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Original poster

Year 11 support thread

999 replies

pasanda · 10/02/2017 09:37

I can't find a new thread, moving on from the old full one, so I thought I would create one (please tell me if I'm wrong!)

Last night ds stayed up till 4.30am doing his biology coursework Shock

This time the tsunami affect didn't work and he left it far too late to do a reasonable job. Which is a bloody shame because he wants to do biology A level and he has done so well in his other controlled assessments.

I wait with bated breath to find out his mark

Oh well, thank God for half term!!

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 29/03/2017 19:23

If you haven't seen this, then please read, big news for borderline 4/5 students that has mostly been buried by Brexit:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2889484-Y11-PARENTS-GCSE-pass-grade-lowered-to-a-4?

Dancergirl · 30/03/2017 09:32

Hello, how is everyone doing?

Well dd broke up from school for Easter yesterday so 'proper' revision starts now. I've organised a bit of Maths and Science tutoring for her at her request.

She still needs to do a revision timetable. We thought do 3 subjects per day, a few hours of each, with regular breaks in between. Does that sound ok?

The battle's going to be getting her up in the morning. She thought she would set her alarm for 8 and start by 9am.

TeenAndTween · 30/03/2017 10:07

Dancer DD1 did 5 hrs per day, 3 hrs plus breaks between 9&1 then the afternoon off, then 2 more between 4&6 with short break. Every afternoon we got out of the house and got some fresh air or something. It was what she had done at Christmas for the mocks, and worked well for her.

The main thing is the timetable has to be :

  • achievable (otherwise they get disheartened if they can't stick to it)
  • enough to get the revision done
  • not burn themselves out - they need to keep going until mid/end June after all. It is a marathon and they need to pace themselves.

The other thing is to set a target for each session, so not 'revise chemistry' but 'revise soluble salts' or 'revise pages 31-38 and get Mum to test' or 'timed past paper'. Then they can see they are making progress and being effective.

Dancergirl · 30/03/2017 10:12

Thank you teen, well done to your dd, she sounds very sensible. My dd did very little work for the mocks, amazingly she still did pretty well and I know she'll pull her socks up now.

Her exams run from 15th May - 15th June. Do you think it's a good idea to focus more now on the pre half term ones?

Dancergirl · 30/03/2017 10:13

The other things is, dd has a History trip to Berlin next week! I don't know why they're doing it so late. She'll lose 4 days of revision but on the other hand it's good History revision and it should be fresh in her mind for the exam.

LIZS · 30/03/2017 10:17

We had parents evening on Monday. The level of expectation on dd is huge, she has several booklets to work through over Easter some of which is new material Hmm. Gcse drama practical was last night, concert tonight, break up tomorrow. Roll on the weekend!

TeenAndTween · 30/03/2017 12:50

Hi Dancer . If she views the history trip as a holiday that's no bad thing.

We focussed on the exams up to half term, plus for DD keeping maths ticking over and focus on English language technique. (So for her that basically meant everything except the additional science & English Lit.)
I roughed out a plan for the whole time so we knew she could fit everything in and then we did a detailed one for until exams started.
(I 'managed' revision as DD's dyspraxia meant there was no way she could organise it herself.)

Ontopofthesunset · 30/03/2017 23:14

I suggested 5 hours a day to my son and he looked at me as if I had dropped from another planet. To be fair to him, he is working, but he doesn't really start till very late in the day and it all seems a bit dilatory and is mostly accompanied by very loud music. Though I'm not sure what those children who have been revising since December have left to learn - they must have learned it all 20 times over.

HappyMum543 · 31/03/2017 08:16

'Ontopofthesunset' my ds is exactly the same yesterday I asked him u need to make a revision plan for the easter holidays he sed he will sort it that I don't need to worry.
The problem is he has school 9-12 in the holidays extra intervention but I think he revises properly and better at home so I suggested 2 subjects a day because he will be doing 1 in school.
He's been working very hard especially after his mock results which was a wake up call for him so don't worry we're all on the same boat.

HappyMum543 · 31/03/2017 08:19

I'm glad the grade boundries have changed to a 4 an official C.
My ds is on a -4 will he able to get a 5 in his gcse? And is 5 a low B high C?

Dancergirl · 31/03/2017 10:00

Though I'm not sure what those children who have been revising since December have left to learn - they must have learned it all 20 times over

I was relieved to read this ontop Dd is only starting her proper revision now, although she's done bits and pieces and doing revision lessons at school.

Does everyone agree that starting properly now is ok or 'should' they have started revising much earlier?

Ontopofthesunset · 31/03/2017 10:05

I have to believe that starting now properly is OK, Dancergirl, otherwise I would be despairing! We're in exactly the same position as you. I think the assumption at my son's school is that the Easter holidays is when ''proper revision" starts, as in daily with a timetable etc, but of course there's been quite a bit of revision in school and set as homework. However that's been what the teacher has wanted them to revise rather than necessarily what they needed, IFYSWIM.

Dancergirl · 31/03/2017 10:37

Thanks ontop I remember vividly doing my GCSEs in 1989 and I don't think I started revision that early. In fact I think the bulk of my revision was close to the exams.

Hope everyone else is doing ok, thank goodness for the support on this thread! Smile

Ontopofthesunset · 31/03/2017 10:52

Same for me though mine were a few years earlier.

Laniakea · 31/03/2017 11:25

Hey everyone - lost track a bit. Dd was ill for most of last week, ended up getting sent home from school & missing three days. She's okay now, trying to catch up on missed work & get her writing portfolio done for next Friday. She's got another week until Easter holidays & another set of mocks straight after Easter. They've finished the syllabus for everything now so they are revising in lessons & doing exam questions. She got a good report - her maths prediction went back up (oh how she's sick of everyone talking about maths Grin ) to a 7/7+ ... think 8 is extremely unlikely but good to see her confidence improving.

Managed to find prom shoes - apart from that life is pretty dull, she wants it over now. Sick of GCSEs, fed up of uniform & school & wants something new.

Laniakea · 31/03/2017 11:28

Oh study leave in pretty non existent - starts on the 11th & hercexams start on the 16th. They are running revision sessions between exams so I don't k ow how much she'll be at home. I'm sure that we didn't go back into school after the Easter holiday.

Ontopofthesunset · 31/03/2017 11:34

I don't think we did either. DS back in school for 10 days and then study leave from 2nd May. There are no taught sessions/lessons after that so just 6 weeks of exams with the half term exam free.

LIZS · 31/03/2017 11:39

I remember learning the Aeneid lying in the sun on a camping holiday in May half term. Dd has 2 exams before study leave starts.

Draylon · 31/03/2017 12:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Dancergirl · 31/03/2017 13:26

What is your ds up to in the summer draylon? My dd will be pretty busy - doing NCS as soon as exams finish so late June - mid July. Then she's doing a 2 week youth ballet production to take her up to early August. We need to fit in a summer holiday at some point but need to be back for GCSE results.

Can't even relax after that - little dd has her 11+ exam on 9th September. It's all going on!

Fleurdelise · 31/03/2017 15:08

Dancegirl we are in the same boat, DS doing his GCSEs and dd 11+ on the 9th September. We booked a summer holiday for two weeks in August just before the results come out and I don't know how I will actually relax as we're coming back to the GCSEs results and the 11+ test.

Maybe I'll decide to stay there till October Grin

Fleurdelise · 31/03/2017 15:09

Oh and I am trying to convince DS to do ncs, he doesn't want to. Sad

What will he do for such a long break?

LIZS · 31/03/2017 15:21

Dd initially wanted to do ncs but now doesn't Confused In fairness it might be tricky to fit 3 weeks in. We're planning to go away at end of June then she has 2 weeks of drama end July/early August , results on 24th then hopefully a week away with friends before school starts.

Giraffesaretootall · 01/04/2017 10:26

For those of you with reluctant revisers, can I ask how much revision you are expecting them to do over the Easter holidays?

Laniakea · 01/04/2017 11:31

Dd has a two day Justin Craig revision course booked for next weekend (one day maths, one chemistry) apart from that she's aiming to do 5 hours a day but that 5 hours includes homework & her production presentation which will take up a big chunk. She's planning to start looking at past papers again I think.

Have any of your schools contacted you about the 4/5 grade pass thing? Dd's emailed yesterday to say they are still advising that 8 is A, 7 A, 6 B, 5 C etc despite the announcement Hmm they also said that the 9 depends on national results (?) so they are predicting 8+ rather than 9 for dc working at the top of what would previously have been expected to be an A level. So, basically more confusion right?