Messed up GCSE mock exams..........

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Don't worry about it, OP. You know now where you went wrong, and more revision is definitely something you can fix in time for the real thing. I actually really dislike mocks. Me and my form tutor argued about them the other day; her point was that they put you under real exam conditions, preparing you better. However, I believe far too much emphasis is put on them at GCSE level. I can understand why they are more important at A Level, but I didn't know they were used as UCAS predictions... I've been informed that my UCAS prediction is purely based on my ALIS test result and actual AS results? :s-smilie:

Anyway, I didn't revise for my GCSE mocks, and consequently underperformed by quite a bit. My teachers were really disappointed, but I made up for it by working my butt off and did great on my actual GCSEs (although, I still wouldn't support doing absolutely no revision for mocks :tongue:

). But what I'm trying to say, OP, is don't lose any sleep over these results. Revision really does pay off, and doing enough before the real GCSEs will enable you to reach your potential. Good luck for the future :smile:

Reply 21

KiwiNotes

I had a Christmas job and my mocks were in January and basically had done no revision and ended up with mostly Bs and Cs.
That basically scared me into revising and ended up with 8A*s 3As

Reply 22

AAJ

My best mate got straight Bs in his mocks and ended up with 7A*s.

Reply 23

h_a_95

Original post by mijin

thats not the case, my religious studies teacher kept my predicted grade at C even though i got an A* in the first 50% exam.

and try reading all of what i wrote 'The predicted grades can be changed at any time if your subject teacher wants it too, so all you have to do is show the right work ethic in class and do well in class exams then ask her/he if you can change them and chances are they will.'

some teacher play it safe even though they know you are a more able candidate because they get into trouble if they predict you an A and you get a C because it affects the schools overall prediction for a year group and the actual results

Reply 24

Sazhns2

I still think that not revising is the way to go for mocks. I use them to tell me which topics I need to revise, and which ones I can be more lax with. I come near the bottom of my year for mocks every time!

Reply 25

HanEps93

Original post by sophie5

Hey guys,
im new to tsr and am looking for some advice. Basically i kinda messed up my GCSE
mocks (due to lack of revision) and i was just wondering if anyone who has previously been in a similar situation had any tips to offer on how to get back on track :smile:

Hi,

im Hannah and im currently in year 13, but when i did my mocks, especially my history, i was getting Cs and Ds, then in the actual exam i came out with an A*!

the mocks are there so you know what you need to concentrate on the most! in your case it may be more revision! but the best advice i can give to you is to identify what it is you need to work on, and then to not put it off!

start your revision now, and then by the time the exams come around youll be very well prepared!
best of luck :biggrin:

Reply 26

mijin

Original post by h_a_95

Then there's obviously something else at play here that is making him believe you're not capable of being predicted anything higher than a C. You said it yourself - 'The predicted grades can be changed at any time if your subject teacher wants it too, so all you have to do is show the right work ethic in class and do well in class exams then ask her/he if you can change them and chances are they will.'

So where are you doing wrong? What's wrong with your work ethic? If you were really capable enough of getting an A* and he truly believed you could, he wouldn't keep you at a C.

Reply 27

Carnationlilyrose

Mocks are there so that you make your mistakes when it doesn't matter. You've still got 4 months of school to go, and you won't have finished the syllabuses yet, never mind had all the exam technique practice you need, so this isn't an indication of how you will do in the real thing. I've just finished marking my year 11s' mocks and I fully expect them to go up at least a grade by the time the real thing comes around.

Reply 28

Emor

It'll result in your teachers setting you poor predictions and it'll be hard to change their attitudes etc. but in a year or two it'll mean nothing.

I was predicted near-enough straight C's, thought it didn't really have any effect on the results. I guess I had zero-pressure placed on me and no expectations though. I probably would've revised more if they expected any better than a C-grade but meh.

Basically not really. Except maybe for college applications. I got patronised when I told them I wanted to do further maths because of my predicted grades, and they kind of lied about the courses I could do etc. but meh. I ended up doing what I wanted to do on enrollment regardless when I actually had my results.

I do think what you teacher's think of your ability does actually matter but it's hardly the end of the world. Though then again, if you're submitted into foundation papers and your teachers won't listen based on your mock performance I strongly recommend you get your parents in.

EMZ.

Reply 29

Dalek1099

I didn't revise for my science mocks but got A*B but i know some people who got Us and very embarrassing grades that are very intelligent so let's hope so.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 30

Basit2010

Original post by EmmaJane_

What really matters is the actual qualification. Predicted grades and target grades are all bull****, the only predicted grades that matter are the final A-Level ones that are sent to universities. GCSE's don't really matter, never mind the mocks!

Universities/ sixth forms take you in for interviews by looking at your predicted grades - even at A level.

So if you got a C in your mock exam and are predicted that on report by your teacher it actually does affect you.. Universities and sixth forms reflect on predicted grades. If you'r predicted grades don't meet requirements you dont get a interview, simple as that.. even if you are more than capable of reaching the requirements in the real thing it would be to late by then..

Reply 31

username848318

Hey, I'm not too happy with some of my mock exams which was disappointing, but thats whole point its for practice. Learn from your mistakes and think about which revision techniques work for you and be time efficient with your revision time. I also found revising in advance helps a lot, just depends on you because sone people have a better short term memory. Hope that helps :smile:

Reply 32

Dalek1099

Original post by Emor

How are you doing with further maths? because i wasn't sure whether it would be too hard for me and teachers would never have predicted me a C and i got A*s in the mocks i did in Y9 for my first unit and an A* in the real thing and now i'm in Y10.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 33

Imposition

Original post by sophie5

So in general do people usually drastically improve from the mocks?

People who drastically improve from their mocks are the ones who realise that nothing is handed to them. You just have to remember that if you want to get high grades in the actual exams, you have to work for them.

What subjects did you perform badly in???

Reply 34

carpe diem 123

Original post by sophie5

Write down all of your subjects, the grade you got, and what you plan to do to improve it. Then take this to all of your teachers and talk through with them what you need to do. For example with maths, get you teacher to make you a revision booklet that you can work through, or your science teacher to print off a load of practise papers for you.

Understanding when exactly you have to know things by is key - clearly you didn't plan revision etc. for the mocks, which is a really common thing.

Get a stopwatch, and spend an hour a night (or two) for the next two months working through all of your revision guides, making notes on everything you read. You should be more than prepared for you summer exams then. It's better to go overboard and do more, that be scraping around for hours you don't have the night before the exam.

Reply 35

Schoolio93

Original post by sophie5

My mocks back in GCSEs":

Maths - D
English - D
Science - E
French - B
Business - U
ICT - U
History - A

I've done other subjects but we didn't have any mocks for them.
Anyway do you know what I ended up getting in the real thing?..... 11A*s!!

So don't worry... mocks are not a true indicator.

Edit: your mocks will not be your predicted grades! I got predicted 7As and 4Bs even though I got those s*** mock results!
Also the same thing happened to me in A-levels. In my A2 MOCKS I got:
Bio - U
Chem - E
Maths C3 - U (3%)
Maths C4 - U (0%) - just sat in the exam hall staring at the teacher because I skipped her lessons throughout the year.
German - A

but then in the real thing I ended up getting 3A*s and 1A. So DO NOT WORRY!! !YOU still have got plenty of time to do great!

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 36

Dippy Dip

Original post by AspiringGenius

What.

I hope not :s-smilie:

OP: I got a G in my English Literature mock (wrote about how I thought the inspector frm an inspector calls was the real muderer and was trying to cover up his crimes by drugging the Birlings and forcing them to falsely confess.) and got a good grade in the real ing :smile:

the fact your concernded about GCSEs shows you will probably do quite well anyway as working hard pays off :smile:

That's an interesting take on his character. I can't criticise though, as I was genuinely convinced ''The Masque of Red Death'' by Edgar Allen Poe was an attack on communism, and I repeatedly mentioned this in my English AS coursework.

OP, and anyone else who's worried about a similar situation, don't be. Mocks are there so you can learn from any mistakes you make. What's really important is that you actually do learn from these mistakes, and don't put off revision for your real GCSE exams.

Reply 37

Emor

Original post by Dalek1099

Clearly you're exponentially more qualified to be on the course than me. Follow your dreams boy.

lol.

EMZ.

Reply 38

FallenMan

Learn from your mistakes. You can't have this attitude all the time. What are you going to be like when it's the actual GCSEs? Or A Levels?
At the beginning of year 10 I was getting an E in one subject meaning I was put into the foundation paper, but i revised hard for the mock and was then put into the higher paper getting a B at the end. They can be important and I hope you learnt something from this and will change your attitude, starting with revising once a week from NOW for your exams.