Page 23 | Anyone up for a GCSE handholding thread?

BaconAndAvocado · 2023-01-08T14:26:37+00:00

DS2 has his GCSEs in June. He had mocks in November and more (why??) next month. He needs to get 5 6s to stay at his current school (IB, not overly keen) or to transfer to another local 6th form. He said he’s going to start revising this week...... Think his school will be helping him devise a revision timetable this week. I’ve bought him flashcards, he just needs to knuckle down now.......

Original poster

BaconAndAvocado · 14/05/2023 20:51

First exam here is Biology on Tuesday.
DS2 has upped his game quite notably (although it’s all relative) over the past few days.
He asked me to test him using the CGP flashcards I bought him. I’m would,say he knew 70%ish of the info.
He’s doing a past paper right now.
Let’s hope this last minute surge is enough!

OP posts:

Homeworkhell82 · 14/05/2023 21:01

On BBC4 now, the play adaptation on Macbeth is on.

pinkflop · 14/05/2023 21:09

Homeworkhell82 · 14/05/2023 19:55

Anyone got a child who's really borderline for Maths and English and could it could go either way?
My child just achieved a 4 in last mock for Maths, English touch and go. It feels really stressful as there seems to be no scope for having a not so good day.

My DS is borderline for English. He got 3s in his November mocks, but managed 5s in his last lot. He's been having tutoring which has definitely helped, but he's still struggling. He hates English with a passion.

Homeworkhell82 · 14/05/2023 21:11

pinkflop · 14/05/2023 21:09

My DS is borderline for English. He got 3s in his November mocks, but managed 5s in his last lot. He's been having tutoring which has definitely helped, but he's still struggling. He hates English with a passion.

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Good luck to your son.
I think the language and the literature are both really tough.

Taswama · 14/05/2023 21:19

DS scraped a 5in English Lang in both Dec and March mocks, so really hoping he can manage at least a 5 on the day.

Biology and German here on Tuesday. I had bought us a new German film to watch together this evening but I now have a bad cold so am trying to keep my distance. He started watching without me but then saw James Bond was on TV...

WinterMermaid234 · 14/05/2023 21:27

Yep RE here at 9am monday with the school putting on a 7.40am revision pre-exam crammer session!! Wtf was my thought surely by now they either know it or they don’t ~ I’d think breakfast and yoga/mindfulness would have been a better option…

Homeworkhell82 · 14/05/2023 21:37

WinterMermaid234 · 14/05/2023 21:27

Yep RE here at 9am monday with the school putting on a 7.40am revision pre-exam crammer session!! Wtf was my thought surely by now they either know it or they don’t ~ I’d think breakfast and yoga/mindfulness would have been a better option…

Just discovering my child hasn't even been taught all the history content. Sat down to help him revise/recap for the medicine content and he said they haven't done that for months, eek.

filchards · 14/05/2023 21:37

@Homeworkhell82 - yes my son is touch and go in English Language. I'm so stressed. It's all been really badly handled by school. We've had a tutor since the Easter holidays but he has this mindset where he just is convinced he can't do it. He has ADHD and just zones out when something doesn't interest him or it's not immediately solveable. And he has a terrible work ethic about all his subjects. I am absolutely beside myself tonight. It's been an awful day. First exam tomorrow - Italian, which he couldn't care less about. My kids will surely be the death of me.

Homeworkhell82 · 14/05/2023 21:39

filchards · 14/05/2023 21:37

@Homeworkhell82 - yes my son is touch and go in English Language. I'm so stressed. It's all been really badly handled by school. We've had a tutor since the Easter holidays but he has this mindset where he just is convinced he can't do it. He has ADHD and just zones out when something doesn't interest him or it's not immediately solveable. And he has a terrible work ethic about all his subjects. I am absolutely beside myself tonight. It's been an awful day. First exam tomorrow - Italian, which he couldn't care less about. My kids will surely be the death of me.

I feel the same. I'm totally exhausted from trying hard to help.

Titsywoo · 14/05/2023 21:54

DS is completely laid back and has so far done basically no revision at all apart from the 3 hours of RE I forced him to do earlier. He isn't going on to ALevels and he passed all his mocks without revising so I am not stressed. It's quite different from when DD did her exams 2 years ago (and how she is doing her ALevels now) as she is very organised and started revising in January.

DS is very intelligent in maths, computing and science and history and knows all the content so will be fine. English not so much. He is autistic and struggles with analysing text etc.

He has RE tomorrow and seems confident although I know he tends to go off on opinionated tangents about religion as he thinks it is all crazy - we've tried to revise it today as history of what people have believed about Christianity etc.

Fingers crossed! Good luck to all your DC this week :)

Titsywoo · 14/05/2023 21:58

filchards · 14/05/2023 21:37

@Homeworkhell82 - yes my son is touch and go in English Language. I'm so stressed. It's all been really badly handled by school. We've had a tutor since the Easter holidays but he has this mindset where he just is convinced he can't do it. He has ADHD and just zones out when something doesn't interest him or it's not immediately solveable. And he has a terrible work ethic about all his subjects. I am absolutely beside myself tonight. It's been an awful day. First exam tomorrow - Italian, which he couldn't care less about. My kids will surely be the death of me.

I completely understand however I am in a place where I know my son and know that battling to get him to engage when he isn't interested is futile. I am giving him 2 hours a night to go over everything in the exam the next day and not stressing myself further. I figure things will work out in the end. Luckily DS is great with computing/programming etc and has a plan so he will be ok I'm sure.

sproutsandparsnips · 14/05/2023 21:59

DS had first written on Friday - Welsh, definitely his worst subject but he had done at least a little work for it.
Biology on Tuesday is next.

SheilaFentiman · 14/05/2023 22:20

Biology and physics Tuesday, English lit Wed. DS1 has just flaked today.

TripleDaisySummer · 14/05/2023 22:31

DS has three this week - Biology Tuesday and History Thursday which seem to be the large content courses and one Friday which should be fine.

He seems okay - next week is worse with two on Monday and another one later in the week so that will be even worse weekend to get through.

SheilaFentiman · 14/05/2023 22:42

Five in total next week - maths and compsci on Friday too!

SheilaFentiman · 14/05/2023 22:52

He only managed 1.5h today, on English lit.

CornishGem1975 · 14/05/2023 22:53

My DS hasn't revised anything. Not one iota. I've given up. I just get met with stubbornness and aggression. He's not a bad kid and he's bright but he's incredibly lazy. What will be will be. He's going to get a sharp shock when results day rolls around. I feel sad tonight that I've failed him but there's nothing more I could do.

SheilaFentiman · 14/05/2023 22:57

@CornishGem1975 we can only do what we can to encourage, persuade, cajole. You haven’t failed him.

bendmeoverbackwards · 14/05/2023 22:58

Good luck to all our dc! Dd has RS tomorrow morning.

@CornishGem1975 you haven’t failed him. There is only so much us parents can do, we can’t do the work for them. We are clearly all caring and supportive parents or else we wouldn’t be on here.

Beamur · 14/05/2023 23:12

Good luck everyone!

BonjourCrisette · 14/05/2023 23:17

DD has RS tomorrow too and I think Biology and something else as well this week.

Very best of luck to everyone's children for this week, and very best of luck to all the parents in staying sane!

BonjourCrisette · 14/05/2023 23:19

@CornishGem1975 You haven't failed him. Children are stubborn little beasts at times. I was your son several decades ago and everything worked out OK in the end. I did learn my lesson eventually! I am sure he will too.

TriceratopsRocks · 14/05/2023 23:28

CornishGem1975 · 14/05/2023 22:53

My DS hasn't revised anything. Not one iota. I've given up. I just get met with stubbornness and aggression. He's not a bad kid and he's bright but he's incredibly lazy. What will be will be. He's going to get a sharp shock when results day rolls around. I feel sad tonight that I've failed him but there's nothing more I could do.

My sympathies, @CornishGem1975, I'm in the same boat, only DD has ASD/PDA/anxiety. Her only plan is to stay on at her grammar school, for which she needs 6s/7s, however with attendance of about 30%, no homework and no revision, she hasn't even covered all the syllabus. So I'm not holding out much hope. I keep second guessing myself about what I could have done differently. Should I have pushed for EHCP, should I have got private tutors in? etc... My goal atm is just to try and make sure that she gets to all her exams!

jamimmi · 14/05/2023 23:57

Rs tomorrow here too. Focused in biology today for most of the day, as aiming for a 9. She seems calm but we will see. Exam a day this week, rs tomorrow, then biology, English lit, history and maths. It's going to be a long few weeks.

Rowgtfc72 · 15/05/2023 04:44

Three this week. Biology the first one on Tuesday.

Good luck everyone!