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Original poster

Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

967 replies

Littleham · 23/11/2014 12:17

Is anyone else fed up with GCSE's and the stress they create? Thought I would start a support thread for the following few months. Mocks start next week at my dd3's school.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 12/02/2015 08:46

If I've understood my DD correctly they get 3 chances at the German speaking and the best two count. (that's AQA). She's got another sometime which she has to do after balking at the first try.

Sparklingbrook · 12/02/2015 09:07

Yes Errol that's it. So because of the 'ok' one DS1 needs this last one to be spectacular.

HSMMaCM · 12/02/2015 09:09

Tilly - she's done one speaking assessment. Massive stress meltdown, but did ok. Missed her first written assessment because she was ill, so now she's on catch up. French is her biggest challenge and we have already told her we are immensely proud of how well she has done so far, in a subject that's clearly not her forte.

TheWordFactory · 12/02/2015 09:10

I think the pep talks from schools can sometimes have the opposite effect to the intention.

DD told me that her friend was really distraught after the 'come on girls, you can do it' speech. She felt overwhelmed.

I just keep telling my kids that target grades are just that; a best case scenario and no one will die if they're not achieved!

I hope they're listening.

DD text me just now to say 84 days until her first examShock.

Sparklingbrook · 12/02/2015 09:19

YY Word. I think teacher after teacher basically saying to DS1 'You know what you have to do now you need to go away and do it' has caused a realisation that the ball really is in his court.

I don't think the having a break over Half term is going to be happening....

HSMMaCM · 12/02/2015 09:28

DD has a day looking at dance colleges (Move It) on Friday and a couple of days with friends over half term and some revision in between. All the teachers have basically told them it's down to them now and the teachers are available for questions and problems. One teacher stood up and walked out on the class for 15 mins yesterday (pausing to put soothing classical music on before she left), so it's clearly getting to them too.

HSMMaCM · 12/02/2015 09:29

She's taking biology a level and the biology teacher is trying to convince her to take chemistry with it, but she doesn't look interested. She's chosen dance, drama and psychology instead.

TeenAndTween · 12/02/2015 09:33

I've just scheduled revision/work for half term, a kind of 2 days on, 1 day off routine.

Targets are to get science revision cards up to date (including understanding it all), any CA prep or homework set, and practice some English. Anything else will be a bonus.

89 days for DD until first exam (not counting drama performance straight after Easter break).

Sparklingbrook · 12/02/2015 09:36

Apparently for DS1 there are some more mocks after Easter.....

TheWoollybacksWife · 12/02/2015 09:42

Tilly good luck to your DD for her physics. DD had her Biology result back yesterday and it wasn't good Sad Her class has been taught by three different teachers this year - none of them are Biology specialists and they are also without a physics teacher so I suspect her physics result will disappoint her too. I'm arranging a science tutor to start next week.

DD has gone into school very reluctantly this morning. She was off ill yesterday and her "friends" took great pleasure (in my opinion) in texting her to tell her that she hadn't done very well in the results they had back Angry In my day the teachers wouldn't give out the marks of absent pupils - but I am old.

I cannot even articulate how cross I am with one subject teacher. The mock exam was the first time the class had seen an exam question. The class had been concentrating on completing the coursework and haven't covered half of the theory. So the exam guide for that is on order.

She is devastated and already suffers badly from stress which affects her heart condition. I don't even know where to begin to pick her up from this.

ErrolTheDragon · 12/02/2015 09:56

Woolly - that sounds crap. Getting the tutor sounds like a really good idea. Surely your DD realises that if they hadn't covered the syllabus for some of the exam questions then the marks are artificially low?

I think there's a few subjects where they've not covered everything yet at DD's school but I'm sure that they're planning to carry on actually teaching after the mocks to get it done! One such subject is the electronics, there was a change of teacher after the first year and the current guy at parents' evening seemed a bit hazy as to what they'd not done yet (all the focus has been on the coursework, which DD has now finished and submitted). So she's planning to go through the book, work out what they still need to be taught and tell him after the halfterm. (which means of course also that if a question does come up in the mock she might have a clue!). I think she's planning on doing her DofE volunteering both the saturday afternoons, have one day where we go up to Ambleside to find her a good walking coat (belated birthday present) and work all the other days.

bigTillyMint · 12/02/2015 11:09

Oh woolly that sounds awful. How unprofessional to give out results to other pupilsAngry DD also suffers with stress and anxiety, so I know how difficult it is to get them back up on track. Plus your DD has a heart condition. Are the school supporting her at all?

Errol I feel Envy of your trip to Ambleside - such a lovely place.

SugarPlumTree · 12/02/2015 18:37

Woolly, really sorry to hear that and agree that is unprofessional giving the marks out. I think a tutor at this point is a very good idea.

Sparkling what a dreadful Mother you are not wanting to drive 24 miles to deliver a planner Grin

Parents evening has gone ok. Maths teacher is great and going to spend a bit of time with DD on her own. Lack of confidence was a theme across the board . She has buckled down in Ethics and teacher pleased with her and DD a bit happier now, no more early morning gagging the day of her lessons.

The challenge is keeping her calm and believing she can do it.

bigTillyMint · 12/02/2015 19:27

SugarPlum that is great that the Maths teacher is going to help.

DD has had a crap day because of other stuff on top of mocks. She keeps saying she has failed everything so far, but at least she is keeping going. She has just gone up to do a bit more revision for the last three tomorrow.

TeenAndTween · 12/02/2015 19:32

I've just looked at an English lit paper and realised they get to take the set texts in with them! On the one hand I think it's easier because they can refer to it in detail, but on the other I'm presuming they require a more sophisticated response than when I did O level back in the dark ages.

(DD has not done a mock English Lit paper, don't ask me why).

TheWoollybacksWife · 12/02/2015 19:44

Thank you all for your words of sympathy - very much appreciated.

Today has been a better day - thanks to some good results. The tutor process is underway - we are definitely getting a science tutor and may also do a short pre-exam booster session in maths. Her heart condition is affected by stress so exams aren't good - would it be worth enquiring if she qualifies for extra time or have I missed that boat?

SugarPlum DD's maths teacher has spent a good deal of her own time running help sessions and booster classes and it has made a huge difference to DD - really boosted her confidence. They were open to all students but some weeks DD was there on her own and benefitted from the one to one help.

Teen I wonder if having the text in the exam could be a double edged sword. It would indicate a detailed response is required but could slow a student down when looking up the right passages etc. From DD1 I remember that it has to be a "clean" copy with no student notes.

ErrolTheDragon · 12/02/2015 19:50

Tomorrow is an inset day, so DD came home this evening with a full and very heavy rucksack. She expressed some surprise (and I think a hint of disapproval) that some of her friends were going away over halfterm rather than revising for their mocks.

dingit · 12/02/2015 19:59

Teen, my dd didn't do an English lit mock either, which I thought a bit odd. Only now do they seem to be concentrating on the course content. I suppose they know what they are doing, but dd is worried as she thinks it's her weakness.
We have bought Of Mice and Men on DVD to watch in half term.

bigTillyMint · 12/02/2015 20:01

dingit, I think I had better do that too!

ErrolTheDragon · 12/02/2015 20:04

dingit - let us know if the dvd is good please! Mine does have an eng lit mock, but was complaining that they were only doing one of the papers, there's two in the real thing. Is this a newer one maybe and they're short of past papers?

bigTillyMint · 12/02/2015 20:06

Have ordered An Inspector Calls too!

bigTillyMint · 12/02/2015 20:06

No idea Errol. I know DD is doing the IGCSE for English!

TheWoollybacksWife · 12/02/2015 20:17

DD also didn't do an English Lit mock. I may order the DVDs of her set texts - To Kill a Mockingbird and The Crucible - if only for a bit of Gregory Peck and Daniel Day-Lewis to lighten the half term revision angst.

TeenAndTween · 12/02/2015 20:19

Errol DD's school only does a few exams for mocks so as not to lose too much teaching time to exams. So for Double Science she only did 2 papers (no biology), and only one paper for maths, English history etc.

HSMMaCM · 12/02/2015 20:57

Had parents evening tonight. All went well apart from a couple of warnings about borderline grades. DD announced on the way home that they were talking rubbish about doing past papers !!!! They also apparently have more mocks in April.