Y11 2025-26 - Trying not to melt and pushing through the final weeks

[Stowickthevast]

I finished the thread so started a new one. Welcome all Y11 parents, support and solidarity for the next big push here!

History (AQA, Elizabethan England and British Migration) was hard according to my son but he thinks he did ok.

Been tricky adapting to study leave for the first time after half term here. DS1 trying to revise in hour blocks sticking to school schedule but has found his brother going to school and leaving him behind very weird.
No idea how geography and numeracy went yesterday- but he was very glad to finish those subjects off and very very tired. Was the last double exam day though so that’s good.
Sociology was our sacrificial subject - he quite liked the lessons but couldn’t remember the terminology and names of the sociologists and all the studies at all.
Last English Language exam tomorrow - I’m so so nervous as he needs a C for all his future plans and it’s very borderline. Depends a lot on what writing questions he gets - no choice but fairly specific questions. He has been known to just write nothing as no ideas…..Have been working on it either him this morning but limited success. If he gets questions he has ideas about he will be fine though so crossed fingers!
DS1 saw Hadestown last summer - he thought it was good and liked the staging - he went with school so I missed it. He did not mention the volume (glad I missed it if it is that noisy).

DD said history (Aqa elizabethan and medicine) went really well except the question on the importance of sailors which threw her a bit but seemed ok in the end. Relieved this one is over!

From reddit: Edexcel Cold War: -one consequence of construction of Berlin Wall -one consequence on Potsdam conference -narrative account on Cuba (bay of pigs incident and Cuban missle crisis) -how did the Berlin blockade affect tensions -how did Czechoslovakia events (Prague spring) affect relationship of east and west And some other question about Reagan in 1980s
Elizabeth

• one factor of the poor
• one factor of Virginia or smth
• explain why revolt of northern earls happened
• Spanish Armada
• weakness from when Elizabeth first became queen

Absolutely perfect for DS on Cuba yey!!

Trying to see what the Henry VIII ones were

Dd really pleased with history 😊 Cold War and Henry

@makemineadecaf please can you ask her what the Henry questions were?

@Callmejudith - thanks for that! We revised all those things last night. She wasn’t confident on Reagan but pretty sure the rest of it would be ok for her. She’s said it was ‘good’ anyway but that’s a bit of a default answer.

Would also love to know the Henry questions. It’s usually her strongest area so hoping she smashed that part.

And as for Hadestown, I like loud concerts so maybe I’ll be ok!

OCR Music exam question if anyone's DC are in the know: DD just been told after her history exam today that she 'needs to wear headphones that are plugged in for tomorrow's music exam due to a chance of having a question about pan sound'.

She's not done so before for either of the previous mocks, and not sure she even knows what panning is as she's not mentioned it in any of the hours of revision we've done together.

Anyone else been told the same? Would have thought usual way of working would be needed, and last minute change is highly likely to make Autistic DD feel anxious and confused. Have emailed school back, awaiting reply now. Thanks all 🙂

Music teacher has now emailed back after I queried the official guidance I managed to locate online. Sticking with usual way of working, common sense prevails thankfully.

Anyone else’s DC do igcse ICT practical today ? Worst yet apparently. Couldn’t do one section at all .. there were only 4 tasks

French - DS chose Stephen Fry as his celebrity to write about and used all his extra time. Any info on what other topics were?

DS added French writing to his list of exams that were "fine". He said he spent an hour on his laptop revising this morning and that gave him some good material to use.

The school have announced that the kids will be on study leave after tomorrow. They only have to go in for the pre-exam revision sessions and the exams themselves. DS is delighted. Luckily, all his remaining exams start in the morning so I won't have to re-arrange work to make sure he gets in for any afternoon exams.

DD reports Elizabethan/Cold War was really good and French Reading was easy 🤷‍♀️ She really does not seem anywhere near as stressed now. She’s been doing some English Language this evening.

I’m very proud of how she’s coping, she definitely gets the laid back worry free attitude from her Dad and not me!

Hope everyone else has had a good day and good luck to all for tomorrow.

Anyone else having a problem keeping them in school when no exams ? DS school are saying they are able to leave at 12.20 but only if no revision planned for upcoming subjects or lessons in subjects yet to be examined. He has had it and just wants out - it’s hard work persuading him that it’s in his best interests to be in school . He came home with a headache today 🙄 I’m sure he probably did have one , it’s so intense and of course they all just need some down time

Is there a problem with him being at home, could it be accommodated just for this final push, if he promises to work? DD has been on study leave since just after Easter holidays, I don’t know how she’d have coped with having to be in school, she’d be climbing the walls.

Thanks MabelsBeats - I mean I can say he’s not well - it’s the only way for not to go down as unauthorised but I suppose that doesn’t really matter at this stage . His attendance is up around 98 percent so it’s fine . Trouble is he is lazy really and wouldn’t do much at home . Thank goodness it’s nearly over !

My son knackered this evening two intense days have taken a toll.
golf planned for tomorrow afternoon

My DD is leaving school as soon as she can now after each exam. She says she gets more done at home, but I’m not convinced. I do get that she doesn’t want to go to a Physics lesson and be forced to revise Physics straight after a History exam and when it’s 10 days til the Physics exam though.

She said she thought History went ok (Edexcel American West and Anglo-Saxons). There were a few smaller questions she found hard, but said the 16-mark questions were ones she could do. She likes History but isn’t great at remembering facts so hope she didn’t make too much up!

English language tomorrow and then that’s another subject over,

She had a small panic earlier in the week as her calculator broke in her Physics exam and she had to borrow one from school for the Maths exam. Trying to borrow one from someone for the weekend for revision- I really don’t want to buy a new one for a week!…

French writing "fine". DD avoiding revision earlier by having a go at her little brother's times tables rockstars. At least it's maths I suppose!

We only did a brief run through of what to do in the English exam tomorrow. Proper revision on Saturday.

Good report for history here, phew! French writing - she did not use her extra time, left with 10 mins to go. So not sure if this is good or not!

Some revision done for English lang tomorrow.

Thos week has again flown by!

Glad ppls' DC thought the French exams were OK.

Don't worry @TheBeatlesWhoarethey about your DD not using extra time – I don't think the writing exam is one that necessarily requires a lot of time. You don't have to write reams in the time given, unlike Eng lit or history. So it may well be that your DD did perfectly well.

DS seems.a bit tired and fed up here too. He’s alright but just wants to be finished now.

On the exam front a day of two halves here. Morning was unusual exam board WJEC/Eduqas history. 1 DT has answered a history question on medicine completely for the wrong century! Null points for that question. Plus they both said the questions could have been better. Their topics were USA and Medicine. Good news is history is now finished. Hopefully they stilll get good grades as 1DT wants to take it for A level.
French reading in the afternoon was according to 1 DT very good, which is the most positive short summary to any of the exams so far.

the best news of yesterday is both DTs finally have shoes for the prom. The shoe saga is resolved.

tomorrow English language like most people and that will be another subject ticked off.

It feels like the end is in sight even though they still have French (writing) , geography (paper 3) science all paper 2s and maths (paper 3j to do.

i can’t wait for the exams to be over, but I will miss our year 11 threads you’ve all helped massively over the year as its first and only time doing GCSEs in this household. I hope we are having a results thread as I’m almost as invested in your kids results as my own. There is going to be so many success stories in august. I’m in awe of some of your DC who have battled illnesses, missing school, overcoming SEN. We will need a virtual party to celebrate just how amazing our DC are doing gazillions of exams on topics we’ve sometimes never heard of and hopefully all going on to their next steps. 😍🤩