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Secondary education

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Original poster

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

999 replies

Stickerrocks · 22/03/2018 22:48

Here we go again.

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

OP posts:
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12
TheSecondOfHerName · 04/04/2018 16:09

In the end, DS1 managed to cover 50% of the Biology course and 50% of the Chemistry course (he didn't do Physics). He got a B in Biology and a D in Chemistry. Without Tassomai, he probably would have got a C and an E, so it did help.

AlexanderHamilton · 04/04/2018 16:09

YOU can pause topics on Tassomai & just answer quizzes on the topics you want.

Dd finds the silly answers help you learn the correct answers. She liked it as they were behind on the syllabus.

Oratory1 · 04/04/2018 16:46

Thanks - really helpful and balanced responses as always :)

Oratory1 · 04/04/2018 16:49

I think would have been useful if we had got it earlier particularly for Biology where there is a lot of content. At the moment he s being quite focused in his revision and doing past questions etc - if that wasn't the case and he was still struggling to revise I would have given it a try even for the last month.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 04/04/2018 19:19

DS3's school subsidised the whole year to get Tassomai and it's very frustrating that he is nowhere near complete. You'd think it would be an ideal revision method for a computer geeky boy who doesn't like writing, but it still doesn't compete with mucking around playing games or reading Reddit, it seems.

Cherryburn · 04/04/2018 19:27

DS started Tassomai in Feb (but only in Biology and Chemistry, his grasp of Physics is fine). He's just over halfway through and on course to finish before the exams.

He doesn't think it takes the place of past papers so he's still doing them (and corrections) but he definitely feels that he's absorbed a lot of the facts so far. So kind of taken the place of book revision.

Oddsocks15 · 04/04/2018 20:27

DD is talking about paying the late fee to enter herself into the Combined science higher paper. She has hardly used Tassomai over year 11 and didn’t perform well at her mocks but she won’t be told Shock

mmzz · 04/04/2018 20:32

Oddsocks could she know something about how exam-ready she is that you and her teachers don't, or is she very self confident by nature?

mmzz · 04/04/2018 20:39

Maths aside, DS lacks self-confidence in his abilities. I asked him to go through each section for each subject and score it between 1-5, 5 meaning that he understands and has learned it. Apart from maths, there is no single fact or tiny sub-section that he doesn't think he needs to revise again, and there is quite a few that he's rated as a 2.
Actually the scoring has really helped make it clear what he needs to specifically study each day.
This is the same boy whose teachers predict 8s and 9s for.

KingscoteStaff · 04/04/2018 21:12

DS just galumphed down the stairs, crashed into the kitchen, said,
‘87%, oh yes 87%, I nailed that paper, 87%!’, grabbed half a chocolate rabbit and a bottle of apple juice and headed off again.

So something’s going well!

Teenmum60 · 04/04/2018 21:24

Oddsocks - Do you think your DD is feeling peer pressure?

DD back home with me today and she's done some revision whilst away Grin

DD did one of the specimen computer science papers today and timing looks to be very tight on the second paper (she was also struggling to squeeze the programming data into the answer fields)...she didn't answer some questions which we have gone through together (some she knew the answer to but didn't realise because of the wording of the question and couple related to topics not yet covered) ...CS is the only subject where they have not finished the syllabus (the mock was lacking in content according to DD). Just surprised the teacher would not take 1 day out of 3 weeks Easter holiday to go in like most of the other teachers have done.

DD going to do paper one tomorrow and see how that goes ...very worthwhile doing the specimen paper at this stage.

I ordered the Corbett Maths Flashcards for her and she's happy with those too.

Oddsocks15 · 04/04/2018 22:30

mmzz no she isn’t self confident, and teen it is more friendship rather peer pressure. Her friends have picked Science Hmm

Well done to your DS kings

Teenmum60 · 04/04/2018 22:49

Oddsocks - I can fully understand how she must feel .....I think it is how we all would feel...and completely natural...What were her mock results like in science?

mmzz · 05/04/2018 02:53

2nd night running that DH has come to bed at 2, and I end up getting up because I can't get back to sleep.

Teenmum60 · 05/04/2018 03:02

I'm up too just finished some work (always busy month end/start)....then have spent ages downloading extra revision materials for Computer Science.... not sure how I print it all off could do with a professional printer...

mmzz · 05/04/2018 03:07

If he has an iPad, you could just export the materials as a series of PDFs and he can work on them using a PDF editor? That's what I do as our printer seems to need another ink refill every time I go to use it

Teenmum60 · 05/04/2018 03:28

May try sending a couple of the files through to DD's Ipad/Computer...I also downloaded a load of flashcards which look really good they are nicely colour coded and I dare say they will go through a colour printer cartridge in the time it takes to sneeze. Might have a look at how much it costs to print at a printers - I was looking for some portable papers ...quite fancied going down to Brighton for the day and given that its 2hrs each way I thought it would be a happy balance - DD revising on train then chilling with some sea air!

mmzz · 05/04/2018 03:41

What's GCSE computing like? DS2 is going to start it in September and it's the only one he'll do that DS1 isn't doing now.

Teenmum60 · 05/04/2018 03:59

Its not what DD was expecting its virtually another science so fully of theory....DD loves programming but so little was programming and then they removed the NEA so she wasted a whole term on part of an exam that will not be taken into account...

I will copy and paste this link from youtube because I think it will benefit any of the DC sitting Computer Science....I cannot believe how much content there is (DD's mock was laughable - she did get 85% but the content was non existent). I think DD's school is making it a 3 year course now!

mmzz · 05/04/2018 04:03

3 year course! Minimal programming! Ds2 is taking it thinking it's going to be the easy one. Maybe he needs to rethink.

mmzz · 05/04/2018 04:11

3 year course! Minimal programming! Ds2 is taking it thinking it's going to be the easy one. Maybe he needs to rethink.

mmzz · 05/04/2018 04:12

Don't know what happened there.

Sostenueto · 05/04/2018 06:52

Morning all I'm back!

Sostenueto · 05/04/2018 06:57

Have had good reports from DgD and dd about revision progress which has pleased me as I was so worried about my stay in hospital disrupting everything. Eldest dd has been running dd to work and making sure dgd keeps to her revision timetable so all is good. Will read back to catch up on all.Flowers

Oratory1 · 05/04/2018 07:02

Welcome back

Another DC here that thinks computer science has been easy but worried he may be kidding himself. Mock was easy but didn’t have a teacher for most of year 10 (three left in the year !) so haven’t covered the course yet. I’ve got some practise papers (cgp brown envelope !) and he may be in for a shock