GCSEs over - how have you found them?

[Max]

It's party time for me, the GCSEs have come to an end

It's amazing that 2 years work culminates in about 3 weeks of exams, feels strange that it is all over! There were some exams that I really think I nailed (both the English language exams, geography 1, chemistry, history 2 ) and others which I wasn't so sure about (English lit and history 1 - ran out of time in both :roll. I think overall I'm really pleased with how they went and I worked hard so hopefully it's paid off!

How have you guys found GCSEs if you've been taking them, or have you found your AS/A2 exams?

 

[D306]

I've had 2/3 yr10 GCSE's (R.E, Science 1 (missed science 2 because of illness), and I think I've done well on both of them. Next test next year

 

[RJ]

I'm such a slow writer, I never quite finish the English exams. Then again, I always write a noticeable amount less than others in my essays i.e 4 pages vs 10 and always got at least an A-. I'll feel like a real idiot if I get anything less than an A in Maths, English and Latin, and a B in RE. As for Science, Geography, DT and IT, couldn't care less about them, anything C or above would do for me!! Already did a couple a year early and passed them as well

 

[mbonwick]

Just 1 for me this time round, IT. Whole thing waqs I thought a p**s take. 93% on coursework (before moderation) and finished the exam with about 1 hour out of 1.5 left!

 

[Beaker]

I found mine on the table....

 

[Tom B]

Not all of them are finished - IIRC Sadistics is next week.

As for AS/A2s, another week and a half to go for some. I have 3 left - GSA6, CPT4 and 2825/01.

 

[Mintona]

I finished my ASs last Friday - and jolly glad about it I was too!

 

[CraigS]

I found most of my GCSE easy. Glad there over and glad theres no more school.

 

[Gizmogle]

Yeah mine aren't finished. Mine finish on the 20th. I still have Child Development (I swear, I didn't take the subject by choice lol) and R.E. left.
Did well in the first maths paper, but the second one went terribly.
Also, did better than I thought I would in science too
English was a complete shambles.
Meh, I think I'll get enough passes to get onto my course

 

[RJ]

One of my mates said that the stats paper last year was easy and he got a D . Cue much laughing! So I won't say anything was easy unless I'm certain I'll get an A*. I don't think Maths was too bad, the one thing I didn't want to come up, didn't. Those LONG questions which give you a quadratic equation and a 3D shape or some probability problem about different colour balls in a bag and ask you to show how the quadratic is formed.

 

[devon_metro]

One of my mates said that the stats paper last year was easy and he got a D . Cue much laughing! So I won't say anything was easy unless I'm certain I'll get an A*. I don't think Maths was too bad, the one thing I didn't want to come up, didn't. Those LONG questions which give you a quadratic equation and a 3D shape or some probability problem about different colour balls in a bag and ask you to show how the quadratic is formed.

They are a pain in the arse. My thoughts to Edexcel:

"I don't care"

 

[RJ]

Indeed, I'm not too sure how knowing how to draw the graph y = ax3 + bx2 + cx + d + e/x is supposed to help me in later life and I saw a question about imaginary numbers in one of the past papers, certainly don't see people using numbers like 4i and 9i. I wish I could say I'm done with it but I have 2 more years to enjoy numerics...

 

[devon_metro]

Annoying thing is the amount of incredibly boring statistics... I mean its hardly maths and its fairly difficult to revise for. Why not test us on challenging maths rather than drawing histograms.

 

[5872]

Hope you lot get good levels when your done of if you have finishedI have 4or 5 sort of end of year exams for year 8 two english and two maths then I have one year before the dreaded sats...:-x


Fred

 

[tedted]

Annoying thing is the amount of incredibly boring statistics... I mean its hardly maths and its fairly difficult to revise for. Why not test us on challenging maths rather than drawing histograms.

My thoughts exactly! And easy-peasy histograms are supposed to be worth an A grade, at least in the AQA syllabus.

Unfortunately, I also have Sadistics (sic) next Thursday - two and a half hours of futileness!

Graphics Friday - yippee

Kendal Saturday - lol

 

[Nick W]

Indeed, I'm not too sure how knowing how to draw the graph y = ax3 + bx2 + cx + d + e/x is supposed to help me in later life and I saw a question about imaginary numbers in one of the past papers, certainly don't see people using numbers like 4i and 9i. I wish I could say I'm done with it but I have 2 more years to enjoy numerics...

It'll probably help you more now than ever given the thing in front of you basically works on maths :P

As a guess, have you been looking at FP 1-3 modules or are you even higher up than that?

I've got C4 monday but that's it for now.

 

[Tom B]

Imaginary numbers are on FP1 i think.

As for sadistics, even at A level S1 is the easiest module (even easier than C1 and that is common-sense). Bang a few numbers into your calculator and there y'go!

 

[Mushroom]

Iv got my final A2 exam on Tuesday (ICT)

 

[RJ]

It'll probably help you more now than ever given the thing in front of you basically works on maths :P

As a guess, have you been looking at FP 1-3 modules or are you even higher up than that?

I've got C4 monday but that's it for now.

I've been on the standard GCSE course, but always ask my teacher after class about more advanced things which aren't in the book! My half of the year didn't get the option to do both Maths and Stats early, just the latter. Must agree its very boring, glad I got it out of they way

If you think Edexcel/AQA make the papers hard, be thankful the UK Maths Challenge people don't write them!

They give away a lot of marks though, they give you the formulae to work out the answer to half the questions in the front of the paper.

 

[Mojo]

I've done two AS retakes so far - Law 2 and Business 2. I've got A2 Law 4 retake on Monday, and A2 Law 6 and Business 6 on Thursday.

 

[kettlefan]

well i took AS levels this year......and they were completely ***** (sorry about the unblocked language but it had to be said)

 

[Nick W]

Imaginary numbers are on FP1 i think.

As for sadistics, even at A level S1 is the easiest module (even easier than C1 and that is common-sense). Bang a few numbers into your calculator and there y'go!

I disagree.

S1 - 91/100
C1 - 93/100
C2 98/100
M1 95/100

But did you hear that in this month's S1, which I didn't do, the student was given a mark out of 75 in the paper for suggesting an instrument that weighed (yes they didn't say mass) 80kg.

I've been on the standard GCSE course, but always ask my teacher after class about more advanced things which aren't in the book! My half of the year didn't get the option to do both Maths and Stats early, just the latter. Must agree its very boring, glad I got it out of they way

If you think Edexcel/AQA make the papers hard, be thankful the UK Maths Challenge people don't write them!

They give away a lot of marks though, they give you the formulae to work out the answer to half the questions in the front of the paper.

I think AEA is hard, but they still lead you to the answer.

Maths isn't a memory game though and the paper would have to be longer if we were to derive formulae or standard differentials. You do have to remember pythagorus's theory and either remember or derive the 3 trig identities from it.

 

[Max]

I've been on the standard GCSE course, but always ask my teacher after class about more advanced things which aren't in the book! My half of the year didn't get the option to do both Maths and Stats early, just the latter. Must agree its very boring, glad I got it out of they way

If you think Edexcel/AQA make the papers hard, be thankful the UK Maths Challenge people don't write them!

They give away a lot of marks though, they give you the formulae to work out the answer to half the questions in the front of the paper.

I did the intermediate maths challenge, got a Bronze (but I'm not really that good at maths!). Did you do the OCR free standing additonal maths qualification? I've done that (having taken maths a year early) and found it quite tough, hoping for a B (but more likely will get a C!).

 

[First ScotRail]

Standard Grade exams finished before the start of june (27th may) and Highers finished on the 1st June in scotland. we have now all started back and onto our new courses. I found all the standard grades whuich i sat this year hard, compared to the past papers which i had done of the years before. btw Standard Grades =GCSE's

 

[theblackwatch]

Reading through this thread I was interested to see how many different maths modules there are which you can do now. Back when I did O Level maths (20 years ago, 1987!), there was just plain maths with your result based entirely on 1 or 2 exams, and at A level there was a choice of Maths with Mechanics or Maths with Statistics from what I remember, think there may have been a double maths too which counted for 2 A levels.

Whilst there have been comments about what use some things will be in later life, I do get the impression that, in general, the national curriculum is now geared up better towards teaching things which will be useful in the future than it used to be - certainly the range of subjects you can study seems to be much broader.

 

[Tom B]

Linear maths is like your old O level, 2 papers and a short 'coursework' task to cover the sadistical element of the course.

A level at the present comprises several modules:

Pure maths:
C1
C2
C3
C4
FP1
FP2
FP3
FP4

Discrete maths:
D1
D2
D3
D4

Mechanics:
M1
M2
M3
M4

Sadistics:
S1
S2
S3
S4

For an AS level in Maths, you need C1 + C2 plus M1, S1 or D1.

For an A2 in Maths you need C1 + C2 + C3 + C4 plus two optionals (M1 and M2, S1 and S2, M1 and S1, D1 and S1 etc).

NB the modules are depdent so to do S2 you need to do S1 first etc.

For AS Further Maths you need FP1 + two optional modules, for A2 Further Maths you need FP2 + FP3 + another optional module.

You can also do an AS in Applied Maths (C1 + two optionals) or AS Pure Maths (C1 + C2 + C3).

Confused yet?

Further Maths candidates can shuffle modules between Maths / Further Maths as well to get the best grade. Although actually this is done by the exam board when the qualification is certified.

 

[theblackwatch]

Thanks for explaining that, reading it slowly, it does actually make sense! Your descriptions jogged my memory that what i called 'Double Maths' was in fact 'Maths and Further Maths'. Needed something to jog the memory, it's 18 years since I failed my A level maths!!

 

[Nick W]

Is there an FP4 for you, and what's it like as we only go up to FP3. Edexcel offer an M5 but M6 no longer exists. I want to do up to M5 because I dislike statistics.

AS pure maths is useful because you can get an AS without cashing in any modules towards maths or futher maths, therefore allowing you to wait till the end of 2 years to find the best combo as Tom said, but still have an AS.

 

[Tom B]

I don't know, I only do normal maths myself.

You don't actually have to cash in the AS at all, you can leave it "open" if you like until A2 when it is certified.