0:00:02 > 0:00:04Exams - we all have to do them at some point in our lives.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07For 16-year-olds, it's all about passing those GCSEs.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Hi, I got all A*, apart from German and RE - I got As.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I'm Wynne Evans, opera singer and broadcaster,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and nowadays my exam connection is through my children,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21telling them to knuckle down, get on with their revision
0:00:21 > 0:00:23and that all the hard work will pay off in the end.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25- Bore da, Miss.- Bore da.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28But, how would I get on sitting a real GCSE myself?
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- And you have five minutes remaining. - Thank you.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Didn't need it.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35If this exam was your real GCSE,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I'm afraid to say it'd be unclassified.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39You're joking!
0:00:39 > 0:00:42So, three people whose school days are well behind them
0:00:42 > 0:00:44are putting themselves through it all over again.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48These are proper exams under proper exam conditions.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53Just like the other 270,000 GCSEs which are sat in Wales each year,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and only 6% of them will be awarded an A*.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02MUSIC: Wishing On A Star by Rose Royce
0:01:02 > 0:01:04So, joining me to search for A*
0:01:04 > 0:01:08are weather presenter Behnaz Akhgar and stand-up comedian Omar Hamdi.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13We'll be taking our exams at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14It's the largest school in Wales
0:01:14 > 0:01:18with around 3,000 GCSEs being taken every year,
0:01:18 > 0:01:2210% of which turn out to be A*s.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25It's got a strong academic and sporting pedigree.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Former pupils include Sam Warburton and Gareth Bale.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- So, have you got that first-day-in-school feeling?- Yes.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33- I've got the shakes. - Have you really?
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I've got the first-day-in-school shakes.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I was walking going, "No-one wants to be my friend!"
0:01:37 > 0:01:39I had flashbacks and everything.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Omar the teenager at school was weird.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44There wasn't anything actually wrong with me,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47it's just I wasn't geeky enough to be with the geeks
0:01:47 > 0:01:49and I wasn't cool enough to be with the cool kids.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51I feel like I want to be a child again.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53I'm looking at all of them thinking, "God, I feel so old."
0:01:53 > 0:01:56That was such a good time, and I didn't realise it at the time.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58The last time I sat my GCSEs,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01my hormones were raging, I was boy-crazy,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and the last thing I was thinking about were my exams.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06I was quite naughty in class.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09You look like you've just made a fart sound or something.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- Those are my favourites sounds to make!- That's it!
0:02:12 > 0:02:13HE BLOWS A FART SOUND
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Typical comment on my school report would've been,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18"Needs to stop talking in class, needs to try harder,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21"needs to concentrate on his work instead of acting the class clown."
0:02:21 > 0:02:23But look where it got me.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27What GCSE are you going to be sitting, Behnaz?
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Well, I'm going to sit mathematics.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31I know I'm crazy.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I got a C at GCSE,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36but I've always thought, now I'm a little bit more calm and settled,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38I think I could do a little bit better.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43I was in set four before my GCSEs because I was so naughty,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46so I was in the naughty class where we just messed around.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47But when I started to feel like,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49"OK, I want to do something with my life,"
0:02:49 > 0:02:51I started to work really hard,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53and then I moved up to set three, two and then set one.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Aiming for an A* and definitely will get a B.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- Omar, which one you going to be doing?- I'm doing history.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Why history? That's a massive subject.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Yes, but you can blag it, I think. You can blag it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07I didn't do GCSE history before.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Obviously, I'm Welsh - we've got a great history.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12I'm Egyptian as well - Egypt's got a big history.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I mean, in Egypt, history's all we've got.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17You know, like, Egypt... Egypt peaked early.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I think I've got the easy one cos you can't blag maths,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21whereas with history, it's basically there was a king
0:03:21 > 0:03:23then there was another king.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25I'm going to do Welsh.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Oh, my God. You'll be amazing.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27I can speak a bit of Welsh,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30but I've never, ever, ever written a word of Welsh.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32My mother's family were from Belgium,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35my father's family were from Carmarthenshire, from Llangynog,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and I didn't really have any Welsh at all.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I had no interest in learning Welsh until my father died,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and then it was kind of like,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46well, my children speak Welsh, my father spoke Welsh,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and yet I was like a lost generation,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50so I decided I wanted to learn Welsh.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- Are you nervous? - A little bit now.- Hm.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'Our mentor is deputy head Mrs Ford.'
0:03:58 > 0:04:00First of all, you have got to understand this -
0:04:00 > 0:04:02it's real hard work.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06These are gateway qualifications, these are life chances,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and you do need that adrenaline, that hunger,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11to really drive yourself to the highest grade.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14If any of you were sitting there and thinking, "This is a breeze,"
0:04:14 > 0:04:16and you're going to sort of walk this, forget it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19In fact, I'd like to say go now,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21because you're either signed up to get an A*
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and do your damnedest to get it,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25or I don't think you should be here.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33You still going to get an A*?
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Well, I'm aiming for it, but I'm a bit scared now.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I'm worried, I'm worried.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40That was intense, mate. That was intense.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42That was like the schools you hear about in China
0:04:42 > 0:04:43where it's, like, military.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- Omar, you have a question? - Yeah, I'm doing history.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49I think it's a little bit blag-able.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50There are kings and queens...
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- Omar, you couldn't blag it for a C. - Are you sure?
0:04:52 > 0:04:55You're certainly not going to blag it for an A*.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'It's not just getting a grade, it's an A*,'
0:04:58 > 0:05:03and that target is incredibly challenging.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- Yes?- Miss, I failed my English three times before I passed it,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and I firmly believe it was because my spelling is atrocious.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Have things moved on now that
0:05:11 > 0:05:14you can be a rubbish speller and still do really well?
0:05:14 > 0:05:15You won't.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17It's not just the thinking skills,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19it's actually the organising and structuring them
0:05:19 > 0:05:21as well as the technical accuracy.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25I've now become really nervous because she talks about accuracy,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and if I don't get it really accurate,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I'll end up with a C and not an A*.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Jenny's now made me a bit more nervous than I was.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34- Bore da, Miss.- Bore da.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37So, Wynne Evans, 43 years old - I know, I don't look it -
0:05:37 > 0:05:41is joining in a year 10 second-language Welsh class.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43OK, can we settle? Bore da, blwyddyn deg.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Bore da, Miss Batten.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Diolch yn fawr. Right, can we get your books out.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49This feels good,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51but already, I'm regressing to my childhood.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- A B?- There you go, Morgan. Usman.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55(I want to get an A*.)
0:05:55 > 0:05:58My school was a good school, actually.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Sometimes they would let me do the Tannoy.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03So, when they wanted to call somebody in, if I was passing by,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06they'd say, "Hey, Wynne, you're good at doing this kind of stuff."
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And so I'd go in and go... IMITATES TANNOY BEEP
0:06:08 > 0:06:11"Could John Wallis Evans please come to reception, please."
0:06:11 > 0:06:12I used to love doing that.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Who can give me a sentence in Welsh beginning with dydw i ddim yn...?
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Go on, then, Wynne. Go for it.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Dydw i ddim yn hoffi llawer o gwallt.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Dydw i ddim yn hoffi llawer o gwallt.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Very good sentence. Do you know what it means, Eamon?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27- I know the end bit - hair. - Well done.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'Yeah, well done, Eamon. He'll go far, that lad.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Eamon, finish it off. Where can I say I've gone?
0:06:32 > 0:06:33I went...
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Es i...ganolfan hamdden.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Da iawn. Es i i'r ganolfan hamdden. OK?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Nailed it. Nailed it, Eamon.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'I'm enjoying this. Probably too much.'
0:06:42 > 0:06:44My problem though, again,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47why am I sitting in a class with a load of year 10s
0:06:47 > 0:06:48being the class clown again?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Talking to the bloke in the back?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- Eamon, what did you get?- Me?- Yeah. - She still hasn't marked it.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54You're joking.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- What did you get?- Five out of five. - Ten out of ten.- Ten out of ten.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Ten out of ten. Cracking.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03This is just the start of things to come.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06I'm feeling confident.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Dwi'n teimlo hyderus.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Was that right? Was that right? That was right, was it? Yeah.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Well, having met Wynne and spoken to him,
0:07:16 > 0:07:17my impression is that
0:07:17 > 0:07:20we're probably going to be on that sort of C grade.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Ah, thanks, Mrs Batten.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Meanwhile, Omar's meeting history teacher Mrs Hall.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27He'll be studying the American Civil War
0:07:27 > 0:07:29and the Russian Revolution.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- You're doing history GCSE? - I'm doing history, I am.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I spoke to some pupils this morning who did their GCSE in the summer
0:07:35 > 0:07:36and mentioned what you were doing,
0:07:36 > 0:07:41- and one of the girls said to me, "Oh, I'll say a prayer for him."- OK!
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I was one of those really smart kids who just doesn't do any work at all
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and just relies on talent over hard work,
0:07:47 > 0:07:52and I was... I remember the night before my maths GCSE
0:07:52 > 0:07:55sitting in my room playing video games the whole night
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and then revising for ten minutes and falling asleep.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Any idea who this guy is?
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Either Lenin or Stalin. Lenin.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- And what about the guy on the left? - Is it Archduke Ferdinand?
0:08:05 > 0:08:06No, that's Tsar Nicholas II,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09so he was overthrown during the Russian Revolution.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11He looks a lot harder, doesn't he?
0:08:11 > 0:08:12In a fight, he would win.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It's like Alan Sugar versus Prince William or something.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16- LAUGHING:- Yeah.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20It looks like a lot, but there's a lot of blank space in there,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22there's lots of pretty pictures - it's fine.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Can do it in a weekend, I think.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26He likes to play the fool a little bit,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28but I think he's up for the challenge.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30I think that he wants to do well.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31We shall see.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Behnaz has gone down a different road.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36She's enlisted the help of maths tutor Paul Hughes.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39It's not going to be easy.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43She's got to get to grips with all the areas of a maths GCSE
0:08:43 > 0:08:44in just ten weeks.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Behnaz is doing OK.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49The biggest problem she's got is she hasn't done maths in so long,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and even when she did it, it was at foundation level,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54so all the work we've got to do is new
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and it's in such a short amount of time.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57I just wanted the challenge.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01It's just really nice to take myself out of the comfort zone
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and do something completely different, which is this
0:09:04 > 0:09:06and to set the challenge of getting an A*,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I mean, most of my friends think I'm crazy,
0:09:09 > 0:09:10but I think I can do it.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Why can't they just put numbers?
0:09:12 > 0:09:14I get really confused when they put letters.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- I know you say it's like 1x is like one apple.- Yes.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20She's learnt her tables - that's a start -
0:09:20 > 0:09:21but we had to go over fractions,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25so we've got to do the basics before she can move on to the higher work.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- If we don't see a sign, what is it - plus or minus?- It's minus.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29No, no, think now.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- If I say it's five degrees outside, is it plus or minus?- Plus.- Plus.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I'm not finding maths easy at all.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37It's extremely hard.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Even the simple things that you think you use every day,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43the way they question it in an exam, it becomes difficult.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I think Behnaz has got a mountain to climb here.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49She once said to me there are three types of weather presenters -
0:09:49 > 0:09:52those who can do the maths and those who can't.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54But that's only two.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55Ah, good one, Paul.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Now, the exams that all three of us are sitting
0:10:02 > 0:10:04are devised in this fortress-like building
0:10:04 > 0:10:06on the outskirts of Cardiff -
0:10:06 > 0:10:09the headquarters of the WJEC.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It's the only exam board based in Wales.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It's a massive high-security operation
0:10:15 > 0:10:19with tens of thousands of GCSE and A-level exams set and marked
0:10:19 > 0:10:22each year in both English and in Welsh.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I feel like I'm in the headquarters of MI5
0:10:29 > 0:10:31because I'm sat here with Q,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34the Chief Executive of the WJEC.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- You may not be able to answer this question, right...- Mm-hm.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39How do you keep it all a secret?
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Right, there's a major security regime around the question papers
0:10:43 > 0:10:45throughout their lifetime.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Our printing is in-house and therefore it's secure
0:10:48 > 0:10:50and our premises are highly secure,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and when the exam papers reach the schools or colleges,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56they also have to be secured there until they're used.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Talking about grades, and every year they say exams are getting harder
0:10:59 > 0:11:00or they're getting easier,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02have you got a set amount you can give out
0:11:02 > 0:11:04just to kind of safeguard the amount of people
0:11:04 > 0:11:06that are walking around there with As?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09We don't work to a set figure of grade As or grade Cs every year.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13If, typically, there's a 15% getting a grade A in a subject,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15that's not going to suddenly jump to 25%,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19but you could well have variation depending on the quality of work.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21So, we don't have to draw the line
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- after a certain number...- OK. - ..literally...
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- You haven't got 55 A*s to dish out? - No, no.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29So, while I'm in Cardiff,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Benny and Omar have both flown the country.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Benny's gone to Thailand.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Hello, it's day 11,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and I'm just about to start doing some revision on the beach.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39This is the first time I've brought my books to the beach
0:11:39 > 0:11:42because I've been busy having too much fun
0:11:42 > 0:11:44and most of my revision has been in the hotel room.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47But today I decided to change the vibe a little bit.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Just take a look at this view.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And Omar's totally immersing himself in his subject of Russian history
0:11:54 > 0:11:56by actually going to Moscow.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Although we couldn't quite make out what he was saying,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01so A* for effort...
0:12:01 > 0:12:03and an E for selfie sound quality, Omar.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08- MUFFLED:- ..and I'm in a very, very cold, snowy, wintry Moscow.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Back in Cardiff, I'm meeting the person who's responsible for
0:12:11 > 0:12:13the exam I'm actually sitting.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Time to turn on the old Evans charm.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16- Sian.- Bore da.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19SINGS: Siany, Siany!
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Come on, let's cwtch it out.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Sian, if I can't get an A* properly,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26I'm thinking I could just appeal to your better nature.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28We shall see.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Ah, not a good start.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Are there techniques that would help me in this exam?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- Ymarfer Cymraeg. - Just practise Welsh?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Practise Welsh and, as well,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40when you come to the question papers,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42read the questions.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Make sure you've got the basic sentence structures correct,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and you've got to do everything within one hour.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49As an examination technique
0:12:49 > 0:12:51you need to practise before you sit the exam
0:12:51 > 0:12:56- to ensure that you can cover all the four questions.- OK.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58If I just took an imprint of my credit card
0:12:58 > 0:12:59and put it on the bottom,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01that would be all right, wouldn't it?
0:13:01 > 0:13:03How did you do in your GCSEs?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- A long time ago by now.- Yeah?- Yes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08So, what's the answer to the question?
0:13:08 > 0:13:10- SHE LAUGHS - I did my GCSEs,
0:13:10 > 0:13:11I did A-level, I did a degree as well.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13You just haven't said how you did, though.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15You've just said I did some.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19- Yes. I did quite well in them, yes. - Quite well?- Yes.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21What did you get in Welsh?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22I think I had an A.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I don't think there was an A* in those days.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25- Oh, yeah.- Yes.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Are you marking my paper?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- Oh, I'll mark your paper, don't worry.- Thanks.- Yeah.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Do you want to go out for dinner any time?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33No, seriously, cos I'm free most nights.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34We can just go,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37cos if Behnaz beats me, and Omar, I will be furious.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40It's the halfway stage,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44and two out of three of us are just about to sit our mock exams.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- Right, there's your mock exam. - Thank you.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51You have one hour to complete your exam.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Give it up for Omar Hamdi!
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- You've got two hours to do it.- OK. - No calculator.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00When I say go, you can turn over the page and begin.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- AUDIENCE:- Hello! - Hello. How are we doing, Cardiff?
0:14:03 > 0:14:07If you make a start...now.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Go.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Right, this is brilliant. I am from Cardiff, I am from Cardiff.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14My parents are from Egypt,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17though, in the '70s, they moved from Egypt to the Welsh valleys.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19They wanted to get away from
0:14:19 > 0:14:21the poor education system and the poverty.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22LAUGHTER
0:14:22 > 0:14:24HE SIGHS
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Now, there's a travel agent in Cairo who's got a sense of humour.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35"Yes, yes, go to the valleys in Wales -
0:14:35 > 0:14:37"it's great, it's great.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- "Full employment!" - LAUGHTER
0:14:40 > 0:14:43"And 365 days of sun. Enjoy!"
0:14:51 > 0:14:53So, what did I get?
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Well, if this exam was your real GCSE...
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I'm afraid to say it'd be unclassified.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01You're joking!
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And it'd be unclassified because YOU, you big dummy,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07didn't put your name or your candidate number on it
0:15:07 > 0:15:10so nobody would have a clue who you were!
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- So, do you really want to know? - Yeah.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- You should be really pleased. - HE GASPS
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- You got...- Ohh, get in there!
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Hang on. Before you get too excited, it is an A grade, it is 81%.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26To get a secure A grade,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- we probably need to be upping it by a few marks...- Mm.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- ..because it will come down to the wire...- OK.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34..if you want to be an A* student.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- I understand that.- Well done.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Thank you, Jenny.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- Come here. - That's very inappropriate.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41I kissed the teacher!
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- Hi, guys!- Hi!- Hello!
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- Hello!- Hiya!
0:15:48 > 0:15:51I sat my mock paper and I had my results today.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Oh, how did it go?
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- What do you think I got? - I think you got a B.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I think B as well.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59I got an A.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03- Oh!- Oh, my... I don't believe you.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- Only just. By one mark. - You legend.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11- Have you done any past papers? - Yes, I sat my mock exam yesterday.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14There was a lot of blank pages that I couldn't fill in,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and where there was, like, four marks,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18I was managing to get one or two marks.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I'm not giving up on that A* just yet, Wynne.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23On the questions we've covered, it's not so bad.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27It just it's just shown how much she's still got left to do.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Omar, have you done any past papers at all?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33No. I've flicked through the course books.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Why doesn't anyone have confidence in me?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38So, I can't believe you got an A!
0:16:38 > 0:16:40I'm still not over that, literally.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It was unclassified because I forgot to put my name on the paper.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Classic mistake. Don't they know who you are?
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I know. I went, "Hello!"
0:16:52 > 0:16:54The final stretch, now, and for me and Behnaz,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58we're cramming in the revision whenever and wherever we can.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03What made you agree to do a GCSE in maths?
0:17:03 > 0:17:05It's good to challenge yourself, Sian.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Step out of the comfort zone.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12'My family, and most Iranians, are really big into education,'
0:17:12 > 0:17:14so the pressure was on when we first came from Iran
0:17:14 > 0:17:16that you have to do well, you have to do well.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18I think that's why I rebelled a little bit
0:17:18 > 0:17:20cos I was like, "Well, no, actually, I'm not going to.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22"Why did you bring me here? I want to be in Iran."
0:17:22 > 0:17:25But in time I started to realise why they were saying it,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28so I was, like, "OK, I'm going to do well."
0:17:28 > 0:17:30They've given up everything, their life to come over here
0:17:30 > 0:17:32so I would have a better life,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34and I'm going to make sure I do well.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37..so we can look forward to more dry and settled weather,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39but still a serious shortage of sunshine.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41That's your forecast.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Today's picture is from Jason Davies.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Thank you very much for sending that in.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47The solution to any quadratic equation -
0:17:47 > 0:17:51Ax2 + Bx + C = 0.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Oh, God. "Diflas pam."
0:17:55 > 0:17:59"Naethon ni ddim...yn canu nac yn gwrando."
0:17:59 > 0:18:00When I was in school,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03they say one teacher can influence the rest of your life,
0:18:03 > 0:18:04and that's exactly what happened to me.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07I loved singing, I loved musical theatre,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10and then I met a teacher that introduced me to classical music.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13She would say to me, "Go into the store cupboard will you, Wynne,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16"and get some manuscript paper." "Yeah, OK, Miss."
0:18:16 > 0:18:18I'd walk in, and then she'd shut the door behind me
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and lock me in and shout through the door,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23"And you're not coming out until you finish your homework."
0:18:23 > 0:18:27And all my homework would be set out on the desk in the store cupboard,
0:18:27 > 0:18:28and I did it.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Can I have a chamomile tea, please? - Yeah, of course you can.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37This is my kind of day - just sitting in a cafe, chilling out.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Not really chilling out - I'm always doing something.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42It's so important to me to sort of keep my brain active.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47My parents expected me to be a doctor, or at least an engineer,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51which is like the consolation prize if you can't be a doctor.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53When your dad's a professor,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56you have to at least get a 2:1 in a degree,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59otherwise you're just not his son any more.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I haven't revised at all.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05I've looked at my revision books...
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and I've thought, "They'd make a nice armrest."
0:19:07 > 0:19:09HE LAUGHS
0:19:15 > 0:19:18So, this is it, what it all comes down to -
0:19:18 > 0:19:21the day we take our final exams,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23and as each subject comes in several parts,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25we've sat some papers already.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Omar has the most - three exams,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29two of which he's taking today,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32plus he's already completed two controlled assessments.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34These are assignments done in class
0:19:34 > 0:19:38with a teacher watching over you just to check you're not cheating.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40The controlled assessments were interesting,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42because one of them you didn't have to know anything
0:19:42 > 0:19:44about the actual subject -
0:19:44 > 0:19:46it was just critical thinking, which is brilliant,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48cos I can critically think all day long.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I can critically think for Wales.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56In maths, Behnaz needs to sit the second of two two-hour papers.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58I feel really sick today.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I feel really anxious and...nervous,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03and I feel like everything's just gone blank in my brain again,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06but I'm hoping that once I go in and see the questions,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08everything will start to come flooding back.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I just want to get it over with.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13And I've got two written papers and an oral test.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16If I'm honest, the worst thing that could've happened to me
0:20:16 > 0:20:18is to have got an A in the mock,
0:20:18 > 0:20:19because since then I've gone,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22"I got an A in the mock. I'm going to be OK."
0:20:22 > 0:20:26And, actually, I've done nothing, really, since the mock.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Morning.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29So, it's time to reach for our A*s,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and our invigilator, Miss Price, is laying down the law.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Please ensure you have no mobile phones on you,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and they are switched off if they're in your bags.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42No Tipp-Ex or highlighter pens in any of your answer books either.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45So, it's 9.20, and you can start.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57"Your class has been on a trip to the Welsh Folk Museum in St Fagans.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00"Write a story in Welsh for the school magazine."
0:21:00 > 0:21:03This is the actual paper that Wynne will be sitting.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Most probably question three and four
0:21:06 > 0:21:10are going to be the most challenging questions for Wynne,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and if he's looking for an A*,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15then he needs to do really well in question three and four.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19"The journey from Edinburgh to Dundee
0:21:19 > 0:21:22"takes two hours 30 minutes by car.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24"Calculate the average speed of this journey.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27"Give your answer in kilometres per hour."
0:21:27 > 0:21:30In the maths paper, it's a mixture of long and short questions.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34It's well worth looking at how many marks are available per question,
0:21:34 > 0:21:35and that gives a guide on
0:21:35 > 0:21:38how much time it's worth spending on a particular part.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43"This question is focused on
0:21:43 > 0:21:47"the causes and impact of the Civil War 1918-1921.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52"Study the source below and then answer the question which follows."
0:21:52 > 0:21:55There's three questions per paper where there's a need to reflect
0:21:55 > 0:21:59on an extract or a quote from an author,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02or sometimes the question asks for reasons for something.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Quite a lot of joined up thinking is needed
0:22:05 > 0:22:07to meet the requirements for the question.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18- MISS PRICE:- Wynne, you have five minutes remaining.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Thank you.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Didn't need it.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25'Yeah, I don't want you to think that I am being overconfident.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27'I did finish a bit early'
0:22:27 > 0:22:29so I'm just hoping the next paper is just as easy.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Easy? That sounds...
0:22:32 > 0:22:34When I say easy, I didn't mean easy.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37What I meant was just as comfortable.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46While Behnaz continues to tussle with algebra and trigonometry,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Omar has finished his paper on Russian history,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53and I'm about to start my second written Welsh exam.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55'It was all right. It wasn't fun.'
0:22:55 > 0:22:59- HE LAUGHS - I should have done more revision
0:22:59 > 0:23:00and had more sleep.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- OK, Behnaz, your time is now up. Please stop writing.- OK.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Make sure your details are on the front of your paper.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16It actually was one of the most enjoyable papers I've done.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18The biggest barrier for me was algebra,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and I spent a lot of time on algebra,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22and it just made sense today.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Wynne, you have five minutes remaining.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31HE SIGHS
0:23:35 > 0:23:38OK, Wynne, your time is now up. Please stop writing
0:23:38 > 0:23:41and make sure your details are written on the front of your paper.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Still intact.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50That was harder. It was much harder, that one.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Didn't get a chance to read it all through,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55ran out of time a bit at the end.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57We'll have to wait to see now.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01- Hello.- Hello. Dewch i mewn. Shwmai.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03'But it's not over for me yet.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'I've got to do my third oral test with Mrs Batten.'
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Yn y gorffennol,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10pan dwi wedi coginio,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12dwi tipyn bach yn...
0:24:12 > 0:24:15y, beth yw hwnna? Scared.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16- Ofnus.- Ofnus!- Right.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20O...i gwneud rhywbeth gyda pysgod.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- Ie.- So dyma'r cwrs - sut i paratoi pysgod.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28That's the bit of Welsh I like -
0:24:28 > 0:24:29the talking of Welsh,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32the kind of just going with it, making some mistakes,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35but actually communicating - not the written bit.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40So, I think that went well. 90%, though, to get an A*.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Doesn't give you much leeway, so...argh!
0:24:45 > 0:24:48That's me done, and Omar is also finishing his final exam,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51where at one point, he was having a bit of a mare.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54At the start, I didn't read the instructions
0:24:54 > 0:24:58where it said you answer one question from section A
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and two questions from section B,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02and there was a moment of terror.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03There was a moment when, like,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I'm not even vaguely aware of what they're talking about.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09This wasn't even in the notes they gave me.
0:25:09 > 0:25:10This isn't... This isn't...
0:25:10 > 0:25:12What's happening here?
0:25:13 > 0:25:15(I just realised you don't have to answer every question.)
0:25:26 > 0:25:29So, the exams are done, and there's nothing more we can do.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Now, normally, it would take several weeks
0:25:31 > 0:25:33for the results to be sent to the school,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36BUT ours are being marked on the same day,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39so it won't be long before we find out our fate.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43A few months before, Mrs Bond was sharing the results
0:25:43 > 0:25:46with the real GCSE pupils at Whitchurch High.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- I can't believe that.- You worked so hard, so congratulations.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Thank you.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Now it's our turn.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55It's quite a hard job telling them.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57They've worked very, very hard,
0:25:57 > 0:26:04and I know they are very, very, very anxious at the moment.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07So, with the head teacher and the staff who helped us watching on,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10the moment has finally come.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13We have your results from the WJEC.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15They've been checked and verified,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and I've been told I can give you these results.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Omar, you did a history GCSE...
0:26:23 > 0:26:25..and your result is...
0:26:27 > 0:26:29..an A grade.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31- No! Are you sure?- Well done, mate.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- Are you sure?- Yes.- Well done, mate.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36No, you should remark it!
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Thank you very much.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I'm buzzing.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41Behnaz...
0:26:41 > 0:26:45you did a maths GCSE.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46You achieved...
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- ..a C grade. - SHE GROANS
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- It was the hardest by a mile. - I'm gutted.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Maths is something else. I couldn't have even attempted maths.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00Wynne...
0:27:01 > 0:27:06..you did a Welsh second language GCSE.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10You achieved...
0:27:13 > 0:27:15- ..an A*.- Yeah!
0:27:15 > 0:27:18APPLAUSE
0:27:18 > 0:27:20You smashed it!
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Well done.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Thank you, Jenny. I'm going to be inappropriate again.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29There we go. OMAR LAUGHS
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Aw!
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I think I'm just really tired.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37I'm sure if I work a little bit longer at it,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I could get a better grade.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41I am just gutted, I'm really gutted.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44We've got the results, and Behnaz got a C.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Behnaz got a C?
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Yes! Get in there.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51I think she'd be pleased. I'm really pleased with that.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53If she had more time, she could do really well here.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55I haven't even touched the textbooks.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I looked at the revision notes for two hours this morning,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and I was completely blagging it,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and I was ready to be taught a lesson,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05but the blagery continues!
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Any pupils watching this - don't you dare try and blag it
0:28:08 > 0:28:11or you'll suffer the wrath of Mrs Hall.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Once a blagger, always a blagger. Whey!
0:28:15 > 0:28:17An A* is quite difficult to get -
0:28:17 > 0:28:19you've got to give that little bit extra.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20I'm absolutely thrilled for him.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I can see that he's really pleased as well. Really delighted.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I thought I'd get an A, but I didn't think I'd get an A*,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28cos the margins are so tight on it,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30so I was just, I'm just so over the moon.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32You've pushed yourself to the very edge,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36it's almost perfection, it's a level of sophistication.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41Yeah, it's amazing. To get an A* is an amazing, amazing achievement.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Ahh! A*!