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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 8hrs of study a day is unnecessary

167 replies

sillistudi · 01/04/2023 08:28

School newsletter says year 13s study for forthcoming a-levels should be aiming for 8 hours of study a day over the Easter holidays. Really???! Seems excessive to me! My DC are a couple years off a-levels but I can't see how that is necessary... so I'm interested, those with dc at that stage or just through it, is that level of study really needed?

OP posts:
NotTerfNorCis · 01/04/2023 08:37

I used to do that, but it was unusual. Are your DCs at a private school?

Chocolateydrink · 01/04/2023 08:42

I'd assume that just means they should be working full time on studying for their exams. I wouldn't necessarily take that literally. My DDs are y9 and y10 at a state school and have exams coming up and will choose to study a few hours every day, I'd assume that will increase as they get closer to GCSE and A level.

midgemadgemodge · 01/04/2023 08:43

Not every day I would say

Also depends how much works they have done through the year

Pretty sure that's what DD did however near enough

BitOutOfPractice · 01/04/2023 08:44

I did. My dd1 did.

I still believe A levels were the hardest exams I ever did (I have a degree!) and with the most pressure on them. This close to the exams I’d expect a good student to be putting the hours in tbh.

Girasoli · 01/04/2023 08:45

I never did quite 8h but I did used to spend pretty much a whole day studying for a levels- I'd go to the town library with my friends in the morning, stop for lunch, then go back after and stay till about 4pm. The quiet study section was always packed around exam time with teens and uni age students.

nosyupnorth · 01/04/2023 08:45

Classic negotiation tactic.
Most teens don't like doing what they're told and will try to do as little as they feel they can get away with. If the school says eight hours every day, most kids will take that as a couple of hours on most days. If they said a few hours a few times a week you'd get kids doing one hour twice a week.

mummywithtwokidsplusdog · 01/04/2023 08:46

I would read that as study like a school day ie. Start at 9, do an hour and have a break, then another hour, break/ lunch, couple of hours in the afternoon and then do some exercise and have evening off… ? Doesn’t seem unreasonable if have conditions for a uni place based on a level results?

TooManyCoasters · 01/04/2023 08:47

My Y13 will do that on some days but not every day. We are going away for five days to Scotland so they won’t be studying then. He is predicted four A stars and is diligent.

I know from previous kids that A Levels are a long haul. And that without breaks, kids burn out. They need some time off. To recover and as incentives. Eight hours a day till A Levels is not always a constructive use of time.

Nimbostratus100 · 01/04/2023 08:47

sounds about right, revision should be full time by this stage

Nimbostratus100 · 01/04/2023 08:48

but it is very important to have a proper time table, with a proper spread around the subjects, and proper breaks

TooManyCoasters · 01/04/2023 08:49

My son needs two A stars and two As. If he works eight hours a day from now till June 23rd then I doubt he will get the grades he needs. Some breaks are vital.

Albiboba · 01/04/2023 08:50

It’s really not that over the top if you’re in a school that pushes for high grades.

JessicaBrassica · 01/04/2023 08:57

I was expected to work 9-5 in the Christmas and Easter holidays from y10 (January exams).

There wasn't much else to do though so it was OK. I can't see my kids ever doing that.

cptartapp · 01/04/2023 09:11

DS2 is doing Maths, Biology, Chemistry and did well in his mocks. He's diligent but won't be doing anywhere near eight hours every day, I still want him to go to work, play football, watch F1 etc.

BitOutOfPractice · 01/04/2023 09:14

Nimbostratus100 · 01/04/2023 08:48

but it is very important to have a proper time table, with a proper spread around the subjects, and proper breaks

Making revision timetables was, without doubt, the best part of revision 😃

thegrain · 01/04/2023 09:16

Up to them really.

CupEmpty · 01/04/2023 09:16

Wow I’m shocked by this. Poor kids they must be exhausted. I did my a levels about 15 years ago and went on to medical school. I probably did 1-2 hours of study outside of school a day. I had a weekend job so less then. I did 5 instead of the usual 3 and got all As (which was the highest grade at the time, no A*). I know that’s not average/ typical but my point is I feel sorry for students now, that would feel relentless.

WithIcePlease · 01/04/2023 09:18

Fwiw I said 6 hours a day of proper work (no phone scrolling/texting etc) was the aim

So basically if day split into morning, afternoon and evening, 3hrs morning and afternoon and go out in evening or 3hrs morning and evening and go shopping or gym in afternoon

They were motivated and stuck to this for the most part. DD2 probably did more as she was determined to get an A in maths

WonderingWanda · 01/04/2023 09:19

This is a how long is a piece of string type question. You know your kids op. Consider what grades they are aiming for? What grades they are already achieving. What feedback their teachers have given and how hard they have been working. For some students a break will be more beneficial if they generally work themselves into the ground and are getting top grades consistently. For the coasters who have done naff all and are failing they probably need to be working all day every day to give themselves a fighting chance.

Seeline · 01/04/2023 09:22

Easter holidays are the last big push before exams. They have about 3 weeks back at school before exam leave, so very little time to go over bits they really don't understand. The Easter holidays are when they find those bits.
My DD was probably doing about 6 hours most days over the holidays and during study leave last year. Probably 3 hours after school in the run up to exams. She got 3xA* so it worked.
They have probably mid-June to at least mid-September off before going to uni so plenty of time to recover!

x2boys · 01/04/2023 09:26

Mumsnet is ridiculously over the top.with exams and revision ,my son is in year eleven , he's just missed the last half term at school.due to being inn critical care for a necrotic pancreas,he nearly died in February that puts everything into perspective,I have told him to.try and study.for an hour.a day if possible , he will just have to.take his exams as they come

Lemonsole · 01/04/2023 09:26

A-level students need to use this last chance that they will have for a break before their exams start. They'll not take one in May half term, as that will be the last week before the final three-four weeks of exams. But they cannot be expected to go from Feb half term through until the end of June without a break, and be at their peak performance when it counts.
I have told my students (I'm an A-level teacher) and DS that they will be taking a three-four day break now, and then return to their books in the second week.
There are more students who are exhausted from Plan B mocks, more Covid, coursework and overwork, than there are who genuinely need to do a fortnight of 8-hour days.
I get really cross when messages aren't targeted those who need to hear them: blanket instructions like this will be water off the backs of the gaming addicts, but over-absorbed by those who are already doing enough.

thegrain · 01/04/2023 09:27

WonderingWanda · 01/04/2023 09:19

This is a how long is a piece of string type question. You know your kids op. Consider what grades they are aiming for? What grades they are already achieving. What feedback their teachers have given and how hard they have been working. For some students a break will be more beneficial if they generally work themselves into the ground and are getting top grades consistently. For the coasters who have done naff all and are failing they probably need to be working all day every day to give themselves a fighting chance.

Tbh I think the coasters would potentially just get more anxious and do themselves more harm if they try to cram it all in last minute

WonderingWanda · 01/04/2023 09:31

@thegrain , I do get what you are saying but as a coaster at school I did a fair bit of last minute cramming and managed to get an acceptable grade. Not my full potential but enough to get to Univesity where I finally bucked my ideas up. I think anxiety is trotted out far too easily these days and we aren't teaching kids any resilience in life by constantly letting them off the hook. But that's a whole different thread.

ChristmasSirens · 01/04/2023 09:45

You know your kids best. I was a very hard worker at that age, but for me the most important thing about the school holidays was getting enough rest.

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