First term of yr12 over - working at grades / workload /much holiday work?

[circular]

Curious how its been for others with the 'big step up' from GCSE to to AS.

DD1 doesn't seem to have been getting much homework, possibly completing most of it in free periods. When I casually mention 'reading around a subject' she looks at me as though I'm from another planet, and says she is not interested in any of her subjects enough to do extra, apart from Music.

She would typically come home and say she got an D or U in (say) a Physics or French test, but then says half the class got a lower mark than her. This is at a school that gets around 60% A to B at A level., so selective 6th form. DD1 got 2A and 2A at GCSE in her AS subjects.

Had parents evening just after half term, and although then working well below ultimate targets, none of her teachers seemed unduly worried. No end of term report yet, but hearing subsequent test results, not expecting much change in grades.
DD1 Says she understands everything in lessons, teachers seem to agree, and think it is just more question practice that she needs. But unless work is actually set, she has no motivation to go and do any extra. She thinks past papers should be left till nearer exams, says text book is rubbish, and has found a few inaccuracies in study guides so pushed them aside too. Tried to get her to look at Khan academy site but not interested.

Does this seem normal, or should I be worried at this stage?
Anyone else seeing similar or are they all flying?

Metebelis3 I've PM'd you

DD also just finished her first term of Year 12. They have been told that they should be spending about as much time on each subject out of lessons as they spend in lessons, ie. 9 hours per fortnight.
For 3 subjects they are set weekly homework such as a couple of exam-style questions, which take a couple of hours per week (humanities subjects), and then she spends another couple of hours on revising, writing notes and wider reading. In the 4th subject, she is set hardly any actual homework, and has found it much harder to be motivated or know what to do.
Unfortunately, friends with children who have finished their A-levels tell me that just completing all homework in free periods will not lead to good grades!

RedValerian Thats about what I thought, which is why I try and drum into DD it's 3 hours a day on average. So taking most of the free periods not account, she should be doing at least 2 hours at home 5 or 6 days a week.
After yesterday's shenanigans, she realises how much maths she has already forgotten from the first half term so will be doing at least 3 hours today.

Metebilis, at my dd's school, Bs in tests in year 12 would be considered very good because they are marked at A level standard from day 1. I think a lot of schools do this. So I wouldn't worry.

Same here too, just a pity my DD hit Bs in maths within a few week, and had now forgot it all. Guess maths is different.

DD1 seems to be strikinga happy medium with school vs extracurricular vs social life. Goes to a concert band and ensemble group plus lessons in 2 instruments; Volunteers at a local uniform group; Meets up with friends on Friday and/or saturday; Tutors 3 youngsters in musical instrument for earning a bit of money; Helps out with a year 8 maths class once a week during a free. She is studying every night and weekends too. She went to the 6th form Xmas ball and she is loving the 6th form - and has matured so much since September!

That sounds a great balance hellsbells99.
DD also does loads of extra curricular - sport team, peer mentoring, choir, orchestra at school. Lessons in 2 instruments, music group voluntary work and 2 ensembles during the week. Plus a full day Saturday at Music school (and over 2 hours travelling) which includes lessons on her main instrument, more ensembles, choir, theory, aural and if she's lucky can get some homework done in her breaks.
But her socialising quire sporadic, just the odd shopping trip on a Sunday, or occasional meet up with friends from old school. Probably because Saturdays are out, and one evening to full to do much else.

No regular paid part time work.

I'd be worried OP.
This time last year DS was revising for the January modules. They have now been abolished.

Many, many of his friends who had wall to wall A* at GCSE got dreadful grades in those January exams. Apparently that was very common, they just don't realise how much extra work they should be doing above set homework. DS did well but not as well as he expected.
Last year they were able to pull their socks up and re-sit the exams in the summer. This year's Y12s won't have that luxury, and if they bomb in the June AS levels they will, at best, have to repeat a year.
Now in Y13 DS has put some hours in every day of the holidays so far, doing past papers in all subjects, watching lectures and some homework.

DS is lucky that we live a 30 minute walk from school so he doesn't have any travelling time. I just pick him up once a week when he has play rehearsals and they go on forever. Sometimes when they do a lot of different things it helps them to be more organised with their time and they get on with things without as much procrastination (I'm the same give me a day to do something and I'll take all day to get round to it but if only have an hour I'll just do it ).

DS does lots of things karate/guitar/prefect/school council/acting but he is using some of them as socialising time. He has karate friends and most of his group of friends at sixth form are in the school play as well. He quite often does something with friends on a friday night or a saturday afternoon but won't go to everything that's arranged, he had some friends round yesterday but today he's just been reading. He bought a kindle with some of his Christmas money and it arrived today so he's put a ridiculously ambitious number of classics on it for free.

Secretscwirrels I am worried, very.
AS courses are over so quick, so there seems to be much less time to turn the grades around than there wasfor GCSE.
Yesterday's maths escapade did shock her a bit, she went over all the stuff she got wrong this morning plus sone more revision and doing another past paper now. I'm expecting her to score at least double this time.

She never had straight A GCSEs either, but 2A and 2A in the subjects taken for AS.

I have mixed feelings about the removal of the jan modules - they definitely worked as a wake up but they give students so little time to get up to A level standard. If you didn't understand something in maths or a science subject straight away it was hard lines because you were going to be tested on it after just one term. Actually having a bit of time to sort things out can be a good thing if it means a concept falls into place or a later topic helps with the bits you didn't get originally.

DS has a full set of mocks after the feb half term which is something that his school have never done before. I suppose that's to show them how much work they still need to do to get good marks in the summer. DS got really jaded with all the exams and controlled assessments he did for GCSE so I'm hoping that as it will be a full year since any external exams that he'll find it easier to revise properly without being fed up before he even starts.

I think our lot did get really fed up with GCSE being 2 years of continuous controlled assessments and exams.

Mocks after Feb half term sounds about right, I know maths course for DD will be complete by then.

Circular - your DD is effectively at school 6 days a week which must be very hard. As webwiz has said, my DD also has a mocks week in feb - hopefully your DD has too.
All our DCs seem to lead very busy lives and I think it is important to keep a healthy balance. DD has done revision all day today but we are off to a party tonight and she probably won't do much tomorrow as we are seeing family. She seems quite mellow at the moment but the stress will begin next week with a unit 1 mock in chemistry.
Have a good New Years Eve everyone!

Hope there's a mock week in Feb here too, would make sense.
Maths didn't go well, slightly better mark than yesterday, but still a U.
Not partying tonight, but out tomorrow, although she will do some work before we go.

Happy new year to all.

My DS1 finished A2s this year.I know modular exams have gone now, but when they were in existence his (grammar) school never put any AS/A2 physics students in for January sittings because they just weren't ready.THey said that it began to 'click' in January /February and that was certainly true for DS and his circle of friends.Hopefully it will be the same for your DC
When you looking at previous A2 level grades, do be aware that the school will most probably turf anyone out with less than 3Ds at the end of Y12

Yes selective schools keep their results impressive by ruthlessly weeding out those who don't do well.
This article was entitled "we shoot a few just to encourage the others".
It's about how many selective and independent schools maintain their position in the league table.

The average sixth form college will bend over backwards to help the students, including allowing some to re take a year if they have slipped up.