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Secondary education

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Original poster

Request for advice from parents whose children have done their GCSEs

100 replies

Michaelahpurple · 27/07/2018 21:47

Can experienced (traumatised?) parents please advise on buying revision guides or text books?

My year 10 son needs to go over his whole year of physics as his file is pretty much empty, and I would like him to work through some maths topics. He has two old physics textbooks from school so I thought it would make sense to get him a book utterly aligned to the edexcel IGCSE 1-9 exam he will sit next summer - I think that he is the first or possibly second year to do so. Question - should I get a text book or a revision book? I find the CGP products rather thin and silly - are there other, better ones? Ideally I’d like something with questions and answers to work through which reflect the ones in the exam - are there such things?
Similarly for maths - is it important to get a book branded with the same board as he is doing (again edexcel igcse 1-9) or would any new style one be ok?
And finally, when we get to the point of practicing past papers, how have students managed with the reformed syllabuses - does one try to sweep up practice papers from lots of different reformed boards or is there still value in working through historical ones?
Sorry about the list, but I am sure that these are issues others must have tackled so hoping there may be Mumsnet words of wisdom available!

OP posts:
AtiaoftheJulii · 29/07/2018 18:00

That is - She has poor attendance ... and she also has an overactive conscience - the conscience hasn't contributed to the absences, just makes them harder to deal with.

TheThirdOfHerName · 29/07/2018 18:03

I'm pretty sure it works if you just have the books in the same room as the student?

It works on the inverse square law, so the closer the revision guides are to the student, the more information radiates into their brain. Ideally, they should sleep with one under their pillow.

ggirl · 29/07/2018 18:13

I bought a ton of revision guides for ds , he's just finished yr 10 ..I don't think he's broken the spine of any of them.

Tutoring due to start in a few weeks Grin

ggirl · 29/07/2018 18:14

I might move them to his bed ...always hopeful

mmzz · 29/07/2018 18:21

Ggirl how about a read a section, do an hour of Xbox deal?

ggirl · 29/07/2018 18:25

we're planning a deal come sept ..no wifi will come on until revision is done ...pray for me

ggirl · 29/07/2018 18:26

he's a good kid , will just be silently grumpy

mmzz · 29/07/2018 18:35

Ggirl he's going into year 11? i.e. you have to go through this for two consecutive years?!!! You have my sympathy.

Original poster
Michaelahpurple · 29/07/2018 18:37

Very amused by the revision by osmosis posts - sooo true. Music aural and theory also highly susceptible to this sort of stock piling.

And no, I am sure he doesn’t want this extra work and will have a rant about independence etc but he lost that moral high ground when I saw his files over half term.

V good point about not spiking mocks but, very irritatingly, his school apparently doesn’t do mocks as such, just their usual Decembe internal exams which are one paper per subject and not formatted like GCSEs at all. It all seems to come out in the wash judging by the overall results but I suspect there is scope to slip between the cracks if sloppy.

Amused by the fretting of friends with girls about how anxious and busy and focussed on next summer they are - not an issue for many of my boy-parent friends.

OP posts:
lljkk · 29/07/2018 18:42

What do you want him to do after GCSEs, OP?

mmzz · 29/07/2018 18:45

IME after GCSES it becomes less about what the parents want and more about what the (hopefully more mature) DC want. Are you still choosing for your DD, lljkk?

lljkk · 29/07/2018 18:53

I didn't choose DC's secondary, or drive DC thru GCSEs, much less choose their paths afterwards, mmzz. I wonder if OP will take your view to stop choosing after GCSEs.

mmzz · 29/07/2018 19:21

Some of us stop choosing gradually, but the sixth form and A levels are more the person's choice than their parents, generally speaking.
But whatever happens in another family, I'm sure you would agree that it would be wrong to imply that the parent involved isn't doing it the right way?

AlexanderHamilton · 29/07/2018 19:24

OP - if you want completely non judgmental advice then the GCSE 2018 thread is the friendliest, most supportive thread ever & the likes of mmzz & I have a myriad of different experiences, types of children, level of involvement & advice. I’m sure no-one will mind a little gatecrashing as long as the supportive ethos remains.

lljkk · 29/07/2018 20:14

I don't belong on the GCSE 2018 thread. No support for me there.

mmzz · 29/07/2018 20:34

I'm sorry you feel that way, lljkk. As you probably know, I've been on those threads from the beginning, although as I recall you were something like the third ever poster on the first one. Since then, you've posted intermittently.
What I don't remember is you ever asking for advice or support. Apologies if I missed it.

ggirl · 29/07/2018 20:43

mmzz -- yes he's going into yr 11..that's only one year though isn't it..I've done one already...please don't scare me Grin

I have a dd who is 10 yrs older than ds ..I had virtually nothing to do with her gcse's other than turning up at parents evenings..she was self motivated and got straight As in GCSE and A levels..

Ds was born to rid me of my smugness .

Original poster
Michaelahpurple · 29/07/2018 20:50

Re "what do I expect him to do after " , his school background through prep school , CATS etc imply no question about progressing to his school's sixth form and thence to decent university. I guess I have fairly high expectations for his gcse results, coupled with a complete lack of faith that his current level of diligence is fully aligned with that iyswim.

OP posts:
Geldhorn · 29/07/2018 21:00

My DS was similar. IMO and based on studies of boys brains - they find it difficult at this age to think ahead. Its much easier if they have something structured to follow so something like - freesciencelessons on You Tube, Seneca (like Tassomai but free), loads of maths practice papers from school. Worked for my DS.

However now is quite early. If your DS is reasonably clever then I might be tempted to let him hit the buffers in mocks and then cram the last few months.

mmzz · 29/07/2018 21:02

OP, a lot start out that way (giving the impression that they are miles from working hard enough) but bit by bit they click into action. The mocks are often the trigger although by the time they do the GCSEs, the work needed for the mocks looks like a doodle.

AtiaoftheJulii · 29/07/2018 21:30

We're going to need a GCSE 2019 thread soon Grin

I don't think he needs to start doing loads of revision from now onwards, but if he really has missed a lot of physics, now is a good time to start filling gaps.

My friend's son has been using Seneca and seemed to find it helpful.

Needmoresleep · 29/07/2018 21:43

lljkk, I did not read that thread, but can assure you that you are one of MNs stars.

DC vary. DD is dyslexic and learns aurally, so revision guides that allowed me to test her were brilliant. Notes from class and her ability to learn from books were pretty minimal. And though she had covered all the content and really knew her stuff, her ability to get it down in the exams was uneven and her results patchy. I am glad I tested her and knew that she had dne her best. (She was even suggesting that I test her this summer using her University flash cards - luckily I was able to hide. Plus she found a revision companion.)

DS got on with practically everything himself, except MFL. He is not a linguist and has very little aural memory. Again I tested him regularly till he knew his vocabularly and he did fine.

And if I had been concerned about effort, I would have tried bribery, limiting wifi and just about anything else. Parenting involves providing appropriate support, boundaries and encouragment. The aim is for our DC to emerge as confident, independent, resilient, educated and kind, individuals. We get there by different ways, depending on the child. But to suggest we leave them to it just because they are 15 is straight madness/neglect.

TheThirdOfHerName · 29/07/2018 21:54

I don't belong on the GCSE 2018 thread. No support for me there.

I'm sorry to hear that. I have found it to be positive, supportive and inclusive.

cakeisalwaystheanswer · 30/07/2018 14:31

OP - I can emphasise with your concern. I had the same worries about DS and the same laid back attitude from a similar school. DS also did very little in Y10 and so had revision books to work from and a lot to do in Y11. IME the CGP books were perfect for the IGCSE science subjects. DS knew everything in them, no more no less, as his notes were lost or unreadable and A*d all 3 sciences.
I would also be concerned about the lack of practice papers because a problem he may have with paper 1 is not stating the easy,obvious answer but looking for something deeper.

And in preparation for CGP:
Do you know what an isotope is?
Isotope so.

goodbyestranger · 30/07/2018 18:09

Yes I agree TheThirdOfHerName. Only a very occasional snip but otherwise, as you say, inclusive and supportive.