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Secondary education

GCSE preparation

5 replies

laura200 · 01/04/2014 11:10

Dear All,

We moved to the UK just last year and I am reaching out to the community to see if anyone has suggestions or ideas.

My son Nick is in Year 11 and he is taking the GCSE exams in May / June this year.

We have a private tutor who works with Nick 3x times a week to revise for English, Maths and Science GCSEs.

This is stretching our budget and we are not in a position to have a private tutor on hand to help with the other the GCSE subjects (ICT, RE, Geography, French).

I wonder what you would recommend we do to tackle these other subjects?

Is there a 'fast track' GCSE prep programme available that runs for example during the Easter half term?

We live in the Hammersmith area (London).

Any suggestion is appreciated.

Thanks,
Laura

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adoptmama · 01/04/2014 11:28

Each subject teacher has also probably given him revision guides etc.

He needs to make sure he covers everything he missed from Year 10 too. He should be able to get copies of the curriculum from his teachers or online. And ask them what are his weakest areas, what he needs to focus on. Many schools/teachers offer revision sessions during the holidays so check if his school does. He should also be able to continue going in to see his teachers during the study leave and so should see if he can book time with them (if they are not being used for cover/invigilation) during his normal lesson times to continue to get some help.

Bitesize revision is good for all subjects in general and there are many good sites for different subjects.

He should practise writing answers to past paper questions.

A lot of subjects have good published revision guides which you can get e.g. from Amazon.

Hope he does well :)

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yourlittlesecret · 01/04/2014 14:23

laura200 It's not usual to post the names of your children on MN Wink.
What does the school say about his likely grades? If he is very far behind he may be able to repeat GCSEs at 6th form.

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ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen · 01/04/2014 16:10

If he arrived part of the way through GCSE courses then I imagine it must be quite tough on him.

You have picked the most vital subjects for the extra help.

French: flashcards or a vocabulary testing app might help, especially if he does fifteen minutes every day.

There are intensive revision courses during the Easter holidays, but they usually cost £££.

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cricketballs · 01/04/2014 17:16

Op, the most important thing is to know the exam boardand download past papers/mark schemes. For the vast majority of subjects the theory is only part of it, exam technique is the biggest obstacle fir students

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laura200 · 02/04/2014 15:28

Dear All,

Thank you for your comments.

What are your thoughts on revision courses that run for a week or two?

Any recommendations in this area?

Thanks,
Laura

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