Y11 2025/26… come and join

All the level 2 courses I looked at 3 years ago for my other son wanted 4s. But they did allow you to resit English and Maths alongside starting the course.

I'm surprised a Level 2 course requires a C for Eng Lang and not just a D/3.
You can't 'just' for 1 GCSE resit, it won't count as full time.
So you'd do a Level 1 course = resit, or a different Level 2 course that does allow a resit.

English Language also a concern here. All College applications DS1 has applied for need an C (even the back up to the back up level 2 course). Really not sure what the plan is if he doesn’t manage it :(. Does retaking 1 GCSE count as still in education?

Absolutely no chance he would memorise phrases to fit in answers - currently attempting to get him to re read his work for sense/punctuation and edit before moving on (so far unsuccessfully).

So so stressed about it atm (not at all helped by a leak in a shower making water come through the ceiling yesterday). DS1 both stressed and not wanting to do any work (as he claims he’s too stressed to). Argh.

@Littletreefrog same for DD but with maths. A pass not guaranteed but obviously needed. Stressful, isn’t it? 💐

Thank you all for the encouraging words. DS says he doesn't need help and it will be fine but I've sent him some links to Mr Salles videos which seem helpful and we will discuss at our meeting on Wednesday what needs to be done. Literally just this one subject causing us concern but of course it's one of the non negotiables.

Jumping on to second Mr Salles - my older son turned a 5 into a 7 in language with the add of YouTube .. the literature was only 2 marks off 6 -

DS2 is using save my exams to help with his IGCSE literature

@Littletreefrog I’m a secondary English teacher. It’s definitely not too late! Make sure your DS understands he can and must revise for Lang - lots of kids think since there’s no knowledge to learn, they can’t revise. They can - but it means practising questions from past papers and (this bit is crucial) taking their work to their teachers for feedback. I’d be asking his teacher for specific info too: which questions are his weakness and how specifically should he improve his answers? Which order should he do the questions in? How far off a 5 was he in mock and where could he make up those marks? The Exam Whisperer on Insta is great, and I believe does paid-for online sessions.

It’s definitely not too late @Littletreefrog. Can you work on his high mark answers with him and he can go into the real exam with pre learned high scoring phrases for his story etc. mr salles most excellent for English language tips

Got DSs Feb mocks back. All 7s and 6s with odd 5 and a 4 for English Language which is also what he got in November mocks and also what we discussed with the school he needs help with despite them only inviting him to extra science sessions which are what all his 7s are in!

Already have a meeting booked to discuss on Wednesday but I feel we are reaching too little too late territory. He needs the 5 in English Language for his T evel course.

We use save my exams, we did the free trial also for poetry but then found it very useful for science!

I’ve signed up to a free trial on Save my Exams to help DS2 with his Literature Anthology - looks pretty good . Has anyone used it for the combined sciences ? that is DS2s nemesis

We've had success with a prom dress from Vinted. New with tags and fits perfectly (well apart from the length that will need to be taken up). DD is chuffed with it.

Got her the study buddy digital version to track progress against each topic. I had got a hard copy revision workbook that you can plot it all out in but she complained that writing out the topics for 11 gcses was going to take ages which I thought was fair enough and the study buddy creates it for you.

What with the many apps and websites she's found/had recommended I'm hoping it's not TOO many different things.

He’s using save my exams and they’ve got a brilliant thing where they give you an interactive timetable with revision notes and questions built in. So he’s not lost with what to do. He also wants all As but seems to want the results without the effort. I’m hoping after his mood this morning I’ll go home to a studious 16 year old 🫣

Last day of term here too. DS has a party to go to tomorrow and then from Sunday we begin...ha, in theory.

There must be a reason why predictive text on the Iphone seems to autocorrect the word 'revising' to 'refusing'😂

Oh no, has he got his revision timetable done and doesn’t want to get going on the work, or does he not want to do a revision timetable at all? It’s so difficult when they are reluctant!

Still at school until next Tuesday here, but then not back until Monday 20th. It’s all getting rather close now.

Well, Easter holidays are here. My son already moaning and digging heels in about revision timetable.

DS got his mock results today. He's refusing to show me them and is complaining about half the class cheating to make him look bad 🙄

First day of the holidays here. We’ve been for the prom dress alterations appointment so tick… done! Now Dd has started her first day of official revision timetable

@Caddycat yes you can accept to places my DS did not make up his mind till the actual day.
DD got 9999998886 the 6 was biology highest mark was an 8 to a student who sat it over two days so DD ain't to disappointed.
Was impressed with progress report today as the actually had good feed back for some classes.
Can't wait fir half term to start DD definitely needs a break.

Another one here who is having to accept that what DS does is very much within his control
not mine! I think part of me feels he should be revising as I would have revised-ie lots of written notes and flashcards - but this doesn’t work for DS.

i think to a certain extent you have to let them take the lead and just be in the background encouraging nagging and providing snacks.

Your DD sounds just fine @Anonymousemouses and I would really try not to compare her to the DC who’s been revising obsessively since September. In fact I’d be worried if I was that DC’s mum - I’d be concerned about total burnout. That level of work is neither sensible nor sustainable in my view.

In other news DS has managed to break a bit off his DT NEA product whilst travelling home on the bus 🙄 Cue lots of upset and planning around how he can fix It when he really should be focusing on other work! I just want the damned thing handed in now; I’m so sick of it. I wouldn’t mind so much but he’s not even doing DT for A level!

I am very much do what works for each person. My DS does past papers for science and maths, some past paper questions for history, geography and religious studies and ocassionally French but never full papers as the physical act of writing is hard for my DS given his disability. So then he does a lot of what we call quizzing, on facts, quotes etc for history, geography, religious studies and English literature. English we have also done watching productions of his set texts as revision and listened to some general podcasts. In effect the method is a bit of break it up basically because writing mind maps and flash cards etc involved writing and so took too much effort for the potential reward. He works hard and does an hour ish most evenings, ramping up for mocks and then cutting back to get his strength up. He’ll do more over the holidays but having both weekends plus one day properly off - as he is competing in his sport which actually breaks things up. We are trying to decide whether he should enter the national championship the day before his last exam, but not made that decision yet. So far so good as percentages increased on all mocks from last year and sometime by enough to pull grades up.

@Anonymousemouses your daughter sounds likes she’s doing more than fine!

@Anonymousemouses honestly it sounds like she is doing great . My DS is doing much less . You can not do it for them and in reality they do have to learn to self motivate . Honestly doesn’t sound like it is an issue though

They should be doing whatever works for them so there is no hard and fast rules.

I have absolutely no idea what DS is doing as he was very resistant to any help or advice. We agreed that he could revise however he liked up to his November mocks and if he got good it could continue but if he didn't do well I would be stepping in and "controlling" his revision. Lucky for him he got good grades so we have let him continue with whatever he is doing as it's obviously working.