GCSE revision

Savvy_Sue

DS2 has had a letter from the Person in Charge of Teenagers at the Local Council (can't remember her precise title) saying how hard she hopes he is working so that she will be able to write to congratulate him in August. And how all hope of improving the results for this LEA rest on his shoulders - well she didn't actually say that but that's the impression she's trying to give.

I'm sure this is supposed to be some kind of motivation but actually we all fell about laughing as we read it. For one thing, it would be very hard for the GCSE results in this city to be any worse than they were last year. For another, DS2 could not give a toss what someone he's never met thinks about his GCSE results.

And I'm afraid DS2 hasn't done a stroke of revision. If he wants study leave I'm supposed to sign to say he's been revising over Easter but his response to this reminder is "It's only a week" - and TBH if he's in school he's likely to do a load more revision than if he's on 'study leave'! It's up to him. If he doesn't get 5 A grades at GCSE he won't be able to start 5 subjects at AS level, which is what he wants to do. He thinks he can do it. I think it's marginal - he'd be hard pressed NOT to get an A in 3 on past performance (no revision!) but I'm not so sure about the rest.

The trouble is he watched his big brother do the same, and get 4 As, so he thinks 5 As is no sweat. It worries me that he may be right!

I wish I had some helpful suggestions ...

elisebutt65

Well I'm totally rubbish at exams, no matter how much i revise - I do all the right things but exams and me just don't go together - lol

I'm in my 2nd year and I need to get a 1st to go to the uni of my choice to do a PGCE in further ed. and am my wits end - I write up all my notes - sit and learn all my definitions until i can spout an essay in my sleep, but come the big day - bleeeaaahh!!!

I do mindmaps etc and can usually manage all the questions but I can never get better than a B+ which is a pain as it drags my A+ average down to an A. Everyone always says well a B or B+ is a good grade and I should be proud but when you're getting A+'s and A++'s in some papers it's like getting a big fat D!!

I've even been to see the counsellor at college as I know I have control 'issues' lol and my nerves get the better of me at exam time.

Maybe your son has the same issues and because he's flunked in the past, he just isn't bothering anymore??? How about trying to set up some 'mock' exam conditions at home with some past questions and see how he does when he's more relaxed?? It could be that he needs to learn some relaxation techniques - Ive started on Rescue Remedy to see if it helps this year.

recovering_spendaholic

And I'm afraid DS2 hasn't done a stroke of revision. If he wants study leave I'm supposed to sign to say he's been revising over Easter but his response to this reminder is "It's only a week" - and TBH if he's in school he's likely to do a load more revision than if he's on 'study leave'! It's up to him. If he doesn't get 5 A grades at GCSE he won't be able to start 5 subjects at AS level, which is what he wants to do. He thinks he can do it. I think it's marginal - he'd be hard pressed NOT to get an A in 3 on past performance (no revision!) but I'm not so sure about the rest.

The trouble is he watched his big brother do the same, and get 4 As, so he thinks 5 As is no sweat. It worries me that he may be right!

I wish I had some helpful suggestions ...[/QUOTE]

I think your DS and my DD are twins separated at birth :rotfl: My DD has done absolutely no revision and still had coursework to hand in, but she is not even a little bit worried about it all and thinks she will coast into the sixth form. Trouble is, like your DS, she is bright and will probably get an A in at least three subjects without even opening a book, although I have to say that I am no genius but the work is so easy its ridiculous!! Her maths GCSE (and she is in the highest set) is easy - for O level in the 70's we did calculus and now that is only on done at A level. I have tried uninstalling the MSN (the root of all evil in my book) but she just reinstalls it through all kinds of back doors, disconnecting the computer (she just spends all night on the phone), unplugging the phones (she just bought a cheap phone and plugged it into the disconnected computer phone point), confiscating ipod (she just put her awful music on the CD at high volume and disrupted the whole house), confiscating the CD (she just borrowed another player from a mate), ranting and raving (she either laughs at us or calls us nut jobs R us).....l I just wish she would want to study because she could get all A* but then that would be too radical as it would please us.... :mad:

purplepurple

All the exam boards have sample gcse papers on their websites...

for example: Edexcel - go to subject, qualification and then SPECIMEN PAPERS

AQA - Past papers

OCR - find specimen papers

find out what exam board your child is using and then have a look at their past papers, they're there to be downloaded and used for revision.....

AQA - exam advice for students has got tonnes of brilliant advice about organising revision, what to do before, during and after the exams etc etc..... and hints about what examiners are looking for.

The mark schemes (although quite complicated) are all there too, so you can get an idea of what has to be done to achieve certain grades..... bit of insider knowledge can't hurt!

lara1983

Here are the revision books I'd recommend - you'll want to read them yourself they're so fun (!). If you give him the tools, that's all you can do!

[Deleted User]

Bribery helped me. I'm naturally bright but lazy. One of the reason's i'm bright is I try to find more clever/efficient ways of doing things so I can put less effort in.

I was set a simple bribery scheme = £50 for A* results, £50 for A's in English (mum knew I wasn't as good at english as other subjects) and £1000 (mum had a sense of humour and knew I didn't like spanish). Any subjects where I got less than a C would result in a £50 fine.

Although it was 10 years ago, I attacked my GCSE revision in 'project management' style (who'd know I'd eventually work for an IT Consultancy firm) - I wrote down the targets (revise for exam A, B, C), my priority for those targets. I didn't bother revising for Spanish as much as I did for English Lit, for example, mainly because my natural ability/interest would give me a better chance of getting a top result in Eng. lit compared to spanish.

I worked out how many 'revision days' until each exam. I did a revision plan and worked backwards, setting aside some 'intense' revision time in the days before a particular exam, then I decided, based on my priorities and how much revision I had to do, how many days I had to set asside per subject.

I then made up a calendar and split up each revision day into segments. I set asside a couple of days at the start of the plan for 'revision planning' - getting all the notes collected and an idea of what I had to revise for the sylabus. It's also important to be realistic and plan to allow time off and plenty of sleep. Your brain carries on proccessing even when you aren't at your books.

Ok, then planning the bulk of the revision. You take the day segments and split up the revision so that you frequently switch between unrelated subjects. Your mind can concentrate on boring tasks better if you switch between different boring tasks. As mentioned before, Mind maps are wonderful. Thankfully, at this age my mind was fresh and alcohol free, so I just remembered things when I read them. Later on at Uni, mind-maps were my saviour. I'd recommend writing short 'bullet' notes per subject, just so the action of writing makes digesting information easier. Don't just copy from books.

It's really hard to get kids to understand the importance of exams. I'm only in my mid-20s but I've previously had to read other people's CVs before they went into interviews. If I saw an applicant didn't have good GCSEs in English and Maths, i'd certainly think again about recommending to hire them.

There are some good books around on about GCSE revision planning and i'd recommend buying one.

loopylass

www.bitesize.co.uk

My son went on this as he went through it last year it was a revision site but made it sort of fun for them
He could have revised more but didnt but i said if he manages to get the grades he needs to get him to college then i will give him £50 and his grandparents said the same
They are under a great deal of stress with exam pressure etc and i never pushed him to do more i just gave him gentle reminders that you need to stay on at school/college for a chance to get a good job or some training scheme
If you push them too much then they wont do it full stop(teenagers when they get a b in their bonnet)
As they are under a lot of stress i suggest half an hour a day so they have quality time out to chill and wind down with their mates
My son put notes on his pc upstairs and was doing the trial tests on bitesize
once he have all the notes he then just read through a subject a day
The teachers from the school should tell your child what bits he needs to learn which cuts out a lot and you should be able to but their revision guides and each teacher will mark what they need to learn
I bought an ICT revision guide and my son said theres only a few things in there what he was learning but his using it now as doing IT college
My son did get the grades to get into college and is doing really well yes there was a few words along the way when he was revising but the more you moan the more they wont do
I helped him with his notes etc typing them out etc if they know they have support and you agree a time to revise they should be fine with a few reminders along the way
My son got a timetable at the school and they said 2 and a half hours a day which i think is silly because they dont get any time with their mates if you start early enough 1/2 - 1 hour is enough

monty100

Hi there - my son has downloaded Bitesize audio pod thingies onto his MP3, and listened to them while he was doing his paper round today. He is also doing quite a bit of SAM learning - lots of schools subscribe to this for all their kids and they can access it at home or school with a password the school gives them.
He is still spending too long on World of Warcraft tho! Next week I have threatened to take the screen away at night time so its not there when he gets up in the morning. He can do W of W once he has done revision, not before!!!
It is so hard getting the balance right - I think if he can spend two and a half hours playing computer games he should also spend the same time revising. He, of course, has other ideas. :wall:

crutches

We tell ours if they want help with sites/timetables etc this is the info(in a file on their desktop or in a book i've got and placed in their room).
We help if asked and they know that but every child and every exam is different.
They are firmly told that the only person that they will let down if they dont do their best is themselves.
Some of ours could get A* standing on their heads in some subjects and some will struggle to get a D.
We don't need the passes to go to Uni/6th form etc!We arent the ones going,they are.
The help is there if they want it.Their Choice.Their Lives.

dribsndrabs

Try revising with him. when i was doing my gcses i tried hard to learn all the things but it only really sunk in when i relayed the information to my mum. it felt really good to see her interested in my work and increased my confidence that i knew more than i thought. if there's another family member like a brother that's more suitable, get him to listen to your son.

the best thing is to keep it calm but always have it in the back of his mind. i'd also recommend putting up post-its by the toilet/near his bed - a great way to get an instant fix of info.

oh and i always used colour too. orange highlighted theories, green highlighted dates etc. That might help too.

and finally, as soon as those exams are finished, don't wait for the results to take him out for a congratulations do/meal.

i wish him all the luck - and you as well

p.s. sometimes material incentives aren't always the best. most of the time children are happy to know they make their parents proud - material incentives can sometimes undermine that