Starting Year 11-GCSE2021 (title edited by MNHQ)

[indy69]

Good morning Mums,

My DD will start her GCSE journey this September. MN always has such good advice that I thought we could have a new thread to support each other. My DD has 4 options apart from English, Science AQA and Maths Edexcel. She has Art and History - Edexcel, and Psychology and Economics - AQA. It wpuld be lovely to know what your DC are doing and we could share resources here. I look forward to meeting you all on this thread. We have 4 weeks to go to start of term and a ton of homework to finish. My DD is feeling too lazy to do anything at the moment, but I guess they have earned the break. I will start reminding her next week about the work. Thanks

In response to @Hoghgyni post. If anyone is in the Manchester area, Macbeth is on at the Royal Exhange next month and An Inspector Calls at the Lowry in January.

Further to Hellohah, at the opposite end of the country, AIC is on at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton this September, & Macbeth is being performed in Chichester in October.

Can I join? DS starting Y10 in Sept and will be taking English Lang and Lit, Math, Trilogy Science, RS (compulsory in his school) then options are DT, Computing, Business Studies and Music.

He's not the most academic and we're hoping the coursework elements in his Options will help ease the pressure in 2021!

Second That's what I'm hoping for DD too with her Drama & Food tech.

Mind you for 'not the most academic' Triple science & computing looks pretty academic to me!

Anyone else from Northern Ireland
My dd going into y12 they do majority of GCSE In that year
Maths English language Spanish Science
Drama Art Re and Health and Social.
No homework hasn't a clue what to start looking at. I'd say she has but wants to spend her free time with friends.

TeenTimesTwo Ah no, not Triple Science - for some reason, AQA's dual Science course is called Trilogy Confusing.

Is Computing hard? He's constantly on his PC playing video games, and seems to think he knows a bit about computing. I am really hoping he is right!

Sorry, Trilogy is probably me not being up on the latest terms.

I think computing is hard or easy depending on your brain. Normally good computer people are also good at maths. It isn't playing video games though!

DS1 is still debating his options (school will be delighted when I let them know he's changed his mind again!)

So far he's supposed to be doing eng lang, eng lit, maths, physics, chemistry, biology, history, spanish, drama, computer science plus an independent project. He might however drop either physics or computer science and do either geography or RE. Decision making is not his strong point!

English texts are The view from the bridge, Of Mice and men, Macbeth and a poetry anthology

kjh Is that at an independent school? State schools tend not to permit only doing 2 out of 3 sciences? Any reason not to do double science instead? Also wondering re indie school with the late decision making.

Perhaps he needs to do a SWOT analysis or something to help him decide. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats).

Yes its independent. They have to do at least two sciences (at least Chem and biology if they might want to do medicine). There is no combined science option.

They narrowed down their subjects last year and started all the GCSE courses and now they need to refine down further to 10 plus the independent studies project. DS is an all rounder and so is really struggling to decide. The reality is that he can chop and change until half term if he really needs to. We are lucky in that we do have that extra flexibility with it being independent.

That is good flexibility, but I can see how it won't help with decisions.

Bumping this up again now we only have a couple of weeks to go. Dd is doing eng x 2, maths, combined science, re, history, French and art. She started English, science and re courses after Easter although re has been rubbish with lots of supply teachers who kept teaching the wrong things! She has French homework which is nearly done. 2 weeks after they get back she is going on a French exchange which she is nervous about as none of her friends are going and they stay on their own with the French families. I'm also a bit concerned about the whole week she is going to miss at school!

Just on our way home from our holiday now and thinking about getting dd organised for the new school year. Good tip about looking for revision guides in charity shops! Any tips for things to buy, how to keep books/desk area well organised, getting on top of revision early on etc?

I've seen loads of revision guides for sale on Facebook Market Place, I picked up English and Maths in Tesco last week as they were on offer.

Titsywoo My DD was told to print out specs for each subject and file them and have separate files for the sciences. The teacher told her to have a set of magazine folders labeled with the day so that the books could go in there when she gets back from school. So far we have the files sorted and revision guides purchased from mums groups. She finished her maths homework and has now started on science. Exams are scheduled the first week back for both subjects.

Printing out the specs is a great idea. Do you get those on the exam board websites? Exams as soon as they get back is pretty full on!

Morning. Thanks @indy69 for starting this thread.

DS's school does 3 years so chose his options in Y8. So, English Lit & Lang, Maths, Combined Science, Ethics & Philosophy. Options are Geography, Design & Technology, BTec Business and English Support (in place of another GCSE). DS is dyslexic and struggles but is hanging on in there (with humour mainly!). School are on board with help but we need to be on it big time as DS is allergic to homework and revision.....

Homework is Ethics. That exam is taken in Y10 so there's a lot to crunch out.

They have started An Inspector Calls. I believe the others are A Christmas Carol and Macbeth and lots of poetry. I have been to the NT and RSC live cinema screenings and agree that these are excellent.

DS has been out and about with his friends/football then 3 days a week working with DH. Last day today, so he can chill and see friends for the remainder of the hols.

Have a good day 👍

Titsywoo yes they are available on the exam websites. I have done maths and the sciences for her. I will let her get on with the rest. Good luck to everyone in advance.

Can I join in too please? DS going into year 10 here. He picked his choices end of year 8. He's doing higher maths, triple sciences, 2 English, History, French and Business.
I am impressed with some of your dc doing so much work in the holidays! Mine has spent the summer leaving a dent on the sofa.

**Newtons3Laws

DS working is to balance out the constant "can I meet my mates and we'll share a Subway/Domino's/Greggs" in the first 10 days of the hols....

Ds will be doing- Maths, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Double Award Science, RE, Welsh, Welsh bacc, Media Studies, Computer Science and Product Design. Only the last three were chosen options, all the rest mandatory.

I dug out the letter from his school and ordered the three English lit books that the school had asked parents to purchase. I'm hoping I can get him to start reading those in the rest of the holidays.
Is it helpful to buy the revision guides for these three books at the same time? Is it helpful to do both the book and the revision guide simultaneously? Thanks

DD is going into Y10, and I've been wanting to ask the school what English Lit texts she'll be studying, but don't want to be that parent.

I'm presuming Macbeth, inspector calls and a Christmas Carol, as that's what her brothers did, but she'll have a different teacher, so who knows.

DD is very dyslexic, and the next two years aren't going to be easy, but at least she's chosen Art and Music as two of her options

DD1 going into Y10. Her options are Drama, Product Design, Geography and Spanish. They have to do all three sciences, and of course Maths and English.

DD's school doesn't give any homework in holidays. I've ordered revision guides when the school makes them available in ParentPay.

DS2 starts Y10 in September. He's picked History, Computer Science, DT and Music (his favourite). I think school decide whether it's double or triple science after the Y10 exams. He's inherited absolutely pristine revision books from DS1 - hoping they actually get used this time!