GCSE revision - it feels like Ds is learning everything for the first time

[bloomsburyavenue]

I posted this earlier in Secondary Education but have no replies yet.
Ds started revising before Christmas and has been working through topics as listed on the syllabus for each subjects. I’ve been helping with sciences and am now worried about the time it’s taking. It feels like everything he’s learning is the first time he’s seen it. This means it’s taking ages to go through everything. He’s currently only covered about 3 full topics in each science so there’s loads more to do before he even starts past papers etc. We’re using YouTube videos (freesciencelessons etc), followed up with revision books but only manage a couple of sub topics a session as it’s so much to take in.

Not sure what to do, I’m starting to panic!

Not sure op but I.m sure this is pretty normal? We can't hold all the info in our heads..

Same here. It’s rubbish. I’m having to lower my expectations significantly, the mocks were a big shock. I was also shocked at how difficult GCSEs are! The amount of content is horrifying. definitely trying to revise strategically here.

Thank you so much for answering. I actually woke up having a hot sweat in the night.
@Candleabra I’m absolutely shocked too. There’s so much to go through and it’s so much harder than I thought so you can’t do loads in one go or it’s too much to take in. I don’t know what approach he should take really as you kind of need to learn it all to understand the subject but is that possible before May?

We’re just focussing on the subjects required for a levels and maths. Got all the revision guides. Listening to podcasts. Trying to do as many exam style questions as possible. Exam techniques - including answering the actual question! This was a major issue in the mocks. Just writing down everything they knew about the topic without actually answering the question (particularly ones like “compare A with B…”)
Also trying not to stress out too much. It’s only exams.

I would recommend buying a copy of "Teach yourself how to learn" by Sandra Yauncy McGuire. Very few young people are taught how to learn so they have ineffective study strategies such as just reading and highlighting.

I'd also recommend sharing this with your son: ncase.me/remember/

Yep, same with DS1 last year, the teaching is generally shite in his (supposedly outstanding) school, so I wasn't that surprised.

We're finding the revision cards to be the most use. They're quick and build confidence when he knows the answers. The school are doing the 'exam length' questions in class, the cards at home check he actually knows the answers to build into exam worthy answers.

If he gets an answer wrong he checks in the revision guide, learns it and we re test it later that week. I just thought it was better than starting at the beginning of the revision guides and risk running out of time to revise what he actually doesn't know! The cards give him a snap shot of what he should actually be revising rather than a random few pages each day.

We do two subjects each night - 2 to 3 cards from each subject. I choose at random from the pack and put the 'done ones' at the back so we're on a different area of the subject each night.

I've really noticed an improvement and, in the current round of tests they've had, he's got between a 7 and 9 in each subject. Pre Christmas that was 5 - 7. Obviously that's not a true indication of his 'proper' results but it's showing him the cards are working.

nothing you can do except keep going as you are. Best wishes

That sounds amazing @LondonJax. Which revision cards are you using? We’ve got the cgp ones but haven’t looked at them yet.

the best revision cards are the ones you make yourself

Also try "quizlet" making cards on here can be ok, but the free subscription doesnt get you pictures

make your own quizlet cards though, no guarantee that other people's are right

We got the CGP ones for the appropriate exam board - so Edexcel for the sciences (they do combined and triple sciences), AQA for geography. I checked them with the teachers to get the right level (so higher maths or foundation maths). A couple of our DS's teachers use them as 'shout out' test cards in class so I knew they rated them.

CGP are the people who make the revision guides @Nimbostratus100 so they're definitely correct! And the cards have sections noted in the top right hand corner. That corresponds with the relevant section in the revision guide.

So, if they get the answers wrong, they can just go to that section in the contents page and find the appropriate area of the revision guide to study.

We're just finding it's focussing his revision rather than a bit of a 'blind panic' as he, obviously, doesn't know what he doesn't know (if YSWIM) He doesn't waste time over-studying areas he's strong on.

And the cards can be done quickly. It takes us about 20 minutes each night to cover 6 cards, if he knows the answers.

It's the same with DD. They got their mock results in Friday and I've no idea what to do, they've had tutoring for English, maths and science but they got 2 in everything.
It's soul destroying.

I don't understand why this cohort are not helped like the last two due to lockdown. In my opinion, many should have been given the option of repeating year 10.

DD meanwhile has given up, they are so upset about it and said they've got no chance of sixth form or their chosen career now. I'm trying my best to make them feel better but I'm very worried.

As a teacher, I would strongly recommend the following:

1. Cognito learning videos on YouTube. Great for sciences, short but all key information. Only watch the subtopics that your child finds most difficult.
2. Seneca online quizzes. It remember which questions you got wrong and keeps testing you on your weaknesses. Available for most subjects and exam boards. An excellent resource!!
3. CGP revision cards, as mentioned above. Those that were answered correctly, move to a 'done' pile, those that were not put in the 'look at again' pile.
4. Past paper practice but only once baseline knowledge is learnt.

In terms of revision, I'd pick maybe 3 subjects to focus on each day, and spend about 15-20 per subject. Short and frequent is best.

@ReformedWaywardTeen are they planning to go to 6th form in their current school? If so it's worth having a chat with the teachers or 6th form head. In our school, if they don't achieve the grade needed to get into their 6th form choice, they can resit whilst still being part of the 6th form. Basically, they're guaranteed a place but the courses they sit (or resit) will be dependant on the grades they got

@turtletum - Seneca is brilliant isn't it? DS's school sets a lot on Seneca. I like it because I can see how well he's doing (or not) so it's not a surprise and we can help him (with what little we actually know!)

Get your dc to go through each specification with a set of pens or stickers. Label each topic:

Green - know it - confident

Yellow - reasonably ok. Could do with a bit of work.

Red - didn't understand it/don't even remember doing this!

Then start them off turning reds to yellows and then aim to turn all the yellows to greens. Greens at the start can be left til last just to brush over.

My ds used this technique and went up at least 2 grades in most subjects.

Children often revise what they like most but this is often the stuff they know best! This method gets round that. Good luck!

Could you afford a reputable tutor? So you have a realistic plan for what he really needs.

I sympathise and imagine it’s quite hard to navigate.

It is harder for these Covid DC it really is and this year they have to learn more than last year

I think it's a lot of information for all the GCSEs they're having to cover

Fortunately schools have revision after school the students can attend if they want and they really all need to be going to that, with other pupils and teachers to ask if need be.

It's a good zone to be in surrounded by others beavering away

@ReformedWaywardTeen not to derail, but resitting year 10 cant possibly work for a whole cohort..you can't stop everyone else moving up so you'd have an extra year group in the school.

I used to be a science teacher.

• Very normal for revision to feel like starting afresh. A stupid question, you’re doing the correct syllabus?
• Most marks in exams are lost on poor skills or poor exam technique. Things like ticking one box when the question says “tick two boxes” or when it says “number the boxes”, ticking a box instead.
• A significant portion of the exam will be based on maths/stats/graphs.
• The questions on practicals/experiments hold a lot of weight for something that’s quick to learn.
• Remember they have a periodic table in the exam - don’t try to learn it, learn to use it. Know the patterns. If you know that one group gets more reactive as you go down then you don’t need to learn the individual elements’ features, you know the rule.
• Past papers are, by far, the quickest way to learn how to pass the exam. They’re more reflective of the exam than the textbook (obviously) and you’ll learn the pitfalls (which is where marks are lost). They recycle a lot of questions.

Some of the best scientists in the world wouldn’t pass a GCSE paper because they don’t test “science”, they test “science GCSE”.

Hold your nerve OP, it sounds like there is a lot to do but you can make a difference before May if you both stick at it. I’m wondering though if you could try and get some more specific help from your child’s teachers and school? They should be able to help you figure out which would be the best resources and methods to use to make progress ? I don’t mean hand the job over to school, as your DC needs to connect to the study and get used to thinking learning and remembering and answering, which clearly hasn’t happened that well up to now, but a decent teacher should be able to help you focus on a good plan of work for your child to improve. Might avoid wasting time or getting lost in masses of information.

Sorry to hear! Gutting.

Hope you get to follow it uo with school as her results were so far from expected?

Im wondering - is this an issue with exam technique?

I tutored my ADHD son through high school and on to university. I'm not that familiar with UK exams but I don't think they are too dissimilar to ours. There was never enough time to do everything and if I started too early, he'd forget stuff. Look at as many past exam papers as you can. Are there particular questions that have been asked regularly for the past decade? Get cram books. Get him to tackle questions - just do a rough go at it armed with the cram book. Then do the rest of the revision - it should seem more relevant to him with those questions in mind. I must admit we got flummoxed when circle geometry which had featured in this dreadful geometry exam wasn't included but arrays were. Arrays were hardly even taught. We though he'd missed the circle question because they can sometimes be a bit obscure. There was a huge public outcry about the exam. The good thing was that everybody did badly and they must have scaled until the marks positively squeaked. He got a respectable pass.

Im confused, what's all the 'we' business? Your child is sitting the exam surely, not you?