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😉

thanks for the replies @clary and @Beachforever. I’ll make sure they do the bridging work when we know what has been set and give them a heads up there maybe a test early on.
it also makes sense to keep up something in the next 2.5 months so it’s not all forgotten. Mine are also making the step up from combined science to 2 A level sciences so I’ve already told them to expect the jump to be hard.

@Beachforever that sounds like astronomical GCSE grades for A level, hope it’s not too stressful for the DCs applying. Good to know that the bridging work seems like good practice for all A levels regardless of top or middling academic outcomes.

DS will almost be finished Spanish.. he did spend yesterday celebrating with his mates who all finished yesterday but he did say it was hard as he just couldn’t feel quite as jubilant (didn’t use that exact word of course 😂)

I’m also starting to feel quite emotional. Both DD (now 19) and DS have had their ups and downs at that school but it’s been a big part of our lives (well their more than mine of course) and now DS is leaving so that’s it for our household. The next chapter!

Most of his friends are staying on for 6th form but he was adamant it wasn’t for him and I couldn’t push him to do something that I wanted him to do when he felt more passionate about something else!

Thankyou so much for this thread! It’s been a brilliant sanity check, support and bloody entertaining too.

I can’t believe they have done it! Bloody well done to the majority who have now finished and good luck for those final 1 or 2 (Russian I believe?) today and tomorrow.

@Ifonlyoneday if going from combined to A level science then a good plan would be to work on the topics not included in combined.

If a lot of the cohort are in the same position (so have perhaps come from KS4 in the same school and it doesn't offer triple, for example) then those elements may be covered in year 12; but if they are moving to a different setting or many of the cohort have done triple, then it would be really helpful.

@Beachforever is this a private school? They must have great A level results lol. Our school requires a 7 in maths for anything scientific but otherwise 6x6 is ok.

Yes, selective independent.

Our school does bridging work - high achieving state school.

This sounds like ours.

Assuming it's the same one mine did, the OCR Free Standing Maths Qualification (FSMQ) is a level 3 qualification (GCSEs are level 2) that gives UCAS points. It is a stepping stone between GCSE and A-level maths and covers a lot of the first year of the A Level.

The results for the FSMQ are released on A Level results day (13th August) not 20th like the GCSEs! And they are graded A-E(?) not 9-1 like GCSEs.

I only know this as I looked it up yesterday when DS was sitting the exam as I wasn't sure what it was!

Yes that sounds like the same one - so if it’s part of the a level sylllabus, how does it compare to AS maths?

I have no idea I'm afraid!

I’m not sure I’ve posted much on these threads but have read all the comments especially on exam days and it’s been reassuring to know that I wasn’t alone.
Dd finished today. We’re both relieved as it’s been a lot.
Last week someone from year ended their life in quite a violent way. It’s been really horrible trying to process that and all the ripples that has caused.
As they were on study leave and the only time the cohort saw each other was straight before each exam, that’s where they leant a bit more each day about what had happened. The drip drip of horror was indescribable and I’m so glad that the last exam is done.
I’m so relieved, that for us at least, we get back to some normality.

How horrible @Just2MoreSeasons for everyone involved. I hope the YP in the cohort have been able to focus as best they can. So sorry they are all having to deal with this. So sorry also for the tragic loss of a YP's life.

Does anyone know where to look up about bridging work?
DD will need to do some if she does Further maths ALevel as only one not to do further maths or statistics! Was a clash in her timetable and she picked another subject over it.
At DDs school the kids who did further maths exam yesterday on was equivalent to an AS Level Maths.
Yippee DD finished said Spanish writing was better than expected.

So sorry for this awful news. Hope these kids can work through this. So sad ❤️

That is horrible and sad 😢.
We have had a death in DS1’s year group too but luckily (?) not in exam season so they were all in and could be talked through it. Must have been (even more) terrible without that.

@Just2MoreSeasons how incredibly sad.

@Just2MoreSeasons that's very sad for everyone involved. We had a death at my school in year 13 and it was a horrible time but year 11 is so young.

@Just2MoreSeasonshow awful. I really hope the students will have special consideration by the board

Oh, that’s so sad @Just2MoreSeasons. There was also a student death in DS’s year this year - it was so awful.

It’s normally set by the school or college you’re going to for a levels. Is there an induction day coming up? Or email and ask them?

@Just2MoreSeasons that's awful, I'm so sorry. It puts exam stress into perspective. We have to be so careful.

No open day or anything she is after a part time job so decided to stay local going to her current school. Would be 90min each way to the other 6th form she applied too.

@Just2MoreSeasons- so sorry to hear that. Really heartbreaking. My husband knew someone at school who took their own life and he still talks about him now sometimes.

Son found extended maths ‘really hard’ and I think it’s been a bit of a dampener on the end of exams. I’ve suggested he tries to put it behind him. I didn’t really know what extended maths was but it’s an Edexcel qualification at level 2 for maths students expected to get the higher gcse grades. At my son’s comprehensive school the top maths set do it alongside gcse maths.

He’s at a friend’s house now so I hope he’s having a good time and being sensible!

I’d just get her to ask the teachers then if she’s staying at the same school.

I would be surprised if the school didn't send some to her. We know we will get transition work, but we haven't got it yet. DD has a 2 day induction (She is also staying at her current school) and I'm assuming they will give it then or will email. I'm not sure what we are meant to do for the induction: She has a first choice and a reserve, but the induction days are at the same time...