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01/23/2008
Back from Recluse
And so this latest batch of exams is over. i have probably worked harder for some of these (in particular C3 MATHS) than any in my life. And yet I still doubt there will be much to show for it save my exhaustion, some absolutely stunning bags under my eyes a few more than offended friends and one heck of a lot of piano playing.
So in RunDown (to save me saying more than necessary):
C3 Maths
Went ok, well even, I answered everything, thought I knew how to do most things. Most of the paper was either proove or solve ... and all my answers fitted, so it should be OK. Of course, that belief has let me down before. I hope that all the practise paid out. I did better than last time and will predict A or B
Unit 2 Chemistry
Again, the paper went ok. With the Edexcel Chemistry mark scheme it is more a question of semantic than words and the "correct" semantics vary greatly from year to year. An A in Chemistry is purely luck not skill... and a C is just careless. Was retaking as a matter of pride more than anything else, but still no idea if the answers will be correct according to A Level - pretty certain of the accuracy from a scientific point of view. Predict A or B
Unit 4 Chemistry
Loved this paper for one mark in a 3 mark question. "Show that Aluminium is amphoteric using ionic equations". Well firstly I read the question and noticed the need for ionic equations (you'd be surprised just how many times I failed to do that on practise papers!) and then I spent at leats 10 minutes of the exam trying to work out the equation for the OH- reaction and managed to get it in the last 20seconds from first principles :D. The rest of the paper was straightforward except for Question 2: name the reactive groups.... could identify not name. But really... that one mark makes up for everything (and yes, the first thing I did back in house was to check my answer!). Again with Chemistry we have the discrepancy between answers, knowledge, science and marks...and I was averaging Ds in practise papers before revision, so I will predict an A or B unless I have be especially stupid.
Unit 4 Maths
Now this would be the paper I shouldn't have taken. My deepest thanks to my Father and Bert for teaching me the course, Sue and Mr Wilson for their patients and Deveson, Anna and Lucy for putting up with my panicking. I was still not ready to take the paper. Everyone came out saying that was the hardest thing they've ever done (they said that after C3 maths as well!) and I am actually inclined to disagree... C3 was harder first time around. Questions 1-5 were fine except for potential silly errors. Quesiton 6 I forgot about the exitence of the quadratic formula (AGAIN!!!), Quesiton 7 I couldn't do, Question 8 asked for an answer to 1dp and I got 0.6 (which seems odd), Question 9a I think I got correct at the last minute (and I will get follow through marks) and 9b... who knows. Integration by parts is always touch and go as I get my signs mixed up when I rush! Anyway... I am babelling. If I get everything I answered fully right I got 81%. If I get everything I wrote down right I got closer to 85%. If I only get the things I know are right, right I got 63%. So I predict B or C
Unit 4 Biology
Home run isn't it? Something like that... Wins the prize on the most orinigal order to answer questions (worse than Chemistry 4 for dipping into each one). Also the only paper to have time to spare (C3 did, but I used it to check :P). I didn't bother checking written answers this year. Theory being that if my logic is correct, I will have written it well, and if it is incorrect I am not going to have a sudden flash of inspiration (more likely to change a correct thing than correct an inaccuracy). It is also so tiresome reading through the long answers when you have just spent 10 or 15 minutes writing them. One long question I didn't have a clue and blagged, a couple of one markers that I guessed the right word. Isn't it strange how the exam paper always seems completely different to the practise ones. I was blagging A's in those without much revision at all... I hope the trend continues. I am going to take a risk and predict an A. Actually I really don't know what this mark scheme will be like (Edexcel Biology is usually very good for science vs marks) and there are a couple I am not sure if I picked the right lines so despite saying A I actually thing A or B
Summer Plans? If necessary (i.e. my average isn't an A) retake C4 maths when I should have taken it. If a low B or C in any of the Chemistry or Biology then retake, otherwise live and know Units 5 and 6 (synoptic) BACKWARDS, SIDEWAYS and in the FOURTH DIMENSION! (Apparently both are far more common sense and application as opposed to rote learning which suits me.)
Lent term plans? Read! Read! Read! Study. Set up the PCR stuff that school bought from BioRad. Work out how to use the machine for any experiment they want to do (not just the prepared kits). Music. Music Music. Prepare for next year. Sort of vaguelly go over the AS level biology and chemistry. Actually, I might just alternate weeks of them - ie. 1 week unit 1 biology followed by a week unit 1 chemistry.... that would work.
On more important matters
MAWKIN ARE PLAYING A CEILIDH IN CAMBRIDGE AND I AM GOING..... EAT YOUR HEART OUT FOLKIES!!
(Love you all dearly and can't wait to see everyone again next summer... probably before if things work out well. Can't do IVFDF I don't think... but there's Cheltenham and Chippenham, and I swore I'd get to a gig that wasn't in Cambridge so see you 'll there! :P)
xXx
11:28 Posted in Complete Random Junk! , FOLK , Fun , Life , School | Permalink | Email this
Comments
Aaaw. C4 is my favourite maths module thus far =P And I'm doing it today. Hmm...
Posted by: Phil | 01/24/2008
probably my favourite for ppretty things in it...
things that make sense
factorise beautifully
curves
puzzles
Does not however mean that I do well!!
xXx
Posted by: Ruth | 01/24/2008
If you had asked me in time I could have helped. I like to help =)
When are we meeting?!
Posted by: Phil | 01/24/2008