The Final Push - how's it going for your dc (and you) ?

[nervousmom]

I'd advise a longer break than that - they should not need to be doing that much revision now.

Maybe he should take Sunday off as well then?

I'll put it to him and see what he thinks. We'll be out Sunday afternoon and then having something to eat, might suggest he comes with us.

Mrschubbs - thanks - i will pass that onto DS

[stroudydad]

I’m back. Busy day. View of AQA individual sciences physics higher paper only, not trilogy was that it was a reasonable paper in terms of content as long as they knew their required practicals (as there were quite a few) and could apply the principles of them as the examples used weren’t always the same ones they would have done in class. The paper definitely got harder as it went on (as it should) which may have led to students feeling that it wasn’t going well especially as there was a lot of maths in there. The higher demand questions (as in the level 8/9 testing questions tend to come at the end). A lot of common sense questions which seem weird to students are just that, common sense, and as they get familiar with the question types through practice they will recognise them. The banana one is a good example, basically saying that by giving people a day to day item that they don’t see as dangerous, they can better understand that you are surrounded by radiation and not all radiation is going to kill you by instant exposure. You would have to eat around 400 bananas in one go to be hurt by the radiation from them, but you would probably have died of potassium poisoning by then. All this is of no comfort to the DC’s who are taking the exams this year. So the view is that the grade boundaries will be generous. Hope this makes sense. Your DC’s will find it difficult to judge how they have done as they can’t see that they will get workings out marks, error carried forward and all sorts. I have my fingers crossed for them all. Onwards.

daughter did trilogy...

[KS10]

So did mine, sd. She said it wasn’t ‘too easy or too hard’. The expert at my school said it was a fair paper and many of the pupils seemed happy with it. DD isn’t really a science person so expectations aren’t too high here. I know she’d be thrilled with a 6 but she can’t really tell how well or badly she’s done.

[fairyelephant]

Maths (edexcel) ok but not brilliant. Poems tomorrow and Lord of the Flies - can’t stand it myself!

[doodles]

Great Expectations and Poetry tomorrow then a much needed break, I think I need it as much as he does

[Blitz]

DS really pleased how Maths went and a lot happier today... he is back to his chatty self and upbeat.

Maths and Georgraphy have been his best so far. Eng Lit and Physics his worst. (He wants to do physics A level ) At least there is another paper to go.

[MrsChubbs]

Sorry Stroudydad. There will be some common questions across all the papers as AQA will need to benchmark. The majority of comments from teachers who are talking around here is that the papers are not easy or hard but somewhere in the middle but that students will find them hard because of the new formats and lack of practice papers. The grade boundaries should reflect this.

[stroudydad]

Sorry Stroudydad. There will be some common questions across all the papers as AQA will need to benchmark. The majority of comments from teachers who are talking around here is that the papers are not easy or hard but somewhere in the middle but that students will find them hard because of the new formats and lack of practice papers. The grade boundaries should reflect this.

Thanks:-). To be honest this was always likely to be the worst of the 9 papers. She doesn't like electrics or radiation. (Ironically in my day job I deal with x, alpha, beta & gamma on an almost daily basis). And she managed to design, wire, program and build an impact measuring device in 6 weeks.. so the knowledge is there.. just not her thing.

[ToadMum]

You would have to eat around 400 bananas in one go to be hurt by the radiation from them, but you would probably have died of potassium poisoning by then.

Reminds me of the National Radiological Protection Board chap being given a really hard time on Radio 4 one lunchtime (?on the ghastly You and Yours), over mobile phone masts near schools, how they shouldn't be allowed. Surely the safe level should be set lower than that of said masts, so that our DC wouldn't be dropping dead in droves, etc

The response being along the lines of, Okay, we could do that - but if we did, nobody out there would be able to listen to us having this conversation...

[Tinkers]

DD and I don’t like bananas.