Year 13 work levels

[medbur79]

DS seems to be inundated with work. He's doing 3 A levels and and EPQ and apart from trying to go to the gym 2x a week, he spends his time working.

I'm actually worried about the amount of pressure he is under and he seems quite "unwell" : bad back, viruses etc. Just wondering if this normal and how much work other Year 13s have? It's a long time since I did A levels but I recall spending most of the time dossing around and going out socialising.

Depends what A levels he is doing and how well he organises himself. Yes, Year 13 can be a heavy load and I do see a lot of kids really struggle under the pressure and have watched 2 kids break hard (one of my worst experiences at school was having to drag a very drunk 18 year old to her mum's car). Actual ways to reduce the pressure aren't as easy. Work and gym might need to be curtailed but that's his choice.

Otherwise he just needs to make sure he is on top of his homework and study. Using free periods and weekends is a lot better than doing your work at 2 in the morning. the bad back might be from how he trains at the gym though yeah I see a lot of Year 13's getting a bit sick from stress causing weakened immune system.

I’m surprised he’s doing an EPQ now rather than year 12. Are school forcing him to? Or is he insisting? If he doesn’t need it I’d drop it pronto.

DS is y13. His school sent us a sheet saying they should be doing all their homework during study periods & then 3 hours a night on top. I think subjects make a huge difference. He’s doing maths, further maths & physics. Once it’s done it’s done. His girlfriend is doing 3 essay subjects & her workload is much much bigger.

Y13 is a proper slog. He probably just needs to get through it somehow. Lots of nurturing & treats & no chores.

Good luck!

hoxt he has to do the EPQ (which seems ridiculous to me) and they do it in Year 13. Also 2 x subjects are notoriously heavy workload subjects, which he has discovered with hindsight!

I’d tell school, politely, to sod off with the EPQ. What subjects is he doing & what is he planning to study at uni? And which unis?

Sorry for all the questions! My job is running a 6th form....

DD1 is in Y13, doing chem, bio and sociology and is finding it hard work. She also has a part-time job ( 10-20 hours a week) but with that and study she doesn't get to do much else.
No EPQ, she was going too but when we looked into it further there didn't seem much point.

The move back to final exams adds to the pressure I think as the students need to know and revise a full 2 years worth of new work.
DD took her A levels last summer, 3 essay subjects and the work load was very heavy.

My unflappable DD in Y13 is clearly getting stressed. She has finished her UCAS and EPQ but is doing 4 A Levels. She also has a part time job but doesn't work every week.

Is he actually working effectively? Or working while watching youtube videos?
Does he spend hours doing useless tasks like rewriting his notes or highlighting them?
Is he a perfectionist who needs to start cutting corners and saying ‘that will do’?
What are his predicted grades?

Thanks for the replies. noblegiraffe he has his phone permanently clasped in his hand so I wouldn't be surprised if he's distracted! He is a bit of a perfectionist though and predicted grades are A*AA, no idea for EPQ. 2 of those subjects are notoriously hard to do get such high grades in and he knows it.

1/ you do not say if he works to earn money, if he does, 8 hours per week no more. If his employer insists on more, stick the job.
2/ phone in hand all the time? He isn't concentrating on his work and is possibly getting worked up by what "friends" are telling him. Get him to leave it with you when he is supposed to be working, see next point.
3/ Agree a plan for his work load, get him to show you his diary, if he has one, if not work with him to establish one and ensure it covers use of study periods. And free time.

3 A levels and an EPQ is not impossible, students in other countries do 9 subjects to their equivalent of A level. Not saying it isn't steressful, just it isn't impossible. If he is predicted and likely to get the grades you mentioned he could do without the EPQ so maybe he should just let this take a back seat and get whatever grade he gets in it. Agree with other posters re being too perfectionist.

Also contact his form teacher/tutor/mentor and/or his Head of yr 13 and discuss all this with him/her.
pm me for more advice if necessary.
(Ex-tutor to elite yr12/13 group)