Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

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

Year 11 GCSE countdown. Revision angst begins.

999 replies

Fastenurseatbelts · 01/04/2014 13:55

Ok. DS1 has broken up for Easter and we now have to all accept that this is it. He has been doing dribs and drabs since mocks in February and an hour- ish in the evenings of stuff set by teachers.

Nowhere near what I remember doing for my o'levels a million miles ago. Friends tell me their kids are doing nothing yet. Not sure I believe them though!

Waiting for reality to kick in with him but he still seems to be treating it all like an end of topic test in class!

What's happening in your house? Are you staying well out of it or like me walking round waving a CGP guide 24/7!!!!!

OP posts:
Phaedra11 · 01/04/2014 15:01

I, too, am waving revision guides around hopefully. Now and again I have intense chats with DS where he tells me how ambitious he is for the future, what he wants to do and how important it is to him that he does lots of revision to get the best possible marks he's capable of. Then he goes off and plays Minecraft.

KatyMac · 01/04/2014 15:10

DD started at half-term and has done a considerable amount

Voluntarily without argument or nagging wonders why

I am astounded!!

Phaedra11 · 01/04/2014 15:14

To be fair on DS, he has done some revision but not as much as I would have liked him too, and he has needed some prompting to do it.

Probably 1 to 2 hours on a school evening and about three or four hours on a Saturday or Sunday.

sweetfluffybunnies · 01/04/2014 15:18

DS's wifi has been limited to one hour on a Saturday and a Sunday, as he has shown himself to be completely unable to self-regulate. If he needs the internet for revision he can either use the family pc downstairs, or an ipad. It caused huge ructions to begin with but he seems to have accepted it now, and is starting to really knuckle down.

DD on the other hand (twins) has been hard at it since mocks in February and seems totally on top of it, never needs reminding. How can two children of the same age and with the same upbringing be so different?

Phaedra11 · 01/04/2014 15:19

Aagh, should have previewed my message.

Now every MNer reading this will wonder what chance DS has when his mother doesn't know when to use to or too in a sentence Blush

sweetfluffybunnies · 01/04/2014 15:22

Reading the other posts, is there a gender difference? Or is it more a difference in developmental stage, with girls in general just being a bit more mature than boys at this age?

Actually it seems a bit unfair on DS that he has to cope with GCSE's when he is still in the throes of puberty (a bit of a late developer!), with the inherent brain wipe that entails, whereas DD is well beyond all that.

napoleonsnose · 01/04/2014 15:33

Our dining room table is now out of use until after the exams are over as its covered with DD's books and revision notes. I'm not too bothered as she can work whilst still being part of the family and the noise doesn't seem to bother her at all. She is very driven and motivated and wants to do well. I just hope she can live up to her own high targets otherwise I fear a few tears on results day. She has done far more than I ever did already!

TheBigBumTheory · 01/04/2014 15:44

I don't get involved, DD puts enough pressure on herself and works hard. She coped well with the mocks. It will be lovely when we have the lull between the GCSES and 6th form.

bruffin · 01/04/2014 15:50

DD seems to be getting on with it. She has first exam tomorrow, which is photography. Unfortunately have DS doing A2s this year as well, so lots of added stress Sad

Leeds2 · 01/04/2014 18:50

Have any of your Year 11s completed all, or part, of any of their GCSEs yet? I was surprised to learn that DD has already done 60% of her Spanish and (she thinks) 40% of English by way of controlled assessments. Also done 50% of Latin, and a geography project that didn't count for very much.

I think those of her friends doing Art have already completed it.

lightahead · 01/04/2014 19:14

In desperation last year I took to reading out loud from CGP revision guides whilst DS1 lay in bed either sleeping or faking sleep, hoping something would sink in. He did pass 11 GCSEs with good grades so perhaps this is a tactic to adopt to ease parental anxiety!

TheBigBumTheory · 01/04/2014 19:23

Dd has done English Language in November.

Ineedanewone · 01/04/2014 19:24

End of the road for dc4 and very much 'Who owns the problem?' I have however stumped up for revision guides and repeated the oft uttered mantra of work consistently but factor in breaks for exercise.
My dc4 is quite stroppy aboit the whole thing but at the end of the day, it is over to them to reap what they sow.
I will make sure there are nice foody treats around and trips to the cinema, as required.
This to will pass!!!

Ineedanewone · 01/04/2014 19:26

Also got Finals and AS going on with the others, sorting of rolling with it and lots of ' there, there'

TeaAndALemonTart · 01/04/2014 19:31

DS has been doing the stuff set by teachers and some past papers in maths but it's full steam ahead from this weekend onwards.

Bloody art is taking ages too.

yourlittlesecret · 01/04/2014 19:42

I have DS2 doing GCSEs and DS1 doing A levels.
GCSE revision starts in earnest this week although DS has being doing a little every day.
There is much revision done at school, almost every subject has finished the curriculum and so it's all revision. plus after school revision classes most days.
DS did very well in the mocks after minimal revision while playing minecraft so seems to know what he needs to do.

I won't get involved unless there is a problem but as Ineedanewone says nice treats. Come exam time DS2 will dither and get stressed. I help with TLC and treats.

Nocomet · 01/04/2014 19:49

Art, drama and music have consumed all spare time here, so very little revision has been done, except maths (maths mistress has always been a stickler for HW.

Art will continue to be a pain, final piece still to do(and DD is determined to get an A), music finished today (phew), drama exam tomorrow.

Revision starts in earnest second week of Easter (because I stupidly agreed to a school trip without knowing some exams are mid May)

So first few get three weeks revision (well the mocks got two as we forgot them), they'll be ok.

DDs dyslexic, she'll be totally happy with nice fat B's for everything except maths, science and art and science she'd probably get an A if the exam was tomorrow. (A* is a bit of a pipe dream for dyslexics)

Marni23 · 01/04/2014 19:49

DD has finished Drama so one down, ten to go. She has been doing some revision since Feb half term (I think/hope) but it's full steam ahead from Thursday when the Easter holidays start. I think her strategy mainly centres around past papers/mark schemes. I have got wine in (for me, not her!)

Jellykat · 01/04/2014 20:02

Rant alert!!
God its mayhem here in Wales, a lot of the GCSEs were taken in June last year and November and this January (DS2 was still only 15).. We're now into resits which we have to pay for (bogstandard State school), some of the boards count the best result overall, some the latest.. So i've had to find out which subject goes with which method.

Meanwhile the English Lang paper has been rewritten, Heads have written to the board stating the results are bizarre, apparently the minister has released a statement today stating 'No 1 factor led to the results' and that's that .. DS hasn't a hope of getting a C now, which he needs to get onto his grade 3 college course, which means he'll have to drop down to Grade 2 and be bored shitless for a year, despite getting the highest mark for the colleges' assessment.
DS is Dyspraxic, with a very very academic older brother, so the whole thing is really going to knock his confidence. Sad

I wish they'd just stop pissing around with the GCSEs, apparently they're changing it all next year again for chrissakes!

eatyourveg · 01/04/2014 20:20

ds has had his revision timetable on the wall for 3 weeks and tho not sticking to it completely, does at least do something every night. (Not enough imo)

School sent home a massive revision pack yesterday for each subject and there are after school and lunchtime revision sessions every day. There are more mocks after Easter as the Christmas ones were not good at all. Think school are panicking just as much as the parents. He breaks up on Friday but the first week he's in school every day for non compulsory revision classes.

Came home today saying he's lost 2 text books and his pencil case as well as his mathswatch CD which the teacher seems to set a lot of revision tasks from. I know come the middle of June when its all over I shall be exhausted

Jellykat · 01/04/2014 21:09

Aha, thanks eatyourveg, you've just reminded me i need to buy Scientific Calculator number 3 (since Sept!)

TeaAndALemonTart · 01/04/2014 21:16

Are CGP guides okay for both AQA and EDxel English lit/language?

eatyourveg · 02/04/2014 08:08

CGP publish AQA English specific guides but seemingly not an edexcel one. Confused Edexcel do publish their own though see here

SupportManager · 02/04/2014 08:51

Apt thread for us. DD year 11 , school holidays begin next week, but no holidays for DD at this stage! She has revison sessions most days of the 'holiday', starting Saturday morning. They've been having revision classes after school every day for weeks now, and these will ramp up after Easter.
School does seem to be panicking a bit, eg. letters home about non attendance at 2 revision sessions in Subject A, when the reason DD didn't go was she was at revision sessions for Subject B and C. Revision sessions overlap so the students have to prioritise / alternate.
At home, she does a weekly plan of what subject she's revising each night, usually about 1 or 1.5 hrs.
I listen, ask questions, test her on what she's learnt, provide drinks and snacks. Makes me happy when she has a break to meet her friends, go for a coffee, just get out of the house and get away from it .
All seems a lot more pressured than when I did my exams (about 100 years ago).

DustyDaisy · 02/04/2014 08:59

It is proving to be a source of conflict here, am trying to keep calm but ds needs a lot of motivation. He is naturally quite able, but seems to have got it in his head that he will revise for the subjects he wants to carry on with and not really bother with the rest. I expect him to achieve the best he is capable of in each subject.

Will be knuckling down over Easter (whether he is aware or not!)