Mock exams

[dizzygirl1]

DD15 (year 11) hadn't done ANY mocks or previous exam papers yet, we're starting to get very concerned. Mocks booked for January. But is anyone in the same situation? Has anyone bought old papers? Or have recommendations for where to buy them? DD I'd predicted 7s and 8s but in all honesty if she isn't prepared with the process then I'm worried she won't do as well as she should.

They must have done practise questions, surely?
What's the tracking like?

They are still learning the curriculum, they need time before mocks.

However, if you want to support revision then you need to know what exam board each subject is with and you will then be able to jump on Amazon and you'll find plenty of revision guides and practice question booklets with answers for all subjects.

Also, no need to buy past papers. Go on the exam website and use those, plus examiner's report.
Also use Bitesize, and buy a study guide.

As pp said, she can download past papers from exam websites, no need to pay.

They may think no benefit in doing practice papers until they have taught the full curriculum and revised, especially as there aren't that any 9-1 papers available due to Covid.

Definitely worth looking at some to understand the structure and what is required, but surely they must have been doing individual questions already.

Make sure she takes mocks seriously and properly revises.

Dd says they've done some small assessments but no actual questions so she's concerned about knowing the structure of the questions.

She's got all the revision guides but the school haven't given any information about how to revise other than use flash cards and have said not to use the guides until they're told to in lessons.
obviously I'm supporting and helping, she's an amazing teen but still doesn't want me on her shoulder nagging, she wants to be able to do it herself (independently frustrating!). I'm more concerned that she'll be making it into a mindblock.
We have ALL the revision guides and ALL the revision cards. School said buy the guides and it feels like they see that as their revision support done.
I'll have a look at the exam and study guides.

No I don't think they've done actual practice questions. They've had no practice tests over the last year.
Tracking seems to be 'ok', at the end of Year 10.
Parents evening is day 2 of mocks in January 🤦‍♀️

Maybe I expected more support for this year's year 11s? 6th form I can understand is more independent, but u thought the school would have been a bit more proactive considering they've done NO exam prep or even practiced exam papers due to covid.
Trying to be a calm mum but seriously concerned!

My yr11 classes have practised every type of question that appears on the papers and we've had specific revision lessons. My yr10s have already done two practise questions.
You're being a good parent getting the necessary materials together and supporting your child, but it's a strange approach from the school.
Lots of interleaving - small, skills builders questions and then longer answers. Bitesize is really good - also Seneca learning and there will be quizzes on Kahoot.

Sounds rubbish.
Ignore the 'don't look at revision guides'.
Go onto AQA/Edexcel/whoever websites and at least look at the structure of some past papers.
A way to use them can be:

• try as a past paper from memory
• then use revision guides to add in extra details in a different colour for things she didn't know how to answer fully
• mark using the paper's mark scheme published alongside the paper
• look at what was missed and why

Flash cards work for some people, not so well others. Mind maps can be good too. Active learning - re writing cards from memory, being tested by you, past papers all help better than just reading notes Online tools like Seneca or Tassomai can be good for fact learning.

What have they done in their assessments if they've not had any actual questions? That makes no sense.

Did they not have an exam/end of year test in Year 10?

Very surprised if they've literally done no work on any questions (in any subject??) My DC had things like " you must spend x time on this type of question" well and truly drummed into them.

As a PP says, there aren't that many past papers available for a lot of the subjects, so it's not unreasonable to leave them until they've covered the whole syllabus. But they should be doing "exam like" questions.

Past papers are on the exam board websites together with the syllabus.

Yes, that was said a couple of times upthread.
It's really easy to access all this material nowadays, OP.

I wonder if it's worth asking a couple of her teachers. I suspect she may have been doing the questions more than she realises, but sneaked into her lessons rather than sat in an exam hall.

Does she do no homeworks with guidelines such as "this is a 4 mark question"?

It would be one thing if it was an individual teacher, but the fact that apparently no teachers across any of her subjects are using GCSE format questions would make me wonder if there is maybe an element of anxiety/catastrophising going on here. I know how crippling that can be so I'm not dismissing the issue at ALL, I'm just saying do check first that you're addressing the right problem. It's all too easy to disappear down the wrong rabbit hole (I know, because I've done so loads of times.)

She is doing those types of questions so maybe she's getting it in a different way. She's watching all her friends at other schools really prep and fo mocks and hadn't been which is worrying her.

We'll keep on with the home revision.

I'm pretty disappointed with the school that the mocks and revision is being done this way. To the point where its making us think very strongly about other 6th forms when she'd only wanted her current school previously.

Thank you, I'll look at the exam boards and look at your points.

End of Year 10, no full tests for those either.
One of my concerns is that they've never sat any exams due to covid, therefore I'm worried being thrown into an exam environment at mocks might knock her and others. It's that preparation for them.

Go have a look at GCSEpod, our year 11's find it really useful and as teachers we can set assignments etc.
All subjects on there plus pods about revision, dealing with with exam stress etc

Also it is odd if they haven't done anything on exam questions, my Year 10 class did a walking talking mock on Thursday and we start looking at the style of exam questions in Year 7.

Physicsandmathstutor.com is excellent for past paper questions. They are available in banks of questions by topic in many subjects. It is not just physics and maths! This is just how it started but has become ultra popular and has extended out its subjects. Doing banks of biology questions by topic, for example, gets them used to the key words that get the mark. DC should do a question then mark it in a different colour and make sure they write on the way to get the marks if they didn't get them. Then do the next one on the topic. They will soon memorise the key words that get the mark if they weren't using them originally.

That happened to every single student last year.
They all coped.

There are lots of revision websites where she can find past paper questions/past paper style questions- if they haven't covered the whole course yet, these are often organised by topic, so she can practice the topics she is familiar with, and check markschemes. In general, I think this sort of practice is really worthwhile, as it gets them used to what examiners are looking for.

Are you sure the in class tests don't use past paper questions? It's a lot of work for teachers to write questions from scratch.

I think actual mocks in January when courses are finished or nearly finished are fine. I'd consider her having a go at some full past papers between now and then to work on timing etc, too. I wouldn't force it if she's not keen, but if she is, as others have said you can get past papers for free from the exam board websites.

Most students don't sit any exams in the hall until Y11 mocks, even in normal years. I know some schools do full exams in an exam hall environment at the end of each year, but many don't due to lack of space.

I wouldn't be worried about this, unless she's unusually anxious, she'll be fine!

I would be worried about the lack of practice of exam technique, though.

DD's school did exams in the hall from y9 at least for core subjects.
I think it is a really important part of exam prep to get used to the environment and doing thing fully under 'exam conditions'. Even basic things like following rules on phones, watches, pencil cases.

My DD did her first round of mocks before the end of yr 10.
Next round starts the first day back after half term and then another round in March!

I'd try and get your DD to find some past papers from somewhere if she's not done any. The more practice the better. My DD is predicted 8/9's across the board but she's one of those who excels in the classroom but falls apart in exams so I'm really glad they're doing so many mocks, it will hopefully make the real things less stressful!

Yes we all coped with shitty arrangements due to covid and the recovery, doesn't mean we should accept that or to just be living life on 'survival ' mode

This is what dad's friends in other schools have done and what I expected her school to do.
@ScoobyDoNot I'm not even sure how DD fairs in exams which is one reason why I'm so worried.

Exactly! The whole environment with gaps between students and not sitting next to your friend whispering etc is needed.