Showing posts with label exam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exam. Show all posts

20090513

Tuesday November 27, 1973

'A' Level History Exam. I arrived at school at about 9 o'clock and go to the exam room. Begins 9.30, ends 12.30. NO MORE EXAMINATIONS EVER. You probably don't appreciate what that statement actually means to me. For years I have wanted to shout this on the top of my voice, but this is the first time. Even in June when I finished the 'O'levels and 'A' levels I exclaimed 'no more exams until November at least'. That sentence says a lot for my character. 1. The cautiousness stands out a mile, 2. Modesty? 3. Pessimistic.

See Mrs Lane, who liked both papers. Leave for Leeds at about 1 o'clock. Didn't see Christine or MM.

Kathleen is pleased to see I'm well again, but poor Sarah is still indisposed. I argued with Miss Went about the relationship of King Constantine of Greece to the first King of Greece. She says his father was the Dane who became George I of Greece! Kathleen said he was the present king's grandfather but I insist on great-grandfather. I was right.

See tv. Bed at 12.0 o'clock.

--==--

Monday November 26, 1973


Get up at 7.30 after having had one and a half hours sleep without being sick. Not in the least nervous about the 'A' level History exam - I am far too used to them by now. I will now leave a three hour gap where the exam was.

(Fluffy cloud with "Three Hours" written across it.)

Phew! That was a bit of a stinker! Still feeling ill I go to Leeds where Kathleen sends me home because I look 'terrible'. Mum was not surprised to see me, and I sat down in the lounge in front of the tv until 6.30. After a bowl of soup, my first meal in 48 hours, I watched tv until 9.30 and then retired to bed where I immediately fell to sleep......Zzzzzz.....Zzzzzz....Zzzzz.

--==--

20090424

Wednesday August 29, 1973

Terrible day. I failed my Economics - grade 7. Why, why, why, must I always mess up my examinations? I needed them so much. Mother and Father are very disappointed, but we 'celebrate' with a bottle of wine over dinner. MM, whop got grade 2, rings at 6.30. He and Christine found my result this morning. Christine was horror struck.

John and I go the Emmotts at 8.30. He meets Christine White. Chris and Marita join us at 9.30.

I am totally undecided about what to do. Should I pack up with further education and find a job? I just do not know. MM brings everyone home at 11 after fish and chips. Bed by 11.30.

PS - Princess Anne is now in Kiev for those horse trials. She is the first member of the British Royal Family to visit the USSR.

--==--

20090423

Monday August 20, 1973

God what a day. Go into school at 2 o'clock. See from a list on Groves desk that I have failed my History 'A' level. The horrid little sheet of paper said: 'History: four entries, three passes.' It just had to be me. They gave me an 'O' level pass. Dave got two Cs. I already have history 'O' level so it's useless really.

Dave and I take Chid to Horsforth College of Further Education - June goes there on September 14. Chid must fancy his chances.

Later. Dave and I go to see MM. Sit with him sipping very miky coffee. MM is very sorry about my failing. Go home at 6.0. Mum very sad.

John and I meet June and Susan in the Emmotts at 8 o'clock. I take my crank letter with me (received another one today). Chris enjoys reading them and looks very pale. Susan Bottomley is a very strange child indeed. I do hope that John doesn't take her out.

--==--

Friday August 17, 1973

Unknown to me, the 'A' Level results were released today. Dave didn't find out about them until Chris rang him at 6. Oh Lord! Poor Chris failed both Biology and Geography. What a weekend of torture I am in for.

Spend the morning at St Andrew's Close with Andy, who takes the afternoon off from 12.30. I carry alone through the afternoon until 5.

June and I decided yesterday to go out on Saturday and so John and I went to the Emmotts at 8.30. Little Helen Willis and Denise came in with poor Chris, and Sue Crosby who got her two 'A' levels. What a very enjoyable night it is. Helen wants John, MM, Chris and I to go back to Liz Peddie's but due to transport difficulties we decide not to. MM brings John and I home.

Come home to see a Vincent Price film - 'House of Usher' - quite a load of old rubbish really.

--==--

20090420

Monday June 25, 1973

'O' level Biology exam. Get up at 7.35. Raining and thundering. Absolutely hateful. Mother goes back to bed with a really terrible cold. I make myself a cup of tea and sit listening to Tony Blackburn until 10. He sings 'Happy Birthday to you' to Lord Mountbatten of Burma who is 73 today. I didn't think they liked royalty on Radio 1.

Mother is full of cold, the weather is rotten, and I've run out of monetary capital and all financial aid. What a state we are all in! Dad drives me to school in thunder and lightning. Begin Biology at 1.50. A ridiculous examination. Failed again. Finish at 3.50. Louise is at school for the last time! I will never see her again after today. I wave her off in her car at 4.15 - very poignant moment. Benton Park will never be the same without her. Come home on the 4.20 55 bus. June rings at 7. Evidently Janet poisoned her old woman on her very first day as a home help. June began work today and experienced a 90 year-old, one-armed imbecile! But she says he was sweet. She can't afford to go out on Tuesday evening -we're going out on Wednesday instead. Life is hell without her at school but we seem to enjoy our evenings out all the more due to our longer partings. One can easily get bored of someone when one is with her every hour of the day.

--==--

Thursday June 21, 1973

'O' level Economics exam. Got up at 8.10 and left on the 8.30 bus - arrive at 9 at Benton. Louise and I go to Biology. A rotten exam - finish it at 11.30. Go down to Rawdon with Louise afterwards.

Sit with Dave, Christine and Martin V-B looking at the slides we took a couple of weeks ago. MM makes us all very nervous by trying to do last minute revising for Economics. At 1.30 Christine shows me how to calculate elasticity of demand - which, luckily, appeared on section A of the exam paper. Section A was dreadful. Section B fairly straight forward. August 27 here we come! Once again it's in the lap of the Gods. It's all over!They're finished with at last! No more exams until at least November.

Collapse in relief in the common room afterwards, Have a very funny do with Christine. But feel mad that June did not come to school as she promised. Dave and I fight with Malcolm Thomas and struggle down for the 55 bus at 4.55. Wait until 5.15. John gets on the bus at Henshaw Lane.

Have tea at 6. Read Albert and Victoria until 7.30. June rings me from her sister's in Guiseley - speak with little Karen on the phone. June's coming tomorrow afternoon. Feeling very tired. Read until I have a bath. Bed at 11 o'clock.


--==--

Friday June 15, 1973

'A' Level History Paper II. Another hot day. June is busting out all over! Get up at 7 o'clock AM. Have only a grapefruit and go to Benton Park on the 8 o'clock 55 - arriving 8.25. Sit revising Bismarck until 9.10. Carol and Sheila arrive - both looking very pale. Enter exam at 9.25. Napoleon III did crop up - but in a round-about sort of way. Write more than yesterday, but yesterday was definately a better paper. Anyway, it's in the lap of the God's now, as it were.

See June, who I fear I have neglected this past week. We're going to the Emmotts on Sunday for the first time in weeks. She's really fantastic. She and Christine go in to Yeadon at 2.30 to see about jobs as 'home helps' in the summer recess. I laugh at the thought of it. June and Christine as char women cleaning around for 6 weeks looking like Hilda Ogdens - some folk will do owt for brass!

Go to CW - play 20 questions and charades - hysterical!

--==--

Thursday June 14, 1973

Dave Lawson's 18th birthday. 'A' Level History Paper 1. Beautiful weather. Get up at 7. Nervousness now quite gone. Go on the 8 o'clock 55 bus after everyone at home wished me luck. Arrive 8.30. Talk to Mary about her troubles. Carol arrives at 9 with Sheila - both frightened to death! Michael Attenborough arrives at 9.20. Go to The Room. Papers given out at 9.25. Mrs Lane arrives looking terrified. Exams starts 9.30. By the expression on Mrs Lane's face she thinks the paper is marvellous. I think it's not as bad as I imagined it would be. Do the hardest question on the paper - according to Mrs Lane, but I like it: 'Peel - for and against'. Do all four questions. Finish at 12.30. Mrs Lane says that with the questions we should have all passed the British paper. The European paper tomorrow will be far worse.

See June. Come home on the 1.30 bus. Have lunch. Show Mum the exam paper. Revise until 3.30. Remember it's Dave's birthday - go ring him up and wish him congratulations. Carry on revising until 11.25. European history is much more of an arduous subject when it comes round to revising. Go to bed at 12. Not nervous in the least.

--==--

20090415

Tuesday May 1, 1973

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones is 9 today. June still not at school. Get up at 7.40. Weather beautiful again (or perhaps I should say, beautiful as Sunday). The Glorious 1st of May! (or is that June?) Oh June, why aren't you at school? Life is hell without you.

Read Eden until 10. Then do "Balance of Payments" with Christine. Two and a half hours! What a mess we get into! She re-writes her essay 6 times. Get into a mess with the maths. Run down for the lunches alone. Have soup, crisps and sandwiches with Louise, who goes home at 1.30. Things aren't the same since she finished with Chris.

Read through Eden again until 2.30. Tomorrow is Mrs Lane's timed question and so in the afternoon I devour several important paragraphs of Randolph Churchill's "The Rise and Fall of Anthony Eden". Have a laugh with Christine. Walk to bus stop with Dave at 4.05. Awful without June. Miss the 55 and get the 35 with Dave. Get off at Yeadon. Dave goes to Ray and Marian's. I go to the record shop until the next 55 bus comes at 4.50. Come home and have tea.

Read Queen Victoria until 7.15. Go to CW. Sue and Toffer went to see some pubs yesterday but the state of them quite put them off. They are staying at the Chuck Wagon after all. Not a very busy evening. Toffer brings me home at 12 o'clock. We sit for ten minutes in the car talking about buying pubs. Come in and have some eggs. Go to bed and sleep immediately.

--==--

Monday April 30, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn Another warm one. At 2 in walked (Peter) Lazenby and Tony Harney (they had seen Michael Brown's poster on the back wall a...