Y11 2025/26 The Final Stretch

[UncomfortableSilence]

New thread to see our wonderful DC through their exams and onwards.

Come and join for chat, support and solidarity.

It's a bit of a double edged sword right now! They have been helping each other out a bit - sharing good resources they've found, chatting about possible themes etc - but DS is more academic than DD and I think post-exam he will be telling us all about his great answers whilst she sits there thinking she didn't do that well! Thankfully they took different options so only have Maths and English to compare. He did triple and she did combined science so my understanding is that their Science papers will be at the same time but will be different and his will be longer.

Same! Really struggled with it.

AQA Eng Lit and DS struggled with the CC Christmas theme - it wasn't something we had really anticipated!

We had been hoping for supernatural in Macbeth rather than guilt but hopefully there was enough crossover!

Biology tomorrow...

DS is berating himself for not understanding the theme of the 12 marker in business studies (edexcel) . I don’t know if that’s the ‘biggest’ question. Said the rest went well. Yes all hands on deck for biology now 👀

Biology and RE tomorrow here. Then nothing Wednesday.

My DS agrees on the unseen poem in IGCSE - he came up with something but hes found it online and I’ve read it - I’m not convinced he got the right end of the stick . Mouth firmly zipped though and it’s only 20 marks . Hopefully he picked up a few . He was otherwise pretty happy today . Given him some sweets and suggested he unwind on the ps5 for a bit .. biology can wait a couple of hours

DS said it was super easy - that worries me slightly!

Biology and RE tomorrow

My son said English Lit was so easy 😬 and loved doing it! He is edexcel though and had macbeth and inspector calls. He has christmas carol and poems another day.
Off to check reddit and tiktok. Apparently the exam papers are all over tiktok, my son searched it around 2pm today and all exam boards are on there

Yes, same.

DS foiund it online too. And told me what he put and i said'Oh, good point' and 'It was a little surreal wasn't it?' And that was that. He has autism and is very literal, so it flummoxed him tbh.

DS also said he had to go downtown to get emotional support chocolates. I told him I'd go with him and drop by our local for an emotional support cider.

Haha, love this!

What does this mean?

DD also had same comment as others doing aqa. Happy with first question 2nd question was a bit vague so not t happy with her structure.
Had RE revision teacher give them all a pen with a note and biscuits no idea what was on the note.
Currently doing biology 2018 paper as heard it was the harder past paper.
Made her banana muffins for breakfast trying to decide wjst to do for tomorrow as got 2 exams and study session.

DD is doing Edexcel and had Macbeth and Lord of the Flies, it seems every one seems to do different texts. I love A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls, but am unfamiliar with hers, so was a useless as a chocolate teapot.

Biology only tomorrow, then Geography on Wednesday, before Maths on Thursday.

Hope everyone who has two exams tomorrow doesn't find it too stressful.

DD was delighted with Macbeth guilt question as she revised the theme yesterday. Said her Jekyll and Hyde answer on Jekyll as a disturbed character was utter chaos, with no structure. I told her not to worry, it’s done and will be fine am sure.

tbh most of my Y11 students said the same. Felt great about Shakespeare, less good about the 19th C novel (ACC in their case). They’re bound to fall apart a bit as they get to the end of a 1h 45m exam.

Lots and lots of happy Y11 faces tho, and that is so important for morale at this early stage of the exam season (am not mentioning that everyone finding it easier may mean the grade boundaries are higher!)

DS happy after English Lit and Greek language today. Greek was the one he’d worried about the most so he’s chuffed to get that done. His English Lit was paper 2 so it’s weird to think that that’s one complete subject ticked off the list.

My exam students (AQA) seemed to take everything in stride this morning which was great to see. The usual eleventy million requests for the toilet (I exaggerate but that’s what it feels like 😂) but not one person went to sleep so am taking that as a win!

Do any other teachers find this year’s cohort of Y11s particularly adorable?! Maybe it’s because I have one a at home 😆, but they’re so lovely, friendly and quite a lot of them are so hardworking and interested in learning and improving. Rooting for them all!

Surely it’s the reverse - if lots of people found ACC challenging, surely the grade boundaries will be lower not higher?

DD said that she actually smiled when she saw it was guilt - apparently she has a ‘feeling’ it would not be kingship.

She found the CC tricky, and is worried she did not write enough.

Timings have consistently been an issue for her in mocks.

Biology and RE tomorrow so a looonnnggg days

I hate the days with two exams, think it’s cruel!

DS said he almost laughed out loud when he saw the Macbeth guilt question. He said they were all running to find their English teacher afterwards to tell her <3

That’s what my DD said 🤣

@36and3 I meant with so many of them declaring it easy 😆 But yes the Section B balances it out. In any case it’s all much of a muchness - they all get the same paper!

Really stupid question (as I am really stupid), but if it's the same paper, how are they doing different books (or is it in sections?) Sorry for being so dim, DD hasn't really talked to me about how it works, as her English teacher was so full of praise for her, that I trusted her to revise without asking.

I'm obviously not a teacher, but I agree with the Y11s I know. I only know girls, as DD goes to an all girls school, but her friends are AMAZING, I am so happy that she chose that over the mixed grammar, I was a bit worried as my son went to all boys grammar and he would have thrived at the mixed one, but DD has flourished there, and I am so grateful that she has an amazing friend group.

Its in sections so they need to find the books they have studied
And ebery year someone panics and does a book they haven't studied in school just randomly. Or makes a start answering them all (I can understand that a bit as other exams are "make sure you answer everything"