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_gcx's GCSE Journey :D

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Original post by _gcx
Achieved:

R001: 52/60 UMS (far higher than I expected)

R002: 58/60 UMS (same as the teacher said)

R005: 49/60 UMS (lol what, I went down by 5 UMS)

Overall, I need 57/60 in R004 to get an A*, which my teacher told me is easily doable for me, so that's fantastic! :biggrin:


Well done!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊☺️
Original post by chemistrynerd13
Well done!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊☺️


Thanks! I'll talk to my teacher when I go back, about what actually happened. Everyone went down, but I think I went down the furthest :P I'm pretty confident about getting 57/60+ in R004, so I think I'll be fine without redoing R005. I guess it wouldn't hurt though, in case I get marked down in R004 too.

R005 was a website, and mine looked crap, so that might be where I lost my marks XD
(edited 7 years ago)
Update:

Maths - Finally learnt vectors, in a GCSE context, and circle theorems. I've done a few practice questions, and I now have no idea why I was putting it off for so long XD I haven't made much progress with D1, although I'd like to re-start my work on C2, as I feel I haven't done enough work on it. I will likely be doing this for the remainder of the week.

Biology - No progress yet, although I'm momentarily going to start work on B1/B2, after I post this update.

Chemistry - No progress with C1, I haven't restarted my notes, the ones I took for my mocks were too minimal and not very useful, but I have finished off C2, and I have started work on C3, and notes accordingly. I have revised my notes on Ethanol production, and I have started notes on the first two topics of C3 in the textbook. That includes tests for halides, tests using NaOH, and other chemical tests. It also includes some information on hard water, ie. what it is, etc.

Physics - As I'm mostly finished with P1 and P2, I have started P3. This includes the usage of radiation within medicine and the cause of, and the process of correcting, visual defects.

I see that you got an A* in OCR history in your mocks...well done. I am also doing the same subject (not sure about board, think its OCR)but i am inconsistent in history do you have any tips/resources i could use to do well (particularly on the source questions)
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Original post by msj/rsj
I see that you got an A* in OCR history in your mocks...well done. I am also doing the same subject (not sure about board, think its OCR)but i am inconsistent in history do you have any tips/resources i could use to do well (particularly on the source questions)
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What do you need help with in regards source questions? Is it what to write, looking for links within the source, etc.?
Yes if thats Ok

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Good luck! :h: :congrats:
Original post by JourneyToSuccess
Good luck! :h: :congrats:


Thank you!

Original post by msj/rsj
Yes if thats Ok

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I'm just in the middle of typing an explanation for each type of question :wink:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by msj/rsj
Yes if thats Ok

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Yes to what? :P

Anyway, I'll explain for you:

For all source questions: You will need to include details from the source and own knowledge, to get anything more than maybe 4 or 5 marks out of 7.

The message of the source: Start by identifying the message of the source. Do this by relating the contents of the image to your own knowledge, and make logical deductions in your head of what event it could be referring to. Normally it's unambiguous, and sometimes it says in the subtitle. While considering the message, note the date and the country of origin of the cartoon. This may change the perceived meaning. Once the message has been identified, back it up, first with details from the source. Try not to be vague here, refer to specific people/objects, and reference to specific imagery. Now, back it up with your own knowledge, again with specific references.

How far do you agree: This is hard to explain. You do need arguments for and against always. You will need references to both the source and own knowledge, as I mentioned above.

Are you suprised by this source: My teachers always says that you should say you are not suprised by this source. Again, you need to discuss each element of the source, using details from the source, and own knowledge. Again, you should say why you are not suprised, ie. it aligns with your perception of the Nazis for example, but you must also explain why you are suprised, ie. there are contradictions to your expectations.

How is this source useful as evidence: State why it is useful as evidence, and what its limitations are. Everything I have said above applies.

Why was this painting published: As per the first bullet point, pretty much. You have to relate it to the context of your depth stuy. For example, you might say "this painting was published to reinforce Hitler's model family. We can see this expressed within the source, by ......." etc.

I think that's all the types for source questions!

4 marks - Either 4, succint, bullet-point-like points with little to no explanation or expansion, or 2 well explained points.

6 marks - Either 2 or 3, well explained and well developed points.

10 marks - How many points you should do is subjective. I would do 2 or 3 points for and against, and a well-explained conclusions.

7/8 marks - Either 3 or 4, well explained and well developed points.

This is only for the first paper, the German paper. I have not yet started the British paper, so I can't offer much advice for it.
I meant source and finding links :biggrin:
Original post by _gcx
Yes to what? :P

Anyway, I'll explain for you:

For all source questions: You will need to include details from the source and own knowledge, to get anything more than maybe 4 or 5 marks out of 7.

The message of the source: Start by identifying the message of the source. Do this by relating the contents of the image to your own knowledge, and make logical deductions in your head of what event it could be referring to. Normally it's unambiguous, and sometimes it says in the subtitle. While considering the message, note the date and the country of origin of the cartoon. This may change the perceived meaning. Once the message has been identified, back it up, first with details from the source. Try not to be vague here, refer to specific people/objects, and reference to specific imagery. Now, back it up with your own knowledge, again with specific references.

How far do you agree: This is hard to explain. You do need arguments for and against always. You will need references to both the source and own knowledge, as I mentioned above.

Are you suprised by this source: My teachers always says that you should say you are not suprised by this source. Again, you need to discuss each element of the source, using details from the source, and own knowledge. Again, you should say why you are not suprised, ie. it aligns with your perception of the Nazis for example, but you must also explain why you are suprised, ie. there are contradictions to your expectations.

How is this source useful as evidence: State why it is useful as evidence, and what its limitations are. Everything I have said above applies.

Why was this painting published: As per the first bullet point, pretty much. You have to relate it to the context of your depth stuy. For example, you might say "this painting was published to reinforce Hitler's model family. We can see this expressed within the source, by ......." etc.

I think that's all the types for source questions!

4 marks - Either 4, succint, bullet-point-like points with little to no explanation or expansion, or 2 well explained points.

6 marks - Either 2 or 3, well explained and well developed points.

10 marks - How many points you should do is subjective. I would do 2 or 3 points for and against, and a well-explained conclusions.

7/8 marks - Either 3 or 4, well explained and well developed points.

This is only for the first paper, the German paper. I have not yet started the British paper, so I can't offer much advice for it.


Thanks sooo much
Original post by msj/rsj
Thanks sooo much


No problem! Don't be afraid to ask if you need any more help! :smile:
Update 1: (2017)

I'm resuming regular updates of my journey. I will likely update this thread nightly, or bi-nightly, depending on how much I have accomplished within that given day. These past weeks have been somewhat uneventful, with me doing disappointingly little work since I stopped updating. However, it's fine, I have accomplished a satisfactory amount, and now I shall begin piecing everything together in my notes. I have reset my counter, indicitive of the new academic year, which I start tomorrow :frown:

Chemistry: I have begun finalisation of my C1 notes, looking through the specification, ensuring I have notes for each bullet-point. It sounds like a lengthy process and, trust me, it is. I have managed to get through around 60ish% of a C1 in a relatively short amount of time, and I strive to have it completely done over the next couple of days. To give you an idea of what topics I have been looking at, I have done notes on the atmosphere, and how and why changes occured, notes about rocks, ie. sedimentary, metamorphic (limestone to be specific), igneous, and notes about acids, ie. chemical tests, electrolysis and interactions. I hope to have all of my science notes, for core and additional, to this level of detail by maybe October, where I'll start self-teaching Further Additional, ie. C3, B3, P3. I just hope stress won't slow me down, because it's likely going to make an unwelcome visit :frown:

If you think I'm ahead doing additional, I'm not :P My school, quite sensibly, starts work on Core in Year 9, then Additional in Year 10, and Further Additional, for those who do it, in Year 11, although I'm unsure what those doing double are going to do in Year 11.
Update 2:

First day at school today, and we had RS and Physics. RS was spent looking at prejudice and equality, looking and discussing relaed bible quotes. Physics was discussing energy changes within a skydiver's dive. In short: not too much. I am starting to get ahead, by starting with B3.

Biology - I have started B3, starting with the Control Systems topic. I have started notes on the role of kidneys, nephrons, osmoregulation, etc. The textbook that I'm using, CGP's revision guide, seems to have handily put the topics in a different order to the spec, which is kind of annoying when I'm trying to keep a checklist of each point on the specification. Control Systems seems to be a lengthy topic, but I should have a head-start. I will alternate between B3/C3/P3, nightly. So tomorrow evening I will work on C3, which should be more interesting. I've nearly finalised my C1 notes, but Further Additional will likely take priority.

I have found out that my mocks will be in January, giving me ample time to finish notes for Core and Additional, as well as notes for other subjects. I strive to get mostly A*s in my mocks, although I'm not sure how realistic that is, although I strive for as many A*s as possible within my actual exams :h:
Glad you had a good first day back! It's good you're aiming to get yourself ahead, too, and good luck with your mocks! You're lucky you only had two lessons today T-T
Hearing all the work you're doing is pretty motivational, to be honest. I wish I were as dedicated :nah:
Original post by _gcx
No problem! Don't be afraid to ask if you need any more help! :smile:


Would you say that a good way to prepare for history is to some practice like with english alongside standard revision?
Original post by msj/rsj
Would you say that a good way to prepare for history is to some practice like with english alongside standard revision?


As with all subjects, practicing is, of course, important.

Original post by iso.lde
Glad you had a good first day back! It's good you're aiming to get yourself ahead, too, and good luck with your mocks! You're lucky you only had two lessons today T-T
Hearing all the work you're doing is pretty motivational, to be honest. I wish I were as dedicated :nah:


Thanks, and good luck to you too! I will be sure to keep the updates coming :wink:

Spoiler

Update 3:

A day of monotomy, with recap in both Biology and English. I should be continuing my Chemistry controlled assessment tomorrow, which I, for some reason, have a bad feeling about, just because there is no definitive right or wrong answer, and anything could happen grade-wise :frown: I am hoping to get >44, for an A*, though. I will likely resit if it's anything less than around that, tbh. This is to take pressure off for the exams, my intent is to smash C2/C3, as my C1 is still quite weak. Same with Physics, although my teacher will force us to redo our CAs until we get an A*, so that's good :P He is absolutely adamant that everyone in my class will get an A*.

Biology - My school is going through this strangely. Instead of going chronologically, by starting with topic 1, we're starting with topic 2 and 3, which are far shorter topics, and then going back to topic 1. This is so we can do mocks, just on topic 2/3, I guess. I've started notes on topic 2, most of which I have covered in class. Topic 2 concentrates on the behaviour of animals and human evolution. I've started with innate/learned behaviour, habituation, imprinting, classical/operant conditioning, as well as looking into training animals and communication between animals. I've also made some notes on some relative studies that might come up in the exam.

English - We've recapped Checking Out Me History and London, looking at the structure and key quotes. A few nights ago, I looked into Kamikaze with my friends on Skype, and I might consolidate that at a later stage. I really need to do some EngLang practice, but that can wait until this weekend.

Chemistry - No progress with C1. I'll, however, post a link of what I've done so far. Basically, I've finished most of it, but Topic 5, Fuels, is still pretty much a WIP, only being half done. Link! Feel free to leave comments about it! :smile:

(edited 7 years ago)
Update 4:

Chemistry - Discovered how short C3 is, I'm already apparently ~1/3 through the module, evidenced from the fact that the modules are only a few pages long. The content seems more complex, but definitely manageable, so I don't really get it. Luckily, the grade boundaries are far lower, so it might be a good paper to rack up high UMS marks in. In class, I continued my Chemistry controlled assessment, which consisted of finishing my Part B, with my poor graphing skils, and the beginning of Part C, which was mainly identifying anomalies and planning a conclusion. Somewhat uneventful, but I'm pretty confident on getting an A* overall. I hope :P I started by looking back at my notes on Hard water, and my notes on Topic 1. I went through the whole of topic 2, although that's not really saying much, with titrations and soluble salts. I started a bit on electrolysis too, at which point I got bored and stopped XD. I also did a bit of refining in terms of my C1 notes, with notes on Biogas, Ethanol, Hydrogen/Oxygen reactions, fuel cells and the Calorimetric method. I don't remember learning any of this, but that's probably just because I was lazy back in Year 9.

Biology - Tomorrow I plan on starting my B1 notes.

Physics - Not much work here, tbh, I've skipped over Snell's law, as I need to find my classroom notes on it. My teacher explaine it in a significantly diferent manner, which I find more useful than the textbook's method. I've continued my P3 notes, with notes on optical fibres, and endoscopes, thus keyhole surgery. That's not much, but it's still at least a bit of progress. That means that I've finished the first topic of P3, which is decent enough progress!

I feel like I'm doing far more than I need to D:
Update 5:

History: I had some History homework I had previously forgot to complete, although it may have been in my interest as I was able to recap on the Cuban Missile Crisis through this homework. It was simply answering a few questions to assist in the revision of the topic, but it was quite useful!

Biology: My Biology teacher modified their previous statement, and instead said that we would complete Topic 1 and Topic 2, by the January mocks, as opposed to Topic 2 and Topic 3. This does mean that we have to squeeze a significantly longer topic into that space of time, but it still seems manageable, especially as I've started my notes on Topic 1 already. They also said that we have a mock for Topic 2 in the coming weeks, as we have nearly finished it. I have finished my Topic 2 notes in preparation, as I really want to nail this mock. I will spend some time revising these notes, while building up my other notes on Topic 1 and 3. My completion of notes involved sexual relations between animals (including attracting a mate), the behaviour and evolution of plants, the history of the human involving fossils (ie. Ardi, Lucy etc.), mDNA, and some notes on the early human. My teacher has provided a question bank for Topic 2, which I will definitely try to work through in preparation for the mock. Although I said yesterday that I would do B1 work, that has been, kind of, pushed aside by this B3 work, and my History work, as it naturally takes higher priority. I will try to work on B1 and B2 over the week-end, as my notes are extremely lackluster. I haven't done much since I restarted my notes at the beginning of the summer, unfortunately. My teacher said that we are to start the CA after the mock, so that'll be fun! (sarcasm)

Chemistry: Tomorrow, I approach finishing off my Chemistry controlled assessment. This involves the evaluation, and the evaluation of the conclusion. Simply put, I'm finishing off Part C, or getting quite close. I suspect I'm going to lose marks for my poor graph-drawing skills, but I can easily redo the graphs tomorrow, or in subsequent sessions, so that should be fine. I've tried to be pretty thorough in my writing, so I hope my result reflects that.

Physics: Need to revise Newton's laws in preparation for my Physics controlled assessment.

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