Y11 - 2026/27 thread

[Echobelly]

I don't see a thread yet so I guess I might as well start it. I'm gonna need a lot of handholding for this one 😭

@Echobelly there is next to no coursework in GCSEs now – only in practical subjects like drama, food tech, DT, art. @HisStericalTestes is talking about IGSCEs which are only taken by students at private schools. But state schools sit all GCSEs and as I say, CW in (for example) MFL, history, English was done away with when the quals were changed from 2017 exams onwards.

@HisStericalTestesglad you figured it out. You know there are four pieces due (assuming it’s edexcel).

Have been trying to help DS revise for a big computer science test but he’s acting so unbothered and it’s a huge battle to get him to do anything. The holidays are apparently just for ‘chilling’. So not looking forward to the next 6 months.

Yes Echo, we are applying to a local grammar and they have to keep boys who get a set amount of points that they've had since 11+. Seemingly because of this they pick kids with the top grades to fill the appx 40 spaces at 6th form, which isn't dependent on location at all, unlike the girls school which will only take locals with a set amount of points. This means we are battling for a spot for our council to pay for our education alongside kids potentially from London who may get all 9's because the school wants to keep its spot in the league tables. My mind is boggling that DS might not get into our nearest school even if he gets well over the points needed. His autism means we are really struggling to find another option that he will go to as a second choice (he has interests in subjects only the grammar does for example and the local college would be too hectic).

Certainly worth bearing in mind which subjects have coursework for A' Levels!

DS is most likely taking a Btec, which will involve some coursework, but as he seems really motivated by the subject I'm hopeful he will find it easier.

Oh yes that will for sure. I assume you mean post-16 btw? I do think that can be a revelation for some DC – finally they have dropped everything they don;t like and can just focus on maths/English/drama/art.

Sixth form college open evening for us this week. They do Ancient History which looks right up dc1's street.
It has a service bus from the end of our street but we've just been working out we can get them their most days, they'd just need to get the bus home.
Fingers crossed it's as good as it looks.

@Clarywe are looking forward to next year when DS can drop everything he doesn’t like. Last ever Autumn 1 with English done! Last ever Autumn 1 with biology done!

DD has been offered extra English before school. The head of English sirt of admitted they are targeting those with high Maths and low English to help them keep their Stats high... but a 5 in English is extremely beneficial for DD so we arent complaining!

So tonight's college has an Animal Management and Science T level and a Animal science btechs at levels 1-3. Will be interested to hear the differences and what students from each go on to do.

DD had her French speaking mock today and it went well, she was pleased to actually have one as in the Year 10 exams they just did listening, reading and writing so now at least she knows what to expect. She does Spanish too but that is next week.
She's cross with school as every teacher seems to be telling them to put their subject first, she's ASD and very much a people pleaser and is getting stressed out trying to do everything she's been set plus extra revision. I've emailed her learning mentor so hopefully DD will listen to her and calm down a bit, she's not really listening to me and I can see her burning out before we even get to Christmas at this rate!

DH survived the key subject evening even though he forgot it was happening until I reminded him an hour before and was a bit late. He was only somewhat stressed in the end - of course DS has been given lots of revision material that he may or may not have used yet with mocks in 3 weeks.

I keep coming back to an idea I have toyed with of motivating DS with a Switch2 in return for a certain level of work and am wondering maybe about 'if you can produce X pages of notes before final exams/certain date'... I think before I establish number, we need to see the note-making frameworks school has provided and consider that into the number. It might help motivate him to do notes and would provide some hard evidence of revision to reassure us!

Have mentioned it to DH who is of course, but why can't it be for results and I've told him the stuff I've looked at all suggests do it for an outcome they can control, which is never quite the case for exams. Because you never know when someone's going to get a godawful paper - DH was 'well OK if it's like that maths paper last year and everyone says its awful then we can make an exception' but I think that misses the point. If you state that in advance, then you don't know what your child will consider a terrible paper and it might not be what everyone else thinks, or if you don't mention it, you're creating the additional pressure they might lose out on the reward, which all advice says is counterproductive.

I find with DS he struggles to revise but will do a test paper. Maybe you could print one for each subject and have that as a timed "study" period instead? It is easier to control as a parent and it feels like a smaller task than it is really because they will only have an hour or so for each one. Might be worth considering anyway. Revision by stealth 💪

I was going to say the same thing about test papers, I think they’re also supposed to be a more effective way of revising, rather than making notes. As long as he spends time learning from mistakes!

When would you give him the switch 2? After he produced the work could mean he is distracted for the rest of academic year, study leave and the exams.
Making him wait maybe be just too along for the carrot to work and what if the exams don’t go to plan, will the switch 2 distract him from other things over the summer?
You and your DH know him best but maybe a finite lasting gift/treat/experience may be better as a reward, so it his efforts are acknowledged, he has fun and then can re-focus.

Just joining this thread, DS has his mocks this week and next. I’m hoping they will be a bit of a wake up call for him.

Thinking maybe a better aim would be certain number of practice papers every week until first actual GCSE? Sat down for the required time, OK if he doesn't finish, as long as he has a go, and can make up for missed papers even he doesn't get to number each week. Switch received on final day of exams?

Practice papers are limited and they are best used when some attempt has been made to learn the topic so they can check holes in revision and exam technique. So you need to make sure they aren't used up too early.

With revision could you get him to declare his topic for revision to you in advance and then you test him to know how well it has been done? So not 'Macbeth' but 'theme of light and darkness in Macbeth'?

Also joining, DD has mocks in January however they have just done some hefty tests before half term. Most she was happy with except maths which she is eating on results still. I encouraged her to do as much coursework over the holidays as possible - she has PE and drama to get it out of the way. She is doing sports clubs 4x a week so during term-time things are v hectic.

We have not long returned from a general revision meeting at school. I thought was quite informative. The scary take from the meeting was the teacher saying there are only 27 Mondays until actual GCSE's start.

We went to our first 6th form evening last night. DD isn't sure if she wants to stay where she is currently. We popped in before hockey practice and she was quite impressed however realised how different they are to regular school open days. DD decided she definitely doesn't want to do BTEC sport as she didn't like the course.

DD wants to do A-Levels and currently on the list is Psychology which she is certain she wants to do others that are being considered strongly are PE, Law and Criminology. With History and Biology and possibly media on the reserve list. We have two open evenings next week. We have another to decide on for the following week.

I agree with PP regarding past papers. This was something at the meeting with school today. Past papers are great but they do need to learn as much of as possible the content before attempting them.

They suggested '20-20-20' 20 minutes learning a topic, 20 minutes testing with parent or sibling asking questions on said topic from the notes made in the first 20 minutes. Then 20 minutes on formal questions.

How did you get on with the open evening?
(My DD did animal care at college, level1 workbased, level 2 theory, & level2 workbased. Best lesson walking the dogs).

So T-level wasn't right for him - oddly the grades are higher (5 6s including Eng & Maths, and he's probably not going to make that) but at the same time it's not really accepted by universities yet. Also they said it leans to the entrepreneurial, which is not is not really DS's style. So Btec it is. DS prefers Capel, understandably, as it's such a lovely site.

The only issue is that it means staying with my parents' during the week as an easier commute (it's 90 minutes each way by public transport from ours), and I want an honest discussion with them about it. They did the same for my nephew when he did a one-year course there, but they will both be 77 by the time DS starts college and Mum's health is very poor. Honestly the chances of her not making it through the next few years are fairly high. DS is pretty low-maintenance but I do worry my mum will do too much stuff that she's not well enough for so I think I wouldinsist on DS making his own food (and generally doing stuff for Mum & Dad) and bringing back his laundry at the weekend if they can do it.

I know they are willing on paper but I need to talk to them about it realistically and also DS that he may have to prepare for one or both of them becoming seriously ill. In some ways it may be good for them to have him there if one of them is ill or God forbid one of them dies, but obviously it would be stressful for him.

@Echobelly I think the BTEC is definitely more of a known quantity, plus with work experience in a block (I assume) he could do it from you if that worked better.
Presume boarding at Capel is not an option? It wouldn't have worked for DD.
I'm not surprised grade reqs for the T-level were higher, that's one of the many things they didn't consider properly when introducing them.

There is in Wales. ( trust us to be different).
English is now a double award, to cover language and literature. There are 3 exam modules and 3 NEA modules.
There were 2 pieces of work to each NEA. That lasted 1 year, and they have changed it already. One module still has 2 pieces of work, but the other 2 only have 1 piece of work.
We also stagger exams, with 1 English, 1 maths and 1 for each science at the end of year 10. Some schools do the second paper for maths and English in Nov too( they were this week) . There is then still a maths and English exam at the end of yr 11

Yes apologies @Talkingfrog I should have said my GCSE refs were for England only.

No need to apologise. There are probably more here from England than Wales.