Science teachers - question re AQA yr 10 GCSE exams....

[lilolilmanchester]

DS sitting Biology, Chemistry, Physics this week. Some revision done, tho not as much as I would have hoped, total refusal to look at past papers, declined help in testing, apart from some biology (on the basis they've been doing revision at school, but I know most of the "more academically motivated" DCs of friends have studied all weekend and done lots of practice papers at home. Wants to do Science a-levels and a science based degree. So needs good results. He tells me that they can resit if they don't get their target grades. is this true (if not ideal) Also, any idea of likely boundaries for A/A*? Thanks.

Oh, DS2 is doing these this week too - was Biology today? He is quite "academically motivated" but he hasn't revised much at home either, if it helps

yes, biology today. DS reckons the questions didn't cover half of the stuff they'd revised - more about common sense He assures me he read the questions and the others came out thinking the same.

The friends couldn't have been doing lots of practice papers as this is only the second year that the course has been running. He'll have probably done last year's papers at school at some point.

The 'common sense' bit is called "How Science Works"

You don't know the grade boundaries until after the exam, but 80% should be safe for A* (I think). He'll have already done a practical paper in school for each science, so will have some marks in the bag. This paper is worth 25%.

Resits are not a problem and more £££ for the exam board.

Thanks ScienceTeacher. I think they have been doing a lot of revision at school and to be fair he has done some at home, just not as much as most of his pals. But the results will be the only way we know whether he's done enough! Just re-reading my OP, sounds like I'm a really pushy Mum - I'm not, just know I have a very clever but lazy DS who should be doing really well in science and maths, and having never done as well in exams as I should have done, don't want to see him going the same way.

DD hated yesterdays biology paper unit 1, too much popular science and not enough knowledge for her liking (their group has already sat unit 1 as the multi choice papers and she did very well so it is not lack of understanding of the work)

They are doing both multi choice and written answer papers for all three sciences for unit 1
so school gets idea which is best for the whole year group (also means that they get a core science gcse as well as three separate sciences)

off home to get update on today's chemistry!

My DS did those exams last year and got 100/100 in Biology and the high 96 or 97 in Physics and Chemistry. They are pretty straightforward. He has just done papers 2 and 3, and found them heavy on How Science Works. I'm sure he will do well, but he would have been happy with more concept questions rather than the HSW.

I don't do AQA but what I have found about the HSW questions is that the answers they are looking for are not very accurate. One of my students was having a crisis of confidence with practice multiple choice papers because she got some of them wrong. I went through it with her, and I would have made the same 'mistakes'. We looked at grade boundaries and found that typical A grades are awarded at 17/24. In one of the Physics papers, 13/24 would have given you an A. It's crazy.

we'll just have to wait and see then. Chemistry was "easy" today, apparently. Not sure whether to be relieved - or worried!