GCSE

Hello, first of all I would just like to state that I was in the exact same position as you last year. I understand the pressure of parents and I am even currently having to consider my options for doing a repeat year 12 as I picked the wrong choice after GCSE due to them. I picked doing the IB Diploma which is so much more stressful than A-levels and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. So what I suggest is consider how much workload you can handle and go from there. You should have already applied to sixth forms but there are chances to still apply to certain ones, and colleges are even re-introducing A-levels as many don't know what they want to do yet so they pick a couple of subjects to expand their options (A-levels) rather than a specific course or anything. PLEASE do not do what you your father wants, I have done that for years and I rarely even see him so I haven't told him about switching and doing year 12 again (wish me luck) and now I literally have to question if I am doing something for me or him every time I make a decision. If you don't mind me asking, what would you like to do instead?

I didn't start revising until the weekend before my first exam which was Comp sci, but even after that I didn't revise for the exam until the weekend/night before/morning of due to no motivation, however where I left it to late, I got like an adrenaline rush to do well and prove to people that I can do it, which in turn payed off as I got good grades. I have recently posted a reply to someone who is in a similar situation to you with revision methods for history so I will find that post and add that on here, as to be honest it is really long to write again and I apologise for that! It includes references to history, but it would work for majority of essay-based subjects and some more math based even.

I will find the post now and add it on here- meanwhile feel free to ask me any more questions you might have! :smile:

Reply 2

Original post by please help me x

I will find the post now and add it on here- meanwhile feel free to ask me any more questions you might have! :smile:

Ah I found it quicker than I thought! Here it is- I warn you it is long :frown:

I will suggest a couple methods that worked for me but bare in mind there are so many different ways out there, so don't get disheartened if these aren't the way. These are also methods not typically mentioned by teachers either.

I also have a couple of side tips I wanted to give you so here they are: Always ask for extra paper in the exam, to do planning on and write anything down at the beginning of the exam you think you may forget later on. These are scrap papers and are generally not included for examiners, so if you have certain acronyms and diagrams you need i recommend writing them here. Also do not be afraid to doodle on these as it can be calming. My next tip is if you have a lesson before the exam ask the teacher to revise separately from the lesson to prepare. Some teachers may need a bit of prior warning and if that is the case or there is no space/distractions in that classroom, ask to go somewhere else to revise like a safe quiet space of yours, or even an empty classroom. My final tip is then to highlight key points of the question, to make sure you don't misunderstand it. This includes command words, the subject of the sentence, and how many marks so you know how much to write. My final tip is to go over topics you have revised/looked at intervals like 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours etc for regular reinforcement. I get these can seem obvious, but many forget and these really help in the exams.

Some revising methods:

In the usual scenario like reading a textbook, use what my teacher used to call the Von Lewis method (Ex-student of his created it with him), where you read a page and form bullet points about it, and once you have got bullet points, memorise them and keep testing yourself regularly and you cannot move onto the next page of reading until you know your bullet points word for word. In this case, you won't have enough time for this method, so I suggest adapting it. Adapt it so you write the title of the event, the duration of it, and who was involved. That can be a single bullet point and then try to memorise it like that.

The next method is what I call the Whiteboard method. When learning new content, or in your case maybe old content that you might have forgotten, and are using a textbook/powerpoint/video etc as your source of information, take notes on your whiteboard and whiteboard ONLY. It is unusual I know but as you have to rub off the work at the end, it makes the brain more likely to remember things as it knows these notes are limited and can't be accessed again like it can with an exercise book. Kind of like a psychological trick. Please remember to attempt memorising them before cleaning the board though.

The next one is a combination of acronyms and annotated diagrams. For the acronyms, a process/series of events or an organisation tend to work best. A key thing is though, always use something you can relate to or find funny for the acronym. I often used dark humour or swear words, but I guess you could use animals or something like that if you know you will remember them.
For the diagrams: Think of a topic, think of something that you can associate with it and draw that. Then number different parts of the diagram and associate a bullet point for each number. For example I had drawn the CPU (terribly, might I add) with numbers at certain points to refer to the fetch-decode-execute cycle in computer science but for history maybe a stick man and a gun with lines in front to represent trenches and no man's land in the world war's.

The final suggestion I have is listening to revision videos for subjects/particular topics on youtube, preferably no longer than 20 minutes so it is straight to the point and not beating around the bush. Best time to listen to these is through headphones on the way to school the morning of exam, for example on your route to school, or at break/lunch. A good safety method for topics that you are unsure of right before the exam to which you can write immediate notes down on that scrap paper that you ask for at the beginning.

Please let me know of anything else and how it goes! Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 3

OP

i dont really know what i wanna be or do so i wouldn't mind whatever option my dad gives, but he hasn't given anything explicitly either. i am really just panicking about rs and english mostly because i do know i can get passes in the others, but not good grades. again they're easier to revise and stuff tho, and tbh for science and business too ive gotten more marks in some mocks where i revised less, because out of luck it was full on describe or explain questions, which you can gain like the middle band(e.g 3-4 out of 6 marks) using the info or graphs provided/ basic knowledge.i just dont know where i'll go with this after. do you mind clarifying what you are doing right now though? Like do you mean you will re-take the entirety of year 12? is that even possible😭. thanks for the advice for revising though

Reply 4

OP

Original post by r_4bi

i dont really know what i wanna be or do so i wouldn't mind whatever option my dad gives, but he hasn't given anything explicitly either. i am really just panicking about rs and english mostly because i do know i can get passes in the others, but not good grades. again they're easier to revise and stuff tho, and tbh for science and business too ive gotten more marks in some mocks where i revised less, because out of luck it was full on describe or explain questions, which you can gain like the middle band(e.g 3-4 out of 6 marks) using the info or graphs provided/ basic knowledge.i just dont know where i'll go with this after. do you mind clarifying what you are doing right now though? Like do you mean you will re-take the entirety of year 12? is that even possible😭. thanks for the advice for revising though

sorry idk why its in italics

Reply 5

Ah so right now I take the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Where you take 6 subjects from different groups which are maths, english, humanities, science & Arts(optional- can do another humanities subject) at either Higher level or Standard level. Higher level is basically the equivalent to a full A-level and Standard level is equivalent to AS-level. (Mine is Maths:applications, Psychology, Comp science - HL and English Literature, Economics, AB Initio Japanese- SL.) Alongside these, you have to complete what they call the "IB Core", consisting of 3 parts- Theory Of Knowledge (an extra subject with 2 exam/essay tasks), Extended Essay (4,000 words research paper on at least one subject you study) and Creativity.Activity.Service (7 different objectives you have to complete over year 12/13 with a separate activity for each). You also have to complete Internal Assessments for each individual subject you take, let alone end of year exams.

When I joined this programme, I wasn't told about the 'core' or the IA's and it has severely took a toll on me- I am always working on a couple of things I said above simultaneously, no social life due to time- let alone the stress of it all! I am now currently going through the process for diagnosis of some mental issues so that I can seek professional help but anyways I cannot handle it any longer and am surprised I have lasted this long, so I have got my mum to help me find A-level alternatives- but due to different curriculum, I will have to do a repeat year so that is what I mean by that.

Original post by r_4bi

do you mind clarifying what you are doing right now though? Like do you mean you will re-take the entirety of year 12? is that even possible😭.

Reply 6

I still have no idea what I am going to do after, so don't worry about that! I just recommend doing something like A-levels atleast so that there is a couple subjects to expand your options- you can always take more later on in life somewhere like Open Study College too if you need it for a specific degree. Nonetheless, I did last minute revising and got grades I only could of dreamed of- especially since my mocks averaged quite low. Anyways, if you were to go to a top university, Cambridge has announced they will no longer look at your GCSE grades when you apply.

Original post by r_4bi

i dont really know what i wanna be or do so i wouldn't mind whatever option my dad gives, but he hasn't given anything explicitly either. i am really just panicking about rs and english mostly because i do know i can get passes in the others, but not good grades. again they're easier to revise and stuff tho, and tbh for science and business too ive gotten more marks in some mocks where i revised less, because out of luck it was full on describe or explain questions, which you can gain like the middle band(e.g 3-4 out of 6 marks) using the info or graphs provided/ basic knowledge.i just dont know where i'll go with this after. do you mind clarifying what you are doing right now though? Like do you mean you will re-take the entirety of year 12? is that even possible😭. thanks for the advice for revising though

Reply 7

OP

Original post by please help me x

Ah so right now I take the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Where you take 6 subjects from different groups which are maths, english, humanities, science & Arts(optional- can do another humanities subject) at either Higher level or Standard level. Higher level is basically the equivalent to a full A-level and Standard level is equivalent to AS-level. (Mine is Maths:applications, Psychology, Comp science - HL and English Literature, Economics, AB Initio Japanese- SL.) Alongside these, you have to complete what they call the "IB Core", consisting of 3 parts- Theory Of Knowledge (an extra subject with 2 exam/essay tasks), Extended Essay (4,000 words research paper on at least one subject you study) and Creativity.Activity.Service (7 different objectives you have to complete over year 12/13 with a separate activity for each). You also have to complete Internal Assessments for each individual subject you take, let alone end of year exams.

When I joined this programme, I wasn't told about the 'core' or the IA's and it has severely took a toll on me- I am always working on a couple of things I said above simultaneously, no social life due to time- let alone the stress of it all! I am now currently going through the process for diagnosis of some mental issues so that I can seek professional help but anyways I cannot handle it any longer and am surprised I have lasted this long, so I have got my mum to help me find A-level alternatives- but due to different curriculum, I will have to do a repeat year so that is what I mean by that.

So its just ten times harder pretty much, and to do a level alternatives you have to repeat year 12? is that like due to the way courses are taught or? I think im just going to go with what i've already agreed with my dad- maths bio and chem. i might add spanish to that too im doing it for gcse rn and tbh im doing reall well actually considering i barely work. after i thought i'd do an apprenticeship, but like idk if i should go straight to uni after bc idk what course i want. dont mind my lengthy answers(like mine are random life info yours are answering questions😭) Either way good luck to you too

Reply 8

OP

Original post by please help me x

. Anyways, if you were to go to a top university, Cambridge has announced they will no longer look at your GCSE grades when you apply.

really?! might have hope then😭

Reply 9

Original post by r_4bi

So its just ten times harder pretty much, and to do a level alternatives you have to repeat year 12? is that like due to the way courses are taught or? I think im just going to go with what i've already agreed with my dad- maths bio and chem. i might add spanish to that too im doing it for gcse rn and tbh im doing reall well actually considering i barely work. after i thought i'd do an apprenticeship, but like idk if i should go straight to uni after bc idk what course i want. dont mind my lengthy answers(like mine are random life info yours are answering questions😭) Either way good luck to you too

Mhmm- say we learn different syllabus, or content at different times compared to A-levels and I get to the exams and don't know something because I was never personally taught it yet compared to everyone else. Bright side is though I know some (hopefully) during the repeat year and that would ease the pressure a bit.

That's a nice combination tbh as even if you weren't to do them subjects at uni the majority of courses would accept you as they are what's generally required/alternative to another subject. I will say 4 A-levels may get tough, but if you were to do Spanish and you are okay with culture/literature stories then you should generally be able to handle it. I also did Spanish GCSE but didn't know if i would be able to handle the culture aspect. In regards to the apprenticeship, you can always do a degree apprenticeship so that you can do work and university. You would be surprised to find a lot of companies actually pay for your degree as well which is nice. Otherwise, a gap year so you can figure out what to do is good- and you can even boost your application by doing something degree-oriented or volunteering/travelling the world.

If you have anything else you can either ask me on here or private message me and if not, thank you and I wish you the best of luck too! Let me know how it goes :smile:

Reply 10

Original post by r_4bi

i've got 4 days ish till my exams and i havent revised a single bit, like its seriously awful. i have done maybe a day max of revision and i forget everything i dont know what to do but i am decently smart obvs i sound vain but i need to re-asure myeslf. i can do most subjects but not rs and english, essay ones. 1)how can i revise 2)idk what i wanna do in the future but i need good grades for stuff in general, so what can i do after bc my dad decides to tell me only now he wants me in oxford after ive alr kinda got a different idea. (SORRY ITS SO LNENGTH LMAO)

hi!! I did my GCSEs last year and I was the exact same lol, I only did 1-2 days of revision the day before the exam and I still got 9s so don't stress. Obviously you should be doing more revision and spreading it out more to make it easier for yourself but there's not much time left. If you're doing your revision IN DEPTH like I did then you should be good. But then again my short term memory is so good and thats what got me my grades lollll

My number one tip is just rewrite everything and really understand what you're writing. instead of copying the notes out again, try and phrase them into your own words, words that you understand best.

Hope this helps and I'm here if you have questions!!

Reply 11

I do bio maths and chem alevels rn and tbh everyone has different opinions but I say go for it. biology and maths arent too bad but with chemistry its a lot of new content but it's fine if you really understand it and pay attention

Original post by r_4bi

So its just ten times harder pretty much, and to do a level alternatives you have to repeat year 12? is that like due to the way courses are taught or? I think im just going to go with what i've already agreed with my dad- maths bio and chem. i might add spanish to that too im doing it for gcse rn and tbh im doing reall well actually considering i barely work. after i thought i'd do an apprenticeship, but like idk if i should go straight to uni after bc idk what course i want. dont mind my lengthy answers(like mine are random life info yours are answering questions😭) Either way good luck to you too

Reply 12

OP

Original post by please help me x

Mhmm- say we learn different syllabus, or content at different times compared to A-levels and I get to the exams and don't know something because I was never personally taught it yet compared to everyone else. Bright side is though I know some (hopefully) during the repeat year and that would ease the pressure a bit.

That's a nice combination tbh as even if you weren't to do them subjects at uni the majority of courses would accept you as they are what's generally required/alternative to another subject. I will say 4 A-levels may get tough, but if you were to do Spanish and you are okay with culture/literature stories then you should generally be able to handle it. I also did Spanish GCSE but didn't know if i would be able to handle the culture aspect.

I'm sure there must be some form of overlap, but if not you do have some time, and i'd say depending what A-levels you take it shouldn't be big of a jump from GCSEs but thats going off what sixth form told me. Wdym by culture aspect? like smth specific or do you mean in general.Also I probs will spam you if i remember but if not just assume im procrastinating :')

Reply 13

OP

Original post by sum.jmb

hi!! I did my GCSEs last year and I was the exact same lol, I only did 1-2 days of revision the day before the exam and I still got 9s so don't stress. Obviously you should be doing more revision and spreading it out more to make it easier for yourself but there's not much time left. If you're doing your revision IN DEPTH like I did then you should be good. But then again my short term memory is so good and thats what got me my grades lollll

My number one tip is just rewrite everything and really understand what you're writing. instead of copying the notes out again, try and phrase them into your own words, words that you understand best.

Hope this helps and I'm here if you have questions!!

I mean, i will say even though you got a lot more help last year, it's still something to revise before and achieve 9s. It is kind of unfair i guess, but i dont deep it too much but ppl pointed out how we're still affected with strikes as well. EIther way i have to revise a bit lmao.
I am doing that for a few subjects, but i just cant for rs because like idk it changes every time and idk if i can paraphrase or if its a specific phrase, so i leave it to play it safe. I think i can only learn rs through videos which ive never really tried so i am rn . i understand while watching but i just cant recall unless i have a prompt. Rn im just gonna write down some random key points, but ill probs be on here for like the rest of the exam period so.

Also just gonna reply to the second here bc im lazy😭. they aren't awful from what i've seen i guess its just the jump? Also ig ppl dont like it because some are forced into medical esp at my school bc i go to an all girls grammar school. How bad would you say it was and like how were your first few lessons. Like did they just jump into stuff or go over basics etc.

Reply 14

Original post by r_4bi

I'm sure there must be some form of overlap, but if not you do have some time, and i'd say depending what A-levels you take it shouldn't be big of a jump from GCSEs but thats going off what sixth form told me. Wdym by culture aspect? like smth specific or do you mean in general.Also I probs will spam you if i remember but if not just assume im procrastinating :')

Ah that's ok- just let me know :smile:

but as a warning though the jump is quite big to sixth form (A-levels/IB just any) so be prepared for the change- especially the amount of self studying/teaching. Anyways, this is what I meant in regards to Spanish as GCSE is literally just studying the language when compared to this (Excuse my copy and paste skills :')

According to AQA, Spanish A-levels includes studying:
 technological and social change, looking at the multicultural nature of Hispanic society.
 highlights of Hispanic artistic culture, Spanish regional identity and the cultural heritage of past civilisations.
 aspects of the diverse political landscape of the Hispanic world.
 the influence of the past on present-day Hispanic communities.
 And the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of your choice.

Here is the link to the document with more details:
https://www.watfordgrammarschoolforgirls.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/STEP-UP-TO-SPANISH-A-LEVEL-INTRO.pdf

Reply 15

yeah I get what u mean, but if ur okay with ur subjects, just quickly remind urself about key things, watch free sciencelessons and make notes on the vids (thats all I did for chem, bio, physcis). with essay based subjects, look at exemplar work and look at why they got 9s. I'm guessing rs is religious studies. tbh u can just write whiter comes to mind for that, you just need to prove ur points so try to learn short quotations from religious books - ones that can be used in many different ways

I love maths and bio but I dont like chem😭 the first few lessons r honestly fine, its recapping gcse and introducing new ideas. chemistry is a lot of new content though and it's probably the hardest out of the others. I think if u try understand it;ll be fine.

Original post by r_4bi

I mean, i will say even though you got a lot more help last year, it's still something to revise before and achieve 9s. It is kind of unfair i guess, but i dont deep it too much but ppl pointed out how we're still affected with strikes as well. EIther way i have to revise a bit lmao.
I am doing that for a few subjects, but i just cant for rs because like idk it changes every time and idk if i can paraphrase or if its a specific phrase, so i leave it to play it safe. I think i can only learn rs through videos which ive never really tried so i am rn . i understand while watching but i just cant recall unless i have a prompt. Rn im just gonna write down some random key points, but ill probs be on here for like the rest of the exam period so.

Also just gonna reply to the second here bc im lazy😭. they aren't awful from what i've seen i guess its just the jump? Also ig ppl dont like it because some are forced into medical esp at my school bc i go to an all girls grammar school. How bad would you say it was and like how were your first few lessons. Like did they just jump into stuff or go over basics etc.

Reply 16

OP

Original post by please help me x

Ah that's ok- just let me know :smile:

but as a warning though the jump is quite big to sixth form (A-levels/IB just any) so be prepared for the change- especially the amount of self studying/teaching. Anyways, this is what I meant in regards to Spanish as GCSE is literally just studying the language when compared to this (Excuse my copy and paste skills :')

According to AQA, Spanish A-levels includes studying:
 technological and social change, looking at the multicultural nature of Hispanic society.
 highlights of Hispanic artistic culture, Spanish regional identity and the cultural heritage of past civilisations.
 aspects of the diverse political landscape of the Hispanic world.
 the influence of the past on present-day Hispanic communities.
 And the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of your choice.

Here is the link to the document with more details:
https://www.watfordgrammarschoolforgirls.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/STEP-UP-TO-SPANISH-A-LEVEL-INTRO.pdf

Damn, its quite a lot😭. im sure itll be ok for a bit as im only takingit as a fourth and can drop it. i've alr done it gcse so i think thats ok for now. dont mind that i reacted idk how to unreact to your first message. anyways I JUST HAD MY LAST DAY AS YEAR 11 IM GONAN CRY I ALR DID BUT LIKE AGAIN😭😭😭😭😭. im gonan get back to studying soon tho lmao ill probs be on

Reply 17

OP

Original post by sum.jmb

yeah I get what u mean, but if ur okay with ur subjects, just quickly remind urself about key things, watch free sciencelessons and make notes on the vids (thats all I did for chem, bio, physcis). with essay based subjects, look at exemplar work and look at why they got 9s. I'm guessing rs is religious studies. tbh u can just write whiter comes to mind for that, you just need to prove ur points so try to learn short quotations from religious books - ones that can be used in many different ways

I love maths and bio but I dont like chem😭 the first few lessons r honestly fine, its recapping gcse and introducing new ideas. chemistry is a lot of new content though and it's probably the hardest out of the others. I think if u try understand it;ll be fine.

yeah rs is religious studies and idk for me personalyl its so hard, which is anoying bc its easy for some ppl like thers no inbetween as you may have with other subjects(obvs there are but not at my school :') ) should i like go over stuff lightly then for chem a level before 6th form or? i know it sounds keen but i know i wont be consistent like now so i might just do stuff to drill into my long term memory yk.

Reply 18