Year 11 - 2024/2025: Heading down the home straight towards that finish line!

[QueenMabby]

Next thread. 10 days of exams to go. Looks like we’re all heading into a busy week this week - good luck!

Praying to the maths gods this morning.

DS had history yesterday afternoon so he was revising for 3 hours before, did the exam, came home, had an hour break and tried a maths paper. But it wasn’t great. Significant dip in performance from the ones he’s done over half term etc. I think he was just completely exhausted.

I’m hoping that’s all it was, and after a good nights sleep he’ll do ok today. He wants to do the A level. He’s been getting mid level solid 8s on practice papers at home. The school will take them on a 7, but would prefer an 8. And from what I’ve read on threads here suggests that they are more likely to struggle with anything less.

I was being nosey the other week (and catastrophising about what if the results aren’t as expected and he doesn’t get into his grammar’s 6th form) and so looking at other local sixth forms. I was surprised to see that one of the local non grammar sixth forms insist on an 8 for the a level and a 9 for further maths! 😳 Such a lot of pressure!

Is she staying at the same school for 6th form?

If not, just send her on day 1 with a laptop and tell them this is her normal way of working.

DD had it in her Ed Psych report from Y3 at Primary that she should use a laptop (hypermobile fingers plus the dyslexia) and the teachers basically refused to allow it.

So I used Y6 lockdown to do a touch typing programme and then sent her to Secondary with the laptop (iPad with keyboard - cheaper and lighter weight) and said it was her normal way of working. She's had it ever since.

We were very lucky that DD's primary got all the testing done early on, and it's such a shame that so many children don't get that provided especially when it's obvious there is an issue.

Yes, she wants to stay at her current school’s sixth form.

Ds1 had a full handwriting assessment as part of the assessment for his statement (later converted to an EHCP). There was no doubt with him though, as his hands are ridiculously hypermobile and he has issues with core stability, as well as shoulders/elbows/wrists. He was only ever able to print very slowly. Dd1 was assessed following her hEDS diagnosis, but dd2, although hypermobile, hasn’t had a lot of problems with her hypermobility until the last year. Increased quantity and speed of writing is part of it. She is having more problems with it generally these ays though, which I suspect may be partly down to a drop off in fitness after ditching some hobby sports to accommodate academic study and more music and to some extent hormonal effects.

It’s affecting her guitar playing now as well, possibly since she started playing more, as she’s in two bands and just setting up a third with friends.

Our comprehensive sixth form offers Btec Music Practitioners instead of Music A level which gives options of either performing or technical options. Unsurprisingly from reading other posts here, a lot of pupils in the school, who did GCSE Music, choose other subjects at A level. However, a good number of high performing musicians, who didn't take Music GCSE, do the Btec as there is no Music GCSE pre requisite. The school doesn't offer any other Btecs so the Music Department made a conscious decision to offer it after comparing it to the A level.

I’m the same . It’s my youngest. Older 2 at Uni. I’ve always been hands off but supportive. I’m here to support / encourage/ console, but they need to put the work in. They have to be self motivated and want to achieve themselves. Horses for courses though!

On the flip side Ratty was informed that “yes English is important because whilst building spaceships is all good fun you are going to have to communicate ideas and beg for grant money - communication sweet pea”

Having a broad general education as a base for whatever their next/future choices.

But he has not intention of sitting an essay exam again (well he might do politics) but you get the drift, he won’t analyse a poem in writing that’s for sure!

Mine is doing a Level 3 BTech in animal care – no maths tests there!

So, my DS Maths update… just going to spring him out for illegal study leave…. will find out more, but he said AQA Higher was “ Horrid” and there were 2 x 4 markers and 2 x 3 markers he couldn’t or didn’t do….. something about Quadratics…. phone line was crap 💩…… so…… yeh………. 🤷‍♀️😼😾🤷‍♀️…

Hope you get better feedback! Hopefully I’ve misheard……

Shit. Now just seen how early it is. He has extra time, too. I think I’m going to cry. Because that obviously wasn’t used.

Can I ask the Music crowd, are your DCs doing Music A Level?

DD has been adamant she wants to and plans to change schools because hers doesn't offer it.

But I am now wondering if it's a wise choice if it's as tough as they say.

I'm also personally unimpressed with how narrow A levels are (as in only 3 subjects) but that's a different story.

My DD sat Foundation Excedel and she said this paper was hardest by far. Praying she did enough on other two to scrape a pass.

I’m so sorry to hear that. Huge 🤗…

@stickygotstuck DS doing Edexcel Music GCSE and he is not planning on doing music A-levels. Nothing to do with his experience at GCSE level (he actually really enjoyed the composition side as well as the performance, finding the listening paper v.v. tough though) but he's more into maths and Geography for A/Ls. He'll be doing grade 8 piano soon. I don't think he'll enjoy music A/Ls from what I've heard of it.

Hope the Maths went well for all DCs. Not heard from DS yet.

Thanks. I had heard the third paper could be horrendous but assumed that was referring just to Higher.

No A level here. But, that is primarily because it is not where his strengths lie. Whilst he can play an instrument well (and would be able to play it even better if he could just be bothered to practice) he doesn't LOVE music and some aspects of it (e.g. analysis/composition) do not come naturally to him (in the way solving a maths problem does). We agreed that it would remain hobby and he'd possibly take another music practical exam in year 12.

DS says maths was "very good". I'm pleased for him. He's turned his likely fail (based on last summer and mocks) into a (hopefully) pass.

Dc said this maths paper was good on the whole but he realised after he came out he’d made a few daft mistakes- something about a cylinder fitting 5 spheres in, and calculating the remaining space. He read the question… but somehow got distracted thinking the diagram made it look like a cuboid (?!) and somehow forgot the question said cylinder and did the calculation for cuboid. 🤦‍♀️ Apparently he wasn’t the only one. He thinks he’ll get marks for the other bits of working out tho.

@stickygotstuck it's compulsory for DD2 - unsurprisingly given she's at a specialist music school as a government-funded musician. Most are also encouraged to do music tech, but there isn't much tech in bassooning (unless you count a healthy assortment of knives). She might well have taken it anyway but it isn't a given. She has enjoyed the GCSE, but not as much as history and english lit which are her other two choices, while she would have loved to do politics as her third.

DS said Edexcel higher maths was okay, in a good way.

Last question he couldn't answer, said find 'K' but gave no numbers for this? He is keen to see the paper on tik tok.

Nope.

DD is off to specialist music college next year.

She is interested in modern composition and performance - and has zero interest in 90% of the A level syllabus.

Her courses are music theory heavy, but she's been taking degree modules with a university department for a few years and it's just completely different. Delivered in a much more accessible way and with immediate practical relevance which makes it all more interesting and understandable.

A level music seems much more suited to classical musicians and those who want to go to RG universities to study and analyse other people's music, and far less suited to those who want to work in the modern industry.

She's narrowing focus massively, but she could tell you in Reception what she was going to do at university and has given that hasn't wavered in the last decade I have no doubts at all that she's on the right path. I am just thankful that there are pathways for kids like her that are not all-rounders and have no wish to be.

AQA Maths Higher back.
better than paper 2 answered everything “nothing “we” (rather than “you made me”) revise yesterday came up” - some you win some you lose! - bit scanty on the specifics and I am not going to chase anything online it’s done he seems chill. (I did ask and got “I used my knowledge” which IS kinda the point).
Had 10 minutes over to check through which he did. So decently paced.

He says he thinks best set of maths papers in terms of his performance he has sat to date. Fair enough can’t ask for more.

But he’s maths and physics (preferably just maths and physics:-) ) to the core.

Geography paper 3 tomorrow will be a completely different story!

AQA Higher - really, really horrible nasty paper. She attempted everything and says she'll have passed.

Praying she's right.

Yes, DC tried (half heartedly) to tell me it really wasn’t necessary to revise for geography 3 tomorrow because all they need to know is in the pamphlet thing.

He has definitely mentally decided that’s the one he’s happy to sacrifice doing well on.

I have made the mistake (after pear bog mummies) of showing him the Morecombe Bay cockle disaster - briefly - online.

We shall continue this afternoon swapping stories of chasing oranges in bodies of water “still with the oranges”. We quite enjoy geography revision many tangents!

Geography 3 - I am praying for a miracle, but will be opening the champagne (Lidl's Prosecco) if she gets a 4 in August. It's definitely the Cinderella subject here.

Aqa Maths higher - good, decent. More maths revision for her this afternoon for Further Maths tomorrow.