GSCE revision - how much should they be doing?

[tatt]

we don't seem to get any advice from the school and my eldest says that some teachers say do a lot and some say do a little. They are doing quite a lot of past papers at school, are constantly tested but seem to have no idea how to revise. They hate mind maps but did claim to use bbc bitesize before the mocks.

Do you want your child to do well?

If so, they need to be doing everything available to them - past papers, revision classes, CGP books, BBC bitesize - as well as straightforward reviewing of notes and the text book.

What I find helpful is to split the day into three sessions - morning, afternoon and evening, and do revision during two of those sessions. An alternative is to split revision days into the school day, and follow the school timetable with their revision activities (they get to take PSE and PE off).

No teacher will be telling to only revise "a little"

I have directed my year 11s as to what I expect from them over Easter. I have given them a revision pack and expect it to be completed over the holidays. They are not self-starters

they got A and A* in most of their mocks with very little revision so are not motivated to do much. Their end of term report highlights some things we can work on but it is the first time we've had anything other than they are doing well.

Sounds like you are happy for them to be complacent.

Where is the work ethic?

DS' school has suggested that over the Easter holidays GCSE students should spend 5 hours per subject and to do most of the work in the mornings (if the little darlings can get up then).It is an independent school with 3 weeks Easter holiday - for schools with only 2 weeks holiday, the total expected amount of revision would be less.

Now the morning thing is interesting, because there was a whole lot of stuff recently about how teenagers work better later in the day...

Having two DSs, I was somewhat amused by the idea of working in the morning. The advice was:
Aim to get started by 9.30 in the morning. That way you will:

• Get half of the work over by lunchtime
• Be revising at the time when your brain works best
• Get into a routine which will serve you well in the final term
• Get used to being fully awake for morning exams
• Avoid getting into a late-night work routine. You will end up too tired to concentrate the next morning.

I rather think that is a best practice guide but the idea is good - get up, do work, then go and have fun.
Yes I've read the reports of research about teenagers needing all that extra sleep and my DSs can sleep for Britain.

But the too tired to conentrate next morning bit really only applies if you work next morning, rather than sleep in, doesn't it? I can see why it is a bad idea to get out of synch with the school day over the holidays, but the mind works best in the morning argument is dodgy I reckon.

Lilymaid thank you - that is the sort of advice I had hoped to get. But I agree that getting them up in time to start work at 9.30 might be difficult in the holidays

If I was happy with the lack of any advice I would not be trying to find out what other schools suggest or whether they do expect revision in the holidays. There has been no homework this past week.

I'm sorry if I didn't give a helpful response. The work I set my top set will take them about 4 hours in total I reckon. I teach Physics. Don't let them just read. Do they have revision guides? Do the questions from that. Make revision cards. Download past papers from the exam board websites and do those. Have key word post its around the place with the meanings written on the back so they can test themselves while raiding the fridge for example. I stand by my assertion that no teacher will have told them only to revise a little.

agree it seems unlikely but the school does seem to have the attitude that if they can get good grades without too much work then they don't have to work hard outside school. I've complained about it before and got nowhere.

Have sent them off to an hour's badminton this morning but mean to get them working later on.

We have bought revision guides that were recommended for some subjects and I've already downloaded some maths papers from searching mumsnet for recommendations. I shall check out the exam boards now for other subjects. As far as I know they have been given nothing to do for physics - we usually get e-mails when revision guides are recommended.

DD2 is geared up to start "real" revision now that its the Easter holidays - she's planning to do about 5 hours a day on 10 of the days in the holiday leaving her six days to do socialising and general lounging about. She has two maths past papers from school, work to do to prepare for french and german orals, some science coursework (AS level) and she plans to do some RS and History because they are revision intensive subjects. She is also going into school for a english revision session on one morning and a maths one in the second week.

In contrast DD1 who is taking A levels this year thinks she "might fit in an hour or two of revision if she can"

Your DD2 sounds really sensible, ww.

I think it is a bit tricky for students because the examinations still seem a long way off. They probably haven't finished a lot of their courses. Then they will have study leave from at some point before half-term.

However, it seems like the examination season is getting earlier and earlier. Our pupils are doing quite a few before they even start study leave.

Good advice is that they should be working hard over the holidays. There is a lot of productive work they can do to make sure that they give themselves the best chances of doing well in June.

I would be very sceptical about A grades for mocks, btw. They can't really get an A when they are only 75% of the way through a 2-year course (perhaps luck in one subject but not A/A* across the board).

At our school, when we give mock grades, we give them on the basis of doing the real thing tomorrow, not on a prediction of how they could do if they all their future work falls into place and they work to their best.

Last year, my DS1 did his GCSEs - he got 8 A* and 2 A grades, and an A grade in AS French. He probably did about 3 hours per day of revision during the Easter holidays.

At my DD's school they have set up Easter School where the pupils can come in and do revision classess in all the subjects it's every day of the holidays apart from the bank holidays. DD's form tutor -they do vertical tutoring at her school suggested to the Yr11's they should come into school at least one session a day plus do a couple of hours a day. DD yr7 wasn't impressed with the thought in a couple of years she'd be in Easter School too!

My ds1 is doing his gsces this year and we have fallen into a routine after school he comes home has a snack revises then has tea another load of revision then after about 7.30 thats his time sometimes he chooses to study through but by 9pm I say thats enough - his brain cant physically absorb the intensity ....

At weekends he has a bit of a lie in gets up has breafast and a mooch about then revision then lunch then revision then about 6ish is his time.

Through the holidays he is voluntarily attending revision classes bcos the teachers hosting them are ones hes familiar with from previous years who dont teach him now and hes hoping that their fresh approach will highlight any worries for him.

Hes on a good cash incentive to do well and he knows his future hinges on good results - maths is a huge worry to him he lacks confidence and has a mental block he goes to after school classes once a week and lunchtime blasters but hes worried sick.

As DD2 doesn't have any study leave at all - this is the first year the school haven't given any, she has to be organised about her time. After Easter she won't be able to "lose herself" in any revision because they have to stick to the school timetable and change classrooms every hour. I think it might work well for her personality and the way she approaches work but I would still have preferred her to have time at home before the exams.

scienceteacher the school give a mock grade, current attainment and a target GSCE. They tell their students that most people go up two grades in the actual exam, provided they revise.

They settled down to work yesterday - after some moaning and with frequent breaks. They suffer from exam nerves and when they sit the exam I want them to feel well prepared.