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Secondary education

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

Plan for improvement from mock GCSEs

11 replies

miriamandfi · 15/12/2022 07:20

DD didn’t put enough time into revising for mock GCSES and has mainly come out with 5s and 6s from GCSE papers from 2022. She really wants to try to get 6s and 7s and is feeling like she has a mountain to climb having so many subjects and so much to learn between now and the start of exams. She’s not naturally academic and has to put in a lot of effort before things really sink in.
She’d really appreciate advice on how to spread her time across all her subjects and a realistic revision plan going forward.

OP posts:
sheepdogdelight · 15/12/2022 07:41

It's pretty normal to go up a grade between mocks and real exams (particularly as your DC has done mocks quite early) so your DC sounds pretty on track and definitely shouldn't be demoralised!

In terms of how to best use her time, definitely go through the paper to understand what lost her marks - was their material she didn't know; concepts she didn't understand; does she need to work on her exam technique?

DS created a revision schedule where he first made sure he understood the material; then he did practice questions on a given topic; then he did whole papers (so it was 3 passes through everything). He aimed for 4 25 minute slots per night (if they have homework this takes precedence) as he found working in short bursts worked better for him.

Remember they will likely do loads of revision at school as well. Plus if school is running revision classes, encourage your DC to go particularly in weaker subjects.

ElizabethinherGermanGarden · 15/12/2022 08:02

That is pretty much exactly where you want her to be post-mocks: realising that she didn't do enough revision and that she will have to do the work to achieve the outcomes she wants, but not too far away to make it unachievable.

It would be a good idea to make a start with revision before Christmas rather than waiting for the new year - otherwise procrastination will kick in. She can do the nice bits now to get ready for the routines in the new year:

  • buy the stationery
  • get a big wall calendar
  • get round today and tomorrow and ask teachers if she could have ten mins with them to talk through what they think she needs to do - set this up for after Christmas
  • make lists of all the topics she has to revise for each subject
  • have a good, cold look at her exercise books and see whether they are in a good enough state to revise from - any missing/lost books or bits of scrappy work on particular topics identified now will allow her to find out what gaps she needs to fill
  • use the lists and the calendar to work backwards from the first week of May to make a revision timetable that allows her to cover all the topics
  • re-read all her texts for English Lit over the holidays and make sure she is confident that she knows in detail the basics - plot, timeline, characters, big themes/messages (many schools will tell students during revision planning sessions that re-reading is not good revision, but re-reading is essential for English - every text at least twice, preferably 3 times, including the first read in lessons - as it will secure her knowledge and understanding of the text). This is a nice, gentle way into the revision that doesn't interrupt family time too much.

In January, persuade teachers into a bit of coaching by showing an interest, turn up to revision sessions after school as they are laid on and assume that she should be doing 2-4 sessions of 25 mins plus 5 mins break independent revision every evening on top of that. Each 25 mins should be active eg making flashcards, or mindmaps, or practising exam tasks, or testing herself (or getting you to test her) rather than just highlighting things. Some exam tasks last longer than 25 mins - if so, count these as 2 sessions and have a longer break after a longer session.

Cathpot · 15/12/2022 08:12

Small manageable chunks of revision but starting now- she will have done hours and hours by summer. Our school have gone for an hour a day - some kids will obviously do more but we have a mixed cohort and this seemed achievable.

Absolutely agree that with a motivated child you can be pretty confident of a bounce up of a grade over the last 6 months so it is definitely doable.

Make sure she starts by making a plan of what she actually needs to do- it will also help to show her there is lots she already knows . This is something you can really help with- get her revision guide and mark up the pages she needs to learn.

I would see if she can find an hour breakdown that works for her so she feels confident what she is doing is moving her forward.
Something like- choose a section to revise

Work on understanding and memorising content watch a video / make notes or flash cards / mind maps whatever she likes to do

Finally- test herself- on simple content using eg flash cards or Seneca etc and then most importantly with past paper questions.

It’s this last bit kids are most reluctant to do as unlike making pretty notes it is painful and hard going- but it is the part that embeds memory.

Lots of marks are also exam technique rather than recall - to be honest probably a grade’s worth- so in science papers I can usually find 10 marks across a paper where a child has described when they should have explained, or forgotten to put an answer to the correct number of significant figures as asked etc. Practice past paper questions are again invaluable- you can find them on exam board websites and her teachers may have access to sites like exampro where it is possible to generate links to huge numbers of questions and answers very easily.

As she is revising she needs to make a note of concepts she is finding she struggles with and then ask her teacher. A short conversation can clear up misconceptions really effectively. I hope it all goes well for her.

miriamandfi · 15/12/2022 09:27

Thank you so much for taking the time to give such fantastic replies and also the reassurance. She really wants to get stuck into revising but is finding it all quite daunting as there are so many subjects and so much within each subject so your advice will really help her to get started.

OP posts:
ElizabethinherGermanGarden · 16/12/2022 08:58

If she is making herself a revision calendar, it can be good to use different coloured post-its for each topic/unit of revision - then she can move them around if plans change. Plus they look pretty!

MoFoFlo · 16/12/2022 11:48

Joining this thread as DD is in a similar position. Mock results were mainly 3s and 4s with a couple of 6s for her best subjects, so wouldn't be good enough for the college she wants. She seems to be working hard and has just been given a scholar award at school for effort and organisation, so it's not that she's not doing anything, just needs some support. It's frustrating that she's doing the right things but still struggles academically and is reluctant to accept help.

MrPickles73 · 16/12/2022 12:02

Would agree with all said above. Make a plan you can stick to. She still has plenty of time but don't waste it!
I am helping a friend of mine's child with one of her GCSEs and I have done this previously for another child. What amazes me is they both seem totally unfamiliar with the material. I would do a couple of pass papers over Xmas - work out which parts she find hard and then go over those using text books, BBC Bitesize etc. But really practice past papers.. so she's familiar with the question styles, knows how to pace herself and knows the weak points that need revision. Now is a great time to start :-). Good luck.

pointythings · 16/12/2022 16:58

Definitely revision timetable or apps, analyse where she missed marks and target that content first. School is likely to put on after school revision sessions - definitely attend those.

Going up a grade with hard work is really realistic. DD2 went up more than that in the subjects she found tough - from 5 to 7 in maths, 4 to 7 in Chemistry, 4 to 6 in Physics, 7 to 8 in History and French. She didn't burn herself out, she just worked in targeted bursts focused on a small topic, starting around now.

Remember to build in rest and fun too.

Phineus · 16/12/2022 17:21

It is definitely possible to improve substantially between mocks and real exams but there will need to be a big improvement in work ethic.

I'd be negotiating/ setting a revision timetable- 2.5 hours on school nights and 4 hours a day at weekends. This should increase closer to her exams. I'd be expecting work over the Christmas break too- she shouldn't be getting 2 weeks off if she hasn't put in the work effort for her mocks.

I'd be looking to support her but I wouldn't be accepting the lack of effort.

ElizabethinherGermanGarden · 16/12/2022 18:14

To be honest, the most common movement between mocks and GCSEs is about half a grade, but the additional work can make many grades difference. It really depends on work ethic and drive - this is one of the main factors. Encourage real ambition and look beyond GCSE to a-level and university. The more ambitious and focused your DD is (as opposed to being quite chill with getting 5s for everything), the more likely she is to be successful.

ittakes2 · 10/02/2023 14:41

Helpful thread thank you

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