Year 11 - how awful is it? Experiences please

[BigSandyBalls2015]

I have two DCs starting year 11 next week and I'm kind of dreading it.

One of them is self motivated and just gets on with stuff, the other not so. I will need to bribe, beg, cajole, threaten, confiscate. I've accepted that I will need to do this to get her through her GCSEs, but if by some miracle she does get the fab grades she's capable of then I'm not doing any of that for A level.

Year 11 was fine
Year 12 worse
Year 13 awful
University place through clearing but she got there in the end
I had a very motivated Dd in year 11, who knows what it will be like with laid back Ds13

Dd1 is going into year 11 (tomorrow!). She's quite excited about it, I'm expecting it not to be plain sailing. She's motivated on the surface but has a big splash of bravado & her plans don't always (often) become realised. She never quite manages to do her best - frustrating.

The last term of year 10 was a bit crap - masses of cover teachers & general school disorganisation. I really want her to get off to a good start this term to reduce stress next summer. Mocks are in December.

I would love a year 11 support thread. I had already written about how worried I am for my DS in a previous thread.

He just got a B for science when he was predicted an A* as he didn't do any revision and I think that shocked him a bit, he said and I quote "I am never going to get a B again and I am going to work really hard in Year11" then he buried his head back in the PlayStation.

I defo NEED a support thread

Forgot to check back on this, lovely to see more replies. I agree it def depends on the child.

Ds decided to stop gaming as soon as school started. On day 1 he already decided not to bother stopping grrrrr

One of mine went school shoe shopping with a friend yesterday, fully aware of the strict plain black rules and came back with black loafers with a gold rim and buckle. Idiot.