Y11 2025/26… come and join

[wonderstuff]

New thread

Same with my dd. Tbh I’m not putting any pressure on re the Spanish speaking exam. She didn’t want to do a language but had to. She doesn’t enjoy it or need it for college. She’s not looking to go to a top uni which will scrutinise every gcse grade. She finds the speaking exam incredibly stressful. For the sake of her well-being I’m encouraging her to focus on other subjects.

Dd isn’t doing Spanish alevel either but she does want to go to an RG university. She’s targeted an 8/9 in Spanish so we’ll see. She likes the fact it’s split into four areas so no big pressure for just one part.

Just catching up hope everyone’s DCs are coping. DDs summary was she’s stressed but coping!

All sixth form offers in so she will wait for the taster days to help her make her mind up but pretty sure she won’t stay on at her school. All mocks bar 1 or 2 done, they were dragged out across several week’s frustratingly. Still has a bit of content in History to get through so some after school sessions booked in, bit worrying that they can’t cover the whole course in school time but I remember it was the same when DD1 did hers and that was 5 years ago.

She was in school yesterday going through final bits for Art, their final exam is the first week back and she’ll be glad to get that one done, she’s spent most of the holidays so far painting in between revision.

She was at a party Friday night and most of them seem to have picked up a virus so she’s had a really heavy cold all week but she’s ploughing on. She’s got a couple more in school sessions next week as well as some hospital appointments, feels like a really busy break.

We’ve been given a full timetable for the first two weeks of exams with structured revision between papers and they are expected to stay in school for this and then study leave will start after May half term.

Any recommendations for study websites specifically for RE? We’ve got cognito but doesn’t seem to be anything there. Dd wants something with exam questions not just notes.

@36and3 have you looked at save my exams - they have questions not just notes - you can get at quite a bit of content for free - I printed some PDFs but have now paid for the year for both of mine to use it

Does anyone know the logic behind gcse exams getting earlier & earlier? Is it so less are on same day? My dd is saying they are only finishing context on some right before the exams. She’s definately overwhelmed and language speaking exams are almost on us. She struggling to prioritise what to do: get her language or get better grades in the ones she needs for college. I’m also thinking she’d be better at a 6th form next year as more specialised support.

I think they decided after covid that slightly more spread out was better for pupils didn't they? At least for maths and eng lang having a bit more time between papers meant if you are ill you are less likely to miss both papers so you can still get a grade.

Are they starting earlier? (I'm out of the loop) It used to be 2 weeks before half term going on for 2-3 weeks after. With language speaking and practicals well before.

For science and history it isn't unusual for some schools to be teaching nearly to the end due to the (ridiculously) high content.

I don’t think they’re earlier?

dd has Spanish speaking 20th April then written exams start for her on 11th May and last one (Spanish again) is 17th June. It’s 4/5 exams a week with half term in between.

They do seem to go on for longer than when I did them back in the dark ages.

DD has German speaking when we get back. We're in Berlin for Easter to give her some practice and thought it will be good for History too as she's doing the rise of Hitler and cold war. So far she's mainly interested in the street art though!

I think it's better that they are spread out. DS only has one day with two exams on the same day and some days with no exams at all. I'm pretty sure when I did them once got started there was no gaps and I mostly had two per day.

I think I was the same @Littletreefrog Started later but 2-3 weeks with 2 a day mostly. Agree it’ll be better spaced out

I also don’t think they’re earlier. Not sure if there are more of them tho - feels like it!
We only just finished teaching the English Lit content before Easter, leaving just 3 weeks of time to revise in class before Lit Paper 1. Squeaky bum time! But there’s so much content, it’s a toss up between rushing through it and leaving more time for revision, or doing it in depth and finishing closer to exam time.
Essentially, it’s on the students to take control of their own revision now, supported by school of course.

It’s no wonder a couple at least of the private schools near us do gsce options in Yr8 and start gcse curriculum in Yr9

DDs school starts the GCSE syllabus in year nine for some subjects, which I’m all for.

How has Easter Day gone for everyone? DD has enjoyed getting her eggs and her lamb roast, but is otherwise treating it as any other day and is working with everything laid out around her on her bedroom floor, bless her. I’ve been helping with French speaking, but she’s mostly been doing science, it’s such a dull time isn’t it.

Same here. Just enough break for roast lamb and an egg hunt today. But she’s had no days off at all since finishing for the holidays. She’s had a dinner out for a friend’s birthday but otherwise she’s “locked in” all day every day. Super proud of her.

No revision for DS today, we designated it as a day off but he'll be back working tomorrow. Hope your DD is managing at least a bit of chill out time each day @36and3, that sounds quite intense. Does she ever leave the house or is she literally refusing to stop working? I am trying to get DS to at least go out for a walk or a run every day and am also trying to encourage him to have a break and meet up with friends from time to time - but that doesn't seem to be happening. It worries me a bit tbh. He's the kind of character who could very easily become quite socially isolated.

Yeh she’s at the very least walking the dog each day and she’s coming for a swim with me a few times next week. She’s seeing friends on Wednesday. But her Spanish speaking is in two weeks so I’m pleased she’s being so diligent.

Oh that's good. The speaking exams seem to come around so fast - DS did his (iGCSE) earlier in March which felt stupidly early!

I'm going to try to get DS to join a gym I think, he has a tendency to sit gaming on his phone or watching TV when not working...he gave up his main sport (rowing) at the start of Y11 and hasn't really replaced it with anything else so far. Tbf he is seeing friends tomorrow - but that's for a trip to the cinema so is still technically sitting on bum watching a screen!

Day off here too but back to it tomorrow. In awe of your self starters as mine needs definite prodding but think the day off was good for him. Feeling increasingly despondent though but nothing to be done but keep at it.
No speaking exams here but he does have a drama assessment on the first week back. He claims he is all ready for this and can’t rehearse without his partner (whose number he does not have). Sigh. On the plus side it’s on the Friday so hopefully some rehearsal will be done that week.

Dd is a rower too! We’ve paused since February and will return in June.

Top tip I’ve been given!…

If you want to go to a specific restaurant etc to celebrate on results day, particularly for brunch time, book it now!! A friend who went through this last year told me yesterday and I didn’t believe her until I looked on the website and there was only one brunch slot left!

Question to everyone, what time do your DC start revision? I’ve been waking mine up at 9ish as she would sleep till 11 if I let her! She then fafs around for an hour or so starting revision at 10.30ish. She does a couple hours in the morning, has a break and a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Just wondering what others days look like?

DD won’t quite commit to a full day off! But we had a lovely lunch and really long walk through a beautiful country park which was nice.

@TheBeatlesWhoarethey DD has been asking me to wake her each day at 9, she naturally sleeps till about 11 if we leave her and she didn’t want to do that. She’ll come down and make herself some breakfast and chill out for a while, then she gets ready and makes a start on whatever her plan is for that day. Has lunch then I try to make sure she comes out for a walk or pops out with me wherever I’m going just to break the day and then she’s back to it. She has met up with friends a few times too but no where near as much as a normal school holiday.

She seems happy with how it’s gone so far, she worked on the remainder of History last night as she knows they are struggling to finish it at school and she said she’s completed the course and made all her Gizmo cards so she feels good about that.

This week she has a few appointments and one in school session for computer science to go to.

@TheBeatlesWhoaretheydd is up at about 9.30 and will start work by 10.30. Breaks for lunch and will do a dog walk, or run/swim with me then back to it. She’s doing about 6 hours work a day I’d say.

DS doesn’t commit to any pattern, he tends to do an hour or two in the morning, then won’t do anything until late afternoon when he does another hour or two. He’s not doing as many hours as many or as the school have suggested but I think burn out more of a risk than anything else atm.