Second week of year eleven and I already feel like I'm dying :(

The other day it hit me how much work I have to do. I have four bits of unfinished coursework (science and food tech) and they all need to be finished this week. I can't motivate myself to do any work, I procrastinate a lot, I am pretty terrible at science and food tech; has anyone got any tips?
In year nine I chose to do History, Food Tech, Music and French but since then I have decided that I absolutely hate food tech and music :frown:

but it's way too late now to drop them. I am probably the least musical person in our music class (I'm grade two piano - everyone else is at least grade four in at least one instrument - I can barely read sheet music, and I've never done any theory so I don't understand anything the teacher is talking about!). It would be much appreciated if anyone could give me some advice on how to survive please??

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Reply 1

3121

Food tech and music won't even matter like they're Kinda useless. Rather than drop it just try to enjoy it, have fun and try to get it, without all the stress. Dont give up discover yourself and what works for you, it'll be the best life skill you ever gain

Reply 2

TripleScion

You need to take up more things to do with your subjects for example with music go to extra lessons or find books and online resources

Reply 3

MrsSheldonCooper

Lmao wait till you get to sixth form.

Reply 4

MagnumPhoenix

Lmao wait till you get to uni

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Reply 5

UWS

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

Lmao wait till you get to sixth form.

Uni*

Reply 6

12smithm

Original post by zayn008

So basically it doesn't matter if I fail them because I don't have to put them on my CV?

Reply 7

$Avatar for Defraction$

Defraction

Trust me A-levels is much harder and time-consuming than GCSE'S. I can understand how daunting year 11 was compared to year 10 but try to avoid all sort of distractions in order to achieve your full potential. For Science, buy the CGP revision guides, trust me they actually help(the revision book was better than my Science teachers combined). For food tech, annotate your productions fully and justify why you chose that texture as well as if it went as expected(look at examiner reports as well; the more times you know what the examiner wants, the better you understand what is required from you). For your courseworks, just go to clubs, morning and after school, and ask your teachers what you need for your coursework. Teachers are here for a reason, to make sure you do well and you understand everything.

I hope everything goes fine! Just do well for your parents, which I keep in my mind all the time!

Reply 8

username1738583

Original post by BananaConqueror

You need to take up more things to do with your subjects for example with music go to extra lessons or find books and online resources

Don't waste money on extra books, it won't help OP. If you want to excel (in music anyway) practice. That's all it is. The only way you'll be able to fluently sight read is by practicing a **** ton, no book will help with that, it's up to you.

I used to sit at the piano for like 2 hours just doing scales, gradually working the tempo up to 100. Scales are really vital, they give strength to your fingers and help with theory too. Get your scales on lockdown.

Sit at your piano and sight read, for at least half an hour. JUST Sight read. Don't expect to be fluent on the first time, but after say 6 months of CONSISTENT practice, your skill should be better.

Also stick with grades in music, the other people haven't done music so don't understand why it's beneficial. Grades give you UCAS points. Take the ABRSM Theory at grade 5 too, it's basically like music gcse but better music.

Original post by 12smithm

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 9

TripleScion

Original post by 12smithm

So basically it doesn't matter if I fail them because I don't have to put them on my CV?

They do matter, if you choose to not try etc then it'll look really bad on your cv

Reply 10

username1738583

Original post by 12smithm

So basically it doesn't matter if I fail them because I don't have to put them on my CV?

No, don't quit music. At least stick with it and show some dedication

Reply 11

12smithm

Original post by Defraction

Thanks! They sell the revision guides at my school so I'll go and get some this week :smile:

Reply 12

12smithm

Original post by BananaConqueror

They do matter, if you choose to not try etc then it'll look really bad on your cv

My form tutor said that you don't have to include a grade on your CV if you don't want to and that Music and Food Tech won't help me to get the job I want (Maths teacher) so they don't matter that much. But I'm not saying that I shouldn't try hard even though I don't have a clue what I'm doing...

Reply 13

bonnie_x

Original post by 12smithm

Take it one week at a time and you'll be fine! At the moment it seems like you are thinking about the workload you have and stressing about it - instead make a timetable so that you have a plan of getting through your workload. Don't forget to schedule in breaks, especially this early in year 11. You don't want to overwork yourself now so that by the time you get to exams, you are too tired to do anything.

I've finished year 11 and am in year 12 now, feel free to ask if you need help with anything :h:

Reply 14

stressedaquarius

Don't listen to the people saying GCSEs are nothing compared to A levels. It's a completely different way of working, and by the time you get there, you're ready for it. They just like feeling superior.

As for how to cope: timetable timetable timetable! I wish I'd done this for GCSEs, and it's saving my life now. Part of the reason you are stressed is you don't know when you're going to do the work. Plan the next few days, working out when you'll have time slots, and fill them in with specific pieces of work (not just 'homework'). You'll start to feel a lot more on top of things, I promise. It also makes it less hard to procrastinate.

Reply 15

stressedaquarius

Original post by bonnie_x

Yes this ^^ you will ace year 12 my friend

Reply 16

tcameron

If you feel like dying now, lol wait till A levels

Reply 17

12smithm

Original post by bonnie_x

Thank you for the advice :smile:

Reply 18

bonnie_x

Original post by stressedaquarius

Yes this ^^ you will ace year 12 my friend

haha fingers crossed!

Reply 19

username2303857

Original post by 12smithm

I did music and another coursework heavy subject and I did struggle a bit but I managed. In music, I started out at grade two piano and got my grade 3 at the end of year 10. I'm okay at reading sheet music, but there were singers in my class that had absolutely no idea how to read it. I knew the basics of theory, but that wasn't a lot. Ask your music teacher or your piano teacher (if you have one) about how to improve on your theory, thats really the best way to go about it, they will know how to help.

Coursework is tough, it can feel like you can't see the end of it but what I recommend doing is:

- Plan everything you need to finish, make to-do lists and tick each item off one by one. (I did this with my computing coursework)
- If you are allowed/are able to, stay after school to finish coursework, that's how I got all mine finished, and at break time. Once you get home you probably want to relax and are out of the mindset of schoolwork.

I didn't love computing at all, and I hated science, but I managed to do okay in the end. GCSE's aren't the be all and end all, no matter how much it may feel like that.

Also, at my school, deadlines for coursework weren't set in stone, and likely they aren't at your school either because coursework doesn't need sending off to the exam board until the spring. You may get a telling off perhaps, or a detention, but it isn't the end of the world if you don't finish, your teachers want you to do the best you can so they won't send off unfinished coursework.