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.

DD has just got her Morrisby data back.

It seems to be guiding her quite firmly in the direction of Science A levels - quite terrifying for 2 fundamentally non-Science parents!

May I join? DS2 is in year 11 and due to do 10 GCSEs in 2020.
Academically, he is a lot like his older brother who is in year 13. So, I have the very strange advantage of having a second go!
What I did not realise first time around us how much more important knowing how to structure an answer is rather then knowing the answer, so that's what I'm going to focus on helping DS2 realise and learn. I think they call it"exam technique". I always thought exam technique meant completing half the paper in half the time and making sure you get all the easy marks, but I think when they talk of it in school they mean remember PANDA in History etc

Welcome @quair previous knowledge always welcomed !!

Some things are generic and some things are very individual.

For example, if the mock results are bad some DC will despair and stop trying, others will shrug because they think the time to care has not yet arrived (it will have, btw!), others will panic and some will just get their head down and focus on fixing the problem.

I'd wish DS2 to be in the don't panic, but do focus on fixing it group, but you can.t always get what you want (as famously Mick Jagger told us!)

Generic good advice is to start now and do little and often, focusing on your weakest areas always. It is good advice but even DS2 always ends up doing what he likes and is good at first.

even DS2 always ends up doing what he likes and is good at first.

DS has a tendency to revise his favourite subjects first. Also he likes devising a new revision strategy, starts the first couple of topics then gives up on that particular method. He will end up with a very thorough knowledge of the first topic in each specification.

Tumbleton

Waves at Quair- where has time gone since Yr6?
In regards to revision, DD tends to 'keep on top of' stuff and end of topic tests then once she has end of year exam time table revises in the order the exams are scheduled
For the end of Yr10 mocks they were given the opportunity to take study leave and only come in to school when their exam was scheduled.
DD loved this and will do it again for January mocks and no doubt structure revision in the order they appear in her time table

Study leave policies seem to vary so much.
DS2 won't get it until the May half-term holiday when the GCSEs are half over! i think its because not everyone can be trusted to revise independently, but it does get in the way of revising what you need to rather than what a few others in your class all need to revise most!

First week in May DD will go off on study leave
She prefers the quiet space at home.
I think it's horses for courses but do think DC should be given a choice.
Also, the logistics of getting to and fro school will play a big part. I may take some leave in the mocks as taxi

The problem for a school in making study leave optional is that the ones who won't work unless they are nailed to the desk will be the first ones to take the option!

There are plenty of others who would fare better on study leave than at home, but how could the school make a rule about it, so it didn't appear that they were discriminating against individual children: boy A , trusted, study leave optional, but boy B: I don't believe you when you assure me you will use your study leave wisely so for you attending school is compulsory?

At DDs school Study leave for Yr10 end of year mocks and mocks proper in January give the option of studying at home and coming in for scheduled exams only or coming into school and studying in library-this option involves morning and afternoon registration.
No lessons are taught during these periods.
Teaching ends first week in May

I think DD gets about a week of study leave. I'd prefer more as she's quite good at working at home but I can see how it wouldn't work for some.

Plodding along here. DS is revising 30 mins a day on top of homework Sat-Thurs with Friday off. Will slowly build it up or I fear he may burn himself out. Don't think they have study leave for mocks though DS says there are no normal classes but I think if they haven't got an exam then supervised revision is the thing .... maybe It's amazing how differently schools approach things. I think I am lucky our school has spent some time over the last 3 years or so teaching students several different revision techniques so they can find the way that best suits them

Voddie- I'm a gin lass-
Is the 30 mins revision your DS is doing related to 'the new Yr11 stuff' of the GCSE syllabus that is currently being taught or for the exams proper?

ProggyMat had a bad night on gin at 17 years old and can't even deal with the smell now

No at DS' school they are constantly doing mini tests to consolidate what they are doing in the classroom at the moment. The revision he is doing is going right back to the beginning which for us was the alst term in year 9 when they started GCSE syllabus, it seems such a long time ago now so definitely needs to be brought back into his memory

last* term

Has anyone mentioned that the timetables are out: edexcel AQA

Ahh yes thanks Quair ! Quite lucky with DD school as they produce a booklet with all the exams specs and dates on mid October. I just now I'm looking at a month of doom really lol. I asked my boss for flex working during that period except she is leaving now so will have to check with the new one.. Some nights my commute means not getting in until 7 ish .

I've had a quick scan plus another through OCR (sorry but I'm useless at posting links) and it looks like DD has 8 in the first week:
Chemistry Biology English Lit French x2-listening and reading Latin x 2 -Lanuage and Prose plus Classical Greek-Language.
She thinks double French and Latin is good

DD informs me there is no study leave, not even in exam period. It's a shame for her. I remember going to the park and revising in the sunshine during my gcses

Thanks @Quair
DD also has study leave from May half term when it looks like from the exam timetables she will have completed 4 GCSEs. Surely it should be from the day of the first exam

Paddington if your DD is changing schools for sixth form, then I guess there's very little the school can do if she doesn't go in.

DS has a clash - 2 exams from two different boards at exactly the same time. I guess DS won't get a break between papers??

Orange this isn't your first time through GCSEs if you know what your school does?

Orange DD would hate no study leave!
Having said that I too have a hefty commute to and fro work so will take week one off work to taxi her in and out of school ,and in and out and in and out some days , for exams.
Week 2 will be down to DGF- haven't thought about weeks 3 and 4