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This is it!
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| FeatherQuill |
Posted on June 07 2010 08:57 AM
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Member
Location: UK, South Yorkshire
Posts: 106
Joined: 2009-05-02
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After spending a total of 3 years (one more year than I should of) studying GCSE maths I've finally found myself at a place of reasonable ability, somewhere I've never been before. And sure all what I've learnt will go out the window as soon as I stop praticing, which is normal for most people it just happens at the speed of light with myself  It's still the silly things that steal my marks like I forget to go up another hundread and 199 + 3 becomes 102  and I still misread numbers and questions. But, I've learnt the rules by near enough heart.
Hopefully I'll feel very concentrated with the exam room all to myself! I have mentioned before I'm the only person in my year now without C grade GCSE maths 
This is my last chance for maths and then I can leave it unless I do have to drop out of school where the local college in every subject including Art requires the study of Key Skills Maths and English 
I'm assuming many of you can relate to the pressure. |
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| tr3slunas |
Posted on June 07 2010 11:05 AM
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Member
Location: London
Posts: 224
Joined: 2007-12-04
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Hi featherQuill,
I wish you good luck - I took GCSE maths twice as I had a D first time - 2nd time I achieved a C. My biggest tip -remain calm and forget about the what ifs! I was so sure I was going to fail that I gave up before I started, went in with yeh just get this over with, what is the point in worrying attitude and ended up passing!! It is great that you get the room to yourself - I was never given that!
Are you in a sixth form? I assume you are not as you mention college - As it was quite possible to retake my GCSE at the same time as my AS levels... my college were very strict and in the top 10 in the country and they let me in to retake it then - so some food for thought?
Count me in!  |
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| FeatherQuill |
Posted on June 07 2010 03:46 PM
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Member
Location: UK, South Yorkshire
Posts: 106
Joined: 2009-05-02
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I'm doing AS levels and would like to continue them but will have to dropout if I don't get a C grade. I finished year 11 with an E in maths and got a D on a resit eariler thi year (5 marks off a C) hopfully I'll get a C. |
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| FeatherQuill |
Posted on June 07 2010 05:04 PM
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Member
Location: UK, South Yorkshire
Posts: 106
Joined: 2009-05-02
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I find it a bit ridiculous that a career in Art is my backup plan tends to be the otherway round for most. There's not much else I can study or would like too which I guess makes me feel resentful that I may be forced into a subject that most people take because it is a passion.
I'm not particulary passionate about Art, I can get good grades in it is all. |
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| FeatherQuill |
Posted on June 11 2010 04:31 PM
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Member
Location: UK, South Yorkshire
Posts: 106
Joined: 2009-05-02
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After my two maths exams now over I feel more terrible than when I did them in January where I got a C on one paper but a D on the other. The markscheme feels so unfair having to get the majority of the paper right to get a C. some cases on higher papers it's 30% to get a C but 75% on foundation my only hope if the rest of the country does badly in the exam as well so grade boundries lower.
So I'm almost certain I'll have to revisit my career ambitions as English will soon be blocked off. The school doesn't accept a person who doesn't have a GCSE such as Maths or English because universities won't accept without them. Though that's not true as the universities I have looked at either don't mention Maths or say it is prefered but not required.
While I keep getting more irrated at my dad who still pushes the subject dispite there now being nothing more I can do and feels the need to talk about me when I'm not in the room (I think he must be going deaf or I've super hearing)
In other words sad day. |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on June 11 2010 04:51 PM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 3703
Joined: 2008-05-25
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6/11/10
Dear Featherquill,
I'm a long ways away from you, but I feel your pain. I'm so sorry that, as you say, you can't do any better, and yet you are still being pressured to 'do better'. I had a similar frustration the other day at school,... not on the same subject, but a similar frustration nevertheless. Each student was having to fill out a graph, a report, on what activities the student had completed. The teacher was lecturing the class. He asked if everyone understood how to fill out the graph. I said that I didn't understand. He told another student to explain it to me, and then he kept lecturing the class, telling them yet more complicated information that I needed to hear,... else I'd also be 'behind' in that, too. I couldn't listen to him because I had that other student talking to me, intent on getting me to understand the graph. Finally, I said to the other student, "I don't know why he told you to explain this to me now while he is talking to the class." I felt bad for the student who had been assigned to help me, but mostly, I felt that the teacher was being unfair to me. Sometimes other people 'set us up for failure'. You are doing the best you can, and yet you are being criticized. That's not fair, and I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. - jus'
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| FeatherQuill |
Posted on June 14 2010 08:33 PM
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Member
Location: UK, South Yorkshire
Posts: 106
Joined: 2009-05-02
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Criticism is something spectacularly annoying due to the fact people use it for a person's own benifit, but often overplay it.
It won't be the end of my world, just some hopes. I continually wonder if I could ever become an author even if I couldn't live off the money made. Though I write now I always think how much an education in English would improve me maybe have driven me. I'm still very terrible with puntuation hopefully something that will improve as I mature. |
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| Nissa |
Posted on June 15 2010 12:27 AM
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Member
Location: United States
Posts: 106
Joined: 2009-11-29
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One thing I've learned about writing is that you shouldn't worry too much about things like puncutation and grammer. That's what editors are for 
Edited by Nissa on June 15 2010 12:27 AM |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on June 15 2010 05:04 AM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 3703
Joined: 2008-05-25
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6/14/10
Dear FeatherQuill,
I'm so glad that Nissa said that in her (above) post, as that was exactly what I was thinking as I finished your post. FeatherQuill, I'm not saying this in any way to minimize what higher education can give a person in writing ability. I've done two semesters of college English and I got A's in them. Those were two valuable semesters. But, in truth, I'd already studied so much English when I was 13 years old, that I was ahead of almost every single co-student in those English classes.
Regarding your situation, Nissa is right. "That's what editors are for." Several times I've read books written by important people, and those books have had terrible typographical errors. Or, some would have all the words spelled correctly, but the wrong word was used for another word that sounded the same, or that sounded similar. Other times, there would be 'redundancy'. The author would say the same thing twice, so that he was needlessly repeating himself. And I would think, "This man who wrote this book is already a millionaire. Why couldn't he pay a few dollars to ask someone to 'read' his book and fix the mistakes. What a cheapskate!"
Editors are supposed to read a book and tell you what is excessive and what needs to be 'fleshed out'. Proof readers are supposed to keep things correctly spelled and punctuated. Just because a person is a good editor or a good proof reader doesn't necessarily mean that they are a good writer. The writing comes from within the person who authors the book. There will be other people to refine what you've written after you have produced your work. And, with time, seeing them 'catch your mistakes', your other skills will improve, even without classes. - jus'
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| Pixie |
Posted on June 15 2010 08:02 AM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 125
Joined: 2010-04-05
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I have GCSE's to I wana C I have a G but on a really really supercalifragelisicecspialidoscious day I get and E!!
Congratualations by the way on getting to a resonable ability!!
" I smile because I have no idea what's going on!"
"I was ready to conquer the world and then I saw something shiny" |
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| laurabates |
Posted on July 31 2010 06:21 PM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 2
Joined: 2010-06-16
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Nissa wrote:
One thing I've learned about writing is that you shouldn't worry too much about things like puncutation and grammer. That's what editors are for
Totally agree with you about this!!!
The trouble is if you don't know what you should be aiming for then it's just pot luck anyway so it seems best to me just to focus on trying to express yourself and what you want to say and not worry too much about it.
I did find one technique that worked really well for me, don't know if it'll be helpful for anyone else. I used this great company who help with essay writing and when I was really stuck about the kind of language and tone I was supposed to be going for I would get them to write me a custom essay on a similar subject. Then I could use it to give me guidance on the type of language and grammar, as well as stuff like essay format and structure, which I really struggle with too, and I could use those ideas for my own essay.
Hope this helps!
Keep on writing!
Edited by laurabates on July 31 2010 06:26 PM |
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| tr3slunas |
Posted on August 01 2010 09:04 AM
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Member
Location: London
Posts: 224
Joined: 2007-12-04
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Hi FQ sorry to hear that you are still having trouble, but well done for getting a C and a D on your papers that must be a great achievement for you, I know it was for me! Which exam board are you taking the GCSE with? My college the second time round went with an exam board that split the examinations up into terms and put more emphasis on coursework so you were taught a little at a time then tested - this is one of the major reasons I passed. I will try and look up the board for you so you can keep it in mind, if you need to retake it? I think regardless of the grade you should write a letter to the college explaining your dyscalculia and explaining that their requirements are stopping you moving forward, especially if you have proved yourself with all other GCSEs? - PM me with the website of the collage you want to go - if you want- and I will nose through their requirements- I still find it hard that they would exclude someone with an LD in a certain subject if they have proven themselves with other grades?
Count me in! |
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