So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Discussion and advice on GCSEs

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Minesh
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 9:02 pm

So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by Minesh »

So DC has started!!- manages 40 minutes then needs 30 mins 'break' - it's like watching paint dry!!
Yes earlier thread said Easter too late - novels, poetry, triple science, 3 history units, maths, languages, RS, Eng lang.- the sheer amount is eye-boggling!!

DC announces today too early to do poetry as will have forgotten poems in 5 weeks!! - I rest my case... :mrgreen:
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by Guest55 »

Past papers, past papers and past papers - no stopping until the paper is done ....

Make a large calendar with the dates of the exams on it ...
aliportico
Posts: 888
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:19 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by aliportico »

tbh 40 minutes on, 30 minutes off, sounds reasonable. You need a bit of time in between for it to sink in, don't you think? I know I can still only concentrate in chunks.

Mine has been doing 2-3 hours a day, when she's been working. We're on holiday so she has only worked Mon, Tues, Wed this week and then will have Saturday too, then home and working all next week.
Snowdrops
Posts: 4667
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by Snowdrops »

I'm very impressed with my dd.

I have been gently querying her revision tactics/schedule and she's been putting her head down and getting on with it without any nagging/input from me.

She wanted to go to Leeds today but was aware she needed to revise so compromised by going and then revising for a few hours this evening.

After G55's comments about past papers above, I did ask her if she had any scheduled in to her timetable and she's got them down for next week.

Dd works part-time too but has requested no extra shifts (she's contracted to do 6 hours a week and does 8, but is usually given more during busy times - Easter being a 'busy time' at Bettys) and they are very good to students during exam time.

I am so proud of her.
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copella
Posts: 1200
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by copella »

My DS's school is open so he is going in for either full or half days and then coming home and perhaps doing a couple more hrs and having evenings free. He's started doing past papers as well. 12th May is so close now. I just keep a gentle eye on him and keep out of his way and I'm pretty impressed as he is getting on with it.
ginx
Posts: 2151
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:47 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by ginx »

Really interesting to hear revision techniques, my ds1 also starts 12 May and they trickle on till 24 June.

He is doing nine? subjects, and wants to concentrate on Maths/Sciences because he wants to do those subjects at A level. He is not terribly academic, but should get B's in those subjects. I can't help thinking, why do A levels whilst struggling to get a B - but his results may show all.

Anyway, back to revision. His teacher has suggested he revises solidly 9am-noon. Surely nobody can revise for three hours without a break?

Also, his science teachers suggest he just does many past papers, and just writes the answers in from the answers, all found easily on the internet. Do you think that is wise?

My dd1 in year 10 has mocks beginning 28 April. She has been told to do the same with science, not to go through what she's learned, but to just have past papers and answers, and just copy down as much as she can. Surely that is not right? The teacher told me it works ...????

Do you make a timetable of revision? Because there's not just maths and science; what about everything else? I need to sit down with my lazy children and help them make a timetable, if we agree one together maybe they will stick to it. I think the Easter holidays will be rather miserable; year 10 mocks 28 April till 6 May; year 7 mocks 6 May - 9 May; GCSE's 12 May onwards.

Ds1 has decided he is going into school during exams because lessons will carry on for those interested.
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by KB »

Afraid to say its probably just the start of miserable springs/summers . We are on our 9th year with at least one more to go after this, possibly 4. Oh to have a relaxed summer 8)

As for using past papers for revision. Mine have always done them under exam conditions, marked them then written out model answers and then committed to memory any facts they didn't have or gone back to text book/notes for anything they didn't understand and done practice questions on that topic before doing another paper.
Simply copying out model answers would require a high level of concentration to actually learn it.

3 hours is certainly too long without a break. If they are studying then 10 mins in every hour would be my suggestion or after doing a paper.

A revision timetable is a good plan so as you say, time can be allocated to all subjects. Also so they and you can see when they should be working and when they can enjoy time off.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by Guest55 »

Yes - you need to sit the paper under test conditions or as near as you can manage. Get a friendly parent/carer to mark the paper and then look through where you went wrong.

Examiners reports are also useful as they sometimes gives examples or 'real' answers and how many marks were awarded - really useful.
Minesh
Posts: 89
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 9:02 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by Minesh »

Good luck to those self motivated - they will do well;
Past papers - a good idea but content has to be revised first in our case - then will focus on gaps but just to do past paper now would serve up too many half right answers/no depth as it would be all from memory!!

I often wonder is it too much push and nagging that turn DC off? - this forum advises and i know nagging doesn't help but if left alone to own devices would do minimal.
DC is out celebrating 1 6th with sleep-over so revision on hold yet again!! :mrgreen:
copella
Posts: 1200
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: So Easter arrived - GCSE revision - how much per day??

Post by copella »

That's what my DS is doing guest55. He does the papers, I mark them using the mark schemes then we both go over them to check where he's gone wrong. He is fine with things like science as it is factual but with English needs help with thinking about the information required as he can write a paragraph and not get many marks. School are helping but it's a lot to remember as each written paper wants something different. First day he has four exams as there's a clash, feeling tired when I think of it. Recently realised this is the first of 6 years of exams, as soon as he finishes his A levels youngest starts his GCSEs :(
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