Bad mock exam results

[SecretRed]

Dd got her year 11 mock results today and they were dire. Mainly d's, e's and a g (or the equivalent of). She has been predicted a-c's throughout and this was a bit of a shock.
It's come out tonight that she didn't do a lot of revision and she did not understand a lot that she had learned. I plan to kind of tutor her (although I am not really sure what I'm doing) for a couple of hours but is is possible to pull this back at this late stage? Any advice on what I can do to help her?

[silverbubbles]

Make sure she has all her notes in one place in order and actually knows what she is meant to be revising and has the correct revision guides - you can then help with testing the right stuff.
I have noticed that my daughter has her notes the littered around various online places which is not at all helpful for a poorly organised person.

[Chakraleaf]

Sorry to bump this. Just wondering how the students did in the end?

Do just got mocks at all 1s and 2s. Feedback sounds like she did no revision (or just sat staring at a book!) And didn't read all questions. So I'm hoping it's salvageable.

Her esteem is now at an all time low.

[user1483539931]

I am a teacher and its not too late. You will have to organise her time and sort out a timetable for her now. Email the teachers and ask them exactly what she needs to do to improve on her grades so they can outline what she is weak in. Go to AQA and EDEXCEL websites and download past papers and answers. If you cant afford a tutor get your daughter to start answering them ( 2 short questions 2 longer answers) according to her scheduled timetable. Go through the answers with her. Get revision cards, write down the questions and answers on the back so she can start to understand the pattern of Q/A. She should go to revision classes in school for Easter. During half term make sure you concentrate on past papers. Any questions get in touch

[pointythings]

Wex I think your point about being used to high stakes internal exams is actually a very good one - the secondary DDs go to does have those and it definitely focuses the mind - and teaches revision skills from the start of Yr 7. It pays off in the long run.

[pointythings]

I would be far more worried if she'd worked her socks off and got those results - lack of revision is fixable with a bit of a boot to the backside. She can definitely improve a lot on those grades, let's hope this is the shock she needs.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Encouraging Ladybird, thanks

[ImLadybird]

Don't panic! If you've identified there's room for more revision, that holds the key. My DD was the same. Mocks were a couple of Cs, mostly Ds, think there was even an E and a U. In the real thing she got As, Bs and Cs. Exactly the same happened at A2. She's currently in her first year of uni crying on the phone because she has an exam tomorrow that she'll fail! It seems she'll never learn, but she does pull it out of the bag when it matters.
Mocks are a practice run. They highlight the gaps, the weaknesses and serve to show how much harder they need to work for the real things. Good luck!

[Wex]

It's very common for DC not to take revision for mocks seriously because "they don't matter". This especially in schools without an emphasis on achieving well in internal exams.This leaves them in the dark about how well they could do if they actually prepared for exams and also they learn nothing about exam techniques.
To those who fear over involvement will result in DC never learning to self study - I disagree. Many 15 /16 year olds are very immature and to discover you have not achieved your potential at 16 is avoidable. Poor GCSEs in a student capable of good ones has a knock on effect at A level and beyond. Doors close, subjects are harder at A level. What I'm trying to say is it's too important to let them fail if you could intervene hard and prevent it.

[Plifner]

The majority of children could not possibly do well in their mocks if they havent revised. She should have been doing past papers since October really. Print out lots of past papers and mark them yourself or get her a tutor.

[PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle]

This was my dd this time last year. She admitted she did no revision for the mocks but was still shocked by the results. It was what she needed and she really worked hard after that. From Ds, Es and a U in her mocks she moved up to As, Bs and Cs in the final exams. Passed everything!
There are 5 months before the exams so there us time to make a difference.

[GoldTippedFeather]

I clearly remember my whole top set Biology class getting awful grades in the mocks we took this early in the year. Whole class passed with A*-B in the end, I wouldn't panic too much just yet even though this was a decade ago (gulp) and I am aware the exams are getting harder, this was pretty illustrative of a lot of subjects. There are still months to hone exam techniques before the actual exams.

[dottycat123]

My ds1 passed 4 mocks and went on to pass 12 in his gcses. What I did was ensure that he had the correct revision guides for each subject and he attended all the extra classes put on by teachers, even those on Saturdays. I did test him using the guides. He was predicted mostly Cs but actually got almost all Bs.

[whyohwhy000]

I don't really see the point of taking GCSEs early especially if they would have done better had they waited until Y11.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

See if A level students tutor for gsces,they do at ds's school for a tenner an hour.

[ReasonsToBeModeratelyHappy]

It's really hard, I always worry that if I supervise and structure revision, mine won't learn to bother pushing themselves, and will just stop if/when they get to uni (someone I knew at school did this, always had great grades as her dad stood over her to make her work, then got thrown out of uni as she wouldn't do any work :-().
Predicted and target grades have become unhelpful imo, my DC's school is now setting them low, I think so that they can say '85% of student achieved their target'. The teachers say they have no idea why the grades are what they are, because they are computer generated...My DC got predicted B, and target C, for the same subject at the same time - utter madness!
I'd be tempted to get her a tutor, likely she'll be more likely to do what they say than if you're saying it (!), if you can find a good one, and can afford it.

[SecretRed]

Thanks for all the replies. I've picked up some really good information and it's reassuring to know that other students have turned this around.
I am determined to sort her out. She is capable of much higher than those grades and that is what has frustrated me.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I'm actually dreading the English results on Monday, if the maths are anything to go by we're in trouble! Ds had A's and B's in everything else but he said maths was horrendous.

[bojorojo]

I think A-C meant no grades lower than C and in some subjects an A should be achievable. It didn't mean a range of results for each subject and with the mock results being below C, there is concern.

A school in special measures with too many supply teachers teaching exam groups is unlikely to have prepared the children well for exams and these children may well have gaps in their knowledge because they have not had the continuity of teaching required for good progress and results. Children also pick up when teachers are below par and even if revision sessions are offered, there may be misgivings about the quality of them. However, if they are offered, children should go to them and looking at any old papers (if available) is important to work out what you don't understand.

Teachers must assess children on the work they do in class, in tests and for homework. How well they do informs suggested outcomes for exams. It is not an exact science as the stats show but a child getting a D when they have been predicted an A shows a big problem. Exactly what the exams look like is a bit of a red herring as the teachers assess against the syllabus and use their skills to judge and Mark the work completed. If they didn't do this, they could never show the children are making progress. Frequently, in the worst schools, the children do not make sufficient progress, the school do not record progress accurately, and exam marks are less than they should be which is constantly pointed out by Ofsted. Therefore predictions can be wildly inaccurate.

So, find out what she does not know, get the gaps filled, and make a revision plan. Lastly, do the revision!

[PhilODox]

When you say shes "predicted a-c" do you mean theyve been saying she's working at a-c all through, or her targets were a-cs? Schools we've looked at give targets (based on prior attainment, like dfe do) not predictions. Big difference, as the target is for the student to achieve (by putting work in) rather than a prediction based on how they're already doing.
I think it's v difficult for any school to predict what outcomes for English and maths will be this year due to the reforms. There's been so little information released.

[TeenAndTween]

If your DD did sod all revision for her mocks it is not surprising that she got poor grades. It is also not surprising that she found she didn't really understand some aspects.

By doing active revision, including in particular past papers for maths and science she will be able to see what she does/doesn't understand/know. She has 4 months, it is not long, and she has 'lost' the time she didn't spend revising for mocks, but it is recoverable.

Unless everyone did poorly, I don't think this is particularly the school's fault. She knew she should be revising, but chose not to. Unfortunately that leaves her and you in the position of not really knowing what she is capable of if she works.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

for science can I suggest tassomai. It's not a magic wand though, they have to do it regularly.

[happynewyearchum]

I agree predictions are damaging, mine were too low and knocked my confidence (based, almost entirely it seems, on a below par SATs mark in English).

[JustRichmal]

noblegiraffe,those websites on study look really good. I used to read Tony Buzan, who even back in the 70,s was arguing children were taught what to study, but not how to study I would much rather dd did this in pshe than the "what coloured hat are you wearing?"

[Redsrule]

Despite the annual media comments, to get good grades at GCSE requires hard work from the pupil. To say extra sessions are valueless Cauliflower is ridiculous. Yesterday 47 pupils turned up to my extra session in English, that is why we are in the top 1% of schools nationally for progress in the subject. Pupils are aware of the aspects of each subject they need to work on and there is a timetable of extra sessions. So they can choose when to go because they know where they need extra support. But OP I would agree that is where the teachers need to identify for each pupil where they need to develop, good luck, I know of loads of pupils who have had awful mocks and great results!

[bojorojo]

Research I have read shows 87.3% accuracy at GCSE to one grade. Therefore telling a student they are on track for A*/A and the student gets a C is statistically in a fairly small minority of poor predictions. Other research shows 54% accuracy (exact grade) at GCSE but that was for 2014. A level predictions are, I think, less accurate but I haven't checked published statistics.

The government likes to look at KS2 results as being the best predictor but quality of teaching is of course a major factor as is choice of subjects. I would still not be happy with these schools because they have not assessed the student's work accurately, or even close to accurately.