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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:
FestiveRoad · 13/03/2015 09:47

Is there a maximum number of papers you should sit in one day? DS has 4 papers (2 different exam boards) - about 6 hrs in total.

TeenAndTween · 13/03/2015 10:31

Festive JCQ-here

Section 3.3
^2% The most common category of allowance - the majority of cases will fall within this category:
• allowance on last paper taken in a day when a candidate has been entered for three or more examinations timetabled for the same day and the total duration of those papers is more than 5 hours 30 minutes (GCSE examinations) or more than 6 hours (GCE examinations).^

hth

FestiveRoad · 13/03/2015 10:53

Thanks so much Teen. That is exactly what I was looking for.

auntpetunia · 13/03/2015 13:07

so cross with the school tight now . DS came home really frustrated with geography, now I have to say the teacher is poor, she replaced a well liked and redpected teacher at the start of year 10, if she'd been around in year 9 he wouldn't have taken it. Anyway,Wednesday night he was talking about geography and it turns out that they haven't completed the whole syllabus, they have a whole topic to do, they are half way through 5 of 6! with 3 weeks till easter and then 3 weeks till exams they have a while topic which should take 6/8 weeks to complete, according to Google.

The whole class is frustrated but getting nowhere. DS showed me his book the last 7 lessons have consisted of her giving them pages to stick in and highlight important bits, sort of thing you do in primary. half the class have dropped out and those left think they'll fail. DS was one of 3 who scrapped a c in his mocks as he did loads on line. I've written to head of year and dep head this needs sorting. Anyone any tips for decent geography revision guides .

HSMMaCM · 13/03/2015 13:24

Aunt petunia has he done any bbc bitesize www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/

DD had the same problem with maths, but the teacher was sacked and the head of department is trying to drag them kicking and screaming through the syllabus. A revision guide which targets your exam board, or past papers might be best?

TeenAndTween · 13/03/2015 13:31

DD was overwhelmed by the stress of everything last night (GCSEs and some other stuff too). Sad In tears begging us not to make her go to school today. We chatted, worked out the main issues, got her to sleep eventually.
Sent her in this morning with instructions to take each class at a time, and to go see pastoral care. She's still there (I think!).
Not sure how I'm going to survive the next 3 months let alone her!
The thing is, if she misses a day for stress now, I think it will be even harder to go in the next day. Better to try to sort things out than hide.

TeenAndTween · 13/03/2015 13:32

Aunt That's terrible about the geography. Go and look with your DS at the revision guides in Smiths, and find the one that covers the right syllabus and he likes the 'look and feel' of. Though there might not be much choice.

auntpetunia · 13/03/2015 14:39

HSM that's how he scrapped a c! have had email back from head of year saying forwarded to head of humanities and head and they'll contact me. I'll wait and see if anything has been said to ds tonight. Am so cross that this has slipped through the net, I knew she was rubbish but to have missed a whole topic of the syllabus is appalling, though it does explain why DD yr 8 has been told they can pick either geography or history to study next year and through to gcse! The only way she can get them through the work it would appear. I think this is gonna come back and bite them on the bum though as not 1 child in year 8 top 2 sets wants to do geography because they all hate her and think the subject is rubbish Shock Shock

HSMMaCM · 13/03/2015 14:39

Teen you're right to tell her to take one step at a time. DD's school is bending over backwards to help them distress between lessons, including the headmaster leading an impromptu year 11 dance after a fire drill, still wearing his hi viz vest and shouting through his megaphone. DD said the younger children, heading back to their lessons looked like this Shock

HSMMaCM · 13/03/2015 14:40

De-stress not distress

ErrolTheDragon · 13/03/2015 14:52

That sounds bad, petunia. My DD still has a topic to go in geography I think, but the teacher is an excellent one, track records of getting good grades so we trust that he knows how to pace the work. So there might be time to cover it if they could get a good teacher - surely there are others, can they not swap someone from a lower year?

It's one subject where she didn't need a revision guide as she has a textbook (which looks large but they only do selected topics) - I think it's AQA-specific. If that's what your DS is doing I could check what it is when she gets home if you want (can't see it on her bookshelf).

SugarPlumTree · 13/03/2015 15:00

That is bad about the Geography but sadly I'm not surprised as keep hearing things like this. If you can afford it I'd get a tutor who knows what they are doing at this point as it is playing the game at this point re the syllabus.

T&T WineCakeFlowers I think you are right to make her go in but to take a step back. I think they feel their future success hinges on this and need to know if it does all go horribly wrong there are second chances and it isn't the end of the works as I think the message is from schools that it is. I have been trying to say this to DD. Our catchment Upper had 2 girls kill themselves last year which was totally tragic. She knows about it and I have used this as a discussion point about how it is important to keep talking and keep things in perspective and how it is in my view important to look after your social, creative and intellectual sides. I've said at a time like this the intellectual side takes precedence but important to keep an eye on the others.

HSMMaCM · 13/03/2015 15:02

You're right sugar plum. I have tried to point out to DD that I did my degree as a mature student and only passed my science gcse last year. Hopefully she knows that choices she makes now are not the end of the story.

bigTillyMint · 13/03/2015 15:15

T&T, sympathies to your DD. We also say take it one step at a time to DD and focus on getting one thing done at a time.

SugarPlum, that is utterly horrific isn't it. Absolutely re keeping things in perspective and second chances, etc.

HSMMaCM, I cannot in my wildest nightmares imagine the DC's HT doing a dance with them. He barely comes out of his office. Not sure they have ever done a fire drill, actually. Well, they've never mentioned it!

ErrolTheDragon · 13/03/2015 15:25

T&T - hope she's been ok today. I'm sure you're right to have supported her to go in.

HSMMaCM · 13/03/2015 15:28

I don't think the kids could have imagined their frankly scary headteacher letting his hair down either. DD was like this when she told me Grin.

bigTillyMint · 13/03/2015 16:55

It's OK. DS said they had one today. But no dancing!

SugarPlumTree · 13/03/2015 17:07

I only have 1 A Level, did my degree as a Mature Student and then got offered a salaried position to do a PhD as a Research Assistant (but got pregnant which was the end of the PhD before it started !). My Dad was a Careers Advisor in London and came across many many people who changed paths, started late, failed exams when young etc. I know things are a bit different now but think the same applies. What is different though is the amount of stress the teachers are now under to get results. Good in one way but the stress transfers down to the children.

It is lovely to hear of dancing Headteachers Grin

Hope DD has come out OK T&T

I think as well as planning in some treats for them it is quite important that we factor some in for ourselves to look forward to.

DS came out of school happy today. Have to hand it to his tutors , they are really trying with him.

LynetteScavo · 13/03/2015 18:17

I totally agree about teachers getting stressed about results. In one way it's good the teachers care (when I was at school I we were often told "It makes no difference to me if you don't do well) but the stress is definitely being passed on - I have had to tell some teachers that DS doesn't work well under pressure and if hey want the best out of him they need to back off, and if he's been taught something he will retain it.

I've also got DS a last minute math tutor who is brilliant, and has identified what hasn't been covered in school- there's no point in the math teacher at school insisting DS MUST do loads of revision if he hasn't actually be taught everything he needs to know.

TeenAndTween · 13/03/2015 21:07

Lynette They may have made a conscious decision not to teach some of the harder A/A* to the B/C pupils, preferring to consolidate the rest of the syllabus instead. Certainly for my DD some of the harder stuff would take a long time to grasp and then she'd probably still get it wrong, whereas getting solid on some other things may be better use of her time. (Not saying that is the case for your DS though, I haven't checked back the thread to see how bright he is).

DD came out OK today. She missed one lesson for a chat with pastoral care which she said was helpful. It would be nice to give her a w/e off but she has an MFL CA on Monday and another to prepare for, and other stuff that needs to get done too. We'll just have to make sure she takes good relaxing breaks in between. Off to a matinee show on Sat anyway so that will be fun.

LynetteScavo · 14/03/2015 08:22

But Teen...DS is able at maths - top set and he's targeted an A, but he'll only get a B if he hasn't covered everything.

I'm a bit cross with his schools maths department right now.

Fairenuff · 14/03/2015 10:23

I don't know why they start the exams so early. They could have another six weeks of lessons/revision time and finish exams at the end of the school year, instead of mid-late June.

TeenAndTween · 14/03/2015 10:23

Lyn I'm not surprised you are cross in that case!

bigTillyMint · 14/03/2015 10:57

Lynette, that's crap - if he's targeted an A, they should be making sure he knows how to do everything for an A.

DD has gone to revision this morning. She also has her Easter revision timetable and will be there all day every dayShock

SugarPlumTree · 14/03/2015 14:53

That is incredibly poor but sadly isn't totally surprising Lynette.

BTM that is very full on, how does she feel about that ?

Definite shift in DD'S attitude and she is buckling down a fair bit more.