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Secondary education

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

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:
Horsemad · 15/02/2015 17:52

Our school also laying on revision sessions left, right and centre. There is loads of support for them.
I don't think people who slate teachers realise how committed to their students most of them are.

Lots of my friends are teachers and I definitely could not do the job!

Fairenuff · 16/02/2015 10:18

Hi all, not posted for a while but ds has had his mock results back and now seems to be relaxing for half term. Mixed results but he didn't revise very hard so now he knows where he has to put the effort in. He's got revision guides for each subject so will just be working his way through them, with a few tests thrown in by me to make sure he's on top of it Grin

He's applied for sixth form and got his four A levels sorted so it's just getting through the gcse's now and getting the best grades he can, He's hoping for As and Bs but it will depend on how hard he studies. As long as he gets a minimum of 5 Cs he will get into sixth form, so not really under pressure yet.

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2015 12:14

I have just put my nose round his door and suggested he turns the PS4 off and does an hour or two of German. I got THE FACE. Hmm

EpicBlue · 16/02/2015 12:27

THE FACE? No, surely not THE FACE? I got that from DD when I suggested that she get out of bed and do something.....or even stay in bed and do something Shock

HSMMaCM · 16/02/2015 14:05

I got THE FACE when I suggested allocating some time slots over half term for revision.

Fairenuff · 16/02/2015 14:05

Sparkling I have already warned him that when he goes on study leave I will be taking all the electricals to work with me. That went down well Grin

EpicBlue · 16/02/2015 14:34

Fairenuff but how will they revise without Internet access? That was the answer I got given when I said much the same....

EpicBlue · 16/02/2015 14:34

Fairenuff but how will they revise without Internet access? That was the answer I got given when I said much the same....

Original poster
Littleham · 16/02/2015 14:57

I've just accepted that they are 20 billion steps ahead of me when it comes to time wasting electrical devices. Taking them to work sounds like a good idea! The devices, not the teenagers!

OP posts:
IrianofWay · 16/02/2015 15:05

Please help me! My dd cannot be my dd. She's gone to school voluntarily to do revision.... I am very worried. After DS1, who managed to totally ignore the fact that he had any GCSEs to do for 2 entire years, this is seriously unnatural behaviour

ErrolTheDragon · 16/02/2015 15:36

My DD just announced that she's finished revising unit 1 physics (the boring part, apparently). Her maths revision guides and FM workbook have just arrived ... I got the Face for suggesting that perhaps I should keep hold of them till she's revised the things she's not keen on that need memory, like Biology.

DH spent quite a lot of time setting up our Netgear router so that we can curfew DD's wifi access without affecting ours, and he can also selectively filter - I think he's allowing all non-nasty stuff right now but she knows that he has the power to stop eg social networking and youtube.

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2015 16:25

DS1 has done 'half an hour of History'. Whoop de do. German speaking test is in a week's time.

Fairenuff · 16/02/2015 16:39

BBC Bitesize have some good speaking and listening practice for MFLs

here

Epic that's why I got him all the revision guides. One step ahead of him I am.

Dd was a dream, she treated every day off as a school day and stuck to the timetable with the scheduled breaks. She had a colour coded revision chart and everything.

I asked ds if he wanted me to make him one and he said I could do if I felt like doing some 'colouring in' Grin

(Seriously though, I am actually itching to make one)

TeenAndTween · 16/02/2015 16:44

I've done DD1's timetable for her (tip - excel does the colouring in for you), has her desire to revise is strong but organisational skills weak.
We did the same at Xmas for mocks and it worked well, sticking to a similar schedule this half term.

bigTillyMint · 16/02/2015 17:15

Bloody Hell, all your DC's are putting DD to shame - not only are we on holiday, but she hasn't got any sort of timetable eitherShockHmmConfused

TeenAndTween · 16/02/2015 17:38

No point having a timetable if you're on holiday! Grin

DD's timetable is only for this week. Any revision she gets done during the next half term will be a bonus, as by the time she has done CAs and drama rehearsals she won't have much bandwidth left.

I can see why some DCs don't need to do so much though. Some people will look at the science once, understand it and remember it. This takes quite some effort for my DD. (We spent over an hour on exothermic v endothermic at Christmas, and she was still shaky).

bigTillyMint · 16/02/2015 19:07

DD is doing CA's - she has written one French and is supposed to be doing another now. She will have to do a Spanish one too ready for going back.

auntpetunia · 17/02/2015 08:08

I long for a timetable. Some idea to show he's doing something other than playing on Civ or Gary's mod. I gave home yesterday off as he'd been away but I have past papers maths and chemistry for today. He won't be happy and I will get the FACE AND A GRUNTING but I dot care. Past papers are done in the dinning room with no distractions. He says I'm making him work too hard and "no one else's mum is making them do all this!!" (Was v tempted I point him at this thread) an say yes they are, the kids just aren't telling anyone else about it. As they don't want to appear sad/swots. So far I've resisted this as he'd have a fit if he knew I was taking about him and his studies. Hmm

LynetteScavo · 17/02/2015 08:41

DS is in school today catching up on coursework.....

LynetteScavo · 17/02/2015 08:51

Just noticed someone posted 6th form is asking for 5 Cs ....DSs school is asking for Bs, except maths where they want an A.....

The local college, which I thought was woeful re A'level sciences when I looked around, are only asking for 5 Cs. DS knows he can achieve that no problem, so that is his plan, apparently.

Not sure how to make a 16yo see he is at an amazing school and he should stay there.

He is looking at another 6th form next week with DH....it's a massive school with nothing re SN on the application form. Not too sure when we'd bring up that he has Aspergers. But they do offer a BTec science course if things go really pear shaped....

Horsemad · 17/02/2015 09:30

My two still in bed Hmm. I'm about to start the vacuuming... Smile

LineRunner · 17/02/2015 09:37

I am shocked and stunned to report that DS has just voluntarily gone into school for the day. And the teacher is bringing them lunch in.

Horsemad's right. A lot of the teachers are amazing.

HSMMaCM · 17/02/2015 09:44

DD has unfortunately only managed an hours revision so far in her bedroom, so who knows if she did it, because she's far too busy seeing friends! She has a friend for a sleepover tonight, because her parents have gone away for the week and left her at home revising. They are going to watch films study together.

LineRunner · 17/02/2015 09:52

Now I know why DS has opted to go into school. I just went into the living room and he has clearly stayed up late last night and has left it like a bomb site.

Horsemad · 17/02/2015 10:46

Grin LineRunner. Leave it for him to clean up on his return!

Mine are now up and revising. I had to tell them to do it, mind Hmm