If your child has GCSE mocks in Jan are they revising in class or still covering new material?

[Hangnailing]

Just that really?
So worried as DD seems swamped by it all and if there even vaguely remains the chance of teacher assessed grades I feel she should be given a decent chance at doing well in mocks but they are still ploughing through new work and plan to until the end of term.
So that’s all revision in the holidays.
No revision advice or plans or guidance or booklets.

She is so anxious about mocks and feels she won’t be able to have a break at all over the Christmas holidays. They don’t even break up until the 22nd!

DD has just had mocks and has another set in Feb. I think the situation is mixed; they have another module in media, and haven't finished history or English lit. I think they are about there with drama apart from the practical bit, in Spanish, and in maths. Not sure about science!

DS is still learning new topics. Had first round of mocks a couple of weeks ago and second set will be after Christmas. He was revising and doing homework for new work at the same time. It was quite relentless.

Same here - one set of exams done, mocks in early Feb, most subjects have one or two topics left. DD is expected to revise over the holiday - the school is running a revision workshop for students and parents next week.

Well our school has had to close to students, so many teachers ill with Covid or isolated. Five year groups off because of positive cases in kids. Teachers are trying to teach via Teams but it's really hard.

I understand it must be stressful but at least your DC are in school! Many aren't and are missing out hugely.

I believe my daughter expects to be through the syllabus in the majority of her subjects by Christmas and she has (not mocks) exams next week, possibly to determine where there may be some gaps that need attention. They will not be sitting mocks though until after February half term.

Hangnailing, I could have written the same post. Not only are they having new material, but many are preparing for online university interviews at this term as well.

I hope they do have exams at the end of the year as I do not think the mocks will give a fair assessment.

DD has mocks after Christmas. They are still learning new content but also beginning to have revision tasks and additional revision sessions in school. Relentless is the word.

Just had their second set of mocks; another set due in Jan/Feb. Content is all covered now apart from a chunk of triple science (there is SO MUCH CONTENT in triple science :-D)

My DD has mocks immediately after Xmas & just the one lot. They’ve loads of content still to cover in all ten of her subjects. They’ve had a few weeks out isolating but had zoom lessons. I’m absolutely amazed any schools have covered all the content by Christmas even in normal times. That’s some pacey learning!

No revision sessions in school. They’re expected to revise all year long at home.

@NotDonnaOrBlitzen

My DD has mocks immediately after Xmas & just the one lot. They’ve loads of content still to cover in all ten of her subjects. They’ve had a few weeks out isolating but had zoom lessons. I’m absolutely amazed any schools have covered all the content by Christmas even in normal times. That’s some pacey learning!

Ours start GCSEs in Yr9. I know there are mixed views on that generally, but at the moment it's been very helpful!

DC says new stuff in most lessons.

Sorry, I was posting about A levels rather than GCSEs. There are no university interviews for year 11s.

Secondary English teacher here: we are about a text behind where we should be. A Christmas Carol will now have to be done from the New Year, we would normally be finishing it for a February mock. My year 11s just had mocks on topics we have obviously covered but we did not have any time for revision lessons.

@PatriciaHolm yes I hear a few schools cover them over the 3 years. Ours choose choices at the end of yr9 and begin in yr10. They also bizarrely changed exam boards halfway through last year in a couple of subjects. I know that’s had an impact on covering the geography topics. They’re very very behind. Fingers crossed they’ve covered the correct ones when they’re told the exam topics at end of Jan. 🤞🏼

Having said all this, I doubt the mocks will include content that hadn’t been covered. They’re not doing actual past papers as far as I know.

@NovemberR they were in last week but her year has had two lots of two week isolation since September plus a few handfuls of other days whilst they contact traced. I doubt there are many students who haven’t been home at least once to isolate.

DS is still covering new stuff in lessons but there's revision classes after school for a couple of his subjects. He made himself a revision timetable at the beginning of the summer holidays and has been pretty good at keeping up with it so it's not too overwhelming yet.

The mocks should only be topics that they’ve covered, we are still learning new content; but we’ve made sure that mocks are topics they have covered.

Even before covid, we would still be covering new topics in April!

It’s a real shitty situations and these year 11s have got it very tough.

I would suggest contacting school and asking what revision resources are available for the Christmas holiday.

We’ve created a revision guide for our topic which covers everything they would ever need to know for the exams. But this took 10 subject teachers 6 months to create.

They’re not doing actual past papers as far as I know.

We do past papers but take out the topics we haven’t covered and replace with topics covered

Mine is doing hers from hime this week and next whilst self isolating 🙄. Homework has been revision tasks.