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!

Yes they are different so fingers crossed 🤞🏻

Thank you!

Any updates on today’s AQA dance paper?

DD finished dance 2 min ago, should get an update soon @Ursulla42

Dance was good, Section C was a linha curva (Costumes I think), infra, within her eyes and eofe - DD's favourites. Section B was possibly the most tricky one but DD is happy enough.

@Caddycatthankk you. Sat at work wondering what happened and DD not replying! Sounds like no surprises on the paper

OCR Chemistry triple was okay. The 6 marker was kind. DD then went out for a few hours with friends, got annoyed at DH for talking, and now off paddleboarding.

We're both looking forward to recycling her books.

We've decided it's not worth hanging onto the revision guides for DS as he's 5 school years behind. Not sure whether to hand them into school or what.

No, no surprise and nothing tricky. DD is relieved, yours is probably too, hence not picking the phone! ;-)

I hope kids aren't too upset by IGCSE Chemistry paper 2 today.

DD is brilliant at chemistry - she has never scored less than a high 9, top of year in a pretty academic school, etc, etc. She just got in and said it was 'hard'.

I think grade boundaries are going to be low. I had assumed that they were fairly stable year on year but according to Reddit (I haven't checked!) the boundary for a 9 has ranged from mid 130s to mid 150s in the past few years.

OCR Chemistry was a hit here - DD said she ‘cooked’ (think that’s good) and promptly fell asleep for 3 hours. She is broken. Only Physics and Further Maths left and she is done. We are going out Monday night to celebrate and she bloody deserves it!

Sell them on Vinted @applecrumblespider ! A colleague of mine has done this with all her DS’s old revision guides etc. Everything has sold so far!

DD is similar to this - does ok in Biology and Physics (like 5s, not the super grades of many on this thread) but got a 3 in Chemistry mock. She said today’s paper wasn’t great either. Hopefully they will average out to 4s at least. Nothing we can do now anyway!

I’ve become so much more relaxed about it all in the past week or so! My dd is also hoping for 4-5 in Sciences, but at this point I’m not too bothered if she doesn’t pass them. She doesn’t need them for college, she doesn’t want to go to a top university, she won’t have to resit them. I’d much rather she’s resting now rather than cramming 👍

My dd said today was her worst science paper… only one more to go!!

I've not been to school in the UK, so I have no idea what I'm talking about, but my daughter has always said that in her view there was no point in doing "Combined Science" as the additional content for triple is not that much and also it was easier to pass individual sciences (especially foundation) than combined. I don't know if that's true 🤷‍♀️

DS said AQA triple higher chemistry was "fine" once I'd woken him up for tea. One exam to go and we're out of here!

DS said the Edexcel igcse Chemistry was hard and unusual. They were all a bit thrown by it. He’s not one to dwell but he said it was unlike any of the past papers he’d done. I don’t know why some schools make students do the igcse papers which seem harder. Everything AQA just seems easier to me. Why don’t we have one standardised exam board?

One more here too!

Dd2 is off for her competition tomorrow - the socialising is as much of a draw as the competition, she really needs it.

dd1(25) came around with sweets and a hug and stories about her disastrous physics A level and a reminder she still managed to get a masters in earth science from a top rate uni & has a proper job now and all is really not lost &, nicely, get a grip. They’ve arranged to go to Thorpe park next week.

She’s still a bit tearful. It’s hard being the 3rd child when your older siblings are seemingly settled in life & younger sibling is one of those charmed kids who seems to find everything easier. I must be a terrible helicopter parent because I find their disappointment so painful - saying all the right stuff about resilience, head down keep going etc. Cursing iGCSEs.

College induction day next week - the day after her final exam. Not sure what I think about that!

@XelaM you can take combined science as foundation tier as well. But I agree if one science is stronger than others (or one is weaker) it can make sense to take separate ones. Then you could do (say) F tier physics and H tier bio and chem, ending up maybe with 4 in physics and 8 in bio and chem, lining up A level in those two more easily than with a 6/6 grade in combined. I guess it's less common tho to do worse in one? But there is a perception that triple is only for more able candidates which I agree is not always helpful.

@ShowDownTime it’s honestly not as simple as IGCSEs are harder and AQA GCSEs are easier. The spec varies so much – IMHO the speaking exam for Edexcel IGCSE MFL is a lot easier to prep for than AQA GCSE – which may make it easier? But the written exam is challenging as all questions are in TL (for obvious reasons). IGCSE English lang and lit I think can include CW which some may see as an advantage. And so on.

State schools cannot offer IGCSEs. Some used to in some cases (my old school found the Edexcel Eng lang IGCSE more accessible for weaker candidates). The reason there are multiple boards is basically historic which I agree is not a great reason. It does offer schools some options in spec tho (topics in history or geog or RE, texts in Eng lit, structure of exam overall).