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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

How many hours a day should a GCSE student study over Christmas?

150 replies

gscenitemare · 23/12/2020 20:20

A quick search on Google showed me at least 400 hours of studying would be required for 8 subjects, so 3 hours every day for revision at least 5 months before the GCSE exams. I even hear some DCs study 5-8 hours a day over Christmas. That sounds insane to me. I can't imagine my DC studying for 3 hours every day, let alone 8 hours! Am I being too naive thinking like this? Is that amount of time of studying really necessary for GCSEs? If so, I need to start thinking of rescheduling his activities. Currently, he has no time for studying that much...

OP posts:
estherfrewen · 24/12/2020 09:00

Oh and that was broken into 30 minute chunks of different subjects - did 1.5 hours then break and then 1.5 hours

cjpark · 24/12/2020 09:15

DD is in yr 11, just done her mocks (6's and 7's and a 5). she is now having a break until Jan 4th. Will start again in Jan with about 12hrs a week, building to July.

TeenPlusTwenties · 24/12/2020 09:48

6 years ago DD1 did 4hrs / day over Christmas for 11/16 days. However that was really the start of her revision as she couldn't do prepping for CAs and revision at the same time, and she had January mocks.

This year I think is likely to have been a very stressful term and protecting mental health is more important than revision. (DD2 is y11 but 'out of education' due to a MH breakdown so I don't really know what school has been like.)

BigWoollyJumpers · 24/12/2020 16:27

DD's both went to schools who advocated no revision to start before Feb half term. Easter is generally the big push.

portico · 24/12/2020 22:26

Making mind do topical exam qns, and he is doing 7/8 hours a day and split into chunks. Exposing him to exam qns and Mark schemes is the key. I genuinely hope for exams in 2021. Pretty sure, we will get fucked over by CAGs

Comefromaway · 25/12/2020 09:48

My daughter had mocks the first week back after Christmas so she did spend between 2-3 hours over the Christmas holidays revising. She’d done nothing over October half term though.

My sons mocks were November. He did nothing over the Christmas.

itsgettingweird · 25/12/2020 10:00

Revising isnt always how you think it needs to be.

It doesn't need to be pouring over every topic in every subject for hours in end of reading text books.

My ds weakest subject was English.
He had revision guides etc but he learns best by talking.
So we use to do mind map on white board. School will tell them what they need to know.
So for Macbeth for example I'd write characters - he'd name them - and I'd write them down.
I'd then ask for a quote for each and write them down. Then I'd ask him significance of quote and write it down. Once complete, photograph and print. We'd then expand on this next time and add to it.
Ds is also a swimmer and would spend whole weekends once a month competing.

Between races and lunchtimes etc he'd go on bbc bite size. Read and answer the questions.

Best thing we had was checklists from school of all topics and knowledge criteria for each topic.

When ds was sound on something we highlighted it. We focussed on the things he wasn't sound on.

I've always believed it's unmotivating to spend hours reading a topic you're sure of as you naturally start thinking of all the others things you could have been doing instead.

By grasping something new it's motivating and revision is interesting if you feel a sense of achievement.

Mh ds did 2 hours a day during Xmas. He choose of all at once of split into 2 sessions.

He also never did more than 30 minutes revision on any one subject at any time.

He was going to do 3 hrs at Easter and 4 in May. But covid changed everything!

LitPeach · 25/12/2020 22:33

Wow, that's really impressive @portico.

Sounds like your DS is really hard-working and driven.

DH is from South Korea and I'm always so impressed by the work ethic and dedication of the DC there. They all prioritise their academics and are extremely focused on their goals.

The DC have Korean cousins of a similar age and I suspect hearing how hard they work has motivated them and make them push themselves!

ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords · 25/12/2020 22:55

How many people who think their children must work for several hours every day of their holidays (maybe a couple of days off for Christmas) work during their own holidays? Not saying they shouldn't do anything at all, but they should be able to switch off for a while.

MrsChristmasHamlet · 25/12/2020 23:02

I set my year 11 one optional exam paper of 1hr 45 to do, and some revision videos they could choose to watch. But I also told them that I'm not working over the holiday, and that I don't expect them to as long as they've been keeping up in term time... which most of them have.

LitPeach · 25/12/2020 23:14

@ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords

No one is expecting DC to study for every hour of the holiday.

But I don't think it is unreasonable at all to expect DC aiming for top grades to do some revision and work over a 2 week break.

Particularly at GCSE, the students who get the best grades are those who work the hardest. They need to be building up their stamina and work ethic now.

multivac · 25/12/2020 23:23

7/8 hours a day? That is mental. Our boys are having a much needed break. I think that's normal everywhere apart from Mumsnet, OP.

MrsChristmasHamlet · 25/12/2020 23:27

Particularly at GCSE, the students who get the best grades are those who work the hardest. They need to be building up their stamina and work ethic now.
That's simply not true.

portico · 25/12/2020 23:52

Hi LitPeach
My DS is not driven, I have to drive him either through making deals with him, or plain shouting at him to get things done. Slow progress, but I still have a few months to the exams - so fingers crossed

portico · 26/12/2020 00:01

MrsChristmasHamlet
I agree with LitPeach.
I think those students who prepare well, go on to do well. The analogy is with the boxer; the boxer wins his/her fight in the training camp and is able to bring this momentum into the ring. I use part papers/topical papers and my ds practises and checks against the mark schemes. It worked with his elder brother last year, and the same approach is showing promise with my younger son. We don’t fuck about with cards, spider charts, highlighter pens. I get my son to use gcsepod, refer to his book if needed and straight into topical exam qns.

chocolateoranges33 · 26/12/2020 00:02

My ds had mocks in December with the results being given out in a special results day in mid Jan. Until then hes having a break. I'm really surprised by the amount of revision some kids seem to be doing each day! Made I need my ds to do more

multivac · 26/12/2020 00:04

@portico

MrsChristmasHamlet I agree with LitPeach. I think those students who prepare well, go on to do well. The analogy is with the boxer; the boxer wins his/her fight in the training camp and is able to bring this momentum into the ring. I use part papers/topical papers and my ds practises and checks against the mark schemes. It worked with his elder brother last year, and the same approach is showing promise with my younger son. We don’t fuck about with cards, spider charts, highlighter pens. I get my son to use gcsepod, refer to his book if needed and straight into topical exam qns.
... and MrsCH is a teacher. Are you? Our boys have enjoyed school from the start. They don't need me standing over them with a stopwatch and bribes/threats throughout the holidays to learn. Thank God. It sounds grim.
BaddestDaughter · 26/12/2020 00:07

In normal times I'd say zero.

But now we don't know what's happening with exams and other countries in the UK aren't having them so it may go to teacher assessment, and the government definitely tried to fuck over the last lot in regard to that, so I'm encouraging the GCSE child to get as good a mark as he can all the time, because you just don't know what they're going to do.

It's shit, because obviously he's missed six months of the course so can't possibly do as well as the kids last year, but them's the breaks. Apparently.

BaddestDaughter · 26/12/2020 00:09

Just to add here that my son's school isn't anywhere near to completing the curriculum in anything really, but they still have to revise.

Like I say, it's shit.

amadeus1 · 26/12/2020 00:14

If you need to study so much to get good grades for GCSE it worries me how you are going to manage good grades at a levels and uni

MrsChristmasHamlet · 26/12/2020 00:15

Let's take Sarah. All prior data suggests she should get grade 4. And Matthew. His data suggests grade 8. They're in the same class. Sarah works her socks off. She never missed a beat during lockdown or since. I think she'll get a comfortable 5. Matthew is bright and coasts. According to LitPeach, Sarah will get better grades because she works harder. She won't.
If my students want to revise over these two weeks, they have the skills and the resources to do do because I've given them to them. But I work them hard in term time and everyone needs a break. Even Sarah.

amadeus1 · 26/12/2020 00:18

Although bit worried DC who has A level mock exams straight after the holidays and who has done no revision since holidays started. Predicted 3 A* but ought to put bit more effort...

multivac · 26/12/2020 00:19

@amadeus1

If you need to study so much to get good grades for GCSE it worries me how you are going to manage good grades at a levels and uni
And without mummy cracking the whip too!
portico · 26/12/2020 00:21

MultiVac
No, I am not a teacher but I know how to get high-end results for my children.
Both boys studied for about 3 hours today (Xmas Day), and probably played 7-8 hours each on the PS4 - and they are playing as I type this response. I encourage them to play hard and work hard.

SansaSnark · 26/12/2020 00:22

There is a huge amount of memorisation required for the new gcses, though, which does require hard work from many students.

I actually think some A-levels might be easier to get through on natural ability than eg GCSE Science.

(That's not to criticise the A-levels, I just think they test different skills).

There are also some very bright students who need to work less hard, but I can't see how anyone gets 8s/9s without putting work in at home.