Anyone up for a GCSE handholding thread?

[BaconAndAvocado]

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.......

@Hellocatshome she doesn't have a career in mind at the moment. I also think an alternative to A Levels might suit her better but the downside is trying to settle into somewhere new which I think would be challenging for her.

@WinterMermaid234 she likes dance and our local college offers a BTEC in dance equivalent to 3 A levels. Dh and I went to their open day and were very impressed with the course. However dd is adamant she doesn’t want to go to this college. I’ve realised that the being in the right environment is just as important as the qualification, if she’s miserable and missing her school friends she won’t thrive.

It’s really getting close now isn’t it?
DS2 has just finished his PPEs. His first set of mocks were good so fingers crossed.

Quite a few of his teachers have recommended students making their own flashcards, apparently this has been found to be a very efficient form of revision.
(Just after I’ve bought all the published ones.......🙄)
I’ve told DS2 that he as to pull out all the stops over the Easter holidays. Apart from one family dinner out, I’ve not planned anything else.
DD is currently in Year 10 so we’ll have 4 years of exam stress!

I think DD only has one subject where they haven't yet finished the content - they finished RS yesterday.

Had a ENglish paper test yesterday on unseen poetry and the choice of poems threw everyone. Think they were expecting a war poem but it was a nature one which had DD raging when she got home.

Also this week she had all her scores for the practical elements and project for PE. Added up to a 9 overall (even with a really weak score in her individual sport). We are lucky she is national team in her main sport and very good club standard in her second sport.

Anyone else's DC doing PE - its one of DD's A level choices too.

@Hersetta427 that's a super result! No PE for DC1, in fact no subject with any coursework element which does make me a little twitchy. Although I suppose it's swings and roundabouts - the Art and DT cohorts have apparently been stressing for weeks over theirs.

She'll be doing music for one of her A levels though, so will have composition coursework to content with then. Her current school has the most pathetic music department, so no music GSCE offered - hopefully it won't come as too much of a shock.

@Hersetta427 I think DD would have cried if she'd had to do PE! It's not offered at her school, though. Her options were RS, History, Russian and Drama and she is doing two of those for A Level (well, one is Philosophy but that is part of the RS GCSE). The most stressful one has been Drama which has had an extraordinary amount of coursework attached and a lot of late nights for various theatre trips and performances etc. They haven't done their devising performance yet and that seems to be tipping them all over into total panic!

@bendmeoverbackwards I think it's really important to be in a comfortable environment. But also important to do something you actually enjoy. Sounds like a tricky balancing act for your DD. Can she start by ruling out the things she really doesn't want to do and see where that leaves her?

@BaconAndAvocado It does feel very close! DD is making flashcards for Biology and says it is helping her memorise some of the stuff she finds hard to keep in her head.

We are going away for a few days in the holidays. But DD has committed to doing a couple of hours revision each morning and I think the change of environment will actually do her a lot of good. She's also got a writing workshop in the holidays which will take up three full days. So she had better make the most of the free days she does have, I guess!

I agree - DD's friends who ae doing drama have their final assessments this week I think. I an pretty glad that neither of mine have an artistic/creative bone in their body. DD planning on CHemistry, biology and PE (although that could possibly be changed to maths if it makes it easier for uni applications - although not having a clue what she wants to do at uni is not helpful!

Dd loves a flash card- these aren't even all of them- just the ones she left in the dining room which she is commandeering for revision.

DS1 has now done his art exam and the prep work for that - so that’s 40% of one done and dusted. The rest of the portfolio is handed in late April, I’m hoping he hasn’t too much more to do on it because he has everything else to revise in the holidays!

Ds had his PE moderated yesterday and he said it went ok. He also loves his flashcards!!! I know art is a huge amount of prep so getting this far ia amazing!

@Hersetta427 our DDs sound similar mine is doing PE and Dance so we’ve had endless after school Dance rehearsals at the same time as huge sporting commitments outside school. She made two National finals in her sports but with a date clash had to choose her main sport and wants to do Alevel PE which I’m hugely relived will only need one sport not 3! My taxi driving hours are full from her training needs. She too loves a stack of colourful revision cards. She’s away over Easter for a week competing in Europe so revision will need to be crammed into one week but we figured the memories and life skills from the trip far out way the lost revision time 😄

ooh well done to your DC - she sounds very talented.

DD is competing away for 4 days too with the national team. Second week the school is running 3 hrs daily of boosters - think DD has 4 to go to but thankfully only one a day.

DD will be living away next year as she has been offered a place at an elite academy for her sport so she will be residential and then do her A levels at the local outstanding secondary school. Big change for her - living away and going to school where she might only know 5/6 other people (all doing similar to her).

Gosh that’s a huge change living away to train & compete I hope she has a good time @Hersetta427 my DD I don’t think would cope with that it’s been hard enough getting her to consider moving to a different college for Alevels. I bet you won’t miss the taxing around though 🤣I think parents supporters need the medal too for the hours I’ve spent watching & driving!

Thats true - its 30 miles each way to get her to training (plus her brother is in a younger age group) so between them we make the journey 4 times a week then back for matches at the weekend (her are saturdays and his are sundays) so feels like we live there.

@WinterMermaid234 my dd is also a dancer. Her school doesn’t offer dance A level but they do offer PE which I have been encouraging her to consider. She’s adamant she doesn’t want to do it! Not sure why, she doesn’t like the teachers and doesn’t see herself as a sporty girl. Which is a shame as I think she’d enjoy it.

@Hersetta427 well done to your dd! 👏👏

6 weeks to go until study leave - definitely feeling overwhelmed by it all. DS is trying to be fair but how much can one really do in the time left? There is so much to learn by rote and no condensed notes in many subjects - definitely feeling panicked! What are peoples approaches with maths and the sciences? Should it just be past papers at this stage or still learning? Getting mixed advice from subject teachers and also mindful last year that a friend told me it is a marathon and not a sprint so trying to be realistic. Can manage to get about 4 hours in total a day out of son at the moment who has already broken up - but it’s definitely not just a case of him learning flash cards etc or testing himself as notes / flash cards still need to be written for some subjects. Trying to vary it and I guess looking for some reassurance that something can still be done in this time………. Keep on trying not to look at the calendar! How is everyone doing?

No study leave here at all. In school all day every day even during exams. Chemistry they are still learning syllabus - I think everything else is done. School are great - there are extra revision sessions every day for the different subjects. These increase after Easter and School is running until 5pm some days.

I believe some of the extra sessions are compulsory for some students optional for others depending on grades.

Others are compulsory for all.

My daughter is predicted quite high grades and is torn between the balance of focusing on her weakest subjects but not dropping the top grades in the others.

No study leave here either. I think it's good they are in school, focussed revision with teachers is a good thing.

I'm terribly stressed about my dd, so worried she won't get the grades needed for sixth form.

We have study leave after May half term, so half way through the exams. Ds in school every day for 3 hours each day over easter for revision sessions. I am also concerned that he will not get the grades to get into the 6th form he wants but it is down to him now. They had a very stern assembly this week that demoralised them all. He is expected to do well but the school is quite negative about the whole year. Roll on end of june!!!

@mumonthehill what does he need for sixth form?

For the college to do ALevel B's in his a level subjects and english and maths. For the 6th form school he will need higher as more competitive. His current school does not have a sixth form. Just to say I am in Wales so still A-E grading system.

Still no decision from my DS as to what he wants to do when he leaves school. We've given him an ultimatum and said he has to pick something by noon on Easter Sunday otherwise we'll decide for him!

Study leave starts after May half term but my DS will choose to still go into school as he studies better there.

I'm in a bit of denial as to how near the exams are now! Still seems like there's so much to learn and remember - we're surrounded by workbooks, flash cards and mind maps!

DD our eldest so new to this gcse thing! Think I am finding it the most stressful. The 6th form wants 6's in anything they want to study at A Level. The first set of mocks (got 6's, predicted 7's) made us think she could do English, RE and a BTEC in applied science. The last of mocks very different! She got 4 in English But some in her class are top students getting 9'a in most subjects - got a 3! They all think it's the teachers marking. But I must admit I am freaking out a bit. DD does do revision but it does take a lot of nagging. I have now got an English tutor once a week. Daughter seems to take everything in her stride and not bothered at all! Which is a blessing in some respects