Page 8 | GCSEs 2018 (3)

mmzz · 2018-01-28T08:40:24+00:00

Following on from: [[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3113917-GCSEs-2018-2]]

Sostenueto · 02/02/2018 20:15

Where is everyone?

Oddsocks15 · 02/02/2018 20:42

Thanks fo the review of the Mr Salles book mmzz, i think I will get for DD as English is her weakest subject.

DD has more mocks after half-term, but just for English, Maths & Science. She is a bit disappointed as she wanted to do another geography mock, what is the feeling about sitting practice exams at home? I feel that DD probably does enough at school and home should be a place to unwind.. Or could be argued that practice exams is another form of revision?

Talking of revision, a couple of weeks ago, as requested by DD, I bought card so she could make her own flashcards, card is still in the wrapper.... as are the new post it notes she also requested...I'm just going to bang my head against brick wall...

AlexanderHamilton · 02/02/2018 20:45

Dd has scheduled practice papers at home as part of her revision as it will help develop her exam technique.

Oddsocks15 · 02/02/2018 21:03

DD has just asked if she can do a mock week at home for her non-core subjects

Sostenueto · 02/02/2018 21:13

We have a hard job getting dgd to do practise exam papers. She has her own system of revision she says as we eye up the very untidy pile of books, bits of paper scattered over dining table ( even though upstairs in her room with matching chaotic books she has desk PC and chair in fact complete study area with boards etc) so for the life of me I can't see what her system of revision is!
Though. When she's downstairs revising on what we call her down days she will burst into living room and verbally give us all the gen on what she's revising or homework she's doing. Our faces must be pictures as she recites Spanish which we can't understand to quadratic theory and algebra methods ( we are zombies by this time) and we both let out sigh of relief when its an up day because she's too lazy to tramp downstairs to perform !

Sostenueto · 02/02/2018 21:18

Tomorrow I'm to be her ' revision' partner for chemistry which entails me asking questions out of revision books and her being pedantic if I dare to pronounce something wrong or read things in wrong order!

Oddsocks15 · 02/02/2018 22:21

Sostenuto your posts made me laugh.

Good luck with the Chemistry revision!!

androbbob · 02/02/2018 23:08

Caught up with last few days posts - you lot can't half talk! We checked what revision DD planned for this weekend - after science in school tomorrow. I can't fault her school - a typical northern state school (academy) as they are doing a full after school revision sessions covering most subjects and a 2 hour history session in half term. They are targeting the 7/8 to get 8/9 and also helping the lower maths students get passes a 5.

DD came home with exam timetable today - all checked and double checked. Seems to be one day every week with two exams but also a few days of no exams, and of course half term off. Hers are mainly AQA and two are Edexcel. They are also going to get re-marks on every paper that is within 3 marks of something at no cost to parents - not entirely sure what that means.

Good to hear H of E is on the case for your DGD So en.

Original poster

mmzz · 03/02/2018 06:57

@Oddsocks15 past papers are definitely revision! I'd suggest holding back on a couple per subject though because they are most useful when the other revision is done and you're checking that you've not missed anything and your timings for getting through the paper. You can always do one twice, or even three times, but you'll remember parts of your answers from before and it will mislead you about how well prepared you are.
If you did badly on one in January though, it can be a confidence boost to come back to it in April and find that you can do it easily now.
(Can you tell that I was a swot 35 years ago?!)

OP posts:

Oddsocks15 · 03/02/2018 09:04

Thanks mmzz trouble with my DD is I have time my help to when she is receptive to receiving it, as you can imagine not an easy task. So when she actually asks, I tend to go with it with a view to bringing it round to the resolution I think is right. I've mentioned before she is a complex character! We are now going shopping today for past papers, hoping I can find the Mr Salles guide in store otherwise I'll buy online later..... I know i can print past papers off myself...but means I will have the opportunity to talk to her on the bus and she can't stomp off!

Sostenueto · 03/02/2018 09:10

Oddsocks you can get book via water stones. Any book I see on line or are recommended I phone water stones and presto I pick it up! I ordered on day mmzz advised about it and got it same day as mmzz just went to shop and collected. They send me text when its in. I never buy on line ever. I either phone company direct or get my did to do it. I do not trust the web!

Sostenueto · 03/02/2018 09:11

Waterstones book shop.

BlueBelle123 · 03/02/2018 09:11

Oddsocks as the mock week is your DD's idea I would go with it, could you try and make it fun and maybe a treat at the end? She clearly has good intentions so if you get on board as well it might ensure she doesn't back out.

CeeCeeMacFay · 03/02/2018 09:14

Just received the Mr Salles book, my ds really struggled with his English mock so fingers crossed. Also signed him up for Tassomai for science. Finding all the help on this thread really useful.

Oddsocks15 · 03/02/2018 09:50

Just waiting for DD to emerge from her pit then we are off into town. We are going to Waterstones for the past papers so will see if they have Mr Salles guide in stock. Just hope she uses it, your story about revision books sostenueto seemed very familiar.....

Bluebelle good idea about the treat, I’ll talk to her on the bus....

Sostenueto · 03/02/2018 10:02

Dgd going through Salle book. That does aim for higher grades just wondering if its too high for her at this late stage she understands all that she's read so far but I cannot see her being able to put all into practise. Trouble is having to concentrate on all other GCSEs. Maths she really wants the 9. Geography wants and should get the 9. Aiming for 9 in biology but will probably get the 8 which she's at, same for chemistry, not so bothered about physics so won't devote do much time to but should still get an 8 if she revises a bit more. Spanish wants the 9 but in my book not important. I told her to concentrate on English ( she's got to get that grade in order to go to 6th form she wants) her A level subjects. Math,biology , geography. There is no GCSE for psychology at her school. Again she wants to keep her grades for other subjects that she got in mocks but a bit of a tall order IMO for the real exams. Art she doesn't bother with as she wished she never done it but coasts with a 6-7. She finds it too time consuming and not important to her. Did suggest dropping it to concentrate more on English but no way will she do that. These are her own wishes, she's not listening to us much and is putting a lot of pressure and expectation on herself. I really do worry sometimes

JugglingMummyof2 · 03/02/2018 10:19

@Alexander. Feel I should update as you were kind to reply. Had a call from the teacher yesterday late afternoon(DD had her paperback in the lesson and said she was disappointed - again!). It seems that she gave one 6 in the class. She has marked them this way as 'I don't want my girls resting on their laurels between now and May'. She thought 'it should have been obvious to both of you that DD's predicted grade of an 8 meant the grade boundaries I used were at the extreme'.
I said thank you and no it had not been. She said she was very happy with her paper ( that was clear on the night) and that there was no reason she could not achieve a 9 ( that was not clear as the predicted grade was an 8). Anyway DD is now happy and if she is, I am too.

lljkk · 03/02/2018 10:27

hullo again... I am a bit worried b/c DD has taken on so much, I'm afraid she'll burn out. She & 2 other high ability mathematicians are going to do Further Maths GCSE, but all based on independent study, minimal if any teacher input. She only just got the textbook.

Also has...
Ongoing: time consuming rehearsals, school play, Sunday job.
2-5 March school trip (we already paid, still need to buy some things!)
13-19 March: school play performances most days
April: EP is due
May-June: exam season

She keeps missing 6th form entry events, due to the other commitments. Eek.

Stickerrocks · 03/02/2018 10:34

Sost Your problem with English sounds exactly like the issue we've had with RE and the class structure is the same as well. DD's teacher spends most of her time trying to control the lads who have abandoned any hope of getting a decent grade following their mocks, which leaves the ones who know they have potential high & dry. DD is turning to the head of RE for help.

They've reissued the exam timetable, but nothing seems to have changed, so now I've paranoidly checking which papers are am & pm. They have a second batch of mocks after half term, but these are going to be sat in lessons rather than under exam conditions, so some papers will be broken up between lessons. last time they did this, half the class looked up the answers over night, causing a conflab with those who did them properly.

Stickerrocks · 03/02/2018 10:37

lljkk DD is sitting the FSMQ Add Maths paper having had an hour a week of extra lessons after school. She has found the AQA revision guide for it quite useful. It's going to be her last exam, so as soon as physics finishes she will have 3 days to blitz past papers. We're looking as whatever she achieves as being a bonus and her teacher says that the work they have done she help with the final few questions on the standard GCSE paper.

Sostenueto · 03/02/2018 11:03

Dgd showed no interest in additional or further maths. But good luck to your DC stickerocks I always envy those that are good at maths

AlexanderHamilton · 03/02/2018 11:43

Not resting on your laurels is one thing but for some children it's a fine line between that & becoming demoralised & giving up on a subject.

But glad you are happier.

AlexanderHamilton · 03/02/2018 11:46

Is Tassamai worth the outlay? It's very expensive but Dd really needs to up get Sciences.

Also this English book, is it worth it if you are doing Edexel, not AQA?

slinkyme · 03/02/2018 12:07

Hi all thought I would join in. DD also sitting GCSEs this year and had mocks at the beginning of jan. results are coming through lessons in dribs and drabs but no sign of grade boundaries apart from one subject. DD is doing a mix of 1-9 and Letter grades - mostly igcses. School has been very low key on sharing much info and we don't have any predicted grades or anything - at least not ones they will share with us. They seem very unwilling to give these. Parents evening next week so hoping to get more clarity. Is a high performing school so I wonder if this is more to neutralise pressure.

I think DD is doing well but would like to know that I haven't made that up in my head. All parents evenings so far are she is doing well and nothing to worry about. But something quantifiable would be helpful.

Sostenueto · 03/02/2018 12:18

Trouble is with the new grades teachers can't give you that. They have a little idea for English and maths because of last years results but I hear the exams in those are going to be harder still this year. The other subjects 9-1 Is the first year so they have nothing to go on ( teachers,) do predicted. Aspirational grades in mocks mean absolutely nothing really. The only reason I take note of my dgds is that the schools grade boundaries always stay the same, So a 5/c would be 50% 6/b 60& 7/a 70% 8/a 80% and a 9/a* 90%. Even then the teachers are really guessing. No one knows anything for sure. And with all the stats they are using etc its a nightmare. All you can do is encourage children to know as much as possible they can only do their best! I note Also that last year everyone felt so sorry for that cohort, what about our lot who are sitting ALL of their exams the new system grrrrr!