Current Year 11 2021/2022 support thread pt II

[StColumbofNavron]

Thread for those with Y10s finishing July 2021 ready for Y11 in Sept 2021.

All welcome.

p.s. welcome

are other students constantly revising even when the mocks aren't imminent?
Not here. DS had his mocks in December. Not done much since then. I am hoping he ramps a little soon.

Welcome @legosnowqueen

My DS had his mocks before Christmas and has barely done a thing since. School don’t seem to be giving any homework either, which I find strange. He did do well in his mocks but I’m hoping he starts back up soon. Perhaps February half term onwards. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the welcome that's reassuring I think - the frequent mocks will be exhausting but may get the DCs used to exams at least. One of my worries is that I'm not sure that DS actually knows how to revise effectively, as he seems to work mainly online/on his iPad. But perhaps my views on how to revise are old-fashioned! His December results are trickling in & he's done well so far, improved grades from the June mocks, but has already managed my expectations about a couple of subjects where he doesn't expect to do so well.

For maths and science they have been told that they will be getting formula sheets for the GCSEs but is that all formula or will that come out later?

I think some of the exam boards have put the formula sheets on their websites already for example here is the page about Edexcel GCSE Maths qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/mathematics-2015/summer-2022-support.html

I think they are supposed to release more information about what will be in the exams on 7th Feb, except for subjects which have been adapted like English Lit, History etc where part of the syllabus has been dropped.

I have just been trying to work out how many school weeks it is until the exams begin and I think it is only 14 weeks - including this week and two of those are short weeks (because of bank holidays). Somehow that doesn't seem very many, eeek!

14 weeks!!! Aaargh!

Wish school would issue DS with his exam timetable. I know we could do it ourself but it seems like a lot of effort with all the different exam boards and I’m being too lazy.

I did go through them all and get all the dates. I was a PA in a previous life and I can’t help myself.

DS1 has got COVID now so is off school, but I’ve told him 30 mins revision for each subject he has today. He isn’t sick at all, otherwise obviously I wouldn’t do this.

I made DS a spreadsheet timetable - 24 exams starting on 16 May. I think it made it seem a bit more real for him.

Second week of mocks here for DS and he can’t wait for them to be over!

@PaddingtonPaddington I’ve just pinched your idea and made a spreadsheet for DD from today to the end of exams and put the details in for the various papers. She’s blocked out times we are away and put in her revision plan for the next few weeks. I’ve made her put it up on the landing and she can cross off days as we go along.

Well I’ve started doing the timetable but I’m finding it very confusing.
DS appears to start on May 5th! Must be because it’s an igcse?
Also he’s not very happy that he has quite a few days with two exams on but at least it’s not three I told him. Have any of yours got two exams on the same day?

Yes, quite a few have two exams. We also have a spreadsheet and I’ve put them in my diary and he has put them on his planner. He is my child when it comes to organisation.

You guys inspired me to get my act together and work out DS's exam timetable. Looks like he only has three days with 2 exams and they are not writing heavy ones which clash so I am quite thankful. It actually wasn't as onerous as I thought it would be to work it out as they use the same exam board for most subjects with only a few on a different one. I showed it to him last night so hopefully it will motivate him.

Another thing I showed him yesterday was the TED talk about procrastination by Tim Urban, he was laughing and really recognized himself so hopefully he will take something useful away from it!

Hi everyone. I keep falling off this thread, and it doesn’t stay in my faves.

Just before Christmas we found out that DD had been offered a Product Design scholarship for her current school, so that’s the decision made about whether to leave or not. Am very pleased.

Mocks/assessments start next Monday, so lots of revision going on since New Year’s Day. Not much before that.

Hi,
Just found this thread, DS2 is doing (I hope ) GCSE’s this year, other DS is doing A levels. DS 2 had mocks straight after Christmas and has another set in March. Feels like our house is in constant revision modes at the moment.

I feel like I ought to work out the timetable but Ds really not in the mood to discuss further exams this week. He had his last mock today so will be mainlining gaming for the next few days. Results should start coming in from Friday (gulp!). I think we know he hadn't done as well as he should in English and Music and needs to rewrite his history revision cards. So thinking he'll concentrate on that for next set of exams after half term.

Just found this thread. DS1 in Y11 currently. They did their mocks week before Xmas and finished them 1st week back as a couple of teachers were off with covid in December. He doesn't seem to be doing any revision at all but from what I know his results are pretty good, only waiting for English Lit I think now.

Do you know what the normal progression from mocks to actual exams would be? I appreciate it isn't necessarily linear but is it likely they will always go up a grade or is it probable mocks are a good indication of what they'll get in the summer? Some of his grades were 1 or 2 marks off the next grade up, in Spanish he was 9 marks off his predicted grade (over all 4 disciplines so only a couple of marks off each really). His school don't really seem to give accurate predicted grades IMO so I imagine mocks are a better indication.

I don't know what his exam boards are so can't look up the timetable, really frustrating as would really like to know the dates.

Also quite a few posters on here have mentioned teacher assessed grades, we've had no communication at all about these, nothing to say about not taking exams either, perhaps they are waiting till they know for definite! We had predicted grades sent around Oct half term but he did better in his mocks in most subjects than these. Luckily the predicted grades were all OK for college entry but it's just frustrating as it all feels so up in the air.

I'm not sure there is an overall strategy @PugInTheHouse - some schools are doing three sets of assessments 'just in case' there are tag's. It's looking likely that GCSE's will go ahead but how they can be assessed fairly is another story. Some schools have had a lot of disruption to learning.

I'd be interested too in the progress expected. On another thread, they say children can expect to go up one grade if they work hard.

Thanks @Lightsabre I suspect DSs school are on it with regards to assessments but their communication with parents is notoriously poor. The kids were told their mock grades were based on 2019 boundaries but that this years boundaries are likely to be not as tough.

I do think DS will be OK but it is grossly unfair, he is lucky as doesn't find exams too tricky but DS2 has various learning difficulties plus ADHD and autism. I just can't imagine what would happen if he had been Y11 now poor thing and there are so many in a similar situation. Pretty much all of DS1s year have missed school since September and still more will be off between now and exams.

I just can't see how the exams can be fair in any way, during the first lockdown I know schools that were only setting an hour a day for students then you have some having full zoom lessons from day 1. If they don't take exams they'll be known as one of the years where they didn't earn them, if they take them they may not get the marks they deserve but no one will remember that.

Our predicted grades get issued 3 times I think. So we had them just after half term, we’ll have revised grades for parents’ evening and then after the next set of mocks. Sixth form applications have gone though so I assume references and grades will be requested and imagine they use the most up to date.

DS has been offered a college place already, it's partly audition based but he still needs 4s in math and English, he will be ok from that respect but I just feel sad they won't have the opportunity to do it all properly, even if exams do go ahead. I just feel sad for them (admittedly I am going through a tough time so probably feeling negative about everything right now).

We have no predicted grades at all. Ugh. I wish we did, would be something to aim towards.

@PugInTheHouse hope things get better soon.

Our school guarantees a place for existing students if they want it. If they don’t get the grades they simply discuss other courses apparently. He has only applied to one other place anyway, which has high requirements and is A level college only.

@StColumbofNavron thank you!

That's good to know for the students regarding a place for Y12.

I feel so sorry for any children who are struggling this year. Let's hope there are some allowances with grade boundaries, although not as much as last year as it seems like that was too lenient given the amount of colleges struggling with students who are not L3 ability.