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

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

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edited to add to previous post

Exactly the same! He hates English and will be gutted to have to resit!

Same here @Pinkflower100 this subject is causing us the most stress!

Invigilators should to remind to focus on the task and assist with understanding unclear questions

Yes to the former. Absolutely not to the latter.

Wow! That sounds amazing!! Would it be possible/not too sketchy if DS and I borrow/ steal (😳!) that plan, if that’s ok? 🤷‍♀️.. I have been trying so hard to think of best way for him to do it, and this sounds perfect! 🤩🙏

Well done on designing that! How long were you and DS thinking of for each session ? ( not the full past paper one, which I guess you will give the set time ( and any extra he may have?!)…

🙏 for posting that ….great to hear your DS got some rest and then has got back into it. I am worrying about how that’s going down here………..

Good luck with how today is going for everyone! 🤞😸

The normal A level maths (that’s offered by all the exam boards) would go alongside physics perfectly rather than any ‘core maths’. Great he wants evidence as best way to make an informed decision. Once he starts looking at the university entrance requirements (and clicks on the tabs for further info etc) he’ll soon see how many universities want maths A level at B grade minimum for architectural engineering.

@NotDonna thanks for clarifying the maths thing, I'd not heard of core maths before or that there were difference. can't remember anything from my A level Pure/Stats Maths many many many years ago.

working on compiling the evidence!

Today has felt like a hard slog!

DC looked at superpowers for history this morning. Reading over notes he’s previously made, and those on save my exams.

We then looked at specific areas to revise that he thinks might come up in the exam and wrote extra bits down on them, specifically causes/consequences.

He then swapped to biology. He has been using the Collins work books for the three sciences and they REALLY helped for paper1 (I’d really recommend them, they do different versions by target grade. We’ve been doing 8/9 for bio and physics, and 6/7 for chem). We split the sections in the book into p1 and p2. Most of the questions in p1 he could answer off the bat, then having to go to his text book/ CGP revision book for clarification on a few things he struggled with.

Well the positive streak did not continue unfortunately! He seemed to be wading through treacle, having to refer back to the books constantly. It was very slow going. He was getting very frustrated and eventually threw down his pen and stomped off to play football with his siblings.

I’m now a bit concerned as the sciences all went SO well for paper 1, he was hoping to outperform his predictions, which he was so pleased about (planning on taking physics a level). He came out of all three sciences bouncing, so I think it’s shaken his confidence going over p2 stuff and finding it tricky.

Oh and of course, being a teenager, the ire seems to be directed in my direction. In his defence he’s not actually said so, but there’s been a lot of huffing and puffing when I’m in the vicinity.

We have also had biology anger @Sunnyafternooning … dd has apparently never seen an algal ball, nor a respirometer. I made her watch a video and she became angry

Glad the fact that biology being hard is not solely my fault, but you share responsibility too! 😂

For your DS ‘core maths’ isn’t appropriate- it’s a one year AS level maths course that’s great for social sciences etc. There’s no calculus or ‘pure’ maths etc. He needs to do the normal A level maths. By default that will include pure and done mechanics (needed for physics). I don’t think A level maths offers different options any more - in my day there was pure & stats or pure & mechanics. Now it’s a mix of all three. I’m sure your current school can advise (better than me!)

P2 sciences are causing some stress here too, along with Elizabethan England and the Cold War! Is p2 supposed to be harder than p1 in the sciences? Physics is going to wait until the weekend before as that’s his last weekend but the others he needs to crack on with this weekend.

yes agree with this – really doesn't sound like a Plan C is needed @ThisPerkySloth2 and yy if he is serious about an engineering degree then maths is likely to be needed.

Apols for being misleading about core maths – I didn’t know that about its focus. Tbh if he is looking at a 9 in maths then why isn't he taking it? If it's bc he doesn't like it then will he enjoy physics? If it's bc the teacher has annoyed him then, well, hopefully they won't teach him in sixth form?

I’m wondering this too - or whether the exhausted child is more because he’s not looked at that content for a few weeks

@NotDonna I have now looked at the Maths details in his School's A Level options booklet and yes definitely a mix as you say. it says under Physics "strongly recommend" doing maths! also says Maths for DT is recommended too and 15% of exam marks are for mathematical side. I imagine no one at school challenged him on his choices as no doubt many change their mind come results day! Thanks

@clary thanks, i was none the wiser this morning so no need for apology. i think he's looking for the easy route but once we discuss again now i am better informed backed up with the evidence I'm collating re maths requirements / Unis - DS is usually open to discussion and often then sees the sense in it! fingers crossed. i will wait till exams over though to bring it up!

@NotDonna and @clary as well as others, thank you for all the tips and advise which has certainly prompted us to rethink things regards a level choices and therefore impact on uni choices. Which means DS definitely needs Plan A and if not Plan B to be able to do what he really wants to!😃

No revision here, DD restarts tomorrow after a much needed three-day break. It's been really nice to hear her online gaming and chatting with friends – the most laughter we've heard from coming her bedroom in weeks!

Haven't been in in a couple of days and came back to 360 messages to catch up on! So much going on for many of you. Hope your nerves are holding up and your DC are getting through.

DS Eng Lan was okay he said. Did the creative writing instead of the description (!) so it's anyone's guess.

He has had a slow start to the BH. Sat in position but lacking focus. I have just urged him to go over a past paper for paper 2 biology which we marked together and there are big gaps. I've made him some basic flashcards. Onwards and upwards.

Of course - that was the point in me posting our strategy 😀 (disclaimer - we haven't tested it yet so it could all go wrong!)

We have allocated lots of time to each session - so for example in one session he will do the Q5s from two papers - look at the mark scheme and try and flesh it out a bit more - for that he has a 3 hour session - but bear in mind that factors in breaks, and also he gets 25% extra time so an hour per Q5 and then one hour at the end to look at mark scheme for both and flesh it out (so approx 30 mins each)

Same for the other sessions - then for the full practice paper he will get the exact 2h 12mins (which he gets in the exam)

And as for the sciences - we have sci-anger here too - the P2 flashcards are taking much much longer than for P1 - and we havent started the practice papers yet <weeps> he was super cocky coming out of all the P1s (foundation level) I just worry he will be too blase for P2.

Any recommendations for a YouTube Spanish tutor please?

DD had the (short) weekend off but today has done a maths paper (ok ish) and some History revision (medicine). I think the history paper 2 is ‘breadth’ so medicine and Vietnam. I think paper 1 was depth so civil rights & Germany. She has a wall covered in Germany stuff but for some reason is reluctant to take it all down. I remember when DD1 had huge A1 pages of chemistry all over the kitchen for weeks on end (driving me insane) so at least we have a study now where DD3 can be contained. Although I’m not learning anything when trying to find the teabags.

We eased back into revision this afternoon
Started with least favourite of all time - Spanish
Cheered up with a tiny amount of maths
Finished on talking through a geography case study

Tomorrow is back to a working day will look through the paper 2 science topics, do a heap of maths, daily Spanish now and have a look at the English Language non fiction booklet

Dictation is a complete nightmare.

DD doesn't use sheet music at all for anything. Has always worked by ear - interestingly her composition teacher can't read sheet music (but is multi award winning and earns a living as a composer) and neither can her guitar teacher (30 years as a professional guitarist and also teaches production at tertiary level). DD has level 4 qualifications in composition and has not once needed to go near an actual score.

So, it only appears to be necessary for the GCSE/A level.

DD has come up with a fudge that should get her a few marks, so we've all said to focus on the set pieces and other bits and pieces instead.

It's one reason we are not doing A level. That and the A level very much caters for classical musicians and there is no decent pathway for contemporary - also nuts as there aren't many jobs in classical music and lots in the modern music industry.

I had hoped with it being a 60/40 split that a really great score in the performance/composing would mean starting at a 6 before the exam but grade boundaries said only a 4.

Hence I've basically ended up fed up with the whole exam system which only really works for one type of student and really fails most of the others, and am starting not to even care about grades - just that she gets them all over the line and we can forget them completely.

Well, well done to your DS for doing some work yesterday, and for you getting not only a Maths question right… but showing him you could do it!! 🥇 .. (or, is that just in my house…😹!).

I hope he had a lovely afternoon with his girlfriend 😸