Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

Original poster

GCSEs 2018

998 replies

DoNotBringLulu · 12/08/2017 16:19

Hi all, I am sure many of us with dc going into year 11 this year are trepidatious about teachers and pupils thrown in at the deep end due to the new GCSEs.

There is one thing I can do which I hope will help my ds (even though he thinks I'm mad!), which is to get hold of this year's GCSE English Language and English Literature papers, read the books and work through the paper myself - I studied English Lit at university over 20 years ago. I will know for myself after I've done this how difficult the exam papers are at least - I'm not sure who I can ask to mark it for me though!

Can anybody tell me how challenging the Maths and English papers were for their dc? I understand these were the two subjects introduced with the new format.

OP posts:
mmzz · 01/09/2017 15:23

I help with making a study timetable and testing (i.e. Ds gives me his revision guide CGP thing and I ask questions from it for subjects like science or dates in history).

I also do a good line in nagging when DS lets things slip...

I did read Jekyll and Hyde this last year, but none of the other books. It was just out of curiosity about the story.

Stickerrocks · 01/09/2017 19:04

Thank goodness. Don't get me wrong, I push DD to do her best, but they are her GCSEs, not mine. It's bad enough getting my students to pass their professional exams, without having to come home & read her textbooks too!

Stickerrocks · 01/09/2017 19:09

My involvement to date:
Trip to the Globe to see Macbeth last summer
Bought funky colour revision cards & boxes to keep them in
Bought a revision guide for each paper
Reminded her that she has further maths each week after school
Bought her a diary & written her leaving date & prom date in it!

LooseAtTheSeams · 01/09/2017 20:09

My input so far has been to occasionally ask if he's finished holiday homework (geog done) and buy revision guides. Oh, and a DVD of An Inspector Calls, so far unwatched!

Stickerrocks · 01/09/2017 20:16

Oh & I haven't booked any holidays for next Easter or May half term so I can be supportive & drop her off for revision classes, even though I'll be gagging to go away by then. I have booked a post GCSE cruise though for before the school holidays start.

Sadik · 01/09/2017 21:15

Minimal direct input here too - dd definitely not the type to want it. My main role is lots of reassurance that grades aren't the be-all-and-end-all, that there's always a second chance if needed etc.

Which I do believe, but also dd is far more likely to work if she is relaxed and focused on the subject content rather than worked into a tizzy about an exam.

BlueBelle123 · 02/09/2017 17:13

Just popped my head in when I saw the thread title as I have a DS about to start Y11 now I'm {shock} at all the work your DC have been doing over the summer! DS has done nothing and it didn't even cross my mind that he should........surely the holidays are for recharging batteries for the very demanding year ahead?

Oh well as school is about to start next week I guess there's no point in adding this to my list of things to worry about!

Sadik · 02/09/2017 17:17

DD hasn't done anything much at all BlueBelle - not worried here as I know she'll work when she needs to. Not sure she even carried out her devious plan to forstall her classmates on her drama script Grin

mmzz · 02/09/2017 18:25

DH and I had a situation with DS yesterday that has surprised me a little. Basically DS has a lot of commitments coming up between now and Christmas, not just GCSEs and it's going to be a demanding time for him.

I'd suggested that he do a little work in the holidays to relieve some of the pressure later but he had barely done anything. so, I was reading him the Riot Act. DS was doing the sullen teenager thing in response. DH got fed listening to it and took responsibility for organising himself and making decisions for himself off DS.

Weirdly DS cheered up when DH and I started taking decisions out of his hands nod just leaving him with a list of instructions.He seemed relieved.

mmzz · 03/09/2017 17:05

Has anyone considered hiring a tutor? How do you find a good one? How much do they cost? Is it realistic to just have 5 or 6lessons and that will sort of lift DS up so that he has better insights? (English)

farangatang · 05/09/2017 15:38

Do Not BringLulu try How to Achieve 100% in a GCSE - Guide to GCSE Exam and Revision Technique by Robert Blakely. Some good ideas that are easy to access (written when Robert had recently finished his own GCSEs).

Sadik · 05/09/2017 16:22

Well, first hurdle of yr 11 over and done with here - blue hair overdyed with chestnut giving a slighly alarming dark purple/magenta, but apparantly acceptable. Dd says her head of year told her it looked smart - it's perhaps a good thing HoY saw previous blue incarnation at results day so realises this is an improvement!

Original poster
DoNotBringLulu · 05/09/2017 18:24

farangatang thank you will look it up, more suggestions for him will help.

My ds doesn't start until tomorrow, he has 3 new teachers. The school day has also changed to half hour lunch, but I know from lurking on these threads many other schools only have half an hour.

Tutor time has also lengthened, incorporating 10 minutes of DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) - the new Head says due to GCSEs requiring more reading content, more practice is needed for all pupils. No kindles for those 10 minutes - parents are complaining about it, but I don't have a problem - my dd going into year 8 this year won't read, so I am happy. Luckily my ds reads for pleasure anyway.

OP posts:
drummersmum · 05/09/2017 18:38

Joining as DS just started Y11. Spanish is done, so now 10 more left. The school didn't give him any summer homework at all, he has not been given study guides and I have not been given any grade predictions. This is a school with v high results so maybe I should not worry but when I read you all... Confused

Btw my input is to help managing his insanely busy life. And I ask if homework is done. That's about it.

LooseAtTheSeams · 05/09/2017 19:29

Waves to drummers!
I think your school is very sensible not predicting grades!
DS1 did the holiday homework he had to do but ignored all the 'optional' suggestions. He's looking a lot better for relaxing for most of the summer.

BonnesVacances · 05/09/2017 20:03

I'll join this thread too, if ok? DD is supposed to be in Y11 but is off with a long term illness and hasn't studied anything so far! So if she takes any GCSEs they'll be self-studied and guided by us.

DH is a Science teacher so she'll be well supported there. She hasn't been able to read the set books they're doing for English, but hopefully it'll be ok to get the study guides and work through those. I think that's all she'll be doing tbh.

DH says the GCSE in Week books are supposed to be good.

mmzz · 05/09/2017 20:13

I was looking at the possibility of a selective sixth form and they use those predicted grades to make offers. (Average 6.25, if anyone is interested).

drummersmum · 05/09/2017 20:46

Waves to loose Plenty of Gin for Y11.

JugglingMummyof2 · 05/09/2017 21:26

Joining as DD is starting Year 11 tomorrow. She has spent the last week getting holiday homework done - 90% English Lit. My role is to ask if she has completed homework and push a bit when she is sprawled on the bed watching You Tube.

BlueBelle123 · 06/09/2017 08:14

DS had a bit of a shock first day back told mocks are end of October Shock .... seems a little early to me as they will still of loads of the syllabus still to cover but then I guess the idea is to get them working nowSmile
Anyone else have mocks this early?

JugglingMummyof2 · 06/09/2017 08:29

'We" start on the 11th December here - early but not October!

LooseAtTheSeams · 06/09/2017 09:08

Ours start end of November. It's a good idea to do them before Christmas, I think. October is a bit scary, though!

Stickerrocks · 06/09/2017 09:35

Bonne Could you get audio books of some of the set books for English Lit & hope some of them sink in by osmosis? Hope she starts to feel better soon. Exams aren't really the be all & end all in the great scheme of things.

Stickerrocks · 06/09/2017 09:38

Well, inspired by all of your posts, I've taken a look at the updated school calendar and discovered DD has two weeks of mock exams starting next week. They haven't even got their science exam results back from last term yet!

BlueBelle123 · 06/09/2017 15:44

stickerrocks blimey mocks next week! I thought end of October was early - they won't have much time to revise, or were they suppose to do that over the holidaysHmm