UK Exam Season 2008

[psychofreak]

Well I just did my AS French oral, I did ok I think (considering that I wrote it and tried to learn it all yesterday, I'm just too lazy).

What are you taking? How confident are you? Am I just posting this because I'm nervous and hope others are too?

Personally I'm doing French, Maths, Economics and History

[JG271]

I'm taking Music Tech, English, Computing and Government and politics, As level.
My first exam is on the 2nd of may, are the languages done in modules?

[psychofreak]

I'm taking Music Tech, English, Computing and Government and politics, As level.
My first exam is on the 2nd of may, are the languages done in modules?
French oral is done separately, then all the others are together. My exams go from May 14-June 4 now this oral is done.

[JG271]

Ah i see. I'm not that nervous (yet!) but i know i could be doing more work (and less time on MacRumors:rolleyes:!)

[iGav]

(considering that I wrote it and tried to learn it all yesterday, I'm just too lazy).

Which is why it would be beneficial to all to abolish exams and change to ongoing assessment as a means of gaining qualifications. ;)

[XIII]

French, Maths, Further Maths, Economics, Physics. Start in 3 weeks :o

[Cromulent]

Which is why it would be beneficial to all to abolish exams and change to ongoing assessment as a means of gaining qualifications. ;)

Hmm not really. Boys have been shown to do better in pure exam based courses and girls have been shown to do better in coursework based courses. You need to find a middle ground.

Personally I hated coursework and got worse marks compared to doing an exam.

[psychofreak]

I just did Core 1 and Core 2 Mathematics yesterday morning. I'm fairly sure I got everything right, but I can't rule out silly errors of course. I am however pissed off as I got a 5 mark question in C2 in the last minute and was stopped mid-way through writing my answer.

Oh well, I've got French in a couple of days, and I'm trying to revise the language for the first time in my life.

[JG271]

I had 6 hours of exams on friday... that wasn't too much fun!

It'll all be over by this time next week however, i've just got music tech on the wednesday and three politics exams on friday.

[Eraserhead]

I have two exams on Monday and Wednesday next week, then two more on Thursday and Saturday of the following week and a final one the Thursday after that.

[XIII]

I just did Core 1 and Core 2 Mathematics yesterday morning. I'm fairly sure I got everything right, but I can't rule out silly errors of course. I am however pissed off as I got a 5 mark question in C2 in the last minute and was stopped mid-way through writing my answer.

Oh well, I've got French in a couple of days, and I'm trying to revise the language for the first time in my life.

Hah same, did C1 and C2 on Thursday (OCR), got French on Tuesday (Edexcel).

[psychofreak]

Hah same, did C1 and C2 on Thursday (OCR), got French on Tuesday (Edexcel).

Yep, same organisations too. Then I've got Stats on the 23rd, History on the 2nd, and I finish with Economics on the 4th.

[XIII]

Yep, same organisations too. Then I've got Stats on the 23rd, History on the 2nd, and I finish with Economics on the 4th.

Haha, same boards.. :) I'm a little worried about French, how are you going about revising for it? I need to practice some of the 150 words writing you get at the end of the reading paper, and then just vocab I guess? Can't really see an obvious way of revising for it.

And out of interest, last question of C2.. did you get 666km? I usually wouldn't remember, but it is the Devil's number and all..

I have French on Tuesday, Physics on Thursday.. then half term.. then C3 on Monday, Economics on Wednesday (same as you), French oral on Thursday, Mechanics 1 on Friday.. then 10 days off and Mechanics 2 on the Monday! M1, M2 and C3 will be a pain.. all of them.. :o I don't finish until the 16th of June.

[psychofreak]

Haha, same boards.. :) I'm a little worried about French, how are you going about revising for it? I need to practice some of the 150 words writing you get at the end of the reading paper, and then just vocab I guess? Can't really see an obvious way of revising for it.

And out of interest, last question of C2.. did you get 666km? I usually wouldn't remember, but it is the Devil's number and all..

I have French on Tuesday, Physics on Thursday.. then half term.. then C3 on Monday, Economics on Wednesday (same as you), French oral on Thursday, Mechanics 1 on Friday.. then 10 days off and Mechanics 2 on the Monday! M1, M2 and C3 will be a pain.. all of them.. :o I don't finish until the 16th of June.

I have a vocab book with about 50 phrases I'm trying to learn, I've got about 20 down in my head now.

Yes I did get 666, and so did many others, its definitely correct.

I'm going to learn M1, FP1 and C3 in the Summer to take in January, so I can do Further Maths A-Level.

[XIII]

I have a vocab book with about 50 phrases I'm trying to learn, I've got about 20 down in my head now.

Yes I did get 666, and so did many others, its definitely correct.

I'm going to learn M1, FP1 and C3 in the Summer to take in January, so I can do Further Maths A-Level.

I'm doing 1.5 Maths, so I'm taking C1, C2, C3, M1, M2 this summer.. C4 in January (done half of it), S1 S2 and FP1 next June. I find C3 quite a jump up from C2. M1 is fine, M2 is pretty hard.. but apparently stats are easy so that should be ok next year. I also have the option of doing D1 at school.. so I might do S1 and D1 rather than S1 and S2.

Cool, I guess I'll just learn some vocab too! Good luck.

[BlakTornado]

I'm currently doing my GCSEs...

and well...


uhhh (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=484172)....

I'm clearly going to do well.



Ok, ok. That was a subject I don't care about where I'll only get half a GCSE anyway... but seriously, I don't think I'll do too badly.

I had my Music exam the other day and it was moderately hard - some of the stuff was a bit confusing and my mind basically blanked before the exam... and no-one told me the sneaky trick...
the answers to the "name a possible composer for tis piece" questions are on the back in the copyright information...
Silly exam board.
But from what I heard, I got them right anyway.

I've got an English exam next week and then the rest of them in the following after half term.

I seriously love iCal now, though... without it, I would have missed many an exam or study session. I love how it doesn't have to be open to alert you of everything :) Good job there, Apple.

[psychofreak]

Of the 50 or so phrases I wanted to learn, I learned about 15 and got 9 into my essay. I found the French paper hard, and I think I was too adventurous with my language, so we'll see. Unfortunately I didn't really know any vocab specific to the topic that came up.

[nuffy12]

Wassup, first post.

Doing A-Levels here, had my first exam today- PE resit, was ok not great though. I hate that unit, last year got A-A-U in PE. Hopefully can at least get a D or something, the anatomy and physiology just kills me. To me the science like exams are just one big memory test, gooooood way of determining who is smart.

Im doing, media studies, PE and business studies.

Good Luck

[xUKHCx]

I've only got 2 exams this time around and then I will have finished my degree. I have one on the 31st and then the other one on the 11th of June.

Can't wait until I have finished.

[Tom B.]

I'm doing (in order of easiness) Business Studies, Geography, Psychology and Biology at AS.

I had my Psychology exam last Friday, and it went fairly well, except for the computer (which I do all of my exams on) losing 15 minutes of my work. :mad:
Business Studies and Geography will be easy, but Biology is going to be impossible.

[Woder-Woman]

I have a biosciences (chemistry, biology, physics and maths) exam next Friday...should be fun :D

[yojitani]

Good luck to all of you! I tend to remember this time of year even though it's been almost 15 years since I did my A-levels.

Enjoy the long summer!

[XIII]

Of the 50 or so phrases I wanted to learn, I learned about 15 and got 9 into my essay. I found the French paper hard, and I think I was too adventurous with my language, so we'll see. Unfortunately I didn't really know any vocab specific to the topic that came up.

It was tricky, I think I got quite a lot wrong. 140-160 word essay at the end was on a perfect topic for me though, knew lots of vocab for health, smoking, alcohol, drugs and stuff..

[Killyp]

Been revising physics all of today so far (exam is tomorrow) and had my music anthology pieces on play in the background.

Already done the physics and biology practical papers. I'm doing Music, Physics and Biology. I was doing Maths as well, but I had to drop it within the first few weeks - it was waaaaay beyond me...

[xUKHCx]

For those moving on to other things after this exam period I am curious as to what they might be

e.g. killyp would you be going to uni to do a music related course?

And of course there is the long summer to look forward to :)

[psychofreak]

It was tricky, I think I got quite a lot wrong. 140-160 word essay at the end was on a perfect topic for me though, knew lots of vocab for health, smoking, alcohol, drugs and stuff..

I put one specific vocab word, "santé" in unfortunately. I was hoping for a visit to France kind of question.

[XIII]

For those moving on to other things after this exam period I am curious as to what they might be

e.g. killyp would you be going to uni to do a music related course?

And of course there is the long summer to look forward to :)

Not for me.. back to school to start A2 courses at the end of my exams, bar about 10 days off :( Uni choices and ucas form will be my next steps though.

Been revising physics all of today so far (exam is tomorrow) and had my music anthology pieces on play in the background.

Already done the physics and biology practical papers. I'm doing Music, Physics and Biology. I was doing Maths as well, but I had to drop it within the first few weeks - it was waaaaay beyond me...

Yeah, I've been doing Physics all day too - Edexcel. Did the practical, thought I messed it up a little bit but it was ok. I find Physics ok, really Maths and Physics are the subjects I need to get A's in.. so I have a heap of past papers to do this evening aswell! Good luck tomorrow.

[psychofreak]

Finished History!

I think I did my best ever 3 essays, but I've been a low B student up until now, so anything could happen.

I'm so annoyed about my French Revolution paper, it was quite a hard question, and I looked at some of the other topics, which were ridiculously easy... "Assess the impact of WW1 on Britain between 1914 and 1918"!, I wish I had that...

I'm confident for Units 1 and 2 Economics, and I can take Unit 3 next year.

[xUKHCx]

Its always a good feeling when you have finished one subject.

I had my first exam last Saturday and it went well, pretty confident that I have passed and with a decent mark. Only one more exam left for me then I will have finished Uni :eek:

[XIII]

Its always a good feeling when you have finished one subject.

I had my first exam last Saturday and it went well, pretty confident that I have passed and with a decent mark. Only one more exam left for me then I will have finished Uni :eek:

:eek: Scary! How did you do back in your A Levels? And where are you at Uni? (sorry if you've said before)

I had C3 today which was ok, but messed one of the questions up. Economics on Wednesday is the one I am really worried about, I know hardly any of it. Don't know what's the best tactic now, past papers I guess.. :(

[®îçhå®?]

I have 5 exams left and then school is over forever! 2 electronics and 3 physics left, already finished further maths and not too confident about that one, it didn't go so well.
And for xUKHCx, off to uni. At the moment, i am down to do mech eng at Southampton but i might switch to accountancy asap

[xUKHCx]

:eek: Scary! How did you do back in your A Levels? And where are you at Uni? (sorry if you've said before)

I took all four forward to A2 level and did them without knowing/accounting for my dyslexia

Biology B
Chemistry B
Maths D
Physics B

I go to the University of Sheffield and am finishing a Masters in Chemical Engineering with Management.

I got into all my 6 choices but opted for Sheffield as it gave me the lowest requirements, bit lazy I know and in hindsight I should've opted for one of Bath/UCL/Birmingham.

I had C3 today which was ok, but messed one of the questions up. Economics on Wednesday is the one I am really worried about, I know hardly any of it. Don't know what's the best tactic now, past papers I guess.. :(

I hope it goes well for you. I've learnt the best way to take exams is relaxed, you'll soon realise you know more than you thought :)

I have 5 exams left and then school is over forever! 2 electronics and 3 physics left, already finished further maths and not too confident about that one, it didn't go so well.
And for xUKHCx, off to uni. At the moment, i am down to do mech eng at Southampton but i might switch to accountancy asap

Southampton is a good uni and a nice place (my sister went there/gf's sister went and lives there).

If you did further maths then you are obviously better at maths than those of us who just took normal maths. With an engineering course (even one as lowly as Mech :p*) if you are good at maths you are pretty much set. Coming from a bias background and not knowing anything about you I would say go for Engineering :cool:


*There is quite a bit of rivalry between the engineering disciplines so just joshing with you.

[Silver-Fox]

Yeah i have my A levels this month =/

Graphics - Product Design
ICT
English Literature and Language
General Studies :P

[paddy]

Ok, I'm not in the UK but I just thought I'd chip in, English paper 1 Wednesday!

[Eraserhead]

1 exam to go, Complexity of Algorithms on Thursday.

[psychofreak]

Economics on Wednesday is the one I am really worried about, I know hardly any of it. Don't know what's the best tactic now, past papers I guess.. :(

The problem with U3 is that I can do a past paper, mark myself (with the scheme) to a mid-A, and then a teacher will give me a mid-B. I've got my genius friend to promise me he'll come into school tomorrow and tutor me while he's brushing up :)

[Chrismcfall]

I've got GCSE Mark's Gospel on friday.

:(

[®îçhå®?]

Southampton is a good uni and a nice place (my sister went there/gf's sister went and lives there).

If you did further maths then you are obviously better at maths than those of us who just took normal maths. With an engineering course (even one as lowly as Mech :p*) if you are good at maths you are pretty much set. Coming from a bias background and not knowing anything about you I would say go for Engineering :cool:


*There is quite a bit of rivalry between the engineering disciplines so just joshing with you.
Yeah, its the place i felt most comfortable at, closely followed by Sheffield actually! I looked at the maths and finance course at Southampton but it is maths but with fluid dynamics and black holes thrown in on top. Quite how that constitutes maths and finance is beyond me.
The part that is turning me off engineering is the sheer amount of work that you have to do, 30 hours of teaching time a week doesn't sound fun and after that i want to go onto a career in finance so its a little tricky at the moment.
How are you finding Sheffield??

[xUKHCx]

Yeah, its the place i felt most comfortable at, closely followed by Sheffield actually! I looked at the maths and finance course at Southampton but it is maths but with fluid dynamics and black holes thrown in on top. Quite how that constitutes maths and finance is beyond me.
The part that is turning me off engineering is the sheer amount of work that you have to do, 30 hours of teaching time a week doesn't sound fun and after that i want to go onto a career in finance so its a little tricky at the moment.
How are you finding Sheffield??

Fluid dynamics is fun fun fun :D Most engineering is based around maths just a bit more vocational hands on type of maths.

The work load is higher than other degrees yes but it is manageable. In my first year I was in 9-1 three days a week and then 9-5 the other two. It is a lot of work but I didn't really notice it too much as I was living with a fellow engineer. Also you do get a lot back for the work that you put in. The only time in my course when I felt I didn't have enough free time to do the things I wanted to was for a period of about 4 weeks in my 4th year research project, in from 7 until 8 is not fun.

I now live with some Philosophy students (complete dossers :p).

Sheffield is good but after 5 years here I just want to get out. I had quite a few problems over my time here and the University has been very accommodating to help me. They are spending lots and lots of money at the moment redeveloping, with a new student village they tore down almost all the halls and rebuilt them a year or so ago. A new library and at least 3 other new buildings. The whole of Sheffield is going through a redevelopment (much like Birmingham is) and is noticeably different to when I first came here.

A few people from my course have gone into finance without any problems whatsoever and this course gave them the flexibility to change into that career. Ultimately it is your decision and if you are certain you want to go into finance then a finance course would be the best. I am more than happy to answer any questions you have.

[®îçhå®?]

<snip>
Thats great. Of the friends that have now gone into finance did any of them do an engineering degree?? If so, how easy did they find the transition to finance, where do they work and how long did it take??
I really should do a finance degree but i am interested in engineering and the finance courses are mostly management based which is not really an interest to me and i don't particularly want to spend 3 years of my life doing something that i don't enjoy.

[xUKHCx]

Thats great. Of the friends that have now gone into finance did any of them do an engineering degree?? If so, how easy did they find the transition to finance, where do they work and how long did it take??
I really should do a finance degree but i am interested in engineering and the finance courses are mostly management based which is not really an interest to me

Should have clarified they were friends from my course so yes they all did Chemical Engineering. They work for some banks in London and they went straight in to the job no extra hurdles for them.

The departments that you are looking at will have a person in charge of admissions and a career person so it may be worth phoning them up and having a chat with them about the course in general and what current graduates do, what you are thinking about doing etc. Don't be afraid the departments want people who are interested in the course rather than doing it just because, so they will be perfectly willing to answer you questions in a friendly manner, if you can you may even arrange a time to go and have a meeting in person. If I were in your position now I would definitely do this.

i don't particularly want to spend 3 years of my life doing something that i don't enjoy.

Do this for you, do something you are interested in. I have met some people along the way who have done courses they aren't interested in and their grades are lower or they have dropped out and have had a miserable time. I really enjoy my course and the interest help me get through some of the boring times.

[Shadow]

I have chemistry x2 and economics x3 on wednesday. Been revising them both today, just finishing off notes tomorrow + past papers. Can't wait to get them over with.

[BlakTornado]

Its always a good feeling when you have finished one subject.

Tell me about it.

I had my GCSE Maths exam today. Never again will I have to do algebra! HOORAY!

I'm sorry :P Very exciting notion for someone who detests Maths infinitely.

And I think I did reasonably well too. Hopefully I'll get that 'C' I'm looking for (What's the point in aiming any higher for something you detest when all that matters is whether or not you get a C? And I do believe Media institutions prefer English more than Maths anyway...)

[psychofreak]

Finished my exams :)

Its definitely a weight off my shoulder. The results come August 12, and I'm basically sure I've got A in Economics and Maths, and I think I'm on the A/B border for French and History. Its very annoying that the marking takes so long...

4 hours in the exam room was not a bunch of fun.

[TomsMacBook]

One more for me, IGCSE Media Studies. 105 Mins. Fun.

And then I get to brick it until August 21st. I'm so looking forward to that :p

[Tom B.]

Finished all mine yesterday! :D

Based on how my exams went, I predict: Business A, Geography A, Psychology B/C and Biology D.

[Silver-Fox]

Had ICT the other day for 3 hours and 1 and a half hours just before of general studies, i was shattered =/

I think they should be spread out a little bit better to be honest, although i do want to get them out the way as quick as possible

[Tman90]

I'm doing Geography, Maths, Further Maths and Chemistry, all A2. Already have an A in Maths so don't need to worry so much. :)

I had a nice 3 hour Geography exam yesterday, with two 5-page essays. Glad to get it over and done with!

Should be going to University of Bath to study Civil and Architectural Engineering

[Shadow]

Finished my exams :)

Its definitely a weight off my shoulder. The results come August 12, and I'm basically sure I've got A in Economics and Maths, and I think I'm on the A/B border for French and History. Its very annoying that the marking takes so long...

4 hours in the exam room was not a bunch of fun.

You should try 5 hours ;)

What did you think of that macroeconomics unit? Everyone at my school thought it was really tough :o

[xUKHCx]

Looks like most people have finished.

I've got one exam on Wednesday and it is going to be evil in the extreme, it is a third year module for completely removed course that I haven't done the first and second years for. I'm going to have a hard time understanding the questions let alone answering them, not fun, not fun at all.

Add to that I am the last person I am friends with at my uni who still has exams.

[chilipie]

Looks like most people have finished.

I have two physics exams and a business exam left :( (GCSE)

It's all over for me next monday though! Now to decide what to do for the three months I have off... :D

[psychofreak]

You should try 5 hours ;)

What did you think of that macroeconomics unit? Everyone at my school thought it was really tough :o

I found it was pretty perfectly suited to the small amount of knowledge I have of the subject, fortunately.