Daughter melts down in exam conditions GCSE exam revision advice / suggestions?
- Thread starter ATOMIC SUPLEX
- Start date
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
Herbal calming tablets, you can get them in Holland and Barrett or chemists iirc. Bachs Rescue Remedy might help as well
weltweit
Well-Known Member
I was taught how to sit exams when I was at Polytechnic, I bit late, I could have done with it a good few years earlier.
Divide the time by the number of questions, number of marks if that is visible. Leave 10 minutes at the end.
Leave the first page of the answer sheet blank, begin answering the first question on the second page. When your time is up on one question advance to the next, the trick is to make sure you pick up all the easy marks from each question so you have to make a fist of each one but not overrun even if you have more to give.
When you have just your final 10 minutes left, return to page one and write index, question 1 page 2, question 2 page x etc
I don't know if the index idea is valid for gcses but for the exams I was taking it worked well. (I think)
Divide the time by the number of questions, number of marks if that is visible. Leave 10 minutes at the end.
Leave the first page of the answer sheet blank, begin answering the first question on the second page. When your time is up on one question advance to the next, the trick is to make sure you pick up all the easy marks from each question so you have to make a fist of each one but not overrun even if you have more to give.
When you have just your final 10 minutes left, return to page one and write index, question 1 page 2, question 2 page x etc
I don't know if the index idea is valid for gcses but for the exams I was taking it worked well. (I think)
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
I have started doing this. I did the chemistry one along with her today as advised by this thread.
interesting stuff. We will mark it tomorrow evening. The last paper I did with her, after marking it we had dinner, and after dinner I did 15 minutes of relaxed (if it can be relaxed) flash cards on the same subject.
All of this is fine. My only problem is that there are sooo many exams. So much information. With me doing it as well we can both comment on our experiences. I hope it in some way makes it feel more fun. As a bonus, I'm pretty much be a lot worse than she is which may give her a confidence boost.
I just remembered . . .she already did her Japanese language exams earlier this year and got a 9 without any panic whatsoever. Obviously she knows the subject a LOT better, but it does at least suggest to me that it's not just the exam situation and the time constraints, it's also about being comfortable and confident. Repeating tests might help. I hope we have enough time to turn it around.
. . . and yes, I am also trying to make it as stress free and casual/fun as possible, just focusing on learning. Even a wrong answer is a win, as we can find out why and fill that hole. Praise just for sitting the g'damn exam. It is a LOT of work. Poor girl.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
I think this might be why she got such a low literature mark. From what my daughter says, they paper they were given contained poems or works they had never seen before.
The English teacher is an absolute arse so I don't disbelieve this. Somehow she is head of English and head of year 11 so I can't go over her head (daughter does not want me to either).
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
There is one 'blind' paper where you have to read something you don't know and then answer questions about it. The Shakespeare and 'Modern Literature' (invariably Of Mice and Men or An Inspector Calls) exams require prior knowledge of the text and you're expected to quote from it but you don't get given a copy of the text. Last school I was working at, the walls were plastered with Romeo and Juliet quotes because everyone had to memorise them. Bizarre.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
ATOMIC SUPLEX You're clearly putting in the time and legwork on this and although there might not be an easy solution to the problem, generally the kids who have that level of care and support from parents do just fine in the end.
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maomao
普費斯
Was it the unseen poetry exam?
OMAM off the GCSE syllabus now as no yanks anymore.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
I have since spoken to my daughter in more detail. It just seems that the teacher isn't teaching very well. I obviously can't 'really' comment on this, but I am willing to/ have to believe my daughter. I have said we can't rely on the teacher and just make sure we know the texts and the annotations inside and out regardless. Can't wait for the teacher to get around to teaching it all properly.
So no, not the unseen poetry section. . . she just did utterly terribly in the exam. Frustrating, because again, she has always been a model English student. . . right up until these last two sets of mocks.
maomao
普費斯
It's very believable. I know GCSE English classes that are being taken by random external cover teachers or being taught by teachers from other specialisms because there's a massive shortfall of teachers at the moment. I would just grab a couple of relevant workbooks (CGP are quite good but get the white workbooks as well, they have all the example essays in them) and work your way through them with her.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
At my previous school half my year 10 science lessons were actually English literature because they made the kids do the exam a year early and then had them spend that entire year cramming for it, at the expense of all other subjects. So I had to to teach lessons about Romeo and Juliet, which I have never read, with no planning or resources.
And the people who come up with these fuckwit schemes are on 75 grand a year.
maomao
普費斯
That's not fair. Kids deserve to be taught Shakespeare by someone who can explain all the dirty jokes.
In general it does seem to be all powerful leadership cults that are making some schools impossible to teach in. We all returned to school after half term and were told to bin all our planning (which I'd spent my break on) in favour of centrally planned power points that we're given at the last possible minute (my resources for today's period one class were uploaded at ten pm last night) and are riddled with mistakes. Which is why it's very believable that AS's daughter is being taught incoherently but I'd still hesitate to blame the actual teacher.
ATOMIC SUPLEX, I'm happy to help with feedback/marking on any timed essays you do (Eng lang or lit) as practice. Though I'm currently only teaching up to Y10, I do know the specs.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
LIkewise but for science, or maths at a pinch.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
Common practice these days. Everyone in the trust is expected to teach the same lessons at the same time, from often rushed and shoddy resources.
This is a nightmare for science technicians too as they often who have to prepare the same complex practical for 8 classes at once.
maomao
普費斯
We could do with a teacher moaning thread. None of this will help Suplex Junior.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
Thank you. It's one we talked about and were not sure how to approach marking ourselves. For english we were going to look at the marking paper (and what they want) before attempting to sit a past paper.
So I might take you up on this at some point. We have a lot to get through for now though and I would like to speak to the teacher (she was not available on the parents evening that we got all the mock results on - she is supposed to be giving me a ring, but I have no idea when).
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
Also, thank you. I 'think' I have science under control, and it's something we can mark together. It's quite helpful just letting her mark herself and write notes, she can see what the examiners wanted, and how she might have gained an extra mark here and there.
DaveCinzano
WATCH OUT, GEORGE, HE'S GOT A SCREWDRIVER!
It was never the same after they shuttered Maidenhead teacher training college
maomao
普費斯
My Y8's have just sat an assessment on The Merchant of Venice that will be marked by someone else after I leave. I gave them the full Antonio and Bassanio are gay interpretation and explained every dirty joke in Act five. I'm hoping someone's going to have fun marking them.It was never the same after they shuttered Maidenhead teacher training college
DaveCinzano
WATCH OUT, GEORGE, HE'S GOT A SCREWDRIVER!
Verily
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
In another related question. . . . what happens if she doesn't get the grades she needed to do sixth form? We already had to submit our applications for the subjects she wanted. There are other subjects she can maybe take but she didn't apply for those.
There used to always be spaces. Anything undersubscribed will snap her up. There are also the sucking up and resit options.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
What is a sucking up option?
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
I feel I'm seeing the knock on effect of this particularly in level 3.
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
Also plenty of colleges doing level 1 and 2 stuff.
L1 if you don't have four 3s L2 if your don't have four 4s.
Although some exceptions apply particularly if you have a portfolio if work.
L1 if you don't have four 3s L2 if your don't have four 4s.
Although some exceptions apply particularly if you have a portfolio if work.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
Sorry I don't know what this means What is Level 1 and 2?
What are four threes and Four fours? Is that four three grades in something or four grade of grade four for a subject?
8ball
Decolonise colons!
I have a mate who always knew all the stuff better than me but for some reason couldn't get it together for exams - I'd be getting the top marks (this was in the subjects I liked - not across the board) and his would be really bad and I couldn't figure out what had happened with his results and he couldn't either.
He did fine after some resits. I think he had a tutor for "exam strategy" or something similar to that.
Exams are weird. I used to quite like the drama of them back in school, but it wore thin later on.
He did fine after some resits. I think he had a tutor for "exam strategy" or something similar to that.
Exams are weird. I used to quite like the drama of them back in school, but it wore thin later on.
8ball
Decolonise colons!
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Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
Level 1 is a qualification that is equivalent to a gcse grade 1 to 3 (D to F in old money) level 2 is equivalent to a GCSE of 4 and above (C or better). Level 3 is A level equivalent. Level 4 first year of uni etc.
To do a level 2 qualification at a college they will normally ask you to have at least a 3 in four different subjects at GCSE (ir an appropriate level 1 qualification). To do a level 3 they want at least a 4 in four different subjects. Two of which should be English and Maths.
I do this diagram for my course handbook
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ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
I see. Thank you.
So if my daughter was changing her mind about her A level choices and wanted to do media studies instead would that be possible.
She has not submitted an application to do Media Studies (they wanted that by December).
I probably have to contact the school don't I?
So if my daughter was changing her mind about her A level choices and wanted to do media studies instead would that be possible.
She has not submitted an application to do Media Studies (they wanted that by December).
I probably have to contact the school don't I?
