Year 11 - 2024/2025: It’s all downhill from here!

[QueenMabby]

New thread to help us get through the next week or so!

I imagine it will work along the same lines as art and music as I would assume only the artistic and musical do those? Someone may advise. Guessing FM falls into this category too.

@PlanningMayhemor the questions are at a ‘higher’level so forms its own distribution curve?

Anyone else have classics paper 2 today? Not getting much out of DD…

DS’ school does not do stats. They offer astronomy & FM. In subjects with higher achievers grades are distributed differently. Ie separate sciences much higher numbers are getting higher grades. If you google ‘grade statistics GCSE’ you can have a look

I think the lowest you can get in Further Maths is a 4 and then a U, no grades 3, 2 or 1 as no questions at that level. I read that a higher percentage of pupils pass it compared to other subjects.
Does anyone have a link to a 2024 AQA Further Maths Paper? Dd has tried emailing school but no one replying.

I don't know the answer but I can tell you that my son's bad choices in year 9 landed him in the hell that was stats.
He had chosen sociology, which would suit him really well (he's taking Eng Lang, history and 'to be decided' for A level), but begged to switch to stats because his best mate was doing it.
Oh how he regretted it and I had NO sympathy.
He's a much more mature lad now.

DS is at home going through motions today, back to refusing any testing which has meant he wants an easy way, but will give him benefit of doubt. No point fighting it now! He has been very focused on when he will finish, when he is taking his breaks. I think he is over it, I think I am too! He is going to school tomor and that will be better. Two hours maths prep and whatever else is on timetable. Then we’re off - 2 weeks of daily (or more) exams with just one day off. 14 days until freeeeeedom!!!!

The 2024 paper is unlikely to be publicly available yet.

this link has past papers for previous years.

https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/past-papers/gcse-maths/

Had a quick look at Pearson grade distribution not skewed to higher grades like separate sciences, looks fairly standard. Must have more of a distribution of abilities doing it I guess

We're trying to do Latin verse literature...DD knows it all off by heart, but some of the questions set (no past papers) are a bit opaque and she is panicking now!

Dance went very well apparently. Day off tomorrow (DD meant to be in but hey ho, they are not going to expel her!). Then gcse and a-level maths double whammy on Wednesday!

That sounds intense. I guess the thing to remember is it is some of the questions. Best of luck!

Why aren't 2024 exam papers available yet? Back in the day before the WWW, we used to write to the exam board and they posted them to us

DC's school didn't offer Further Maths at GCSE. Will they be disadvantaged at A Level?

I thought FM was A level only, if i knew I would have seen if it was possible to study it outside of school.

Not at all. Not all schools do it...

Thanks that’s interesting, I feel like my GCSE with the book (and an annotated one at that!) was much less stressful than having to remember quotes like they do now, but I can see that trying to find quotes could waste time

Thanks for the link, I hadn’t realised Wales was making such a big change to it all (or that there were some subjects they didn’t currently offer that England does like dance and engineering)

I was really surprised today when DS asked to be dropped to school for 8.30 for a maths revision lesson.They are on study leave now but some teachers have said they will still be there if they want to come in and they will be on hand to ask questions etc.
Fair play to him for getting up for that-I often do him down on here so thought was time I prised him too!

It was offered as an after school option so we had to pay for lessons and the exam. They did about 16 lessons in yr 11, not much tuition so not sure how the exam will go. Hopefully it will have helped with regular Maths in any case. No requirement for FM to do A Level Maths, just a 7 in Maths.

The Y11s in late today were all sorted of kettled in an area before they went in...
At least the poor reception staff didn't have to deal with them all
In normal time tomorrow for 1 lesson 🙄
Seems a bit pointless to me

Is he going to a school that does offer it at GCSE? Or staying where he is?

I think it's just the pace of the class that might be an issue, if most people have done further maths, they will all hit the ground running in Year 12.
DS school also does not do FM at GCSE, but many do very well at A Level.

Here it's additional maths at level 2 and further maths at A-level.

Additional maths was an extra they offered DS and DD2 GCSE years - not DD1 not all the schools do. The college says it's a help for maths A-level but it's not compulsary to have.

Ds they took maths early Nov to get it in - DD2 it's been an after school extra sorted by one teacher giving up their time.

DD2 said welsh went okay - she had a coughing fit in last 30 minutes but she says what can you do. DS first AS2 exam went well - which is a relief - last year AS was a nightmare start.

DD2 full of cold but perked up after a while being home - she not sure if she wants to go in tommow no exams or stay home and rest and revise - so we'll see how she is in the morning.

At DS’ school they offered GCSE FM as an after school club type thing that seemed to get cancelled a lot. DDs school top set do it. They did in class after Jan time so I feel she might be better prepared. Both state schools. 2 years ago the 2nd paper was on the Wednesday and everyone had mainly finished on the Friday before. DS had given up by then. This year physics is on the Monday and FM on the Wednesday so feel DD might be less distracted. DS didn’t get the best grade but got a 9 in maths and tracking for A* in a-level. He said it helped a bit but plenty didn’t have it.

@EarthlyNightshade they plan to move to a 6th form which doesn't offer it at GCSE as far as I am aware so hopefully they will be OK.

Here they get given bridging units to do over the summer to aid the transition to Alevel so something like that may be on offer.