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Original poster

First term of yr12 over - working at grades / workload /much holiday work?

208 replies

circular · 28/12/2013 19:49

Curious how its been for others with the 'big step up' from GCSE to to AS.

DD1 doesn't seem to have been getting much homework, possibly completing most of it in free periods. When I casually mention 'reading around a subject' she looks at me as though I'm from another planet, and says she is not interested in any of her subjects enough to do extra, apart from Music.

She would typically come home and say she got an D or U in (say) a Physics or French test, but then says half the class got a lower mark than her. This is at a school that gets around 60% A to B at A level., so selective 6th form. DD1 got 2A and 2A at GCSE in her AS subjects.

Had parents evening just after half term, and although then working well below ultimate targets, none of her teachers seemed unduly worried. No end of term report yet, but hearing subsequent test results, not expecting much change in grades.
DD1 Says she understands everything in lessons, teachers seem to agree, and think it is just more question practice that she needs. But unless work is actually set, she has no motivation to go and do any extra. She thinks past papers should be left till nearer exams, says text book is rubbish, and has found a few inaccuracies in study guides so pushed them aside too. Tried to get her to look at Khan academy site but not interested.

Does this seem normal, or should I be worried at this stage?
Anyone else seeing similar or are they all flying?

OP posts:
hellsbells99 · 29/12/2013 11:43

DD is also using Khan website and past papers. She is a worker and worked hard for her gcses - got As in the subjects she has taken for A level. I was worried about her subject choices - I did not want her to do physics. But she is coping.
DD2 is doing gcses this year. Not working very hard at all but still getting very high grades. I think she will atruggle with AS as she is not used to having to put the work in.

hellsbells99 · 29/12/2013 11:07

DD1 is in yr 12. Huge workload and working most evenings. Had a few days off over xmas but started again yesterday. Has an 80 page booklet of physics questions to work through before feb mocks. Constant tests. Had maths c1 mock already and got an A (v pleased with herself). Had a report last week of term - grades AABD. Low mark was physics. Finding that very hard but had a 2nd major test in last couple of days of term and has improved a lot.
DD says some of her naturally 'cleverer' friends (all A* gcses) are doing worse than expected but they are not doing all the extra work that is given.
Your DD needs to start working now if she wants to do well in her AS exams.

noblegiraffe · 29/12/2013 10:48

She should be working over the holidays. If she had January exams she would be working hard over the holidays to revise for them. Because she hasn't got exams she is using that as an excuse to slack off and is essentially losing two weeks of consolidation and revision work from the course that students in previous years had.

Students in previous years found the course difficult (esp maths and physics) even with those two extra weeks of revision so she is really shooting herself in the foot if she thinks she has nothing to do.

Perhaps she is worried about looking at past papers because this will then be crystal clear to her and she will realise she needs to pull her finger out.

Original poster
circular · 29/12/2013 09:05

whathaveiforgottentoday -Great user name. She admits its harder and more work than expected especially French which she has already decided to drop at AS. But its Physics that I am, especially worried about, as it was her best result at GCSE. She understands everything but can't seem to grasp how to answer the questions and get enough marks.

There doesn't seem to be a week of mocks in Jan/Feb like some schools have. Tests every half term, already had physics practical mock, and music practical mock soon. Other mocks different for each subject.

NobelGiraffe --I quizzed DD about the ready for Jan exam thing, and she said not being taught like that. On finishing C1 in maths, straight on to S1/C2 in parallel, aiming to finish the course by Feb half term, then all revision. Suspect if still Jan exams, would have had several weeks of C1 revision.

AIBU in expecting her to do a couple of hours work each day this week? Thats on top of a couple of hours instrument practice that she is already doing. They don't seem to have any holiday work set (apart from maths, but she missed the lesson, so waiting for a reply from classmate to get the work).So very disorganised too.
Gets her physics books out, staring at them, saying no work to do, refusing to look at a past paper if I print one off.
Dont know if it's head in the sand, laziness, arrogance, learning difficulty or the whole lot.

OP posts:
Whathaveiforgottentoday · 28/12/2013 22:37

I think you should listen to your intuition as many year 12's underestimate the workload. They cope fine in sept/oct maybe November as they think the work is ok and with some revision they can pull the grades up. Then somewhere along the year they get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of content they are expected to know. Without the January exams to get them a good fright, i would be concerned if she considered getting D's or U's as ok. Its not.
Does your DD have mock exams this year?

Original poster
circular · 28/12/2013 21:35

Curfew -I think she is handing in her work, effort/attitude grades were ABBB.

Noblegiraffe - need a D at AS to be allowed to continue.

Re the Jan module thing, I thought Music and French only ever had one written paper. Wondering whether they are still covering the work in a modular way for other subjects (apart from maths). Physics seem to be teaching both modules side by side.

No mocks in January as far as I know. Getting a French mock every half term, all past papers, so less surprised with low score after 6 weeks. Not clear if other tests have just been on work covered, or complete past papers.

Deep down, I don't think she is putting enough work in, but she seems to think it will turn out fine. Similar story getting U's and D's in science tests at start of yr10, then pulled up to A*/A in end of yr10 modules and final grades. But I think this is a completely different ball game, and she is too immature to get it yet.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 28/12/2013 20:58

Be aware that 60% A*-B at A-level wont include the kids who dropped the subject at AS through poor grades, or people who didn't do well enough in Y12 to be allowed to progress to Y13. Selective schools don't only select those that get into Y12, but those that get into Y13.

If she were doing January modules (now abolished but schools still covering the work in a similar way), she'd be sitting them in a couple of weeks and be expected to get high marks, so tbh I'd be expecting more than Ds or Us at this point on the work covered.
She may have mock exams coming up in place of the January modules to give a better idea of where she's at?

curlew · 28/12/2013 20:47

I have a year 13. The step up is huge from GCSE to A level- and the intervention from teachers tends to go down pretty abruptly too. I remember my dd apologising to a teacher for not handing in an essay, and he said "it's up to you- if you give them in I mark them but I'm not chasing 17 year olds round the school". She was horrified! Certainly at my dd's school they mark everything at a level standard from the beginning, so lowish marks are ok now- they should be going up, though, and ASs are very important when it comes to university applications.