Coursework
January 26, 2007
I’m pretty chuffed with myself. Managed to get two pieces of coursework out of the way today in an English coursework day, despite being quite ill. I’d have done a much better job under no pressure and at home but hell, there’s no doubt that I’d have found every excuse in the book not to get them done otherwise. At least those two are out of the way now, indefinitely and even if I have screwed up, an original writing piece I did back in Year 10 which got an A* and a speaking and listening thing for which I was told I had gotten a high B should make it up. There’s always the 75% of the exam to consider anyway and I’m confident I’ll do well in that the hope being that I’ll get myself a B so that I can take History at A Level. If however I just get a C which might well turn out to be the case then I won’t be wholeheartedly disappointed and I’d hope to make History anyway. If I fail, well, English is the only subject that I’m backing myself to pass easily. Oh how peeved I’d be if I failed English.
Coursework wise, I’ve the one English bit left to do and that’s exploring the dramatic function of Shylock in Act 3, Scene . That’s the one I worked on well into the night only to be told I’ve to redo it because the language I used wasn’t language someone my age would use. Her actual words were, ‘this is not what I expect from a student. It’s what I’d expect from an English professor.’ Reading back through it, I didn’t think it so great. I’m in top set so you’ve to expect work that’s better than average. I’ve to stay after school and do this one next week which’ll be fun. I have to say though that I’ll enjoy handing in something better than my last effort. More coursework on the to do list comes with Drama (written, mostly redoing crap drafts,) Media (a lot) ICT (even more than media) and Science (can’t say I care.) If it needs to be done to pass then it will and I’m still deciding in that respect what I’m to work on. I’ll get it done once I get the internet running at home again though.
Christmas, birthday and plagarism
January 22, 2007
I would apologize about the dire lack of activity about these parts of late but there’s very little need for I’m confident that I’m all alone out here and that no one reads this place. Maybe I’m wrong, but our hits counter would suggest that we only manage to pull in the very occasional reader who’s stumbled here by mistake. Poor soul. I wish there was something to appease such a visitor to stick around. I’m afraid there’s not. Therefore, I’ve vowed to make a renewed effort at giving this place a real go. There’s lots to talk about and I want to abolish this notion that I’ve a poor track record with websites, which I do.
A quick round up of the past month then: Christmas arrived and lo and behold, Santa, or rather, my mum, uncle and grandparents delivered me money, a lot in fact – just over £300, an amount I was very content with and went on to splash in the January sale, strengthening my wardrobe yet again with a Stone Island Cardigan (£135) and jeans (£65) additions as well as a pair of gloves (£19) and a polo (£32) to match my cardigan, both from Lacoste. The rest of it went towards my birthday party which has just passed. That’s right, I’m the big sixteen and can now legally smoke and have sex. Oh joy. Aside from some new CD’s (Muse’s Black holes and revelations, The Killer’s Sam’s Town, Kasabian’s Empire, The Fratelli’s Castello Music and Oasis’s Stop The Clocks) and a couple of fivers, I’m still waiting on my big present. I had an agreement with my mum that if I had my party I’d wait until she got paid ‘til I got my present. The major problem there is that I still don’t know what to ask for, a watch being the sole candidate at the moment.
Away from all that, I opened The Film Review, a site where if the title just wasn’t obvious enough for you , I’ll be reviewing films. I also managed to miss my ICT resits out of choice before being told that I will now have to pay for them and have been accused of not writing my own English coursework piece because the language was that good and because sometimes I struggle to explain words that I write, especially when under the intimidating presence of two teachers who are telling me that I cheated flatly though they had no evidence seemingly not taking any other opinion into consideration. The compliment’s gladly received but I don’t much enjoy being told I’ll have to rewrite something in front of a teacher merely because it was good, not when I spent as long on it as I did, anyway.
I am a doofus
December 1, 2006
Yes, I think we can safely say it’s official. I, I am a doofus. Remember me babbling on about some ICT Coursework I had to complete? Well, coursework in question was the pre release guff you get with an exam. Not having taken this seriously last year, I was entered into a resit and around a month ago, I was given what we had to do accompanied by a December 1st deadline. As usual, I left it until as late as possible before starting off. That was last weekend. All in all, I made some headway but could only be considered half way done. Knowing that I don’t have internet access for a large space of time in the week, I thought myself screwed but alas, for on Tuesday, last Tuesday we had academic review day, the perfect opportunity to finish upon what I had started.
You see, academic review day is an event which many consider a day off. You have a designated fifteen minute appointment with your form tutor and discuss targets. That’s it. When those fifteen minutes are over you’re free to leave the building and enjoy the rest of the day as you please. Perfect. Or so I thought, for only this time, they’d decided it a clever idea to make it a day where year 11 students behind in coursework could catch up.
When I got the letter to say I was one of these few, I was fairly surprised. Though admittedly behind, for many of my subjects, I’ve at the least handed in substandard drafts. Hunting down the source wasn’t difficult as my Media teacher explained. I was to use the time to catch up or at least make an attempt at catching up on my Media Studies class work. Trouble is, I’ve no intention to pass Media. I’ve got my passing formula in place and Media doesn’t come into the equation. Therefore, I ruled it a pointless exercise, a pointless waste of time. I have no need to pass Media. It’s a subject I regret taking on. With that in mind, I thought it in my interest to skip the day and do my ICT at home instead. For this to work, because we got a letter saying this was compulsory I’d have to blag a way out of it to my mother, which I did.
My plan worked. I spent all day practically on Tuesday working my coursework into a piece of art that would not only secure me a pass but would surely guarantee me a merit or distinction grade. Now you’ll note the deadline was December 1st, today, for it has to be sent off to the examiners. Well we’ve a day off. It was meant to be in yesterday. I knew this. I forgot. So, not only does that make ICT a whole lot tougher from here on in, not only did I waste a great deal of hours of my time getting it done but I got a letter sent home yesterday from the school to say I missed the compulsory coursework catch up day – all for nothing. Yes, it’s safe to say I am a doofus and it’s more than likely that I’ll now fail ICT by the scrape of the teeth, a few marks off that would’ve otherwise been secured through handing in this very piece of coursework.
