks left now, shame to go through 12 years of compulsory education and think sod it all right at the end, and leave hating everything.

@Mafaldaweasley
Tbh, with both my dds I told them that they only need the grades to get them to their next step...
8s and 9s are lovely but not always necessary
I hope they didn't tell their teachers!
😬

DS said English Lit was ok, which is probably as good as it’s going to get as he doesn’t like it! At least it is done with, and first GCSE complete for him. No idea what poem he used - his was Love and Relationships. French tomorrow for him, which he is generally good at so hopefully should be ok.

Completely agree with this too, and I’ve said the same. My experience is very few adults I know can remember exactly what grades they got!

Agree too. Mily child doing them this year hasn’t a hope in hell of achieving a 9. It’s mainly 4-5’s but could drop to 3’s and 4’s. English didn’t go well today and thinks he’s got his usual 3 for English. Pinning all his hopes on language going well so he doesn’t need to retake next year!

@Whoooo absolutely agree - I spent much of year 10 in despair that dd would not get the English language grade for sixth form (which is her preferred next step), and desperate for her to get that magic 5. Now cautiously optimistic that she can do this. She has done well so far in other subjects which are not English or French, and so now is putting pressure on herself for the high grades - not helped by being in a science class full of high achievers where lots are getting 9s, so even 7 and 8 seem devalued in comparison (this is a normal comprehensive so huge range of abilities, it is just this class!)

As far as I am concerned it is just about getting the grades for what you want to do next. Slight breather (well, foundation French upon which nothing is resting) tomorrow before physics.

Honestly, I cannot remember what grades I got...A levels either ! 🫣

DS said he completed the Computer Science exam in 30 mins..I was like FFS!
What were the other kids doing?
Don't know, not allowed to look around.
Did you read through your answers?
What's the point, I had just answered them
FFS!

AQA English. DD did Gerald and Sheila and said there were only 2 others in the year that she knows of 😬. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. DS did power. DS compared Exposure to Kamikaze. He said it's his worst exam so far despite really going for it on revision. DD hadn't really learnt Exposure, poor thing, but she did it off the extract.

DS said Comp Sci in the pm was the easiest exam he's ever done. So at least there was something good.

DD's got French tomorrow and DS angling to bunk off and revise at home. I want him to go in.

Thanks for your concern @frozendaisy . She’s a bright girl and we’re involved parents. We have supported her in many ways, tutors, graphic novels, apps, whiteboards, GCP, talking things through.

i had the exam timetable up on our wall as soon as it came out.

Shes just in a state about sitting exams. And she finds school generally joyless, even though it’s a relaxed school.

She had a lot of coursework, 3 subjects, so obviously a lot less time to revise than alll the dc during straight exams but I think it was worth it for her.

Was it OCR? DS said he wrote super neatly, took it reaaaallly slowly but he still finished 25 mins early. He thinks he got 100%!!

Sending good vibes to all the DC who have French L&R tomorrow. Remember to listen out for negatives (ne... que; ne...plus) and tone of voice; also answer every question! And if taking H, leave 10 mins for the translation as it carries nine marks.

Was going to say same as @PrincessOfPreschool - DC came home quite displeased with the OCR Comp Sci, saying "How can a 1.5 hour paper take only half an hour?!" Apparently all the kids were talking about it afterwards, even the ones who are usually not that good at Comp Sci finished in less than an hour. I think the ones who are keen on Comp Sci are worried that the grade boundaries are going to be skewed crazy high. And all the others are worried that they somehow missed part of the paper or something.

I have no idea, I have a teenager who doesn't speak. 😆 I never get a debrief and don't want to look desperate for info. Having been a college lecturer teaching both GCSE's/A-levels for 25 YEARS counts for nothing in our house. There is no advice or guidance I'm allowed to give. I hope your DS smashed it. 💪

Dd came home saying she really liked the English Lit (called it a gift of a paper!)and hopes she’s done well enough to pull her paper 1 up (she had a migraine and thinks she bombed it - hopefully school has sent in evidence for her but who knows)
Its one of her A level choices so fingers crossed.

She compared Exposure to war photographer - she was really wanting a power question but is happy with what she wrote. Says the unseen was strange but thinks she’s done ok.

I’m giving her a day off tomorrow as she’s knackered so think sleep is best at this stage - and physics revision hopefully!

Dd happy with AIC question on Gerald and Sheila, and compared Exposure to Remains(along with practically everyone else, it seems

DD said everyone in her school did Prelude! But DS did Kamikaze so not everyone.

no GCSEs here today but A levels started with a full day!
I spent a day filing!

I'm thinking English didn't go so well. He's been remarkably happy throughout the exams but tonight he's sworn at me for making the wrong tea then started shouting about these being the most important exams of his life (that I'm ruining with the shit food). I just let it go, but wow.

DS said Eng Lit went ok and is crucially pleased to never have to do it again.
He was playing football all afternoon with pals as they had a half day post exam . Am cool with this as no exam tmrw and good to get some exercise, down time etc and he has now started some physics.
School have now put in a 2 hour maths session on the Wednesday of half term which is good of them-he will go if a mate does so fingers crossed for that.
Good luck to all those for tmrw-is it French?🇫🇷

I really don't know with dd.
There hasnt been as much revision at home, but I know they've been doing it at school.
Her art/creative subject coursework/practical grades are excellent so hoping she can get a 5 in maths and English language and at least 1 more but 🤷‍♀️

Dd wanted to burn her (very £££) revision books but I'm saving them for my nephew (same school although he's only Y7)

DS also compared with War Photographer 👍🏻👍🏻

Oh how good to find a Mumsnet support group!
That's it for Eng Lit now, all finished.
DC did power in AIC, and the poems Follower and Before you were mine. Apparently it went ok, better than the last one.