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Original poster

What’s happened to GCSE study leave?

198 replies

Whywere · 02/05/2023 19:56

No study leave at all at DS school. Even once exams start. School say pupils grades are higher if they stay at school. Overall this is probably true but I’m thinking probably not for higher achievers.

What’s the arrangements at your school?

OP posts:
Ndd135632 · 02/05/2023 22:11

Study leave here starts next week. Gcse.

TheMarzipanDildo · 02/05/2023 22:12

Nimbostratus100 · 02/05/2023 20:04

but exams these days are much shorter than they were

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How long were exams back in the day? I had 24 GCSEs, a lot were an hour long but quite a few were 2.

lorn195 · 02/05/2023 22:13

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 02/05/2023 19:57

No study leave.

And 22 fucking exams .
How utterly ridiculous is that.

22

19 here, was 22 but 2 already done and dusted.

Can't believe they put the students through all that. Madness!

SecretVictoria · 02/05/2023 22:16

Loved mine, I’m old though, so it was 1996. Last full day of school was 9th May. Got up every weekday to play Super Mario World and eat Golden Grahams! Those were the days!

thesugarbumfairy · 02/05/2023 22:20

Mine has study leave starting next Friday. Which essentially means he only has 8 days left of school. Which is not the point but its freaking me out.
He is at state school in the next city. Our local school also has study leave but it doesnt start till half term in a months time.

yikesanotherbooboo · 02/05/2023 22:22

DD is 31 and didn't have study leave until the exams started ; nor did her younger siblings.

PriamFarrl · 02/05/2023 22:27

Dodgeitornot · 02/05/2023 21:50

This made me laugh out loud 😂

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I did shockingly badly at my GCSEs!

Dodgeitornot · 02/05/2023 22:29

PriamFarrl · 02/05/2023 22:27

I did shockingly badly at my GCSEs!

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I'm sure you got a great education in other areas 😂

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 02/05/2023 22:33

CeliaNorth · 02/05/2023 20:27

And 22 fucking exams

How many subjects? 2/3 papers per subject was the norm when I did O Levels, many years ago.

All the usual
subjects.

6 exams for science, I don't believe you did 6 sit down exams for science.

3 sit down exams for maths.

same
for geography, same for languages and so on

WimbyAce · 02/05/2023 22:38

SecretVictoria · 02/05/2023 22:16

Loved mine, I’m old though, so it was 1996. Last full day of school was 9th May. Got up every weekday to play Super Mario World and eat Golden Grahams! Those were the days!

Hehe same year as me! Loved study leave! I actually loved the whole process, exam timetable, floating in and out for when you needed to be there. Euro 96, Vindaloo and all that.......The 90s were great tbh.

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 02/05/2023 22:38

TheMarzipanDildo · 02/05/2023 22:12

How long were exams back in the day? I had 24 GCSEs, a lot were an hour long but quite a few were 2.

Show quote history

24 GCSE's? Come on now.... 🤔

WimbyAce · 02/05/2023 22:40

Sure some were 3 hours?

TrafficWardenRampage · 02/05/2023 22:41

Gosh I didn’t know this happened. My y13 private school kid finishes this Friday. He sometimes likes to go to the library and sometimes stays at home. He would hate being told he had to go in every day. Even after the exams end? How stupid.

YorkshirePuddingsGreatestFan · 02/05/2023 22:47

No study leave and children are in school until the exams finish. We've got a revised timetable so they drop subjects as they complete the exams and do extra revision lessons for exams they have left to do.

They've also cut lunchbreak to 20 mins and added an extra 30 mins revision session, and added an extra one hour lesson onto the end of the school day. We live rurally and buses are rubbish. She is leaving the house at 7.20, getting home about 5.30-6pm, having something to eat, doing her homework and going to bed.

She's absolutely exhausted already and the exams haven't even started yet.

If you don't attend the lunch and after school revision sessions, you get banned from the prom.

It's horrific and too much pressure IMO.

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 02/05/2023 22:50

holaholiday · 02/05/2023 20:50

Ours are in school now…the change started last year and that cohort got the schools best ever gcse results so I’m all for it.

Last year the grades were artificially set higher than normal years due to covid and the TAGs grade inflation. Could be nothing to do with study leave.

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 02/05/2023 22:53

Dc has no wish to go to prom. Will start study leave early once exams start due to health issues. Generally revises better at home so hopefully will work well.

anothername2d · 02/05/2023 22:54

Regular standard secondary school here in Hertfordshire and mine finish next Thursday 11th May with GCSEs starting the following Monday 15th May.
23 EXAMS
I wish they were in school tbh, would help them study...

Rightnowstraightaway · 02/05/2023 23:03

Eh?! How do they find time to revise?!
Do they all do group revision? I'd have hated that!

user4750 · 02/05/2023 23:04

Ds2 is on exam leave already. First gcse exam tomorrow afternoon. Ds1 finishes for A Level study leave next Wednesday and has his first A Level exam a week later.

user4750 · 02/05/2023 23:04

Independent school though

FatGirlSwim · 02/05/2023 23:08

It’s bonkers. School’s answer is ‘most pupils don’t study if they stay home’. I’m keeping ds off to revise anyway. I wouldn’t be able to revise in school, and imo revision classes are useless, the work happens when they’re at home and no distractions.

FatGirlSwim · 02/05/2023 23:10

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 02/05/2023 22:38

24 GCSE's? Come on now.... 🤔

Show quote history

24 GCSE exams maybe? That would only be 2 exams per subject if taking 12 which isn’t uncommon.

PaigeMatthews · 02/05/2023 23:10

The school where I teach has not had study leave in years. The timetable changes to reflect the exams that week from the 15th may. Also means gain time had all but gone too.

Fifthtimelucky · 02/05/2023 23:18

CeliaNorth · 02/05/2023 20:27

And 22 fucking exams

How many subjects? 2/3 papers per subject was the norm when I did O Levels, many years ago.

Quite.

And for languages there were more. I did French and German O Level. That involved 10 exams (albeit short ones) just for 2 subjects!

SilverSilverStreet · 02/05/2023 23:26

WimbyAce · 02/05/2023 22:40

Sure some were 3 hours?

My A level papers were 3 hours long.

Here is one It’s a different exam board but from the same year.

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