Three days and 3 A levels for our household: Geog, Latin and History just finishing.

Gawd it feels so much more gut wrenching than GCSEs. Seems to be so much more that can go wrong.

Any feedback on AQA Geog, Edexcel History and OCR the only game in town for Latin? Can't believe there are 14 more days to go. DG

Some people did papers before half-term ...

My DS did a Geography paper on Monday and has the second tomorrow. Not sure what board, possibly AQA. Feedback was that it was tough for all. He has English today. He did two AS maths papers before half term which were AS resits and thankfully feels they were a great improvement on last years . Phew.

It must be bad DG to have you bingeing on exclamation marks like that! What would Nick Gibb say?!

Good luck to your DD: I am sure she will be fine.

Just checked and DS did sit AQA, second tomorrow.

The aqa Biology paper 1 from Thurs has TSR lit up, it was very hard and few managed to complete it. There’s even a petition!

https://www.change.org/p/jitesh-chandeg ... e_petition

It’s really heart rending to read.

Correct me if I am wrong, but if it was that hard then the grade boundaries will be lower anyway. Though people taking biology for other boards are not as distressed.

Dd1 seems to be resigned to her fate. Aqa 1 Chemistry was also hard but doesn’t seem to have lots complaining.

Thanks all.

Geography 2 and Latin 2 today. Geography all done now but two more Latin and History to go and a Music.

Tolstoy what was your feedback on the second Geography paper today?

New Spec so only the specimen paper to work with. How did the 20 mark questions go? DG

He was happy with it, seemed less challenging than paper 1. He is hoping a B is achievable now he has the coursework result and completed the two papers. Didn’t think to ask about the 20 markers which is all he has been telling me about recently. Will ask later.

He has an English paper next Tuesday then it is about 3 Maths papers I think. His Maths was a worry but he got himself a tutor after half term and it seems to have turned things around a lot.

No matter the results I am proud of the way he has learned from his mistakes in Y12 and worked hard this year.

Re music, was at an appeal yesterday for youngest as disappointingly his current school doesn’t even do music GCSE

What does your DD want to do?

It’s all very well to say that grade boundaries will be lower in a new spec, but I can’t help wondering if it’s really fair. The Biology lot had the “advantage” of it being the second year, but the paper was completely different in clarity of what was being asked, approach and volume of work required in the time available, in comparison with last year.

It’s good that they are testing capability to derive correct information from our observations, rather than just regurgitating memorised facts, but in the real world most of us also organise our time so that we are able to do it properly and check it is correct! I’m sure this sort of pressure is a good test of resilience, but we are supposed to be testing the students’ subject not their anxiety level.

No music GCSE Tolstoy? That’s terrible! How would an appeal work? Could they club together with another school? That happened in the town we used to live in for other subjects.

What is with this country, not including any arts forms in their silly English Baccalaureate, which isn’t even a qualification. Very destructive and bad for the economy and people’s lives, in my opinion.

I am a STEM person through and through but there would be little point in life without art.