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

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

One of my friends marks for one of the exam boards. She says they try really hard to read any handwriting. Even the papers that are “unscannable” are posted to examiners who mark the hard copies by hand. I’m sure your DS’s work will be looked at carefully.

@Oblomov25 sorry you’re having a hard time with it. Hopefully it’s gone better than you think. Mine is doing 9 GCSEs and has I think 22 exams as all his are completely exam based, it feels a bit never ending!

Even though they don’t officially have study leave, I’m allowing DS to stay home tomorrow (no exams). He feels let down after today’s detention debacle. Neither he nor I have had an apology.

What did you cook that incurred his wrath?
Don't take it personally, it's just stress at this stage. My DS was super quiet cos he thinks he bombed his Maths paper, then he spoke to teacher and realised he didn't. Offer him a takeaway at the weekend. I'm gifting the odd takeaway to continue momentum and avoiding major spicy foods, nobody wants a poor stomach during exams.

As a college lecturer og many years you grow pretty adept at reading all kinds of writing, at first glance you think wtf but then you can read just about anything, think I only had 1 student who completely stumped me in 20yrs so don't worry about the examiners, they will plough through and attempt to understand it all..

They definitely really, really try to decipher.

I asked similar to so many different people over the last couple of years re spelling (DD types).

The consensus seemed to be to go for trying to use big long words and have a bash at them, phonetics is fine and examiners are really good at reading dyslexic scripts and crazy handwriting.

DH is 'severe drunken spider running through ink' in terms of handwriting (and dyslexic) and got top grades in every exam he ever took. Even I struggle to read anything he handwrites.

So tell your son not to panic

A meal we ate last week that he enjoyed! I offered to go the chippy after he’d calmed down but he’s having none of it. I know it’s just stress and end of term tiredness but god it’s intense isn’t it!

Thank you, that’s reassuring. It must be hard work for examiners trying to decipher what’s written. I wish students were given a choice as to whether they want to type or write.

Did the access arrangements people at school not take a look?

DD has always had a laptop since Y6 for class and exams (except for maths), and there seems to be quite a big contingent that have them for exams.

Too late for GCSEs, but definitely see if he can get that as an option for A levels or whatever he is doing next.

A word processor cannot simply be granted to a candidate because he/she now wants to type rather than write in examinations or can work faster on a keyboard, or because he/she uses a laptop at home.

The use of a word processor must reflect the candidate’s normal way of working within the centre. For example, where the curriculum is delivered electronically and the centre provides word processors to all candidates.

The centre may wish to set out the types of candidates which it considers would benefit from the use of a word processor.

For example, a candidate with:
• a learning difficulty which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to write legibly;
• a medical condition;
• a physical disability;
• a sensory impairment;
• planning and organisational problems when writing by hand;
• poor handwriting.

This list is not exhaustive. A member of the centre’s senior leadership team must produce a word processor policy, specific to the centre, which details the criteria the centre uses to award and allocate word processors for examinations and assessments. This policy must be available for inspection.

These are the current rules:
www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JCQ-AARA-24-25_FINAL_accessible.pdf

Sadly not that I’ll aware of. Either he got overlooked, or they thought it wasn’t needed. But yes, it’s a good idea going forward for A-levels to ask whether he can have a laptop. I’m annoyed with myself for not asking about it. I assumed the school would have highlighted as an issue if it had been necessary, and perhaps, wrongly assumed there was a high threshold to use a laptop.

He would need to have it as 'normal way of working', so use it in all lessons and for homework, but looks as if 'poor handwriting' is enough to tick the box.

It's not as hoop jumpy as things like extra time.

Definitely flag it as it can make such a difference to their confidence.

My DS was really happy with English lit, he did blood brothers and his revision was perfect for the question.

I think the table poem threw him but he told me what he wrote and I think it nailed it, just have to wait and see how!

Next for us is French tomorrow. DS is using French as his tactical one that he’s not hugely revised for to give him time to revise for others. He’s been really chilled about the exams but did get stressed this morning so it’s good to see him all relaxed again tonight.

@PrincessOfPreschool that is interesting everyone doing Prelude! I thought it seemed a bit surprising for the question, but guess there is the conflict between man and nature (and inner conflict) which does link well to Exposure.

One of my dd's friends did Poppies - I think there are lots of options if you find a good angle, and choosing a less popular one might be good as examiner will probably perk up (after reading 320 essays on Remains...)

dd has gone to bed early after the poetry marathon, ready to tackle physics tomorrow!

You're correct. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife in the mornings, I dare not ask if DS wants breakfast as it's total SILENCE! on the upside he's up early and SHOWERS without being asked, that's a new phenomenon. He did have a melt down the other morning when he announced, 2 mins before leaving the house, that his shirt no longer fits and he needs a new one NOW!!!!!!

@Oblomov25
Dd knows her 6th form will expect English Language and Maths resits if she doesn't get 5s.
She also knows what grades she needs for her A level choices...so I've decided to just show interest, encourage revision, offer drinks and snacks and that's all I can do 🤷‍♀️
Tbh older dds troubles are taking centre stage atm 💔😔

Physics all day tomor. DS staying home although school want them in. He would get 2 hours physics in school but is insisting on staying back. He will do more physics hours but not sure more effective. If anyone gets panicked about physics turn to free science lessons - made me laugh that Reddit or student room or something the young people were saying ‘in dark times we turn to Shaun Donnelly’ - they are very good!!

DD said they had a crier.

she said English was fabulous 😂

We do our very best. I can read most things!

But maybe try him with a few different pens before Friday...

My DS has terrible handwriting but got 7/8/9 on essay subjects at GCSEs. He is tying different pens at alevels after deciding his trusty 4 colour bics might not be helping. Don’t forget, the examiners hopefully want you to do well.
As for computers in exams, it would be a nightmare if everyone could choose on the day. How would state school find hundreds of computers and for those that do type the hard copies need to be printed and signed. End of exams would take forever.

My DS did Charge of the light brigade, until you came along I was starting to worry 🤣🤣

Phew...... BIG phew. I was beginning to think my DS just picked a poem.they like and it wasn't on the syllabus .

Re the laptops – I recall a GCSE student of mine where all the class were like “Miss, Tom will need a laptop as his writing is so bad” I’m hmmm Tom let’s have a look. Nope, I can read that perfectly well (I mean it was not cursive and definitely not pretty but quite readable).

Otoh my colleague had a very very bright student (just saying that as handwriting doesn’t necessarily relate to intelligence as some might think) whose writing was so so bad he used a laptop.

DS1 who has LD and whose writing is pretty poor but basically readable, but more he tends to miss out words so his sentences don’t make sense, had a scribe. He didn't always use them tho as it’s quite stressful and some things he was happier writing himself.

Mine did too

I think its only a matter of time (years) where we switch to all exams will being on a laptop.

My DS uses a Laptop due to his Hyper mobility in his hands, he also has a scribe for Maths and Sciences who will write any written answers, he does the 'number' answers himself.

I only get from him 'fine' when asking him about his exams, but I hear him talking to his sisters about them in the evening (one DS is the year above so they compare exams)

As he my last in High School I donate his revision books to his school.