Starting Yr11 Gcses 2020 Support Thread [Edited at OP's request]

[OrangeCinnamon]

A continuation of a Year 10 support thread
previous thread

Last thread was great and supportive as some of us tried to navigate year 10 and some very helpful peeps steered us through.

Three weeks of school left for ds. Have to admit I’m not looking forward to year 11.

Marking. Thank you Orange.

Thank you. I came late to this thread but have been following as DD coming to the end of year 10. I'm another one not looking forward to the next school year!

Thank you Orange. Bet this thread doesn’t last us all of year 11! DS has 4 days of morning and afternoon exams this week.

Ds seems absolutely knackered. Y10 mocks were in May and he worked really hard but it took it out of him. Thinking about introducing a cash incentive for gcse grades which I’ve always been piously against before (passing the exam is the reward for hard work etc) because it seems like such a hard slog and I don’t think he quite has the maturity to work hard for hard works sake iyswim.

Thanks, Orange.
Another one not looking forward to year 11. DD did well in end of year exams but has completely taken her foot off the pedal since, so we're back to unfinished work and incomplete notes.

Thanks for the thread. DD dreading GCSE’s now. Partially I think the end of ‘childhood’ and beginning of all the serious stuff.

Good idea. A thread for the year not the last few weeks of last minute revising. Been reading the thread about English marking schemes being inconsistent even to the markers

End of year exam results in for DS. Generally, a poor performance overall - especially French at 34% (overall average). He’s resistant to me helping him so it looks like we have to go down the weekly tutor route. 5’s for English (he’s top set English so relatively, a poor result!) followed by a slew of 6’s. No 7’s and 3 x 8’s for Maths, Physics & Biology. He’s naturally good at Maths & Physics which are relatively easy for him so doesn’t have to exert huge effort to gain good marks in those subjects. So, it looks like he’d only revised effectively for Biology.

If your DC are in the top sets, presumeably, they’re aiming for 7 & 8’s.

He only has one set of mocks in Y11, straight after Xmas and most syllabuses won’t finish until Easter. No mh issues - just laziness and too much PC gaming!

Yeah - all pretty normal teenage stuff. Frustrating as a parent though.
Heaped praise on his good results and attempted not to be too critical over the poor ones but it’s hard! Now, need his buy in to co-operate with some French 1-1 over the summer hols (if I can find/arrange some) which I’m sure he will be thrilled with.

Sansou yes hopefully to the 7 and 8’s. His ‘minimum expected progress’ is 8’s across the board assumably as did well in SATs back in the day.

Then they have another column of table which is final expected grade which is fine for all subjects ex pet English where they have put 7 plus so I think that means 7 could be 8. If 7 though I think that will mess with their Progress 8 scores potentially so will be interesting to see what happens there, he’s sitting an English paper today.

It just seems to be continual testing for Dd ...she had a busy week last week, mock interviews, college visits, music gradings after a weekend of DoE and she has been revising for additional English mock to be taken tomorrow and end if year tests.
Took her for a swim in the sea Saturday I think it relaxed her a bit. Like @Daaps DS she is knackered.

I've been trying the non intervention but very supportive tack as suggested in last thread...It seems to be working..the thing I'm most dreading about next year is the nagging ...if I can find a way to not do it and ease my anxiety I will !

The name of the thread is a bit confusing.mcan we not change it to GCSE 2020 since GCSE 2019 I saw done and dusted? Apologies I hope I don’t so7nd like I am nitpicking.

Just checking in to say hello ... I'm new to this thread, but followed the old Year 10 thread.
DS finished his Year 10 mocks two weeks ago and is currently on work experience for 2 weeks. Then it's back to school for 1 week and that's Year 10 done

Neither of us are looking forward to Year 11.. Year 10 has been stressful enough !

Ive asked for thread nane to.be changed @indy69 although sorry mumsnet hq don't think I said please!

DS just come home from DofE silver (shattered) - far too hot a weekend to be walking.
His report arrived just before he left and we told him we need to have a "serious chat" when he got back. Based on where he is now and current level of progress, he is predicted one 3, a mix of 4s and 5s and one 6 (maths). His targets (which he should be well capable of) are 6s and 7s.

I know in themselves, those would not be a bad set of results, but I'm frustrated that he is capable of so much more!! The only plus that I can cling to is that he did (very slightly) up his game this term (i.e slightly more than minimum work as opposed to barely minimum) and we've seen most of his predicted grades rise by a level (except maths, which paradoxically has fallen; perhaps because he's focused on other subjects).

The serious chat is along the lines of he needs to decide what he wants to do, and if he wants to go on to study science/maths (previous plan) he needs to do something to make this happen. Burying his head in the sand and hoping it goes away will not work as a strategy.

I've heard lots of tales of "lazy" boys, who pulled it back in Y11; just hope that will be the case here!

My DD started this year doing well getting 9s in Physics, maths, music but she switched off on her recent mocks as she didn't think they were that serious! Her school got them to sit GCSE sample papers and she did get a 7 for maths, 8 for music but 6s for the rest. Her view is that by the time she sits her pre mocks in November she should be at 7s and 8s then 9s for the mocks in January....we are feeling anxious

I remember a support thread like this 6 years ago when my DS was going through GCSEs and can't quite believe it's that long and here I am back with DD. I will happily join in if you all don't mind.

School has finished for the year for DD and she is shattered after a week on CCF. Her exams went well but she is plagued with terrible anxiety which really can be debilitating. She is predicted 7s - 9s so she is bright but her lack of self esteem makes every exam a trial. School have been great with support and she has a counsellor but it is hard to find the right approach. I really think she will have me completely stressed out next year as well as herself

Hi all!
I 'lurked with intent' on the last thread which I found interesting as it highlighted how Yr10 is experienced differently across settings and of course for our DC.
I was hoping to not find the need to join a thread until Yr11 but I'm now of the mindset that it's one term to mocks and another to the exams proper.
Dunno if that statement means I ought to get my coat before I even join the party!
Anyhoo, if I've managed to gatecrash I'd like to ask how much revision/ consolidation have your DC planned to do of their own accord and/or how much has been set for the summer holidays?

Hello, I posted once or twice on the last thread and would like to mark my spot.

ProggyMat My DS does not revise of his own accord.
Nothing set by school either, though there are still nearly 3 weeks of term yet, so some might appear.
When we have our "chat" we might see if some consolidation in his weaker subjects over the summer might be worthwhile.

RedSkyLastNight DD is finished on Friday- Yr10 has been a long slog!
She had planned to 'tick over' her languages (Latin, Ancient Greek and French) during the summer holidays to try to cut down the work load before January mocks.
We had a second parents evening after end of year exams and several teachers indicated that homework is being set for the summer break.
DD has decided to plan a couple of days per week to GCSE work, some to her job for spending power and the rest to hanging out with mates.
How likely is it that school will set homework for DS? Good luck with the chat, hopefully he will see that little and often is for his benefit.

just joining thread but have been watching year 10 support .
I am dreading GCSEs and Year 11 .
Absolutely dreading . DD has dyslexia and ASD with some learning probs but not enough to get loads of help . Gets barely enough help from school.
She will be lucky to get 3-4s . I know we are looking at retakes in first year college .
We do have a tutor for maths and DD is bright , just can't get it down on paper!

Any advice ? She can get unmotivated so perhaps cash incentive good idea as someone else mentioned!!

Well ds has said this morning that he is no way going to make a revision timetable as suggested by autism outreach, its boring. He does barely anything, (the odd 10 mins on Senecca here and there), he is disengaged in most of his classes and underachiving,. The incentive of his college music course is not going to make him put any work in.

I give up.

Can’t believe it’s the last few weeks of Year 10. DD is on work experience this week and next and enjoying it so far.
Drama gcse group performance has been done just the portfolio to finish over the next few weeks, textiles gcse she’s chosen the brief she wants to do for controlled assessment and music gcse first composition has been handed in so it’s all seeming very real.

DS seems to be ok but exams must be taking it out of him as he declined dog sitting on Sunday, his teacher said the Maths paper they had yesterday was the hardest he’d seen and DS was fine with it so (or so he thinks !) so Maths on the definite A level list,