Year 9 & GCSE Prep - am I just too anxious or are we all just winging it?

GCSEs are a two year course, so if they have already started in year 9 then they already have a study advantage over most kids of taking 50% extra time to do the learning?

Interesting you mentioned music - DD is sitting music GCSE in two years' time and her school is already doing their internal mocks to prep them. She was stressing a bit initially but I guess by the actual exam time it will all become just a routine task.
Psychologically, it's nearly impossible to build up habits or skills over a very short time. It is actually very clear in learning an instrument - practice has to be a daily routine and in a couple of years it becomes almost an automatic habit - you brush your teeth, you practise your instrument, you read your textbooks and make notes etc.

Not anywhere near that stage yet but I understand what you are doing / saying about revision strategy and exam technique.

I've noticed even in Year 6 with SATS and entrance exams that some parents really stress the kids out. Or alternatively, the parents downplay it until the last minute and then pile on the pressure. Neither of which is ideal.

Rather I think consistent resilience building about being able to cope under pressure, learning methods to reduce anxiety and switch off then switch ON again when it matters, are key skills. Things like music exams and sports performances are examples of this. Even at a much younger age we talk to the DC about the transferable skills they get from these kind of extra curricular. And they don't get stressed about exams at all. They know they can switch It On if they need to and how to relax.

ou're not too anxious , you're right that the kids who do well in Year 11 are usually the ones who built the habit earlier. Our DS is 15 and I wish we'd started thinking about this in Year 9 instead of waiting until Year 10 when things got urgent. The thing we found worked best was anything with a gamification element , not full-on revision, but making regular maths practice feel more like a game than a chore. Points, streaks, beating your own score. It built the habit of daily practice without the "sit down and revise" battle. By the time proper revision season hit he was already used to doing a bit every day, which made the whole thing much less of a shock. My DH (software engineer) always says the gaming industry has cracked motivation better than education has , same hooks, just pointed at maths.

I have a DS in year 9 and DD year 12. DD only got into revision mode towards end of year 12. DS would definitely not appreciate being pushed into revision mode in year 9

@seema189 Back in 2006, my DD1 did a school exchange to South Africa for the whole of the spring term. The boarding school she attended there was amazing but not reaching the uk curriculum. She was in y9. DD2 did the same in 2008. I was fairly relaxed about y11. Im not sure planning and worrying helps. Either dc get how to learn and revise, or they don’t.

I had didn’t have the kind of study habits you’re describing when I was young, but did well in my GCSEs because I was interested in the subjects. I did revise, but it didn’t look like “sit down and make sure I’ve consolidated this topic/make flashcards/take notes/do practice papers”. It was more “wow, I want to find out more about this”, “how does that work?”, “why did that happen?” - I was curious and enjoying learning rather than panicking about passing exams.

Maths was always an issue (dyscalculia), but I made it even more difficult by stressing myself out over it. A fantastic teacher reminded me that I only needed to scrape a pass, said it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t, encouraged me to ask questions as many times as I needed to, and helped me to enjoy (at least part of) it. Reducing the pressure made a huge difference, I was able to learn more effectively, and I passed just fine.

With my own kids I’ve tried to make the topics and the revision as fun and interesting as possible. Memory tricks for remembering facts is a good tool, and finding their preferred style (some people like flash cards, others prefer a mind map, some benefit from adding illustrative doodles to notes etc) was helpful. I also get them to teach me, asking them questions about what they’re learning (not as if I was testing them, as if I was genuinely interested in hearing more): explaining ideas/events/concepts can really help with understanding and retaining information. One has already finished and had great results. The other is in the process now, and is on track to do well.

I’d advise trying to relax about it for now. Too much pressure too soon can have a negative impact, and you risk burning him out before he’s even got to year 11.

Please stop. You’re putting unnecessary pressure on your child before they’ve even started their GCSE coursework. Has your child expressed any concerns? Most likely not! The school will teach your child how to revise. You hopping up and down pushing them to revise now (when there isn’t anything to revise) won’t help. The mock exams are there for a reason. They give students the opportunity to learn how to prepare for and sit exams. By pushing now, you run the very real risk of burning your child out way before the exams even arrive.

Schools now seem to do continuous testing (definitely none of that when I was at school!) So they get into the habit of preparing for tests. DD is in year 10 and some weeks they have set as homework to make revision cards. They have also had some sessions in form on different ways to revise.

If I were you I wouldn’t worry about it too much at this stage, but perhaps discuss the schools approach at parents evening. Year 10 and 11 can be a long haul so unless kids are behind it’s good to let them go through the process over the 2 years - a decent school knows what it’s doing

I have a child in Y12 and one in Y9.
There is no need for anything extra for GCSEs just yet. Y11 is a long slog. Don’t burn your child out too soon! Follow the school’s lead into Y10 and 11. Schoolwork, homework. Any set revision. Y9 is far too soon to start worrying.

Mine started GCSE content in year 9 for both science and History. History was the last term so they made flashcards as soon as they covered the topic that day. Better to do that than try to make all the flashcards in year 11.

Science was because they don't offer triple science as an option, everyone does combined science and then only 1 class from each side of the school does triple science as they accelerate the teaching as the class can keep up. This is done in the normal timetable block for science. They still do 4 option subjects too.

Mine honed their revision skills with end of topic tests and end of year tests pre year 10. They preferred flashcards to mind maps or knowledge dumping so we helped them look into the best way to make flashcards.

The best advice is this summer over the 6 week holidays would be to read the books they will cover in English Lit and possibly look at what themes they will be looking at. Any film of it too especially Shakespeare as it is meant to be watched, not read, it helps them understand it. Also learn or at least look at the 15 poems they will study too. The CGP revision book on this was used in class by my children. Maybe look at some random poems and see how well your child can start to understand what they are about, this applies to song lyrics too.

It is too early to look at past papers or revision as such because they haven't covered the content yet. But learning what works for them on memory recall is the key to success. GCSEs of today cannot be compared to the past, they are very content heavy and do require revision. Even if they are not doing this at home they are doing it in class.

You should get them to cover the 70 lessons on crackmaths, they cover the qualification called level 2 functional skills, which is all stuff assessed in the GCSE, but is also a separate qualification equivalent to a grade 4/C, so if they get that in their back pocket its a real safety net. The lessons are also really well explained and give an excellent grounding for the GCSE.

I really wouldn’t worry at all in year 9 unless your dc grades are not what they are capable of.

My dc just kept on top of school work year 9 and 10 - literally nothing else. Year 11 did minimal study for mocks then before the actual exams did the equivalent of 2-3 days study for each of the (many!) exams. I don’t recommend this approach but they just couldn’t focus and were quite naturally bright. Lowest mark was a 7, most were grade 8 with a couple of 9s. All on the strength of paying attention in class (small classes, good teachers, private school) and then a big push on the home straight. I don’t think my blood pressure ever quite recovered!

I think it depends on the child. My eldest was very committed and revised without being prompted. Twins are not so keen/self motivated.

I think saying "I did no revision and did well" is not really helpful. Most DC need to do some work – revision, consolidation, past papers (much later for those) whatever you call it.

@seema189 I assumed from your OP that your DS in year 9 has started his GCSE work having picked options last year. But I see others infer he doesn't start GCSE work until year 10 (which is more common tbf). If it's the latter then there is even less reason to worry just yet.

In terms of how quick my DC were to revise and self-study, IME it’s difficult to make them do it. I felt my role was to provide physical support (place to study, stationery, any revision books, snacks) and also be supportive as in be available to test or help as needed, but basically it’s got to come from the DC themselves. But encourage the habit of HW and test revision now by all means.

What you need to know about is spaced repetition: https://ncase.me/remember/

I think he should be practicing revising poperly for tests now.
So not doing extra just because, but if he knows that in 2 weeks there is a test on X then practicing making revision notes / mindmaps, revising then recalling etc etc. So he learns what works for him.

Does your ds’s school do end of year exams each year, and do they test each term/ during term? Dd in y10 has a mini test at end of every topic and a termly subject test using real gcse questions now, and then end of year tests. This is a step up from Y9, but testing has always featured in her school life since y7 so revision technique is now second nature. But I know schools where the approach is different and results are still good.

My DD’s school is a fairly academic comprehensive state school. They select options inY9. Every year there is a presentation to the parents which includes study tips and techniques including various apps, addresses what parents can do to support, and so on. It also covers mental health and how to survive and succeed at KS4.

Her primary school best friend went to a school where the approach is very different and no very formal tests until end of y9. I am not sure how they instil revision habits there. But they still get good results (not stellar but above average).

So I’d let the school take the lead on the approach.

My dd loves Seneca and it has really improved her science results. She also loves Bitesize - it’s a very good resource if you have a less-than-fabulous teacher (often a problem at a state school).

She uses various apps and websites - there are loads and her subject teachers recommend ones that they think will help her best. You could ask at Parents evening (we cover a lot in the 5 min online slot!)

For start of y10 I also equipped dd with relevant revision books purchased 2nd hand for all her subjects.

I do not organise or supervise my DD’s home learning at all. She neither wants nor needs my intervention. A few times she has made me talk her through a maths topic or help her revise but it tends to annoy her as I “don’t help her enough” and she feels I waste her precious time!

Nonsense. I didn’t revise once for my GCSEs and did well. Your kid is in year 9… if you go at them hard now they’ll burn out by the time they sit their exams.

There is a continuous cycle of testing - there are end of topic tests, then end of year exams, then at least one set of mock exams. For each test/exam your DC will be expected to revise. I think it's good to get them into the habit of revising for each test/exam, making sure they know the subject thoroughly as they go along and ideally to make good notes they can refer back to.

However, you can lead a horse to water ... but you can't force a reluctant child to revise and make useful notes. So if you have one such, I would not panic. As long as they are keeping up with school work and doing some preparation for tests this is not a disaster. Many DC can't see the point in Year 9, but become more studious in Year 11. Actually "this is not a disaster" should be a mantra. MN will have you believe that anything less than grade 9s is absolutely dreadful, but actually as long as your DC is doing enough for the next step, then that is probably "good enough". in fact even if your DC isn't doing enough for the next step, that doesn't make it a disaster, it just makes it a longer road.

DD is in Year 10. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry just yet.

Once your DC has started their GCSE courses in Year 10, you will get a much better picture of which subjects (if any) they could require more support with and, at DD’s school at least, they have started to build revision sessions in at the end of each module ahead of the assessment exam. The assessment exams give an excellent idea of how DC is likely to perform in their GCSEs.

We have just had parents evening for DD & have been reassured that the aim in exam subjects is to be “finished” with the syllabus by March of Year 11 & have plenty of in school revision guidance ahead of the actual GCSEs.

In short, wait until Year 10 at least before worrying 😁.

I will add that he did all his homework and all the extra sessions provided by school and did v well