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.

Like most of you I feel sick just thinking about the next school year. I have a DS who is beyond lazy. I help him a lot with revision plans and general stuff like listening to his oral Latin/French etc. His end of year report was ok but physics was a 4 (although his teacher is awful). I just want to know at what point does the studying actually kick in? We are taking gaming away until the exams and trying to set targets for financial rewards (I have always been anti this but it is really the only thing that seems to drive my DS other than gaming).

I think it gets serious pretty quickly once they are back. Was talking to a friend and she said at our school they are tested absolutely loads next year so I guess pressure on from the start really,

We’ll be looking at 6th forms in the autumn so was watching results with interest.Had a really good conversation with DS today for well over an hour about pretty much everything from GCSE’s, driving , part time jobs, A levels, University and UCAS. Slightly in shock as not like him to be so talkative but it was lovely and then he cooked tea. Given that he had a variety of different pitched ‘hmms’ For a long time this is amazing

Notoldenough DS looking at doing maths. Oxford university do a series of public lectures that can also be watched online and might be worth looking at - www.maths.ox.ac.uk/events/public-lectures-events

Placemarking.

DS1 is taking GCSEs this academic year and, being forrin’, I am completely baffled to the whole process. I’ve left him to the capable hands of his school but am getting a bit worried that DS, who is so laid back academically that he is almost horizontal, seems unconcerned and his teachers, as of the last parent-teacher meetings in the summer term, also seem unconcerned.

From other parents, things dramatically step up when they get back. I certainly hope so as mocks are in December!

@notoldenoughforthis Welcome..Good luck for your Dd on Thurs. Welcome too @sazzy5 and @Mominatrix.

One of the things Dd teacher said to me at end of last term was that we should trust the school...they will make them do extra sessions and work if needed during Yr11. I guess the take home is that we are not alone in going through this.

Hello, can I join?
@notoldenoughforthis same here, DS's school do English lit in year 10, plus half of sciences, history and RE. Not sure if he will get a grade for anything except English on Thursday but it's all a bit nervy, can't imagine what it'll be like this time next year!

DD gets her first full GCSE result tomorrow, in ICT. She took the short course last year ( half a GCSE) and the school then offered pupils to continue to complete the full GCSE, by way of after school lessons.
She was advised to drop a subject in year 10 because of her SEN, but she was determined to carry on with all 10, so everything crossed for a good result tomorrow.

I think it's been a really good trial run for next year - she's had the experience of mock exams, real exams and the wait for the result.

I agree @Alsoplayspiccolo it has been a useful practice run, and means that next year he will have a slightly easier time than he would've. (Assuming he is not retaking things )
For us with another dc 2 years behind, it does mean 6 years of results on the trot though

Finger crossed for those getting results tomorrow @Alsoplayspiccolo (well done your dd on her determination!) @singingstones. Dd gets to pick hers up at 11am.

Thanks for the link @PostNotInHaste. I'll get dd to have a look. Has your son got any ideas where he wants Maths to lead him?

Well the history revision guide has been opened this evening, not sure how far she's got mind.

Welcome to all newcomers and good luck tomorrow for this’s within results.

No Notoldenough I don’t think so. It’s pretty recently that he’s decided he probably wants to do maths, I think Computer Science was in the frame and may yet still me but he said he’d like to see how far he gets with Maths. Impressed with the history book out, I think DS has been doing some of his holiday homework.

Welcome @singingstones also good luck to you and @alsoplayspiccolo today. I heartily agree that early gcses are a good idea.

DD keeps saying stuff like 'this time next year I'll be wanting to shoot myself

I don't know why she didn't take GCSE Drama

DN is applying to Cambridge for Maths in the Autumn. He lives and breathes it. I think he just wants to be a researcher but I'll keep you all updated for those with Maths enthusiasts.

I've used all your suggestions to at least talk to 'bare minimum' Ds1.
I told him that at the moment I wasn't sure what to do to support him: should I be punishing him/encouraging him/paying him to incentivise him ......or..... when I mentioned the x box he said he'd already decided to unplug it for next year.

Mind you.... i haven't seen any of the promised homework being done.

DD got an email with her results at 7.19am, but we were all still asleep.
She's just opened it and found out she got an A. 👍
One down ...9 to go next year!

Well done to your DD @Alsoplayspiccolo! DS just about to leave to get his..

Amazing! Well done @Alsoplayspiccolo dd!

We’re just hanging around in the house waiting to go to school. Dd seems more excited than nervous so that’s good.

Place marking. I have a Y10 dd whose target grades are all high yet she got a very mixed bag of results in last term’s PPEs. She seems far more interested in hanging out with her mates, watching Netflix, snap chat, clothes and make up than getting good results so I’m already dreading this time next year! I’m really hoping she sharpens her focus a bit - she’s doing 11 GCSEs and has got a lot to catch up on. Tutors in two of her subjects starting next month and a big financial incentive for good grades (I know many would disagree with it but she’s been forbidden from working her weekend job from Feb-June next year and money talks with her!). Not sure what more we can do really, she just wants to shut down any talk of preparation right now...

I know what you mean about doing one in Year 10 being good for practice, but our house is enjoying having a 'year off' before a double dose next year!

Well done @alsoplayspiccolo Dd!

@virginiawolfhall Dd year 10 is rubbish for obsessions with make up boys snapchat etc. I'm hoping year 11 brings more focus too and relying on school to do a scary assembly first thing.

That being said balance is good and friendships must be maintained..peer support can be really helpful I think.

DD has done all 5 of her homework booklet she was given and filled the wall space above her bed pillow with music theory notes ...she is determined to get it passed in the Autumn. I'm telling you all this as Dd is a terrible procrastinor and this is a real change !

Hmm well tears here. She got a 6, which you would think was the end of the world. She was really hoping for a 7.

I do feel for her tbh, like I said she put a lot of time into revising, but did I always have my doubts about the methods (obviously I mentioned it at the time but she’s a teenager). They only did one mock paper at school (she got a 6 in that too, before any revision) which I knew wasn’t enough, it was the getting it all down on paper she needed to practice, which she did on her own, but it’s no good if you’re not getting feedback is it.

Anyway it’s a good mark, I’m proud of her even if she’s not proud of herself at the minute.

Feel like I have aged considerably this morning but happy results here - the only complete gcse DS took was eng lit, he got a B. He has also done half of:
history (B)
biology (A)
chemistry (A)
physics (A*)
RE (A).
So all to play for in year 11. He worked hard after getting Cs and Ds in his mocks so very relieved that he can see a link now between hard work and good grades. Confidence intact thank goodness.

@notoldenoughforthis I'm sure the experience she has gained this year will help enormously next year. She can think to herself that she will have an advantage in year 11.

Huge congratulations to both your DCs, notoldenough and singingstones - fantastic marks!

I really think the next 9 months will see a big change in maturity, which can have a big impact on grades; DD did better in this year's GCSE written exam than last year's, and her end of year exam results were a big improvement, all of which I put down to being older and better equipped to tackle exams.

Thanks @Alsoplayspiccolo - I think / hope you're right - they can all go into y11 knowing that they understand the system and can cope with it. Lots of children a whole year older would be pleased with these results so they have all done brilliantly. Onwards and upwards. (And shitloads more work to do of course)

@singingstones well done to your son, excellent marks! Are you still getting marks in letters rather than numbers?

That’s why I was hoping dd would get a 7, to see an improvement on her mock result after the time spent revising. We’ve discussed how she needs different techniques for English language and history next year (she does well in the Maths and Sciences where less words are required) and to get more feedback from her teachers on practice answers.

I think this feeling of disappointment will motivate her so that’s a good thing.

We’ve got smiles again now (she feels things hard and fast does dd, so she cries easily but tends not to dwell too much). I made her text her dad (now an English teacher but let’s not talk about how much support she got there) and ask what he got for his English GCSE - a C, so a 6 seems not so bad now.

Hey!
My son is going into year 11 in september. Worried! He struggled with mocks getting 2s-3s!