HELP? I think I may have ****ed up my GCSEs already...

It looks like I won't get any A grades... I may even be missing out on Bs...

Likewise, Chemistry (AQA, Unit 1) today was "too easy" so there are likely to be high grade boundaries for that too. Looking at unofficial mark schemes, I seem to have only 28/60, whereas in the mock I scored 46/60 (that was last year's paper). Past papers at home have resulted in A grades too. Chemistry has always been one of my stronger subjects and my knowledge is quite expansive. I haven't done as well in Science as I hoped. It's worrying because it seems I'll **** up C2, P2, B2 and P1 next week.

Now, I don't think that I can get an A in Maths, another subject which I am reasonably good at.

I am more of a B/A grade student than a C/D one. However, there's a lot of pressure in exams on me - as is the case with all of you, I'm sure.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

grace_wh

10

Original post by Jamie Vardy

It looks like I won't get any A grades... I may even be missing out on Bs...

Likewise, Chemistry (AQA, Unit 1) today was "too easy" so there are likely to be high grade boundaries for that too. Looking at unofficial mark schemes, I seem to have only 28/60, whereas in the mock I scored 46/60 (that was last year's paper). Past papers at home have resulted in A grades too. Chemistry has always been one of my stronger subjects and my knowledge is quite expansive. I haven't done as well in Science as I hoped. It's worrying because it seems I'll **** up C2, P2, B2 and P1 next week.

Now, I don't think that I can get an A in Maths, another subject which I am reasonably good at.

I am more of a B/A grade student than a C/D one. However, there's a lot of pressure in exams on me - as is the case with all of you, I'm sure.

I'm sure you'll have done better than you think! Don't worry and stay motivated to revise, and then once you've finished the exam try not to dwell on it! This just makes you question yourself as you remember all the things you've done wrong, but not the things you did well. Good luck for the rest of your GCSE's :-)

Reply 2

Rocco123

11

You may well have done a lot better than you think. I sat iGCSE maths early (January) and the first paper felt like it went so badly compared to all of the past papers - I was convinced that I'd killed any hope of getting an A* - but, I did get an A* in the end, which came as a real surprise. Don't forget with chemistry, that markscheme is unofficial, and boards alter mark schemes a lot after students answers come in - if lots of people answered the same as you, that answer may be added to the marscheme later, so you would get credit for that answer. Try and focus on the exams to come as opposed to the ones that you have done, and try your hardest in them. Hopefully that way, even if the first paper went badly, you could make up for it by doing really well in the second paper. Good luck!

Reply 3

Jamie Vardy

OP

3

Original post by Rocco123

You may well have done a lot better than you think. I sat iGCSE maths early (January) and the first paper felt like it went so badly compared to all of the past papers - I was convinced that I'd killed any hope of getting an A* - but, I did get an A* in the end, which came as a real surprise. Don't forget with chemistry, that markscheme is unofficial, and boards alter mark schemes a lot after students answers come in - if lots of people answered the same as you, that answer may be added to the marscheme later, so you would get credit for that answer. Try and focus on the exams to come as opposed to the ones that you have done, and try your hardest in them. Hopefully that way, even if the first paper went badly, you could make up for it by doing really well in the second paper. Good luck!

Thanks for your reassurance! However, I can confirm that the grade boundaries for the C1 paper are sky high. Also, is it true that exam boards alter mark schemes?

Reply 4

lostintrnslation

12

The unofficial mark schemes aren't usually that accurate. Don't worry.

Reply 5

gabriellaferlita

Hi Jamie,I was in your position last year. I sat various GCSE exams, many of which I didn't expect to get above a B in. In fact, I was predicted a C for English literature and Spanish and I ended up with an A in 4 subjects including those! What teachers don't tell you is GCSE's aren't the be all and end all of your education. If you don't end up with the GCSE grades you wanted you will still most likely be able to get into your preferred college and A-Level subject choices. You won't believe me now, but just wait until you sign up for college. You'll go in on enrolment day, someone will ask you for your grades sheet and that will be the last you hear of your GCSE grades. And the grades most colleges ask for is at least a C in English and maths. No, really. That's it. Okay sure, you'll have to summarise how many GCSE's and what grades you have on your CV, but once you're in college you'll be onto bigger and harder exams. A-Levels that determine whether or not you'll get into the university of your choice- that's scary.The other thing to consider is that while there is a mark scheme, the exam boards decide on grade percentages based on how well the whole country do in that particular exam. If lots of students found it hard, it's likely that the grade boundaries will go down. And visa-versa. Personally, I never walk out of an exam feeling completely happy with how I've performed. We all evaluate our mistakes or wish we could've done better; its human nature. But at the end of the day you must realise that you've done your best. That's all your parents, teachers and peers can ask of you. So don't put too much pressure on yourself, drink lots of water, eat a good breakfast, get an early night and mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead. Good luck in the rest of your GCSE's,Gabriella x

Reply 6

gabriellaferlita

Original post by Jamie Vardy

Thanks for your reassurance! However, I can confirm that the grade boundaries for the C1 paper are sky high. Also, is it true that exam boards alter mark schemes?

Exam boards don't alter mark schemes to my knowledge, but they do alter grade boundaries based on percentages of how well students did sitting the paper

Reply 7

Rocco123

11

They do usually change mark schemes because the exam board cannot predict all student responses - often, many students will come up with an answer which is technically correct but unexpected by the exam board, so they were not on the original mark scheme and need to be added. Our chemistry teacher told us this a while ago. They do also alter grade boundaries to reflect how difficult students found the paper, with difficult papers having lower grade boundaries so that roughly the same percentage of students receive the top grades each year.

Reply 8

romansholiday

17

Original post by Jamie Vardy

It looks like I won't get any A grades... I may even be missing out on Bs...

Likewise, Chemistry (AQA, Unit 1) today was "too easy" so there are likely to be high grade boundaries for that too. Looking at unofficial mark schemes, I seem to have only 28/60, whereas in the mock I scored 46/60 (that was last year's paper). Past papers at home have resulted in A grades too. Chemistry has always been one of my stronger subjects and my knowledge is quite expansive. I haven't done as well in Science as I hoped. It's worrying because it seems I'll **** up C2, P2, B2 and P1 next week.

Now, I don't think that I can get an A in Maths, another subject which I am reasonably good at.

I am more of a B/A grade student than a C/D one. However, there's a lot of pressure in exams on me - as is the case with all of you, I'm sure.

Hi! You're really not alone. I ****ed up B1, honestly like I really messed that up, Chem was much better though (much more straight forward). Unofficial mark schemes - emphasis on unofficial - are really not that reliable. The mark scheme, especially for B1, will be much more lenient, and the examiners actually come together to discuss changes to the mark schemes if valid responses come up frequently.

You're really not alone though, I don't think I've done too well this week because I was throwing up the whole weekend due to anxiety, and I'm now getting a cold lmao life is great.

Reply 9

Lizzie1412

1

Where did you find the unofficial mark scheme?

HELP? I think I may have ****ed up my GCSEs already...

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