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Original poster

GCSE mock disaster

32 replies

Flippinfab40 · 15/12/2020 19:09

DD is doing combined science. School have never raised any concerns about her work or ability and predicted 5-5 in October and entered her for higher level mocks.

She got U in her Physics mock. She hasn't got a result for Chemistry yet but she finds it harder than Physics. She got a low 4 in Biology.

She does homework, did all online work set over lockdown and hasn't had any time off school since they went back. She didn't have any end of year 10 exams and no earlier marks were ever low like this. Something has gone very wrong!

She didn't do a lot of revision so has not helped herself but I'm wondering if she understands anything at all they have covered. She says she doesn't understand Chemistry at all but thought she understood some Physics.

She's become very unmotivated in general since lockdown. She does what school asks of her but I am struggling to get her to do anything else except lie in bed on her phone ☹️

Assuming I / she can improve her motivation, is there any way she can get up to a pass standard?

OP posts:
Pipandmum · 15/12/2020 20:41

She didn't revise and got low marks? That's the problem right there. My daughter studies for days and days before her exams - she has finished the syllabus in some subjects do ots revision from now on in class too.
Your daughter needs a good revision schedule for the next lot, with specific goals for each subject (not just spend hours reading her notes, but actual areas of difficulty and lots of past papers that can be found online). It also helps to verbally express things - like explain the X system to you to make sure she not only understands it but can explain it.

Movinghouse2015 · 15/12/2020 20:31

www.my-gcsescience.com/

Would definitely recommend this site as a resource. It's very reasonable and easy to work through.

sleepismysuperpower1 · 15/12/2020 19:51

Could you and your dd print out the specification of the GCSE foundation for each science, and go through each one, ticking and crossing the things she knows and the things she doesn't? That might give you a better idea of areas to work with with the tutor x

Original poster
Flippinfab40 · 15/12/2020 19:45

Thank you for your replies.

I think she definitely will be doing Foundation and I don't imagine the school will object. The mocks were marked all the way down to U including 1s and 2s so she is a long way off. I think she said she got 7%.

They can't bring any mock papers home so I can't look at it myself but they have started going through in class.

We will definitely look at tutors although DD is reluctant.

The mark is so low it feels like she needs to start from scratch and learn the entire course but I guess a good and experienced tutor could unpick what she does and doesn't know and work from there.

DD is pretty upset, especially as the teacher read out the grades as he returned the papers, but I'm hoping she will do what she needs to now to get herself to at least a grade 4.

OP posts:
TeenPlusTwenties · 15/12/2020 19:29

If she moves to foundation it will have to be for all 6 papers, you can't mix and match.

sleepismysuperpower1 · 15/12/2020 19:17

could you afford a tutor? even once every week/two weeks would help, this one might be worth a look (£25 per hour, but he takes into account how the student learns best and takes it from there). I think I would also be asking the school to enter her for foundation, rather than higher. All the best x
tutorful.co.uk/tutors/8nmvdpp2

TeenPlusTwenties · 15/12/2020 19:16

How low did they mark down to, presumably a 3? So she might have been 1 mark below a 3 and therefore got a U.

When she gets the paper back she needs to go through and see where she lost marks, was it:

  • not understanding the topic
  • not learning the topic
  • not realising what the question was after
  • not using key words in the answer
  • picking incorrect equations
  • doing the maths wrong
then she will know what she needs to work on.

She has 6 months, she can make a big difference in that time. And Physics is only 2/3 of a GCSE (or 1/3 of the double award)

One bad mock is not a disaster.

You may like to enquire re dropping to foundation though.
With foundation tier you can still get her predicted 5-5, but can get lower grades if you don't do so well.
With foundation there is slightly less content, and easier questions.
In my view the content that goes is definitely the harder stuff. Plus the maths will be easier in foundation too.

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