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😉

Also not much physics revision on the basis of “ I can’t revise because it’s the last exam and I’m tired” hopefully all goes well for everyone

Also need a miracle over here @XelaM! Dd hates physics and says “I can’t believe anyone would ever enjoy this”. I have to agree with her.

Good luck everyone for today and congratulations to all those who will finish at 10.45!!

For those of us still powering through - dd still has two more after this - we’ve got this!

Good luck Everyone and DCs of Everyone.

Good luck everyone. Son is usually diligent but I haven’t seen much evidence of revision over the weekend. And he normally starts an exam day by doing a past paper to get into the groove but not today. And he complained at me when I asked how he was feeling about physics.

He has extended maths tomorrow afternoon too.

Barring disaster he’ll be staying on at the same school for 6th form. And his younger brother is starting year 7 there in September. So we’ve got a while to go before the end of school days.

I do think Covid affected them - no year 6 residential, no transition day for secondary school, starting year 7 with a Covid test. Although I think his younger brother (reception year in the first lockdown) was more impacted.

DS did not want to get up this morning. Physics is going to be a write off I fear

I'm feeling pretty guilty that I had a go at DD yesterday evening. She has barely done any revision in the last week and although they are subjects she normally does well in I have been incredibly frustrated that she won't push herself to at least refresh all the topics so she can do her very best. She's someone who struggles with essay questions so needs results in the types of subjects she's been doing over the last week to drag her through.

I quizzed her on some physics yesterday late afternoon and it clear she's forgotten lots of it. I frustratingly told her that she needs to have a long hard think whether a levels are for her as she seems incapable of self study. It was absolutely not what she needed going into the last exam and I have messed up. We probably needed to have a discussion about that but not when exams are still going on.

I hope she shakes off the grump she was still in this morning and enjoys the celebrations the school are putting on after the final exam today.

Good luck physicists (I fear they may need it!) DD seemed more interested in making sure her hair looked nice and that the illegal make up was ok 🙄 Then told me today’s just a formality really FFS. I did say to her you haven’t worked as hard as you have to not bother today so give it your best shot.

Hope those with exams after this are keeping it going it’s absolutely so hard at this late stage and so close to the end.

Good luck to all!
@UncomfortableSilence There was a distinctive sense of let's get this over and done with this morning... DD was surprisingly calm - until she had an argument with her sister in the car about borrowing sharpies for the shirt signing tomorrow. She then burst into tears that this morning hadnt gone as calmly as all the other mornings and it was a sign the exam wasnt going to go well...

@BeasKnee I had the same argument with dd on Thursday if it helps. I could see no evidence of any chemistry study at all and we had a big row. She was fine on Friday so she wasn’t scared and I’m sure your dd will be fine.

dd1 did a reasonable amount of physics yesterday. It’s her last one and she’s so over it. Roll on 10.30

dd2,has an utter meltdown. She studied all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Burst into tears at 5.30 last night. We agreed she’d sack off further maths - she knew it as well as she can and she’s got time after physics to do a last minute refresh. I then did flash cards and testing with her on the physics for a couple more hours - she actually worried me to start but got better and better so did know it and it was the best way to calm her. Her poor little brain is fried though and she will crash.

dd1 out partying tonight. Dd2 not a party girl but she’s cracking open the new book she’s been saving - such very different children!

@BeasKnee i’ve done that a couple of times over exam season don’t worry. I’ve also felt really guilty afterwards as you feel you’ve stressed them out but maybe they needed some stressing out? Anyway, we’re only human and it is a time when emotions occasionally run high and frustrations come out especially when you can see your child letting themselves down in real time. Just say sorry and move on xx

I've done this pretty much throughout the exam season and my daughter thinks I'm the most awful and unsupportive mother ever 🤦‍♀️ From my point of view, she left revision for every subject until pretty much the day before when she had to cram everything and stay up until the early hours instead of getting a good night's sleep. The frustrating thing is that with revision she is capable of top grades as her mocks showed, but she absolutely hasn't done nearly enough revision for the actual GCSEs as she could have.

Thanks @myladyjane @ShesRunningOutTheDoor @XelaM - I nearly didn't post that as I thought I'd get lots of judgement. It's good to know that I'm not the only one struggling to keep my frustration in but I am sorry you have all gone though similar. I never wanted my children to be clones of me but I do wish she had the same attitude that I had to school and exams. I am proud of the way she's dealt with some parts of this whole exam period but can't help feel a bit disappointed in her about some things too.

We're nearly done though and it can't come fast enough. She has never been as pleased that she chose French over Spanish as she is today!

DS is so over it also.

It's been a rough week here. We have alot of other stress right now so I've more or less mentally checked out this weekend, trying to deal with some significant issues. Ds is fed up and over it. He's just texted me to say he forgot to take in his various books so has to deliver them tomorrow. I'll try and hunt out everything i can see to see if we can dump them when i ick him up but I'm sure to forget something!

DS was also vocal about how pleased he is he chose French over Spanish!

@BeasKnee Don’t be too hard on yourself, the impact these exams have on the whole family is not to be underestimated, our DC are under enormous pressure and that ripples through. They are growing up and need to be independent and take control of this, as parents/carers it’s very hard not to feel frustrated when you know they are not working to their potential.

@BeasKnee I'm sure she'll be fine. I had a go at DS one morning on the second week of exams because he was purposely making himself late to annoy his teacher. I also felt guilty about it but really!

DH and I are both at home this morning so will be here to greet DS back from his last exam and give him a hug. Then we (DH and I) are off for a spa afternoon, leaving DS in charge of ordering pizza for himself and DD. The kids are very pleased with this arrangement!

@BeasKnee I also was frustrated and tetchy with DS last week. DH is working away and unbeknownst to me DS was calling him to moan about me and I was calling him to moan about DS's lack of revision and DH never let on to either of us!

Thing is, DS worked so hard for his mocks and was predicted all 6-7s and he just went to pot for the real thing. So I was worried about all his hard work going to waste. I did what i promised I would not do and pressured him.

DS went off for Physics this morning, chipper as ever. Not much seems to ruffle him, which is good, but the downside is it leads to complacency. I did have to talk him into revision over the weekend, especially as he has chosen Physics for A'level.
I had a bit of a flip when I found him watching Space science videos, thinking he'd got side tracked, but it turns out Triple Physics has a whole section on space, which was news to me. All this time I've been testing him using the Collins study book, but it was a combined science version (left over from his sister). I had no idea whole topics were missing, he never thought to mention either, but hopefully knew himself to cover those!
He did a past paper, which we marked as around 6 - not good enough for A'levels, but he confessed he'd only been half hearted so dropped lots of marks he swears he wouldn't in an exam. For one 6 marker he only bothered to draw a diagram, no method. This approach is not doing my blood pressure any good. He as usual is not bothered...

DS is also wanting to do physics for A level next year but predictably only started revising yesterday evening. It has been so incredibly frustrating watching him choose extremely short term happiness over exerting himself a little bit for his future potential but I suppose it’s a tall order for some 16 year olds.

@BeasKnee we all get it wrong , no one teaches you to parent and we are all human and making it up as we go along . When it’s their turn our DC will too .

And that's it! For those not doing Spanish or further maths, GCSEs are now over. Here's hoping it's a long and glorious summer. Oh to be 16 again...

Does anyone else feel like they are getting their lives back today (assuming Physics last paper sorry Spanish lot!)?

I felt so much lighter this morning!

Told DD she can make dinner once a week over the summer 🤣🤣🤣

We’ve got another 15 minutes …. 10:45 finish for iGCSE.

God it’s been a horrible process!

Big hug to us all. We did it - we supported them through. I hope they all have an amazing summer discovering their new independence and finding their individual directions. 😍

Still 2 to go. Further maths and Spanish.
Ds was more grumpy than ever this morning. I presume there had been a lot of "one to go then we can party/relax" conversations going on.
We also said he couldn't go to a friend's party tonight as he has Spanish tomorrow. Hes not the only one and he disnt argue but think hes feeling left out. Couldn't they have waited 24hrs???
Well done to all those already finished! Long summer ahead

Ahhhhh dd is home! Uniform is in the recycle bag (I’ve not bought any new stuff since yr 9 and it’s on its very very last legs!) and dad has taken her out to get a treat (and doubtless some contraband cider I will pretend not to know about).

she said today’s paper was good (aqa combined higher). I everything she revised came up and her sketchy stuff didn’t. So she’s ended with a smile.

fingers crossed for further maths this pm for the other one….