Any tips from those who’s kids got great GCSE grades?

[ILiveInSalemsLot]

What do you think helped your kids achieve good results?
My ds will be doing his in a couple of years. He’s doing ok but definitely needs to put more effort in. I’d be really grateful for any tips.
TIA

[MaisyPops]

Based on my most successful students over the years (range of abilities).

Successful students:

1. Make the most of each lesson. They see each lesson as a building block over time.
   
2. Complete homework to a decent standard and treat it as an opportunity to consolidate knowledge and skills rather than something to be rushed and thrown together
   
3. They revise for assessments and mock exams. By doing this they reduce their work later.
   
4. Read feedback and listen to feedback. If the teacher is telling you what makes as good/less good answer, take it on board. (Don't do what one of mine did one year and spend 2 years trying to argue with me about why you at 14/15 know more about how to examine GCSE papers and teach)
   
5. Ask questions if confused or want extra help. Sure some teachers can be arseholes but most of us aren't and are more than happy to reexplain if we've not made it clear first time.
   
6. Avoid buying into competitive who is working least (one of my biggest surprises this year was a boy who got sucked into this last year but this year removed himself from it. He jumped 2 grades. I could tell he'd started working. I'm sure he was still giving the impression to friends of chilling).
   
7. Revise early. I always say start early and revise little and often. Last minute revision is a risky strategy which suits some but isn't as effective as the slow and steady approach.
   

Then the usual, keep hobbies, see friends and have a general sense of balance in life.
(And ignore any teacher who starts going down the route of you should be revising my subject for 2 hours a night. They're chatting shite.)

[maZebraltov]

What do you think helped your kids achieve good results?

Huge confidence, huge Ambition, relentless hard work, fairly good brains. I did nothing special to make DD like that. It came from within herself. My other DC aren't like that.

My actual tip is to support them in whatever (honest, legal, responsible) path they can find most enthusiasm for. Whether or not it's something academic or involves getting good grades.

[AndromedaPerseus]

Understanding what the examiner is looking for in each subject especially humanities and know how to construct an answer in the expected format
Practise lots of past papers and know which topics/questions are almost definitely going to come up
Take a calculated risk revise 4 topics really well and 2 superficially you’ll never have time, brain space to do it all
Practise your timing so you always finish the paper on time
Parents are really important in testing basic knowledge and marking practise past papers impartially

[Sadik]

"Parents are really important in testing basic knowledge and marking practise past papers impartially"

I think that depends on your child - my practical input with dd never went beyond providing cups of tea / regular meals & encouraging a sensible bedtime. She definitely wouldn't have wanted me anywhere near her past papers or doing any testing. (The one exception being that she practiced her English speech on me as she wanted an audience & a bit of feedback on presentation/intelligibility - we're in Wales so still some coursework including a speech/debate thing)

[Stillnotready]

I have 4 DC, between them they have racked up 42 A and A* s ( sorry cant recall the breakdown) and 2Bs.
The main feature was reassuring them that it was really hard juggling all those balls and deadlines, that it was one if the most difficult challenges and school years they could face, keeping calm , and providing cake, kindness and

[Stillnotready]

And not micromanaging was what I was going to add!
It is a really hard couple if years, so be their mate and supporter not their overseer and supervisor, let the school do that.

[Stillnotready]

I never, ever tested my children, or looked at past papers with them but did buy study guides and let them get on with it.

[ILiveInSalemsLot]

Thank you for all that extremely helpful information.

[MaisyPops]

Stillnotready
Can we have you to speak at our y11 open evening?
It drives me nuts when people say 'so and so hasn't done homework beause they had choir/sport/a production/graphics coursework' etc.
If it's a really tight week for a big reason (e.g. studebt away all weekend at trials for a pro football team academy/student is in a massive paid production at a theatre) and the student sees me in advance then I'm really reasonable and swap a few deadlines or give them the work early so they've got longer. (Usually students doing big things are super organised and proactive because they know how important it is to fit everything in).

But 'Mrs Pops, Sammy hasn't done her homework because shebwas at her nana's and then had stagecoach / Timmy had a football match and we were busy at the weekend' etc irritates me something rotten.
If you want to do lots of enrichment then part of the reasonnits viewed well is because it requires you to be organised. Handing in rubbish homework because you had choir the night before isn't an excuse.

[BubblesBuddy]

I might be wrong but I believe the new GCSEs test memory and retention more than the previous exams. Therefore the requirements for success are slightly different from previous years and may well have resulted in boys getting improved marks. As there are no longer modules in bite sized chunks it really suits children with excellent memories, those that are organised and ones that are truly clever! I don’t believe loads of revision helps if you cannot recall it in the exam or the questions are not what you wanted and don’t play to your strengths. So luck plays a part, memory a huge part, as well as excellent teaching which certainly cannot be under estimated. It’s an absolute requirement!

[Stillnotready]

Happy to oblige MaisyPops!
My lot range in age from 29 to 20 so coursework was an important factor, and to be honest my eldest really struggled meeting deadlines. She would have loved all or nothing exams.
I do think the new emphasis on all or nothing exams is very unfair, and in the real world of work, very few roles function like that, it’s all about ongoing management of tasks and deadlines.
But, I still stand by this parenting ethos: who owns the problem? If it’s you how can I support? What can you do to help yourself? I’m making a cake,/ making tea/ going shopping what would you like?

[maZebraltov]

@Stillnotready, you sound sensible. I have a kid who won't own the problem (yet). Won't revise, not organised, not self-motivated, won't get good GCSEs & likely to be disaster at A-level if he'll even find a college to take him. What do you do when they are in denial or can't be arsed? Is there anyway to prepare, or just have to wait for the actual results to come in so they accept they have to explore a different path? BTECs & apprenticeships in our area are very limited (argh), what's worse.

I like to plan & ponder options far in advance, so am very uncomfortable about last minute rushed decisions, afraid of information deficits, but maybe I have to accept that's DS's path? I know most people wing a lot of life.

[MaisyPops]

But, I still stand by this parenting ethos: who owns the problem? If it’s you how can I support? What can you do to help yourself? I’m making a cake,/ making tea/ going shopping what would you like?
You're hired!
It would be a fabulous example to the types who:

1. think their child can arse around for years and then demand intervention in y11 because 'they NEED a 5'. / think it is our job to ensure their chikd does well regardless of their child's work ethic and attitude.
   
2. Are unbelievably lovely and well meaning but end up smothering and stressing the life out their poor kids

[Distancehelp]

Holiday courses helped DD. The local university ran cramming courses in the sciences, languages and humanities. Mostly led by current students and gave her a space to ask a lot of questions, have 1:1 attention and revise somewhere she wasn’t distracted by anything like at home!

Also, we arranged mentoring for her. Pushy, all girls school where people began just talking revision/exams/school during y11 and she missed just talking nonsense with friends. Having a mentor gave space to just talk about how she was feeling and be around someone not in the family and not talking GCSEs!

Came out with 9 9s and 1 8.

[Cauliflowersqueeze]

I’d say that those who spent all night pissing around making endless beautiful colour coded timetables and immaculate flash cards while multi tasking on their phones were less successful than those who just worked very hard practising in distraction-free areas for shorter lengths of time and got out to do a hobby now and again.

[ggirl]

Kids are all so different , some do amazingly well with zero input from parents -dd , others are lazy and do the minimum work despite loads of parental input -ds .

[MaisyPops]

Cauliflowersqueeze
Round of applause!

Every year I say that to students.
Every.
Damn.
Year.

And yet a couple to wonderful students who could have got higher... were the ones whose notes were like a unicorn had farted over them. Very pretty and very colourful, but too much time was spend having pretty notes over learning material.

Good revision techniques and time for hobbies are a must.

[Cauliflowersqueeze]

. Ready for another year of repeating yourself a million times Maisy?
I’m bracing myself for Year 21.

[leonardthelemming]

Retired physics teacher here, so not taught the new GCSEs, but I think it depends very much on the individual student - and how they learn - and also the subject.

Physics, for example, really not much to actually learn - (I used to give my Y10 students a list at the start of the course - one sheet of A4, printed both sides admittedly, but double-spaced). On the other hand, essential to understand it, and how it all fits together - like a jigsaw puzzle. This means concentrating in class, interacting with the teacher by asking and answering questions, relating practical work to theory. Keeping on top of the work - need to understand Lesson 1 before starting Lesson 2.

Once it's understood, not really much need to revise, because you don't forget it (like riding a bike).

And certainly not last-minute revision. Too late by then. Better to do something physical, like DofE expedition, during half-term.

[Cauliflowersqueeze]

Realised today that kids in my first Year 11 class will now be 36.
Shoot me.

[leonardthelemming]

Realised today that kids in my first Year 11 class will now be 36.

Mine will be 61...

Some of my last Y12 class have Masters degrees.

[Petalflowers]

All,of the above, plus monitor their computer and telephone use. Kids get distracted very easily.

[Stillnotready]

@maZebraltov I’m not sure how you should approach it, but try to remember that our children will most likely be doing jobs that have not even been invented yet. I know I’m working on something that didn’t exist even 5 years ago.
So take some time to find out what interests and excites him, be it cooking, gaming, running, watching YouTube, cars, films, fashion, whatever and make him think that maybe he could work in that field and how could he get there.
So if it’s say football, he may not be good enough to be a footballer for example, but perhaps he could work for a club. I know nothing about football but it must employ thousands from bar staff to grounds men to publicity and facilities management and support staff.
I also think ‘winging it’ is another way of saying ‘ adaptable’ and I see that as a positive.
However I won’t deny, getting passes in the basic exam grades makes being adaptable easier.

[Cauliflowersqueeze]

leonard blimey!!

[AlexaShutUp]

But, I still stand by this parenting ethos: who owns the problem? If it’s you how can I support? What can you do to help yourself?

Actually, I think this is great advice, not just for GCSEs but for life in general.