Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

How much revision is your yr11 child doing?

35 replies

Inncogneetow · 01/04/2013 22:43

I'm pleased with ds1's approach: he doesn't seem stressed and seems to be doing "enough".

He has all his exams this summer (not done modular courses etc.), so has 17 exams, but most are just 1hr. Some subjects, eg Eng Lang and Maths he doesn't need to revise for, just complete the practice work set for homework. He is on track for very high targets for all subjects.

This Easter hols in total he has about 15 hours of set homework to complete and is doing 10 hours of planned revision. (He does focused 30 min slots.) Also going into school for 5 hrs one day for workshops.

So is the average mumsnet child doing more or less than this?

OP posts:
ICanTotallyDance · 02/04/2013 10:44

Does his school have a good track record of keeping predicted grades/attaining high grades? He seems to be doing enough. GCSEs (and equivalents) aren't so important in the educational scheme of things, so long as he stays on for 6th form (otherwise they are quite important).

If his school has a bit of a dodgy record, I'd up the revision a bit, but if they're a good school and confident in him, I'd say he's just fine. Good luck to you both.

webwiz · 02/04/2013 10:51

DS did 15 hours of revision over the Easter weekend, he is in school all day today and tomorrow doing something for music (not sure what!) and he has friends coming round afterwards to do some history revision. He has three days in school next week but is planning to do another 30 hours of personal revision on top of this to give a good start. He does have some bits of homework as well but not much.

He isn't the slightest bit stressed and is just getting on with it. He already has an A* in English language but apart from a few science modules and one English lit paper he still has everything left to study for.

DS could probably get away with less but has been coasting a bit lately so has spare energy to go for it!

mumslife · 02/04/2013 13:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

webwiz · 02/04/2013 14:01

DS's school recommended the 4hr/2hr thing as well mumslife - DS has just started revising so wanted to get some extra hours in while its the holidays. He has his first written exam 6 weeks yesterday as well but has a drama practical exam on May 8th so at least that's one gcse out of the way.

NeitherShreddedNorSmug · 02/04/2013 14:04

DS is doing a couple of hours every morning and afternoon - so about 4 in total, and going over French and Latin vocab in the evenings. He seems happy enough with what he's doing. School have given him plenty of past papers to try, and he's been looking up the marking schemes on line once he's had a bash at the papers.

Original poster
Inncogneetow · 02/04/2013 14:42

ds1's school told parents in a session that there is no point for A/A* students to spend hours ploughing through past papers: they should just focus on the bits they know they don't know, or the higher mark questions and work on those... Then half the teachers set practice exam papers as homework.

ds1 seems to work best with a focuses session of 30-45 mins.

Icantotallydance - I don't know how accurate the school is at predictions. They do get top grades, but not loads of them. Last year certainly under performed in Maths. But ds1 got his predicted science grades in modules last summer, so hopefully that's positive.

OP posts:
webwiz · 02/04/2013 14:59

DS needs to work through past papers because he has a habit of getting the hardest question on the paper right and the easiest one wrong Hmm

A mix of learning and testing works best for him.

Startail · 02/04/2013 15:22

Don't worry, I bet he'll read the easy ones properly in the real exam and get them right then.

I admire all you organised parents who know how much revision your DCs are doing. DD1 is in Y10. She does disappearing to her room, whether she is revising, watching iplayer or reading fantasy books, who knows?
The lap top flies back to BBC bitesize by the time I've opened the door.

Left to her own devices, she does work and mind maps and things appear on her walls. I don't nag, she's to much like me, nagging is very likely to be counterproductive.

StephofArc · 02/04/2013 15:36

DD is doing about 6 hours a day, although she's in a different situation to most. We're also doing one day a week until her French exams of only communicating in French (with lots of looking things up and miming). I highly recommend it, DD was reluctant at first but the difference it's made is huge, after two days over 2 weeks.

webwiz · 02/04/2013 15:55

I know what DS is doing because he's been working at the kitchen table. DD1 and DD2 are home from university and have work/revision to do so they have been keeping him company.

We've just had PILs staying for the past five days and so revising has been a better option than answering a million questions from Grandma about your lovelife!

Jobforlife · 02/04/2013 16:30

DD is at her desk before she has had breakfast or got dressed. She's normally still at it by bedtime most days, but may have a break to watch a soap on telly. She's not stressed at all, just absolutely loves school work!! First exam May 10th (IGCSEs mainly, so a very heavy week 20-24th May, and 20 exams in total (virtually no coursework with IGCSEs, and no modular testing). I'm enjoying the whole experience, as when her elder brother did his GCSE's it was a complete nightmare. He didn't work at all, and we were all tearing our hair out!
I can honestly say, she will have done her very best, and we will celebrate her results no matter what they are, knowing she prepared the very best she could.

beafrog · 02/04/2013 16:44

Hmm... please can more parents of lazy boys add posts here... Mine has done next to nothing and when he is "revising" doesn't seem to be doing a great deal to me (wandering off to make cups of tea or to find more food every ten minutes). When I launch into my daily talk about how it is only a matter of weeks, this is really important, it will all be over soon and he just has to do his best etc. he gets annoyed and says I am putting him off. I appear to be the only person with a child who is not cheerfully doing hours of revision every day....

webwiz · 02/04/2013 16:50

I had one of those beafrog DD1 was a nightmare - we still talk about finding her wandering the house having a "break" after she'd been revising for precisely 4 minutes!

StephofArc · 02/04/2013 17:07

Oh trust me beafrog, DD is anything but cheerfully revising. But because of certain circumstances she knows she'll be redoing her GCSEs next year a year behind if she doesn't put the work in now, and the thought fills her with dread. Which means she's in no position to complain when I make her sit down and revise, and she knows it Grin

hellsbells99 · 02/04/2013 17:21

DD has started! Aiming to do 3ish hours per day. But has some art to do too. I am concerned though that for English Lit and all 3 sciences they haven't finished the syllabus yet. They only have approx 3 weeks left after the Easter hols before they break up for study leave ....and she has only just started reading Blood Brothers over the holiday and had 2 hours in class on it.

Startail · 02/04/2013 17:28

If DD1 is in the kitchen she'll be chattering to me or DH, not working or at least not working towards her GCSEs. A' levels yes, GCSEs no.

She's dyslexic, she finds things easier to remember if she understands the whole picture. Unfortunately living with two graduate scientists, a quick question frequently turns into half an hours in depth discussion.

She has other subjects than science and geography to learn and only so many hours in the day.

Original poster
Inncogneetow · 02/04/2013 18:03

Beafrog: I've had to be quite pro-active and far more involved than I've been for years to get ds1 to create a revision timetable and commit to some regular extra work.

But once he's got into it, he can see how much he's benefitting and feels good that he's actually doing something. So it's not been the battle that I anticipated. (He's not doing anything like the hours of many others on here, but I genuinely don't think he needs to!)

But if he does complete all the revision planned for the week, he gets to choose take-away on Friday night :-)

OP posts:
creamteas · 02/04/2013 19:20

Actually I have no idea.

DD says she is revising, but as she is in her room most of the time, I have no way of knowing.

But to me, that is how it should be. She is old enough to understand the consequences of not doing well, and to take responsibility for her actions (or inactions Grin)

Hullygully · 02/04/2013 19:23

good lord.

Ds is doing any yet, his first exam is mid may and they they are quite spread out.

Hullygully · 02/04/2013 19:23

isn't

MrsBartlet · 02/04/2013 19:28

DD didn't doing anything over the Easter weekend (except make a revision timetable!) She started today and is doing 2 subjects per day, 3 hours in the morning and about 4 hours in the afternoon plus rereading her English texts in the evening and learning a bit of Latin vocab each day. I have made sure she has given herself a coupe of days off over the rest of the holiday, though.

She is very driven - I can't imagine ds being like this when it is his turn!

MrsBartlet · 02/04/2013 19:30

The exams seem to be very nicely spread out. Dd has about half before half-term and half after it. I was in the last year to do O' Levels and we only had language orals before the half-term and everything was concentrated into a few weeks in June.

Original poster
Inncogneetow · 02/04/2013 20:36

ds1 has about 2/3 of his exams before half term, and almost all of the ones with a heavy revision burden. 7 weeks til half term!

OP posts:
RussiansOnTheSpree · 02/04/2013 21:17

I am told that DD1 is doing 4-5 hours a day. Plus practising. And she certainly brought a huge load of books, revision materials etc away with her. But I don't actually know she is revising. She might be doing anything in her room, really. I hope she is. But I can't do it for her.

lainiekazan · 03/04/2013 09:29

This thread has made my hair stand on end.

I have just torn the duvet off ds and yelled "carpe diem!" at him.

He is in year 10 but has three GCSEs this year. He has done absolutely nada.

Swipe left for the next trending thread