Parents of GCSE 2025

[Mum2LazyBoy]

Is anyone up for a thread to follow the highs and lows of supporting our dc through the coming gcse season.
As user name suggests I have a DS who really isn’t getting his head down enough. He does tend to spend a lot of time gaming and school don’t seem to be setting much work.
Interested to hear how others are getting on.

I popped into the other thread but it did seem to have a high achievers vibe. Lots of talk about pulling back on the vast number of hours currently spent doing sport etc.
Bbc bite size seems to have lots of materials aimed at specific exam boards. Has anyone found it useful for their dc?

Bitesize is always considered a good resource. I know for our exam boards, (mainly aqa and edexcel) we've been recommended seneca, mathswatch, maths genie and French with Eileen. My son likes the light up hub on insta for English.

Haven’t tried BBC bite size as my DD is a bit overwhelmed with too much choice. She’s “happy” to do SENECA revision, so she’s sticking with that for science, and CGP flash cards for other subjects. It’s all a battle.

I'd like to join! DS has asd and didn't sit his
gcses last year due to anxiety and hes having a go at 4 subjects. This year it's the turn of DD, also asd. Very gentle reminder revision going on here with both of them!!

Ds sat another set of mocks last week. His maths result is a 5 but literally only just scraped a 5 (higher paper), I'm so torn as to whether I should ask school if he should do the foundation paper, aaaargh!

I'm thinking the same for DS. He got a 4 in the higher but his school are putting most of the pupils through the higher paper as I was told they only need 25% to get a 4. I think they are hoping for some bigger numbers 🤷‍♀️

But I would much rather DS had an easier paper to work from, even if it still gives him a 4, but gives him a better chance of achieving a 5.

On a positive note, his Drama coursework has now been added to his mock which has given him a 4. He just needs to pass his bloody English now (I would forsake his drama for English if we could 🤣 just to get him over the line!)

If anyone is doing History then the BBC bitesize podcasts are really good and helped DS formulate his essays

He got a 4 in the higher but his school are putting most of the pupils through the higher paper as I was told they only need 25% to get a 4. I think they are hoping for some bigger numbers

ahhhh that's not good from the school. It's true you need a lowish % for a 4 in H but they surely understand that 25% in H paper is 25% of much harder questions. Demoralising for the DC to take an exam they cannot access 75% of. In MFL there is no way I would enter a candidate who was achieving a 4 into H. F all the way.

My DS1 missed a 5 by 2 marks a couple of years ago in his mocks and did Foundation in GCSE. Ended up with a very high 5 in that (like 90%) and all the pressure for the last few months gone.
5 is good enough for the course he is doing now but he really benefitted from studying all the higher tier material but not sitting the exam. He is currently doing core maths as part of his college course.
I was not sure it was the right thing at the time, but the school did advise it and they were right.

That's actually really helpful thank you. I'm going to push for the foundation paper I think, he's really worried about failing the higher paper.

My DS is consistently getting 5 on the foundation papers and 4 on higher. So he is doing foundation as he seems to have a higher chance of a 5 that way. Also agree that doing the higher is very demoralising. He gets 80%+ on foundation but only around 25% on higher and many of the questions on higher are just completely inaccessible. It also takes some of the pressure off and frees up more time for English (which is more of a worry).

We use mathsgenie a lot. Both the past papers and the graded worksheets. I’ve been working though the grades 4 and 5 worksheets with DS and I think that’s helping with getting the higher marks on the foundation papers.

You have all encouraged me to email his maths teacher. Thank you 🙂

Just found this thread and would like to join.

My DS(16) has just done his second set of mocks and just getting a few marks trickling in. A 4 and two 5s so far. He's very capable and could get 6s and 7s in most subjects but he's left it all a bit too late.

He's started working harder now but came to me a couple of days ago saying he's feeling daunted and overwhelmed by how much content he needs to cover because he's done the absolute bare minimum up to this point. This follows months, if not years, of me and his Dad trying to motivate and encourage him to want to do well and work a bit harder 🙄 Anyway, 8 weeks until his first exams and that's still time to cover a lot of ground.

He actually has his Food & Nutrition practical exam tomorrow so all focus on that at the moment. Keeping everything crossed that he nails it 🤞

My DS similar. I'd really like to know if kids like this can pull it out of the bag at this stage - I am hoping so.
What does your DS need to get to his next steps? Mine only needs 4s for his college course but he is capable of a lot more.

One of my older children was later than this few years ago asking for help feeling overwhelmed with content and not knowing how to revise.

We went in with idea of firming up his predicted grades and maybe getting one or two a bit higher. He was willing to put the work in and just needed extra support and direction - some of that was undiagonsed SEN and a chaotic school which was in special measures.

His notes were awful - we had to rely on revison text books which often do a good job of summerising data and questions to check he'd actually learnt it. He was also smart to prioritize subjects he needed - which frankly at that age I wouldn't have been and would have tried to do everything.

So from our experience I wouldn't say it was too late he put the work in last few weeks and did much better than predicted.

It is partly why I'm struggling with youngest and how much to push/support currently.

She a different child in a different place - even school is in better place. I'm sure she could get better grades with more work but push too hard and we risk triggering her anxierty and pushing her off course. Plus she has started earlier than last child with revision - so hopefully that means won't need such a huge push later on.

@EarthlyNightshade, my DS needs five grade 4s including English and Maths for his chosen 6th form college. He sat one GCSE last year so already has that under his belt. He should manage it no problem, but I'm such a worrier that I keep thinking if he's only getting 4s in some subjects for his mocks, it doesn't feel like an absolute certainty.

I can't see him 'pulling it out of the bag' i.e. reaching the grades I know he's capable of, but I'm shifting my expectations. I would have loved him to fulfil his potential but he's not going to, so as long as he does well enough for next steps that's fine. Still time to fulfil his potential later!!

I agree. Some children just develop later in that they don't yet have the maturity at 14 when GCSEs start, to recognise the importance of these exams/ think it'll be OK on the day.
I actually think A levels are easier...only three subjects and they are so much older and more mature
In some ways, my DD would benefit from repeating a year as they do in some European countries (although obviously she would hate this!!) . I actually think she'd get all 8s and 9s!
I think for some teens, it's just getting to the next level and starting with renewed vigour.

Agh it’s helping to feel less alone with this stress. DS’ grades are not yet what he needs, but he definitely thinks will be ok on the day/ loads of time. I’m tearing my hair out. He said last night some of his friends aren’t working because they have a post - 16 plan for a specialist route which requires low grades. That probably isn’t helping. It’s hard when you know they could do better. As pp said i just think some children don’t yet have the maturity to see what is needed.

@gatheryerosebuds i too am hoping sixth form will be easier. Not only less subjects but doing the ones they choose without the pressure to pass maths/english. Also not being taught their favour subjects in a group with people who hate them.

According to my DS all his friends are going to work in family businesses and don't need GCSEs at all!
As I said above, DS only needs 4s but I have managed to convince him that 6s in maths and English would do him no harm.
He has also recently discovered money to be a motivator - I am buying him clothes for attending revision, doing past papers, etc. I feel that kids should be intrinsically motivated (kids on the other GCSE thread are!) but I'd do anything at this stage to get him over the line.

I think many aren't intrinsically motivated at this age. GCSEs are to have in your back pocket for life, something to build on - years later if necessary.

However, if a child has to be pushed through GCSEs just to scrape into A levels, I would question whether A levels are the right next step for them.

@TeenToTwenties I think some schools provide a lot more handholding than others and some children are only just 14 at the start of year 10 whereas others are almost 15. I can see a HUGE difference in my DD's attitude now she's 15

When do your DC get study leave? My DS is in school until May half term.

My ds is on study leave from 11th April - the day he breaks up for Easter holidays. The school are offering in school revision sessions the last week of the holidays though.