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

[gscenitemare]

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...

@portico

multivac said “Great for parents whose dcs get 8-9s with little effort. Must be your excellent parenting skills and hands off attitude”

No sure where your barb stems from. I do not claim to have excellent parenting skills, but I have put my sons’ education at the focus of my priorities. What’s wrong with that. They still have a balanced life. All I do is provide the best resources, Past exam papers/Mark schemes to hand. It is my sons who put in the graft and pore over their resources to achieve their grades, not me.

You also said “ And it's worth remembering that having parents who even think about this stuff at all puts young people at an advantage over many of their peers.”

My response is, So what! My whole effort is at worst to confer an ability for my sons to level up with their cohorts, and at best to enable them to achieve 8/9/s.

Also , I didn't say that first quote, which was from someone else. Please don't misrepresent me for those who may not have RTFT. Ta.

ETA my post absolutely wasn't a dig at those that do help their dc - I'm in total awe and wanting tips

@mymadworld

Having read this thread in full, I feel like I'm totally failing my ds and in part awe, part bewilderment at the level of parental input.

I ask ds if he's done his homework and if he needs any help & occasionally check his work if I think he's slacking, but otherwise have no involvement in his learning. He's average ability and with some effort should go on to do A levels but is quite lazy so not guaranteed. I have no idea of his learning style and he's definitely not doing hours a day but other than nagging him to do it, not sure what I else I can do.

Genuine Q for those of you so involved in your dc studies, are you academic? did you parents offer similar levels of interest? Do you work (thinking from a time POV)?

To reassure you, the over investment from parents in their 15-year-olds' school work (as opposed to 'education') on this thread is very much not the norm!

Three.
But properly timetabled and no other distractions. Max 40 mins on one topic.

This thread freaked me out enough to ask my ds if he ought to be doing something.
He looked aghast and said he needs a rest over Christmas...
Pokeman continues!
I have to say, I revised a lot for O levels but rather ineffectually and I got very stressed.
My ds seems ok on the stress front at the moment, and, when he does revise [as he did for November mocks] seems more focussed than I ever was. He likes Seneca...

We're two weeks out from y13 mocks and 3 from y11.
My y13 aren't doing my paper this time but I know my colleague has set them a couple of questions to do. We finished the NEA in the last week of term so I didn't set them anything over the holiday. The course is complete so we start revising in every lesson next term.
My year 11 have also finished the course so we're revising every lesson.
Like I said, if my students are doing the work I set, they really don't need to be revising every day over Christmas. Every holiday after this, yes. But they've worked hard and they need a break.
We've spent a lot of time working on study skills too. In the end, they have to know how to learn as well as what to learn.

mymadworld: Genuine Q for those of you so involved in your dc studies, are you academic? did you parents offer similar levels of interest? Do you work (thinking from a time POV)?

I am involved for dd because she is average and could do with more guidance with how to study more effectively.

I am not top but will be in top 10% of the top class and did a competitive course at university (Law). My parents were completely hands off with my studies, but I figured out on my own how to study. but it took me until university to get the method down. Dd does not know how to even though her school gives lots of tips. She did not see those tips as 'real' or relevant to her. So I put it in context for her what 'doing notes' involves. We went through different ways that she found more effective at helping her remember e.g. does she like bright colors or bold. To create notes in Word or flash cards. Organise by topic rather than bits of paper falling out of exercise books. How to assimilate info from more than one source (teacher power points, textbook, revision book, classwork).

I don't expect to provide anywhere near this level of input for my ds, who seems to have his own method but he is just Y9 so there is time to recover if his grades dip. Different children, different needs.

Dh and I work full time. Dh does History, English Literature and other humanities-type subjects with dd. I do all 3 Sciences, Math and Computer Science with dd. The GCSE exams were cancelled in the end for dd but the hard graft paid off with the teachers. Also, the dcs need to have a basic level of knowledge before they do the A Levels in facilitative subjects like Sciences and Math otherwise they are just kicking problems down the the road at A Level keeping up with the more intense pace. I had to find the time to do this. If it were another child, I would hire a tutor but one hour for each subject would not have been enough for dd because for her it was not doing lots of questions, it was accessing the answers for revision and being able to pull them out at exam time.

Hm, I helped out in the first 2-3 years of sec school, and therefore presume they know what to do by their GCSE years. They wouldn't let me help them even if I wanted to. Only thing I have done for GCSE is print lots of exam papers and buy revision books, maybe look out for theatre performances and bring them snacks :).
As mentioned if they need so much help (and study in the Xmas holidays) I would worry about their future A level, uni courses.

DD2 is exhausted and has found this term very stressful. Her grades are not currently great. But her school is offering good support in the subjects that need it. At the moment, I think she mainly needs a rest and a couple of weeks with no-one banging on about how important this year is.

It's still five months till the first exam. In the Christmas holidays she will be doing her homework (most of which is revision-orientated) and I don't intend to push for anything else.

Also, there will be announcements in January about which topics students should focus on. I would not want to be robbing her of a much-needed holiday, only to find that she's spent the time revising something that isn't going to be included in the exam. She's already had the experience of an entire work of literature being dropped after spending a term studying it.

blueshoes
mymadworld: Genuine Q for those of you so involved in your dc studies, are you academic? did you parents offer similar levels of interest? Do you work (thinking from a time POV)?

I’m not academic really, I do have a degree and a Masters. I wfh during lockdown so have been able to overnight what the boys do. DS1 does his own thing, and does not need me. DS2 has flourished this year and his confidence has improved, but has weakness in some subjects. He had taken ownership and works weaknesses. Given his close we are to 2021 exams (eng Lang and maths P1 in e/o April), it’s time to to step up a gear and put the revision hours in.

Apologies fore typos - Oversight not overnight

As mentioned if they need so much help (and study in the Xmas holidays) I would worry about their future A level, uni courses.

But Not every child goes on to do A levels or go to university.

Also Those GCSE grades are important just to get the next step. If you don't get those 4s (Level 3 BTECs) or 6s (most A levels) or 7s (Maths) or 8s (FM) then they can be closing off their choice of next step. Some 15yos are motivated self starters who know how to work independently. For some others it only comes age 16, 17, 18.

We always said to DD1 to do the best she could because she'd have the grades 'in her pocket'. She was motivated but needed help. Things some kids pick up quickly she took literally hours to learn (exothermic v endothermic springs to mind).

As it happens, DD2 is doing nothing as recovering from MH problems that mean she has missed the last 2 terms of education. If she can sit 4 and get passes /or even 3s we'll be delighted.

portico EnglLang & maths P1s are towards end May, just before half term, not end April aren't they?

I’m an English teacher at a top independent school and have told my (mixed ability) 5th form set that, other than re-drafting a piece of coursework (prob 2 hrs work max) I don’t want them doing any work over the Christmas holidays. They have worked so hard this term and just taken their mocks, the most important thing now is for them to have a good break and come back refreshed. They are also under strict instructions to read some good quality fiction and either read a broadsheet newspaper a couple of times a week or listen to Radio 4. Broadening their world view will pay huge dividends in the writing section of the Eng Lang exam.

TeenPlusTwenties - yes you are right. First papers are the last week of May, just before half term.

Based on our experience of GCSEs with an older child, I would worry about sustaining the level of effort that some people are reporting here. But every child and family is different.

TeenPlusTwenties, you’re right. Phew!

NONE!
I hate the idea that kids have to study, study and more study!
We as adults get holidays from our jobs, why don't they?

"But Not every child goes on to do A levels or go to university."

Of course not, but earlier on this thread it was mentioned how some DC wanted/needed to study those 5 to 8 hours/day in the Xmas holidays, to get 8 and 9 for GCSE so they could get good jobs in the future....

and I am just trying to say that I think that is too much too soon.

I am just agreeing with those that Xmas holidays should be used to relax, so they don't get burned out later in the year.
And by relaxing now it doesn;t mean they are excluded from getting good grades later (good being different for each student obviously)

none here - she needs a break.

I think this year of all years is an endurance marathon not a sprint.
No point being burnt out by Easter.
But if they have mocks in January, some work will be needed these holidays.

Chick Just think though, if every teacher of their 9 subjects has given them 1-2 hrs work, plus enrichment that still adds up to quite a lot.

We have a second set of GCSE mocks due in early Feb. If CAGs happen again, they may well use the best of the Nov or Feb mocks. It’s game on!

Btw, we all have different circumstances and different approaches when it comes to education/exam prep - yet we all want our children to well. . Best wishes and best of luck to each of you.

I agree portico

I'm desperate for DD2 to be well enough to be able to be prepped and sit some mocks in case they go for CAGs again. But if I push her to do too much too soon I fear she will crumble again. It is a real balancing act.
I think it must be the same for many this year - go all out for mocks in case they do CAGs, or pace themselves incase they burn out before end June.
The exam schedule this year is so packed too. No way would DD have coped if she hadn't been forced to drop so many subjects. There really is no let up, and particularly for those with SEN and/or extra time.

If CAGs happen again, we'll use all of the available information - not just one mock exam.

That's true Mrs , but school have no info for my DC since March y10... I really want them to have something from y11 so they can at least submit a grade for her. Or preferably 2 mocks so they can hopefully see progression.

Have home and hospital education been involved?