GCSEs 2018 (5 & a puppy, but no kittens)

[Stickerrocks]

Here we go again.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3177476-GCSEs-2018-4-already

Sostenueto good to hear from you! Hope you’re allowed home soon! Pup must be keen for your return!
Bluebelle if he had always been doing art we’d be in a slightly less stressed place! On the upside my friend tells me end of May is the cutoff for coursework so that’s a relief.

pannetone if he reads it, just suggest to him that 7 hours a day / 7 days a week is advice for those who have left it to the Easter holidays to start revising. It is how they can play catch up with DC like your DS.
Who knows? Maybe it is.

I liked the bit in the blog post that suggested studying everything 3 times to optimise storing it in long term memory.

To be honest, I thought it was a good post overall. The 7 hours a day of effective study is challenging. Too much for some, maybe, but not ludicrous to suggest.

The only bit that I really take issue with is the bit about no single day off for 3 months. I think that would be pointlessly stressful for anyone used to weekends, Inset days and 13 weeks off a year ( and never going longer than 7 weeks without at least a week off).

I am sorry that you are looking at a Easter stay in hospital, Sostenuto. Maybe if they know you've got someone to look after you, they'll decide to let you go home today since you've come round from the anaesthetic faster than expected?

Yes I certainly won't be mentioning 7 hours a day to DS, especially the bit it's those that do well.......red rag to a bull springs to mind!! DS has yet to keep to his 6 hours let alone 7, although personally in his position I think he should be doing more like 4-5hrs as he has been working steadily throughout the year and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that is what he ends up doing

I must admit this relentless rain is definitely more conducive to revising as there's not much else to do!!

Same here Bluebelle DD seems to be mostly happier and more relaxed so not mentioning revision as I’m enjoying the peace

sos how are feeling today?

DS has been sent the article from history teacher - who he normally follows every word to the letter from. But thankfully he has interpreted it as those that revise over Easter get results and not taken the seven hours too literally !!

Going to attempt an English language paper today in timed conditions and see what happens as have decided that practise is the way to go. Tricky as can only find two sample papers and one he did for mock

From another GCSE thread on MN

LockedOutOfMN

Hi, I'm a head of year 11. Here are some of the things I advise my students to do:

• revise in short bursts (20 or 30 minutes, then a short break)
• do revise in the mornings (doesn't have to be at 4am or the second you wake up)
• set a specific goal at the start of each 20 to 30 minute revision session and write it/them down, then tick them off when you finish
• write down all the topics/subtopics that will be in each exam. and rank them 1 to 5 depending on how confident you are of them. Re-do this exercise every 10-12 days. Focus on the topics you've ranked 1 and 2, but also think about WHY they're a 1 or a 2...chances are you have a fundamental lack of understanding and need to review the topic from the basics and probably need an expert friend, older student mentor, or teacher to answer your questions
• practise past papers and practise the questions/tasks that you find most difficult. This kind of 'high impact' revision is much more effective than gazing at the page of a textbook or highlighting some photocopies/notes
• make sure you have somewhere quiet to study. Go to a library if home is noisy.
• sleep (at normal sleeping hours), fresh air, water, varied and healthy diet, getting up and showered and dressed in the morning even if it's only to stay indoors revising
• clear periods of fun/relaxation
• make your revision timetable on a 3 to 5 day basis then review and make the timetable for the next few days. If you go off track, don't worry, just re-make your timetable for the future days. Make sure the timetable is realistic and achievable - show it to a parent or teacher, for example
• throw away your mobile phone (or give it to a parent while you're revising)
• avoid friends who make you feel stressed...you can resume the friendship after exams.!

29/03/2018 17:45 LockedOutOfMN

And some of my tips for parents/family/guardians (my 2 bosses who each have 3 kids who've done GCSEs and A Levels in the last 5 years, and our school's Head of Boarding, contributed many of these) -

1. Don't have an exam. timetable on the fridge/pinboard unless your DC has specifically requested it. They're bound to have one in their bedroom so they don't want/need to see it all over the house. DO have one in your phone/handbag/diary so you can be discreetly aware of which exams. are coming up, and make a note of when the exams. with special equipment like Maths and Physics are.
2. DCs can definitely do chores during revision and exam. time! Stress is definitely reduced if there is a reliable supply of clean underwear/uniform/hairbands/etc. so parents can help by ensuring that whoever in the family does the laundry/shopping is on top of that. Something like finding out your deodorant has run out the morning of the dreaded French oral exam. can seem like the end of the world...
3. Same for food. You don't have to do the cooking but exams. do take their toll on the brain so it can be less stressful to say to your DC 'will X be ok for dinner tonight?' than asking them what they fancy or presenting lots of choices. X = a reliable favourite meal of DC.
4. When left home alone to revise, DCs WILL get obscenely hungry so make sure there is a plentiful supply of snacks/quick foods they like/are healthy.
5. Same for stationery and supplies. Have an emergency stash of black pens (some exam. boards will allow blue, but others only permit black so black is the safest bet) and resist the urge to say things like, "you had hundreds of pens yesterday" when pre-exam. DC claims the whole house is a pen-free zone.

Basically organisation is your friend. Whatever you do, don't let their school shoes go missing the morning of an exam. shock

oratory I bought some English practice papers published by CGP from Waterstones. They are wrapped in a brown envelope. Not used them yet so don’t know if any good

The advice (for students) seems to be coalescing around the same few points.

The advice for parents might be best summarised as : accept your role as maid cum cook cum butler, and above all else: don't poke the bear!

Oddsocks when you crack open those exam papers can you let me know if they are any good as I might get some for DS is it English language and board specific? just a poor excuse to use bunny emoji

There are numerous past papers on the Pearson (edexcel )site ...

In terms of English Literature the Exemplar packs are good because they show students work and the marks they achieved...

qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/English%20Literature/2015/teaching-and-learning-materials/Shakespeare_exemplar_pack.pdf

Thank you !! I'll have a look

If I hear any more about the Bocastle flash floods I may go down there and drown myself...

Thank the lord he's doing Physics after lunch - I understand nothing so am allowed to read my book in peace.

Kingscote - wishing you a nice peaceful afternoon!
DS1 has decided to do physics revision this afternoon - armed with a bag of chocolate mini eggs.

I can do Boscastle flash floods (I'm back from Cornwall now), but it's an Oxfordshire reservoir here. Therapeutic shopping this morning for an alternative prom/cruise dress (don't ask), but she may stick with the original for prom.

We've gone out for a country walk with the dog and left DS to it.

I just phoned and asked what he was up to and was told he was in the toilet. In his defence he'd been reading My Antonia and had done some maths.

We have a satisfyingly detailed revision timetable for the holidays.

My only concern is that the internet food shop is going to be delivered while we're out and he will descend like a plague of locusts on anything instantly consumable.

This is the alternative which we bought months ago in black. She looks gorgeous in both. The shop is closing down & getting rid of all stock.

Welcome back to the land of the living Sost

DS has suddenly (over course of last 6 moths) started to enjoy maths - I never thought I'd see the day with any of my children when being allowed to do a maths paper was a reward for revising English or RS :) :)

He is supposedly intelligent as evidenced by ed psych reports but its not shown up in school yet - perhaps its now starting to appear in maths at least if no where else.

@stickerrocks I think both dresses are stunning ...but different - red is a little more classy - blue more daring ....Your DD will look stunning which ever she chooses.
Sost- hope you do manage to come out of hospital now you have come round - I bet you are missing puppy/dgd etc.
@Kingscote - I love Boscastle ...I remember watching all the news about the flood too...I would have insisted on DD visiting Boscastle for a few days has part of her revision!
I'm quite enjoying the revision and feel like I am learning too (when DD asks to be tested) although I was struggling testing DD on the human eye which she is convinced will be in the biology paper - I can see why the teacher picked Dd up on not using detailed terminology - when she refers to "things" all the time.

bluebelle and oratory

Picture from Amazon, noticed that CGP publish past papers in other subjects too

DD did make a point of saying in the shop that she wouldn't wear the wine one to prom, as someone else also has it and she doesn't want to do to them what another friend has done to her. Roll on our cruise!

I dared enter her room earlier to remind her to start revising and got snarled at.

Thanks oddsocks we've got those for sciences (AQA) but couldn't find igcse English. The GCP revision guides with questions are great too.

Red dress is beautiful !! Black is nice too but particularly lick the red one

Like not lick !!
Oh and I spoke to DS about rest breaks today having previously dismissed it and he said it would really help in English and RS as he said his brain just doesn't work after 2 hours and those exams are nearly three with extra time. And others at school have them who don't have medical conditions - I initially though rest breaks were normally for MH or medical conditions. His brain might still be addled after a rest but worth a try. He's going to ask when he gets back so thanks yet again for the suggestions. In the mean time practise practise practise !!!