Yr 10 - how to help with GCSE revision

[1winterblues]

So just had parents evening and son is doing ok but wants to do science and maths A levels and is currently on 4 for those. I know he does the minimum work possible at the moment, and is more focused on girls and sport than actual work. He's supposed to take the higher papers but his maths teacher has said he's very boarder line so needs to prove he can comfortably pass the higher paper.

Luckily he had seen his best friend who has some SEN fail GCSEs this year, one grade C so is now retaking GCSEs in college, so that has scared him a bit and he's happy to revise and wants good grades.

BUT what's the best way of helping teenagers revise. I know we have a year to go but I want it to be a little and regular, rather than panic in year 11 and have too much to do. Also I was a keener at school and just got on with it my self as I know I wanted to do a level so I just worked.

I have just bought him the revision books and work books for each subject. I feel the only way to get him to work and stay focused is to sit next to him, but obviously I can't do that all the time. (Work full time & other children)

Would be grateful for any tips on how to structure revision. How much should he be doing now at year 10.

Also the school is focused on children passing GCSEs and less on the higher grades. For example food tech which he actually loves he is on a 4/ 5 and the teacher said he was predicted a 5 and that was brilliant. She was almost surprised when I asked what he needed to do to get a higher grade !

This blog is good on how to structure revision - as GCSEs are so far off perhaps he could focus on revising for his Y10 exams

missdcoxblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/how-to-prepare-for-exams/

Little and often is way better than cramming at the last minute. Don't ask how much he should be doing in Y10 as that will vary massively from student to student. As he is currently working well below what he would need to do what he wants to do, then he needs to ignore what everyone else is doing and do more.

If he wants to do maths A-level, he should be aiming for at least a 7 in maths. The school may accept a 6, but that would be an error, IMO.

Working through a revision guide now won't be particularly helpful as he won't have covered enough of the content so he needs to look at what he has covered, and where his weak areas are, then concentrate on improving those. If he is struggling with something in lessons, where can he go to get more support? After school clubs? Ask the teacher?

Do the school have a subscription to something like Mathswatch? (Similar websites available for other subjects like science).

Watching videos online can help explain stuff but for maths he needs to be doing maths as well, marking it and going over stuff he is getting wrong.

I agree, there is not much point looking at GCSE revision guides and workbooks as yet (though they will be useful later) as he will not have covered much of the content.

What are his target grades - his food tech teacher might have been delighted with a 5 prediction if that is his target?

I agree with Noble that maths A level with anything lower than a 7 is going to be a struggle.

The best thing would be for him to go over what he has already covered and make sure it is secure. So for English lit (I know you asked about science, but this is an easy example) - take the book he has done or is doing - Christmas Carol, Macbeth - and he should make sure he knows the main themes, the characters, what happens when, some quotes that illustrate some of the themes.

For science, he should look at topics he has done and check if there are elements he does not understand. If you have the revision guide, pick up these topics within it and use the material there to help. Can he set himself simple questions, answer them and then check what he missed?

For MFL if he is doing one, again look at the topic or topic covered and check vocab knowledge; also does he know verbs, including past and future tenses?

HTH, agree it is good to start thinking about this now. Also ask his teachers - maybe share with them his A level hopes and see if they can support.