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.

Hi everyone!

I hope you don't mind me joining in the madness of the upcoming GCSEs!

I would really love to support DS and maybe make him up a GCSE/exam care package.

Does anyone have any suggestions what to put in it for boys? I think it's slightly easier for girls!

Also does anyone have any tips on how to cope or manage over the next 6-8 weeks?

Those who are doing it a second, third or even fourth time round.. what worked best for yourselves or your children?

I think it honestly depends on the child. When DS1 did them 3 years ago and now with DS2 the best thing I could do to support them is leave them alone. I have bought more snacks than usual and provided a big box of stationery and other than that left them to it. Any sign of me attempting to help if making it in to a 'thing' is just counter productive.

Same here

I can’t help with anything at all. She won’t allow it

@3GoldenLamps Oh this really makes me sad thinking of your DS but I definitely agree with the other posts, that day is a bit of a free for all and everyone just seems to all get involved so I really hope it isn’t how he is thinking. DDs won’t be until the last day before they break up so she hasn’t started the shirt, she had planned to do it this afternoon outside but we ended up just sitting and chatting in the garden all afternoon which was so lovely and she’s now off out for a meal with her friends for her birthday.

@GreenYarn DD is another one who just wants to get on with it herself and that’s worked for her so I just keep finding myself buying her little treats for when she gets home, checking in on her, suggesting walks which is often met with an eye roll and making sure she’s getting plenty of sleep. I’ve also got her some rescue remedy and making sure she’s got liquid ibuprofen caps on hand as she gets the most awful periods.

Amongst today’s discussions DD was telling me she was looking at jobs with UNESCO! She definitely wants to travel and she wants to continue with her languages and apparently this is all supported in their roles, I will be so interested to see what she ends up doing, DD 1 did a Finance qualification at A Level and loved it and has gone on to work in that sector but DD2 said the corporate life is definitely not for her

Aah that's lovely. I am sure there will be some kids who are worried also.

Ah @3GoldenLamps i teared up a bit reading your post. DS1 has autism also and it’s not easy. I am sure as others have said he’ll end up with plenty of signatures though. I also think A levels is a time when many who have found school tricky to navigate can come into their own a little.

re exam boxes @GreenYarn - I’ve done “exam survival packs” for DS1 and for various nieces, nephews and godchildren over the years and the following sort of things have gone down well:

hot chocolate sachets
sweets
chocolate bar
tin of mints or tictacs
small fidget toy or squishy
drinks coaster based on a special interest or with a funny message on (ie gaming, dancing, football themed etc)
mini desk toy or science themed thing (for a science geek!)

as someone said girls are easier! - for nieces and goddaughters I’ve also included stuff like

mini scented candle
silver earrings or friendship bracelet type thing with exam good luck message on
bath bomb
lip balm or nice hand cream

Etsy are great for lots of the above bits and pieces and for nice personalised good luck cards too.

My DD is definitely not having me involved. She does not want the added stress of parental involvement. I always ask what subject she is tackling and then check in on how it’s going and make sure she’s snacked and watered and that’s it. I am confident she’s getting on with it in her own way and am hoping this independent streak will serve well for her future education journey. They are all so different I realise though.

@GreenYarn its a minefield knowing what to do. I know I jocked up thread about doing science GCSE but this is the only subject I’m involved in, and this is for a specific reason. Basically she was borderline higher paper and was at risk of going down a set, but she hates the teacher in the lower set so at the beginning of the year we agreed the two of us would do regular science together to really boost her chances of staying up. At the last mocks she went from a predicted grade of 4/5 to a 6/6 (with her teacher saying she could get higher). So it’s paid off!

The rest of her subjects I leave her to it.

Oh the other thing I ‘help’ with is- she sometimes just gets loney revising by herself so she asks me and the dog to sit in her room with her. I read my book the dog snores and she revises. It weirdly helps her.

I often sit with DS2. Or- he sits with me. I usually MN or watch tv on mute.

I help with his English as it's not his strong point. Everything else I leave to him. He's just recently been put into Higher maths and he does seem to enjoy baffling me with the questions!

My DD loves having the cats in her room when she's revising. I think they're living fluffy purring versions of a stress ball (stroked not squeezed)💗

Right- so DS has justt had a meltdown in biology revision. He said that scientists check results to ensure results are 'accurate' and the mark scheme said 'to ensure results are valid - disregard mention of accuracy'.

He's baffled. I THINK I understand the nuance of difference but he's certainly not listening to me. Any insight would be gratefully received!!!!!

This is definitely a thing. It’s called "body doubling". It really does help.

When DD was at uni and Covid happened so her second year was shot to bits and she had to do it all remotely, I was also wfh and we used to sit in the same room both working. Not particularly talking, but just a calm atmosphere of study. It really helped us both.

So the point here is that the validity of the results is key – was the test one that can be relied on to produce trustworthy results, and one tha tests what it is supposed to.

Accurate results may follow from this but not necessarily. The validity of the testing process is key.

The language used in bio answers is very important.

Caveat: not a biologist, but I am a words person :)

Brilliant. Thanks. ❤That was sort of where I was going in my head but I simply couldn;'t articulate it properly or at all.

We are in the middle of another meltdown. History this time.

God it's hard on them.

I think I hate mark schemes - I absolutely know DS2 is going to fall down on the sciences- his vocab isn’t brilliant anyway - I think I’ve accepted the fact that he may not pass those and letting him concentrate on the 6 other subjects just seems where my gut is taking me .

DS has had a massive screaming fit about how he is destined to 'get mediocre results'. He's predicted 6s and maybe a 7 which we are more than happy with as it gets him into A levels at his school.

So, we had a walk, and an ice cream and now he is talking online with his BFF. I am hearing laughter so that;s good.

Dad is working away right now and rang when we were walking. I said Ds had a metldown. He asked why and I said ' Bloody biology. Bloody History. Bloody School and Bloody exams'. DS was there and said 'Yep. Good summary'.

Ice cream and friends cure everything though.

@3GoldenLamps I do think perhaps of all the commonly sat GCSEs, history (sooooo much content) and biology (answers must be soooooo exact with terminology) are two of the most challenging esp when it comes to the exams. DS2 loved his bio (his degree subject) and had a truly inspirational teacher, but even he was weighed down with the need to use the right words. And his history, which again he really loved (considered for A level) was such as lot of content to get through. IIRC they were still covering content after Easter in year 11.

All the best to your DS and I am glad ice cream still works.

@GreenYarn I've put some fruit teas she likes, some rescue remedy sweets, some starbucks caramel coffees, a pocket hug, sweets and m&ms...

Science is also the main source of anxiety and melt downs here, chemistry in particular. Even the mark scheme sometimes leave me puzzled. I couldn't agree more about the vocabulary point @3GoldenLamps and @clary , that's where my DD seems to be losing points. Nutrient is now a forbidden word in the house as it's never allowed in the answers lol.

A lot of body doubling going on in our house too....

Our neighbours are having a very loud BBQ, so all windows are shut to cover the noise of screaming toddlers. Wishing for rain...

Any tips on English Language revision? At the moment even getting the set homework (e.g. answer Q5 from this last paper) is a struggle to get done as DD seems to have developed a mental block with it. I think it's the pressure of knowing it's the worst subject but also one she needs to pass to not retake, and needs to get a 5 to carry on at school 6th form. She just can't get words on paper. Or does and then stops half way through sentences almost paralyzed. I feel like it's a mental health problem at this point rather than the subject itself but it's two weeks until exams start and I'm at a loss. This is all so so hard.

@BeasKnee my older one liked Mr Salles on YouTube .. he ended up with a 7 in language and just 2 marks below a 6 in lit which was way better than mocks

Oh another meltdown. DS walked out the house about an hour ago.

I'm just waiting for a bit before I start searching.

Okay he's back and yelling at me. Thankfully.