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!

I’m not sure how representative that view is. My son is not necessarily ‘brilliant’ but said that exam was ok and not too left field given past papers he’d done. Maybe those that struggled aren’t actually that strong.

It’s very possibleto be very good at maths and not do so well in Further Maths - DS1 is a prime example .. predicted A in his alevel but only a 6 in FM gcse and has dropped the a level

Oh god it is economics. Sorry, I hadn’t watched it through!!! Back to study guide.

I think it’s more the case that those who are brilliant at maths aren’t used to finding maths papers challenging.

DD can do the normal maths GCSE papers with her eyes closed. FM takes it up a notch and really challenges them. Particularly as most school don’t actually teach much of it and so a lot is self taught outside the school timetable.

I think a lot of those complaining probably did significantly better than they thought they did. They are just not used to feel stressed and taxed following a maths exam.

@ShesRunningOutTheDoor at least you made us laugh … also you have helped prove that DS2 does actually look at stuff I send him 😂… we shall keep it for next years economics a levelling

Regarding AQA Triple higher biology, it was ecology heavy, which is the last topic and often dismissed by students as it seems easy. I guess that's why some said it was like a geography paper @UncomfortableSilence

Reading the comments on FM I'm glad DD dropped it, it sounds horrendous. DD's issue was running out of time, so I don't think she would have been able to finish yesterday's paper.

Son isn’t doing further maths (he’s doing extended maths which I only found out this week is same content as maths GCSE but more difficult problems, vs the additional topics covered in further maths) but I agree that part of the feeling that the further maths exam was too hard might just be the feeling of finding a maths paper hard for pupils who are used to maths being easy. Very very few students will be finding further maths easy otherwise it won’t differentiate effectively.

Good luck to all with exams today. Nothing here and back to it tomorrow.

I think you're correct, actually. My DC was so stressed out during and after the exam yesterday (having found Bio in the morning easy enough). Dc got a grade 9 in GCSE Maths last year after taking it early. But this FM was definitely another playing field. Well, we shall see what the results bring.. Onto the last 4 exams now.. nearly finished..

My dd also dropped FM, back in March. I’m so thrilled she did. It would have finished her off by the sounds of it.

just waiting to hear for Spanish listening update! Edexcel

DD also dropped it in March, quite reluctantly but it was 100% the right decision for her. They have covered the material, the teacher told her that put her in a very good position for A level Maths without the stress of the extra exam.

I'm also waiting to hear from DD regarding Spanish listening and reading (AQA).

My dd completed every single past paper for fm and got 9s in every one. But this one seemed completely different from the others. So maybe they are not that strong after all as you say and the past papers lulled them into false sense of how good they are. They are seriously considering dropping FM for a-level after this.

Spanish listening edexcel - “really good”

Did your DD do them all to the allocated time? I'm sure she did, but I know that DD's issue was not the maths, more the fact that she was too slow and struggled to keep to the allocated time. As most of this was done at home, I always told her to keep going, that she would get faster. She did, but I think faced with difficult questions in exam conditions, she might have panicked a little and ran out of time.

The general view on most of the science exams seem to be that they were unusual. I'm wondering whether it's because there are limited past papers, they've done them all and there is some familiarity with them that they don't have with the actual papers.

It's a mistake to focus on past papers as a guide of what will be included in the next paper.

The whole subject curriculum needs to be studied so students are ready for any question.

If a topic has come up 5 years in a row then I would say that it is unlikely to be included for a couple of years.

Trying to redeem myself.
straight from Pearson Edexcel
https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Geography-A/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/GCSE-Geography-A-(9-1)-Knowledge-Organiser-Paper-3-Geographical-Investigations-Fieldwork-and-UK-Challenges.pdf

Agree with lots of comments here, FM appears to test students in a way many other subjects at GCSE don’t. More about the application of knowledge and process, and an element of lateral thinking in matching questions to likely methods. This is a huge generalization of course! But many GCSE’s appear to be taught and structured predominantly to the mark scheme - and are more about demonstrating knowledge, regurgitating facts, than testing application. As someone who teaches in HE I spend quite a bit of time persuading students to let go of the need for certainty in their education and asking them to stop trying to second guess ‘correct’ answers in relation to pre-determined learning outcomes.
@LolaBaby75 it may well be of course that our DC’s end up with exactly the same outcome just experienced the exam differently!

Why did you find this 'shocking'?

Got confused by the Geography paper 3 talk as my dd has already covered fieldwork in paper 2.

Now realise there are 2 different Edexcel Geography syllabus and my daughter is doing B not A. Paper 3 on syllabus B is on people and environment issues.

just in case others were confused. 🤪

DD is just out of Spanish AQA. She said the listening wasn't too bad, but not easy overall. The dictation (new part) was very easy, possibly because it was the first time they did it. Reading was very good.
Overall she said it was hard but went better than the mocks (which she got an 8 in but says she did terribly). I've stopped trying to read too much into her comments a while back lol.

I really like the dictation task and also the read aloud in the speaking - testing different skills. Tho the speaking is now very task heavy and structured. But that may be a good thing too tbh.

DD loved the dictation and the reading out loud, she felt they were easy marks. She did her French GCSE a couple of years ago under the old system, so was able to compare and felt it's possibly a little bit easier now than it was then, especially having 2 postcards to comment on instead of one.

History paper 3 soon. Dd has had 3 hours of History teaching in school before it, which is good as so much content in History to get through!.

@getwiththeprogram I agree on this, I also have read that this was maybe a part of the problem with the A Level Maths paper last week. DD and I were discussing this as she plans on doing it next year.

I didn’t realise history is this afternoon rather than this morning! That’s why Reddit isn’t helping me

I’m really nervous about his history - I don’t know why!!