AS Results are in!

Hi,

Last night I posted about what I was predicting for today's results.

Well, to day I am happy with what I have got would be lying. My predictions were wrong. To say I was thrilled with my results would be telling the absolute truth. I have never been more relieved from a set of results in my life.

I worked really hard for these exams and it seems to have paid off. Surprised doesn't cover the fact the results are so good. Shocked would be better!

Chemistry was the subject that I thought I did worst in, but I got a comfortable A. The UMS (standardised marks) mark required for an A was around 99 and I got 108 so well in the bracket.

I was completely unsure how I did in Biology and guessed a B. I got an A!

The only exam I was confident in doing well was physics. I got an A. To make it even better I got the third highest mark in my year (or class, I'm not sure; there are 2 classes for physics).

I'm doing my ICT a year early. This means that I did 2 years of GCSE in one go in year 10, did my AS level in year 11 and my A2 this year, year 12. I thought I'd completely flunked one of the questions, but it turns out I didn't. I got an A. My ICT teacher said to my parents 'I expected Matt to get an A, but not such a high A.' He then went on to explain I got the highest ever mark in that paper for my school - 95%! 'It was a hard paper' were his words and I modestly agree.

Needless to say I am euphoric with these results and am more ebullient than ever about my academic life.

Thanks
Matt B

Exam Results are Looming

Hi,

Tomorrow is AS Results day for the January exams. Normally I don't get worried for exam results, but this time is different.

The Chemistry exam was the hardest exam I have ever sat. Couple that with the A grade and the cold fact I got a C in the trial exam and the pressure is high. In this case I would be thrilled with an A, disappointed with a C, unsurprised by a B and devastated with less than a C. However, I don't think the exam went badly. After speaking to teachers about the exam I feel better. The conversation usually started with me saying the exam was hard and then the teacher pointing out different questions and me saying 'I got that one' a fair few times.

The Biology was one of those exams where I don't know if it went well. After most exams I have a gut feeling about how it went, but this one I really just don't know. Nobody really discussed the Bio exam so I don't even have the comfort of knowing I got at least some of the answers right. Funnily enough I got a B in the trial exam despite finding the subject harder than Chemistry. Like above, I would be thrilled with an A, disappointed with a C, unsurprised by a B and devastated with less than a C. The really worry for this one is that there have been rumours going around that 1 in 5 people failed the exam. However, I did some digging in the past exam statistics and learned in 2011 30% got an E or less and in 2010 35% got an E or less. I take solace in that the rumours going round are little more than just rumours. The exam grade boundaries are determined by how hard the exam was (hard exams have nicer boundaries) and how well everyone did. The boards are ruled by percentages and they aim to get a certain percentage of A's, B's, etc... on each paper by adjusting the boundaries.

The Physics exam was the only exam I am confident with. I felt good after that exam and so am hoping for the A. I would be disappointed with a B here and pretty upset with a C or less. However, as explained above if nationally the paper was done well the grade boundaries will be higher. Also, I have found that the exams you feel went best are those you get the most unexpected result in.

ICT is the only subject with coursework that I take. The sciences have practical exams but they are not worth as much. I can be comforted by this fact if the ICT exam doesn't go as planned. I think I should at least get a B, but I just don't know. I was stupid and didn't look up the EC Regulations even though they were mentioned in the case study and a 6 mark question came up on that. I may have got 1 or 2 marks there, but it could make the difference if the boundaries are tight.

So, the short story is I just don't know how I did in my exams so there is really no point worrying as there is nothing I can do.

I will post my results tomorrow, no matter what they are. If they are good I will like to share it with you all, if they are not so good I want you to know about the changes I will make to my work and revision techniques and attitudes.

Thanks
Matt B

Doctor to be?

Hi,


As all of you who have read my profile or the blog description will know, I aspire to go to medical school and then become a doctor. However, I've been thinking about the future, as you do when a new year starts, and started asking my self some probing questions. Why do I want to be a doctor? Well, the honest answer is that I want a job that challenges me daily and will push my academic abilities to their limits. The thing that shocked me was that money came (all be it low down) on the list above wanting to help people. I hadn't realised that wanting to help people wasn't actually very high on my list. Money is not going to be what I base my future career on as I want to be happy in my job more than I want to be paid for a job I'm not happy in. The fact was that I needed to rethink.


So, I got out my 'Getting into medical school 2012 entry' book and flicked through the pages until I found a page titled 'Commitment' on page 30. On the page was a list of things I should have done or be in the process of doing if I seriously want to become a doctor or go to medical school. Granted the first 3 questions I answered yes. The fourth question 'have you attended a first-aid course?' I answered 'only if one I did when I was 10 counts'. The fifth question 'have you arranged a visit to your local GP?' I could answer yes, but I only did so because I had to to have any chance of getting into medical school. The next questions 'Have you arranged a visit to your local hospital to see the work of doctors first hand?', 'What day of the week does your favourite newspaper publish a health section?', 'Do you know what the main causes of death are in this country?', my answer to those were No, Don't know, I only know because I studied them in school respectively. Doesn't bode well, does it.


By this point I realised that I seriously needed to think about my future career, so I sat down and asked 'What is my favourite subject?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What am I most interested in out of all the subjects I've ever studied?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What subject am I best at?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What subject do I really want  to take further?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What subject should, therefore I be thinking about taking at  uni?' Answer:  Chemistry.


Well, I think that little session was fairly conclusive in where my interests actually lie. So, I dug out some old (well, 2010/2011) university prospectuses and looked up Chemistry. To my surprise there were actually a number of different Chemistry courses including one that immediately caught my eye. MChem Chemistry with Pharmaceutical Chemistry including 1 year in industry. Well, that is pretty much exactly what I would love to study at university. It has my passion for Chemistry, my interest in chemical side of medicine and a years placement to help get into a career at the end of it. I did a bit of digging on the university website and found that the requirements were AAB, so it wasn't going to be a course people did because they had bad grades. I also found that the final year is actually a big research project within a real research group. Perfect!


Of course, finding this out is all well and good, but I am not going to get ahead of myself yet. I couldn't clearly find out what the university wanted on top of the grades. What work experience is expected? What external interests are they looking for?


There are certain ideas for answers to those question I came up with my self. I know that I read around science out of school so if they need someone interested and knowledgeable about Chemistry I would fit the bill. I also know that online collaboration in science is becoming increasingly popular with projects such as PolyMath being so successful and  other fields becoming increasingly interested. So, how does this help me? Well, although completely different in so many ways, I do run an online fantasy writing group with around 95 members. I delegate responsibility to certain members, I keep others in check and on the whole I keep the whole thing running. The reason this is good is that I am no stranger to online communication and organisation. It shows leadership skills in both an online environment and of a large number of people.


Ever since I first started enjoying science at an early age, I knew I wanted to 'be a scientist when I grow up'. Well, now I am at the stage where I need to make the decisions which will very likely dictate what I will be. Medicine may have sounded a good option for a while, but when I got down to thinking seriously I knew where I wanted to go. I know I want to research and hold an academic position. I also know I want a PhD and, although you need one to specialise in certain areas of medicine, that I want one in an area I am interested in. A four year Chemistry degree including industrial experience followed by a 2-3 year PhD in something Chemistry related all ending with me getting a job in Pharmaceutical/Chemical research would be my dream future.




And, also to prove that I am keeping to my new year's resolution of learning new words here is a paragraph including all the new words I have learned so far:


Ab ovo of 2012 I have been striving to improve myself without turning into a bit of a popinjay. Of course if I improve myself to the point of getting a high paid job then I will need to ensure my relation with the bank remains a professional, fiduciary one, without causeries becoming unheard of. I can assure that any bank manager wishing to steal my money can expect to be keelhauled. In a way this blog has become an omnium-gatherum of random, somewhat connected things.


In easier speak this translates to:


From the beginning of 2012 I have been striving to improve myself without turning into a bit of an arrogant, vain person who struts about. Of course if I improve myself to the point of getting a high paid job then I will need to ensure my relation with the bank remains a professional, trusting one, without informal chats becoming unheard of. I can assure that any bank manager wishing to steal my money can expect to be severely rebuked (or hauled under the keel of a ship). In a way this blog has become an miscellaneous collection of random, somewhat connected things.


I'm well on the way to becoming a literary master of words no one uses any more!


Thanks


Matt B

My Good Day

Hi,

I honestly cannot put my finger on it, but at college today I was in a really good mood. I'm never really in a bad mood as such, but today I seemed especially happy.

Perhaps it was the refreshing walk to school in the cool morning air that did it. Being the first day back to school meant it was also my first proper walk in a while! I entered the sixth form and wasn't annoyed by the cluster of people who insist on hanging around the doorway (usually this really irritates me), nor was I annoyed when I realised I got there earlier than planned.

My first lesson, Chemistry, was theory as it always is on a Monday. Despite starting a new topic, and therefore requiring a small amount of extra attention to the work than usual, I didn't find the lesson difficult and we got to play with MolyMod - a molecule making kit.

Normally when I've queued for something only to be told I don't have enough money on my card I get annoyed. Today, I wasn't annoyed. Although part of me was disappointed when the card machine didn't spurt out extra £10 notes as it did last time, I was back in the queue to buy my drink rather quickly.

Whilst eating my panini I realised that the extra thick part of my bottom brace, that was added on Thursday, made eating chewy-ish foods more difficult. This didn't annoy or irritate me - I actually found it quite amusing!

I do mentoring on a Monday after Lunch to help a year 11 class in Chemistry. I really enjoy this and have never not liked a lesson I helped in. Today, however, I enjoyed it more than usual. The class were starting a new topic, ions and ionic bonding, and at first they found it rather difficult. Yet, over the space on 1 lesson the understanding was visibly better. Literally the class turned from being relatively bored to being ecstatic over getting questions right and being desperate to get better. Some people were physically cheering with delight as their understanding 'clicked' and  everything suddenly became clear.

Whilst I cannot say that I was the sole reason for this (I wasn't, the other 2 teachers were the main reason), I can honestly say that I did help in this wonderful feat of academic understanding. I believe those people that helped were pleased with my aid and I know for a fact one person had their 'clicking' moment because of what I said.

The final lesson of the day, ICT, takes place between 15:00 and 16:40. It's a long and late lesson which I often could quite easily sleep in. However, due to my elated feeling from the mentoring, the otherwise dull topic of 'Legislation and it's affect of ICT policy and procedure' was that little bit more interesting. I got all the worksheet done in one double lesson, despite the fact is should take 1.5 to 2 double lessons to finish.

All in all, I had a great day at college today. From a good start, to a feeling of accomplishment ending on a relative high (for a Monday).

Thanks
Matt B

GCSE Results

Hi,
I collected my GCSE results at 10am today. I was rather nervous before hand but I am pleased that I now know what they are.
The result in bold is the result for the subject. The results beneath it is the breakdown.

ICT – A*

I did a yr 10 exam retake and got an A*
In my yr 11 exam I got an A*
In my coursework I got an A*

Double Science – A*, A*

(You get two results for normal double science)

I got an A* in all exam modules
I got 1 A* in 1 coursework module and 1 A in another CW module

Electronics – B

C in yr 10 exam
B in yr 10 CW
B in yr 11 exam
A in yr 11 CW

Mathematics – A*

A*s in all exams

RE – A, A*

(You get 2 grades – 1 in yr 10 and 1 in yr 11)

A in yr 10 exam
A* in yr 11 exam

Business – A*

A* in all exams
A* in controlled assessment

English Language (Yr 10) – A

A in all coursework bar 2
A* in 2 coursework pieces including creative writing
A in exam

English Literature (Yr 11) – A*

A* in all coursework bar 1 or 2
A in the 1 or 2 non A* coursework pieces
A* in Exam (On Of Mice and Men, An Inspector Calls, and an unseen poem)

French – B

Speaking – C
Writing – B
Reading – A
Listening – B

I am very pleased with these results. 7 A*s, 2 As and 2 Bs.
I will be taking Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and ICT for my AS Levels; I hope to continue all 4 into A2 (Final year of A Levels).
The aim is to take medicine at university.

Thanks
Matt B

It feels so good!

Hi,

I don't think, unless you're in GCSEs/A Levels, that you can know how good this feels!

All my GCSE exams are over, and all I have to do is going to a few A2 ICT classes because I opted to do the fast track ICT course (finish everything a year early). Ashame I don't have the full extended holliday, but it's not like we'll be doing much in those lessons anyway.

Thanks
Matt B

3 More Exams to Go!

Hi,

As the title suggests, I've only 3 more exams left.

GCSE ICT Exam (OCR)
GCSE Science Exam (OCR)
GCSE Electronics Exam (OCR)

If you want to see examples of these exams go to http://www.ocr.org.uk/

Thanks
Matt B

Breaking Up

Hi,

Today is the start of my halfterm 'break'- that's code for a time for me to do revision!
As part of CSFS on writing.com there has been a dragon raid going no. Essentially what this means is this: Review as many people as you can between the 23 and 27 May. Now, I've done what seems to be about an average number of reviews for a raid, but for me it's a hell of a lot! I've done 14 reviews since the 23rd. They've all been quite detailed reviews mainly of poetry. It's amazing the quality of writing there is on the site!
Still waiting for The Final Summit from BookSneeze. Might stick with an E-Book next time!

Thanks
Matt B

UPDATE: In the end I did 18 reviews and won the prize draw- I get to Lead CSFS for a week starting Monday

English Exam

Hi,

I've got a big english GCSE exam tomorrow at 9 am. It's on Of Mice and Men, An Inspector calls and an unseen poem. At 2hr 30min long, it's the longest exam I have. Good news though, is that once I've finished the exam I no longer have to go to the english class! I will be able to read the books I want and write more once all my exams are over.

Wish me luck!