Y11 2025-26 Final exams are here. Now we wait….

[UncomfortableSilence]

New thread for all things Y11, did they cook or are they cooked. We will find out in 10 weeks😉

Good luck to those getting iGCSE results today. I know most are out on Thursday like GCSEs. Hopefully you will start the chain of fabulous results

Not sure about psych counting as essay subject (for what degree?) but yy to FM for engineering. Again caveated by depends which uni. Bath for example I believe prefers FM. Stats in general are not easy to find and as noted, most unis do not state on their websites.

Posters have me wondering whether DS2s igcses are sitting at school waiting for the GCSEs 🤢.. I didn’t know they arrived earlier

DS2 also not taking Maths A Level - whilst I know he should as he’s interested in business and economics I know he would really struggle ..

Do people have anything planned tomorrow to keep their DC distracted ? I was thinking of offering a lift to the gym and a trip to Costa

It sounds like DD may be right about how FM is taught then. God, that doesn’t make deciding what to do easy then! We’ll have to wait and see what she gets in FM on Thursday.

Just got English iGCSE results. She got 8’s which is a huge achievement for her as she’s very much a maths/science girl and her SPAG is atrocious! 2 down, 9 to go!

It’s just the Cambridge iGCSE’s out today. CIE board. (I said OCR earlier but I was confusing all the different exam boards DD sat!)

@BeachforeverThat’s fantastic! Congratulations to your DD 👏

DS isn't even taking A levels. Hopefully results depending he is doing a Health T Level

@Beachforever well done to your DD! Nice to start the results off on a high note.

Definitely no maths here - DS1 very glad to not have to do it anymore (even though his top choice will have a bit of statistical analysis in it - am hoping he will like the rest of it not to mind too much!).

Am also a bit concerned about workload on his first choice to begin with though - in Wales so a bit different but they all have to do the Wesh skills challenge certificate (I think that’s what it’s called) which I guess is a bit EPQ like. Then they are expected to do 4 courses as well and drop one (getting an AS) at the end of yr 12. Unfortunately most of his picks are 2 year commitments so don’t give a qualification after a year. Current plan is take 4 and drop one at Christmas I think but a bit worried about how busy that first term will be. I want him to just start with three but he is reluctant to:(.

Unplanned distraction here tomorrow as a bit of DS’s brace has come loose and I have to take him in to get it recemented tomorrow morning. He is unimpressed but it has got him thinking about something else!

Hmm most of my son’s IGCSEs were CIE but we haven’t heard anything? Maybe his school will just release them all together on Thursday?

DC1 is at, in the world of mumsnet, a super-selective London grammar and basically needs 8 grade 6 or higher to stay in the school. They have received stonking SEN support the last 5 years so I have the fear for Thurs that we may not have that somewhere else.

Feeling the nerves here for Thursday now, DD swings from seeming very confident to very apprehensive… she should have done relatively well but she does have a bit of a tendency to waffle randomly so who actually knows,

Another Maths girlie here… her plan (results permitting) is Maths, Chemistry, Biology and an EPQ (which may have nothing to do with her subject choices as I think she’d like to do something history based - she has been talking about historical figures in musical theatre, can you even do that? It’s probably an excuse to see SIX / Hamilton again 😂). At least if she goes down the History EPQ route I’ll have something to talk to her about, I am very far from being a Maths / Science girl!

Nope, DD is absolutely delighted and relieved she never has to study maths ever again. Definitely a “left brained” gal!

Hi just back from a lovely holiday and jumping on again to catch up.. I have to admit these GCSEs have not been in my mind much as the stress was last week with eldest dd’s A levels. Just to give our perspective- she got a lowered offer from Bath from AstarAA to AAA because of her EPQ.. and in the end she got AAA, so she literally would not have got into Bath without it. So I am now forever in praise of the EPQ! 🙌 @Beachforever i think psychology would count as a great mix between maths and essay based so I think it’s a fab A level to do and really gets you used to analysing scientific studies.. in fact that’s basically most of what it involves!

This thread made me think so I've had a look and turns out DS could have known the results of his Cambridge Technicals since 10th August as the aren't embargoed. I guess his school just think it's easier to do it all on one day.

Never mind that's Cambridge Technicals and apparently he did Cambridge Nationals 🙈

Congratulations to your DD @Beachforever

They do the same at Dd's grammar - Maths A level in Y12 and then FM in Y13. Judging by the Uni FB group though, quite a few of those doing Maths in Y12 seem to be retaking in Y13 to get their A star!

Thank you DD has no idea what she is going to do. Had planned to do Alevel law at college 6th form but has decided to stay at current school for 6th form just realised her other 3 choices are stem related no essays if she wanted to keep options open.

Hmm if wanting to keep options open law does nothing much as it is not needed for any degree. Eng lit is a better choice as it is needed for an Eng lit degree as a rule. But ofc if you hate it then it’s a terrible choice haha.

What kinds of degrees are you looking at that need an essay subject without saying which one? IME a lot of degrees either state XX subject (French, Eng lit, biology, maths) or there are no specific subjects required, and it’s grades XXX. DD looked at classical civ and at the talk (at Warwick) the speaker said: “you can do this course with any A levels – though it is unusual to have applicants who have done biology, maths and chemistry.”

History surprisingly does not always (or even often) require history A level. History at Leeds, for example, has no specific subject reqs. Another random google took me to politics and IR at Bristol which does require an essay subject but these included H&SC, music, yes psychology, economics, among a very long list. But again, that’s not all unis. Even UCL just says “essay subject preferred” for pol and IR.

Tbh if psych is of interest then take it; but in and of itself if doesn’t open any specific doors. As I say, if you really want to keep more options open you are better to go for Eng lit or a modern or ancient language.

Maybe your DD should do some final research of a few possible courses to see if they are things she can see herself doing and places she might like to study. But even if she doesn’t do an essay subject and then ends up wanting to take politics, there will be places that’s possible. Uni of Nottingham for example.

I think it’s wise to be wary of trying too hard to keep doors open with A level choices. You will shut some. Lots. You can’t not. My DD took French, Eng lit and geography – great so lots of doors open. But doors shut included degrees in maths, engineering, vet med, med, dentistry, chemistry, biology, sports science …

DS took maths, bio and PE. Fab. Kept some nice doors open. And shut doors to a degree in Eng lit, Spanish, engineering (pretty much), art, some medicine schools…

I should make clear that they were more than happy to close these doors haha. But inevitably. Choosing three or even four subjects does narrow things down.

@clary thanknyou for the info English lit is DDs weakest subject and cant wait to never do again. Was cobsidering spanish a level till she found out it was english lit !

Do find it strange that Law does not link up to anythibg its a very interesting subject was my favourite Alevel.

DD seems a bit lost today just been sat home all day glad she has friends coming tomorrow evening to hang out with. She has an interview for part time job saturday so thats distracted a bit from the exam results.

Congrats on the 8s @Beachforever

@Beachforever well done to your DD must feel good to get one under your best before Thursday

@Tebheag obvs there is nothing wrong with taking law A level (tho anecdotally unis are not keen on it for law degrees – no idea how true that is tho, probs a MN myth) but it is not required for any degree simply bc so few settings offer it.

Same with (for example) politics or actually psychology. These are good subjects to take if you might like to take the subject further IMO but no, not required subjects for any degree. Psych degree usually requires a science and ofc thatcan be psych but equally it could be biology.

If she doesn’t want to take Eng lit or Spanish degree then certs no point in taking them for A level (as I say, DS2 more than happy to drop eng lit haha). Spanish is not English lit! but maybe you mean Spanish lit. You do have to study one book, it's true but there is a lot more to it than that.

What degree might she be looking at? I think if she loves maths, bio, chem, FM, PE, then there is no point taking history A level just to have an essay subject. If you don’t love it enough to lean into it at A level you are unlikely to want to take it for three years at uni.

DD is most definitely not doing g maths A level. She has a very clear plan wants to do the btec extended diploma in health and social care then psychotherapy and counselling at uni. She has anxiety and found the pressure from the gcse's extremely difficult to deal with and doesn't want to face a level exams.

She is doing a week of musical theatre and performing the show on Friday afternoon so luckily very distracted. But I think tomorrow evening is going to be very loooong

Just popping in to say that you may be surprised on Thursday when the English lang result shows a grade and then the spoken lang only - there is not likely to be a mark.

It's not a mistake. The exam board haven't messed up and neither have the school. It's because the MIS used by schools are bears of very little brain and can't deal with too
much info at once.

We have to report the grade and the spoken lang - even though it doesn't mean anything - and SIMS (and other MIS) can only deal with two lots of data.

School will have the mark, but you will have to ask for it.