Y11 2025-26 Exams have started - chat, support & drink of choice if needed here.

[UncomfortableSilence]

New thread for all of us with lovely Y11s to support them and us through the coming weeks.

Monster day here too. 2hr49 for English Lit (extra time for dyslexia), just over an hour break, then 1hr53 for computer science (worst subject, will be lucky to scrape a 4). This day has been looming as "the worst day ever" since the timetable was published.

Meanwhile, to make matters worse, the younger siblings are loving life. The Y9 is off to France today on a school trip, the Y6 has finished SATs and appears to be doing nothing - today they're starting their school play and then have PE all afternoon!

So nervous for them... DD felt unprepared for today after most of the week end was spent on chemistry. She knows AIC very well, but was more unsure about poetry. She was worried about running out of steam as none of her lit mocks were the full paper, she's never done the 4 questions in one sitting...
They start at 9.15am so she will finish at 11.30am.

Urgh the waiting is horrible. DD (autistic) had a meltdown last night and declared that she doesn’t know anything at all and she can’t go on (not at all dramatic) I talked her down and patched her up, but she is very worried about today. She is worried about AIC and is hoping for Porphyria’s lover (?) i
think. It’s such a long exam today and then she’s got French and RE tomorrow and then English Lan Thursday. By the end of this week we are all going to need a half term (I’m shattered!)

My DD was really hoping for Farmer’s bride.

Has anyone’s DC ever had a fire alarm go off in a GCSE exam? What impact did it have? Just heard that that happened with English this morning…

English Lit edexcel paper two here today, one question on An Inspector Calls and one on Macbeth. No unseen poetry. The AIC question was the same as last year!!! They ran and told their teacher afterwards, who was outraged and called it ‘sneaky’ of the Board to have done that 🤣😂 DD felt she did well, thank goodness, as she will be doing it for A level.

Re Fire-alarm - We did a few years back. The invigilators herded the students out and then either collected the papers if a few papers and locked the door behind us securing the exam room. Then we stayed with them students so they could not discuss the papers with each other. When clear we took them back into the room and added any time lost to the end. Then there was an incident report sent to the exams board to explian what happened and the timings, in case it needed to be taken into account afterwards for a candidate.

I was in charge of a smaller room then and gave the students a few moments to collect themselves before re-starting.

Same - never done the whole 2h15. She should be finishing in next ten minutes. This is the one subject she’s gone hell for leather for a 9 so I’m praying hard it’s gone well. She’s been most nervous about this compared to subjects she’s going to do less well in.

Oh also re fire alarm- there is a protcol in the instructions for invigilators which we all learn. So hopefully the disruption is minimised. But it IS a distraction, and not welcome at all!

I get it... there's pressure if you are not very sure about it, but also pressure when it's the one subject you are meant to be good at...

Reddit is talking about COMH for poetry. I cant remember what DD said she wanted. Not long until we find out...

Apparently the poem was checking out my history.

According to my DD the paper was “so good” The question for Inspector was the one she wanted.

Reddit saying Checking Out My History for AQA - DS will be over the moon with that

Edexcel? DD does edexcel and it was not poetry. Could COMH be AQA board?

Oh god, that was exactly what mine didn’t want. She did at least look at it yesterday though so that’s something

Oops @MabelsBeats yes AQA - I have edited my post

Sorry not meaning to be picky, just nearly had a heart attack, I said to DD on the way home in the car ‘are you SURE there was no unseen poetry that you could have missed?!’ 🤣😂

This on reddit for AIC "AQA inspector calls — women and responsibility, and how priestly presents selfishness through Mr Birling"

I am delighted with myself - I made DS think about women in AIC last night and talked about feminism v patriarchy

Excellent stuff!

We talked about selfishness last night!

I was panicking about the poems, because they dont ring a bell... dd did love and relationship, are they different?!

Yes they're different ones - Reddit says Climbing My Grandfather and familial relationships

Sorry C&P lots but "AQA Poetry question had: Checking out me history and it asked about how strong feelings were presented in it and one other poem."

And more AQA "unseen was hope for the future with Promise by Barbara Crooker, then methods in presenting hopes and dreams with above and Dreams by Langston Hughes"

Promise by Barbara Crooker | Heart Poems

Dreams by Langston Hughes - Poems | Academy of American Poets

Both nice poems

oh brilliant, COMH was my daughter's prediction and the one she really wanted. She was super stressed last night as has a cold and had been struggling to concentrate. Relieved it's over, and she can have a bit of a rest before Lan on Thursday.

Thoughts with those who have to go on to CS this afternoon, that's a tough day.

Did anyone have OCR Romeo and Juliet? Hardly any schools seem to do that exam board!