GCSE 2018 no. 6: stress, struggles and success (hopefully) *Title Edited by MNHQ*

[mmzz]

New thread for GCSEs 2018

[Teenmum60]

Kick - I would say my DD is probably doing less than your DD, she spends about 1hr on Tassomai most days(70% completed on Biology and just started Chem/Physics). She has probably done two past papers most weekends when she has not been working and has one hr French revision each weekend, coupled with 1hr here and there on other subjects at the weekend.

DD is fairly laid back (as i think are a lot of the girls at her school- I was shocked at how many went on holiday over Easter holiday period!). She will have a full week exam leave just before exams start so a chance to blitz Computer Science/Chem/Biology...the exam timetable has been really kind to DD and most weeks she has two free days.

[KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse]

Thanks everyone. This is really reassuring. It's good to have a benchmark. I'm surrounded by the parents of super driven kids who are working 4hrs or more in the evenings and all waking hours at weekends. They are very organised and robust and don't look like burning out but I don't think that level of work is healthy for everyone.

[mmzz]

The thing is KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse, 6 hours does feel like the whole day during to the breaks. If DS works for 45 mins, and then takes a break for 10 mins, then I don't really see him for 8 hours, or 9 since he takes breaks for lunch and dinner. He only gets started at 11ish, even though i wake him at 9.

So, it feels like from waking up at 9, until he finishes at 8pm, he is doing nothing except working or about to resume working.

[brainmelt]

Kick: I've just emailed them to ask them to change her targets because it's almost impossible to keep up but in a way it is keeping her focused
I tried that with Tassomai on the phone and they wouldn't change anything. They said he just needed to keep on. I explained that it was very near the exams and that he wouldn't be able to do the whole thing so did they have an accelerated one. No. So we're no longer on it because it was impossible to put in the time needed and there was so much repetition. I guess they were concerned DS would do it in a month and then I would not pay another month? My opinion on this business is that they should not charge monthly, but a flat fee for one course instead.

[BlueBelle123]

I guess the thing with tassomai is that its based on the little and often method and the reason they ask questions a number of times is because its multiple choice so you could be a lucky guesser!! People do seem to be genuinely impressed with it, my only concern would be that you have the knowledge but not the exam technique and I get the impression it doesn't deal with this - could be wrong.

[brainmelt]

blue you're not wrong. It does mimic the actual questions in the exam. I understand that it's little and often, so better done over several months which is the reason it should not cost a fortune.

[Teenmum60]

DD will get through Biology in under a month - I think she has done 70% in 16/17 days....but they only charged me £10 yesterday to add Chem/Physics until 5/5 and then I will be charged £45 for all three ...that should see DD through to the end of the courses.

[BlueBelle123]

Or offer a discount for pupils on PP - but its a commercial business so not going to happen!

[Oratory1]

Hmm DS struggles to do more than an hour a night then not much on Saturday then say 3 to 4 hours on a Sunday. Could be partly down to the fact that he doesn't finish school til 6 and has Saturday school followed by games and is dyslexic and gets very tired. I am a bit concerned that with no study leave at all I am reliant on useful revision being done in lessons and free periods etc at school and hoping that its useful. Torn between thinking a lot of the day is frittered away at school and not useful but on the other hand the routine, exercise and being with friends and having teachers on tap is helpful - I guess swings and roundabouts and I guess its down to him to focus and take what he can from the lesson time.

[LooseAtTheSeams]

Oratory school revision sessions can be good for exam technique and tips so I'm sure it all helps!
Kick ha! There is no way DS would do 4 hours a night! I'm impressed he revises as much as he does - it's mostly science revision though.

[mmzz]

I'm a bit confused about what the school are doing too. Some subjects make sense. I can see how what they are trying to do and that's great eg English. Others, not so much. And overall, its like there is no co-ordination. Just lots of depts acting like theirs is the only GCSE on the horizon.
Maybe each department is autonomous and the department heads don't speak to each other??

[BlueBelle123]

I know at DS's school the departments are effectively competing against each other as once GCSE and presumably A level results are in they are then ranked in order of how each department preformed and I guess no department wants to be at the bottom!!

[AlexanderHamilton]

No study leav here. Dd is in school 6 days a week until July.

She does have 2/3 optional early morning sessions plus a compulsory maths revision session on Saturdays (45 mins) with a teacher school have brought in especially.

Revision wise she’s doing several hours at weekends (mostly Sundays) plus about 30-40 mins of Tassomai on her car commute.

She sometimes has homework in the week as well, usually 30-45 mins worth. Not every night though.

[WhatsForTeaaa]

Hi all, hope it's okay if I join this thread.

DS(16) is in Year 11 and is quite stressed right now! Had his French Speaking today and says it "went alright I guess". He also got his science mocks back:
Biology = 155/200
Chemistry = 160/200
Physics = 166/200

He's really struggling with English - he's very STEM-oriented and can't seem to get his head around it!

Any tips to help him be less stressed? He struggles with anxiety too, and didn't sleep last night thinking about his French exam today.

[BlueBelle123]

Welcome Teaa those mocks results are brilliant well done your DS.

For English DS has recently started to listen to the Mr Bruff videos, plenty on here really rate him. There is also a book by Mr Salles for English language which DS has looked at not sure what he thinks though........like your DS he much prefers the stem subjects to English. I'm sure others will be along shortly to give you a warm welcome and some fab advice

[mmzz]

WhatsForTeaaa welcome!
Stress - DS got upset on Saturday. What calmed him down was pointing out (with evidence) that he's on course to do what he needs to do, that he's well prepared and that DH and I will not allow it to get too much for him (followed by a couple of emails asking teachers to back off).

YY to Mr Bruff for English Lit (and maybe Lang too - although Mr Salles seems really good for that too)

[Oratory1]

Hi Brilliant science results there that's amazing. For us with English, DS had been doing lots of general stuff at school eg poetry analysis or Of Mice and Men themes and quotes etc but still didn't really know how to tackle a question. There are only three questions in Lit and 5 or 6 in language so we just went through each one setting out exactly what he needed to do step by step, how much time to spend on each and the simplest way to tackle each question. breaking it down so he had a clear picture of the whole paper and what he needed to do at each stage - it seemed to get over some sort of mental block he had of thinking he couldn't do it - now just needs to practice !! You'd think that s what they were doing in school but clearly not in English !

[WhatsForTeaaa]

Thank you all!
Will take a look at Mr Bruff tonight. He gets so frustrated with it because he just doesn't know what to do. Doesn't help that they haven't finished any of the texts at school either...
Will also definitely keep encouraging him - he's getting quite worked up because he also wants to quit his job but is worried about not being able to save.
Can't believe there's only 2 weeks til written exams start, seems like only last week he was off to first day of Year 7!

[mmzz]

I think the problem with English Language (AQA) is that its after half-term and its beginning to feel like that's a whole different era. The temptation is to leave it until half-term, planning to blitz it then, and for now just focus on English Literature and all the other stuff that's in the first fortnight of the exams.
Is anyone else doing similar? Is it a really stupid thing to do?

[mmzz]

WhatsForTeaaa - which exam board and which books/ plays / poetry selection is he doing?

[mmzz]

@Sostenueto how are you?

[WhatsForTeaaa]

DS is doing similar. Only revising things that are before the half term and is going to thoroughly go over everything else over his week off. I think it's a good idea tbh.

[WhatsForTeaaa]

He is on AQA, doing:
Macbeth
A Christmas Carol
An Inspector Calls
Power & Conflict poems

[Sostenueto]

Hi all! Sorry I haven't been on dgd been in hospital for a few days. A lot better now and back to school today. Hope everyone is fine and surviving stressful teens!
Will read last thread to update myself. Update of patio only 37 bricks to go! They look better when they are wet.

[Sostenueto]

Romeo and Juliet
An inspector calls
Frankenstein
Power and conflict poetry
Dgd aqa too.