Year 11 2023-24

@Techno56 do you mean Q2 (the comparison summary) or Q4 (the comparison of perspectives)?

Waffling is v bad. No more than 2 sides of crafted writing please :)

@MrsHamlet do you have any suggestions for shifting AQA English Lang paper 2 up a bit? My son got an 8 in paper 1 and a high 5 in paper 2 and really struggles with the comparing question and the long one, he can never think of enough "opinion" and ends up waffling off the point (his words not mine haha)

@Waspie that’s half the battle isn’t it, knowing how to present the knowledge to pass the exam! Well done to your DS on that amazing result!

Well done to your children @gingercat02 and @Curlyshabtree

DS got a 9 in psychology mock. Insane given that he got a 5 in the November mock. DS says it's entirely because he has learnt the answer structures required. He doesn't actually know anything more than he knew in November!

Not terrible results this morning
6 in Geography 5 in History English x 2 Science x 2 4 in maths and business (he's disappointed with them) 3 in Spanish
Work in progress 🤞🙏

Well done @Curlyshabtree twins! We have mocks results tomorrow at 8:30. DS is reasonably confident. I'm terrified 😨

My dts have done well in mocks, DD got all 9s and a 8 in Eng Lit and 7 in Spanish. DS got 9s in History, Chem and Eng Lang and a mixture of 6s and 7s and a 4 in Spanish. They have devised a revision timetable and will going into school over Easter for revision sessions. Both very focused!

This was normal for my DCs, in school full time but until mid June! They had a 30 min booster revision session before any morning exam then the exam and then back into timetabled lessons. Later if they had finished all the papers for that subject they would be filed off into additional lessons for the ones they still had to sit. We were given a very detailed sheet of where they were to be during school hours and I still have their GCSE exam timetables with all the revision sessions added on a spreadsheet.

They also had after school revision sessions, no more than 3 a week as sometimes that is a very long day if they had a morning exam too. It is an incredible state school that wanted the best for their students. Paid off for both of mine with exceptional grades. There is no study leave as a whole anymore, they find that if students are home then a lot are not studying effectively. Instead they are in school in lessons covering revision. School is compulsory until children reach school leaving age on the last Friday of June in the school year they turn 16 which is after exams finish.

Sounds very sensible in that case to my eyes!

The teacher hopes 665 would become 77 for science. I think particularly in physics the extra content for triple hasn’t really been taught, they’ve been given materials to learn (she has one teacher for all three, I suspect school doesn’t have a physics specialist). When she started triple we hoped it would spread the risk a little, but I suspect when they analysed the papers the additional content let her down? I’d hope the teacher had goo reason to suggest it anyway!

Re triple or double
Does she know which topics would be dropped.
Is it content learning that is the issue or understanding/applying.
How much has she revised/learned already.

What I am getting at is would 665 turn into say 77, or would it turn into 65. How much revision time would be saved, and where would she use it.

If you want any specific pointers, let me know

I think AQA. She’s now seen the mark and thinks she was only a couple marks off a 5. I think she needs the 5 to do psychology.. She got 8 in maths and Spanish so no worries there, she did 665 in triple science and there giving her the option to do double instead.

@wonderstuff which exam board?

No problem, organisation is my middle name!

Cheers Teen. I like how organised that sounds x

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz
For my DDs we ordered revision cards by topics/pages in the revision guide, punched holes on top left and put together with a treasury tag. One name card at the front, one bundle per paper.
Needed 1 card per revision book page for science.

Dd got mock results back and she’s dropped to a 4 in English, she’s understandably upset, parents evening this evening but couldn’t get an English appointment. I will email him, she’s conscientious , she reads, we’ve got a tutor, I really don’t know what to do. Tutor thinks her teacher marks harshly, but dd use of language is poor, she can’t seem to get her head round using formal language and wide vocabulary.

Thank you @anoukis

@Marisquita @GlomOfNit - DS recommends AnkiPro app for flashcards. He wasn't a fan - they took too long to make and he didn't find them helpful. But he really rates this app and uses it a lot in his revision.

Morning all lord, they are looming horribly on the horizon aren't they?!

Taking note of all the food revision tips here ready to sit DD down with her well intentioned but could be improved, Easter revision plan. We also get mock results tomorrow so that will either start the holiday on a high or hell

One thing I definitely intend to do is review her flash cards. She started them probably a year ago but I'm not convinced she was using them as a revision aid but rather find a topic on say, Kerboodle and then copy it verbatim! So as she has so many I want to, time allowing, look like atgtjem together to see if a) they are even right , b) she still needs them and for those she does get a traffic c light system going and then FILE THEM AWAY PROPERLY. Then bin the rest as I don't know about anyone else but the amount of clutter of scarps of paper is unreal and she's not good at keeping on top of it. I think this clear out will mentally help a bit.

Also thinking of making breakfast time after Easter, flash card time as she is crap at actually looking at them unless I badger her to do so. So, right now she reads her book for 10 minutes while eating so going forward she can look at her cards. Maybe 2 subjects per am, 5 mins on each. Then after break's when she's normally zone out on her phone before leaving she can do that and /or read.

But yeah - cannot now wait until end of June

I personally didn't expect any housework during exams. Massive slack cut for Easter break -end of exams. Don't want arguments over dishwasher not unloaded to add to the already ridiculous pressure. Stay considerate of rest of household, that's about it.

I think it should vary by day no more than 5 at the total maximum. It is very subjective and depends on how much your DC has revised before

An exam timetable seems to have put DD into action but its hard because its Ramadan and she is fasting. Also how much housework do you expect them to do with exams?

General question -
How many hours per day of revision should be done in the Easter holidays?
Thanks.

DS flat out refuses to go anywhere over Easter. He plans to study and go to the gym.