Advice from previous Year 11's to upcoming Year 11's
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Original post by SampleX
Music is definitely more something I love doing away from the classroom xD One year! Technically nine months!
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Count down the months like I did with all of my subjects apart from the ones I actually liked.
Thinking about it now I hated almost every subject I did - I wouldn't have picked half of them but they were compulsory!
Only really liked Science and PE tbh.
I enjoyed history but wasn't a fan of the essays
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Original post by deansimpala
Count down the months like I did with all of my subjects apart from the ones I actually liked.
Thinking about it now I hated almost every subject I did - I wouldn't have picked half of them but they were compulsory!
Only really liked Science and PE tbh.
I enjoyed history but wasn't a fan of the essays
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Thinking about it now I hated almost every subject I did - I wouldn't have picked half of them but they were compulsory!
Only really liked Science and PE tbh.
I enjoyed history but wasn't a fan of the essays
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Oh, PE is hell. Especially when you're the kid that never has a partner xD
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Original post by SampleX
I liked GCSE PE a lot, we only had a small class of about 11. I was one of four girls the rest were boys. We all became pretty close, it was sad to walk out of the exam and know it was all over
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Original post by deansimpala
I liked GCSE PE a lot, we only had a small class of about 11. I was one of four girls the rest were boys. We all became pretty close, it was sad to walk out of the exam and know it was all over
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Our music class consists of four of us: me, two girls who I used to be friends with but had a massive and irreconcilable fall out with end of last year and a guy who I've just made friends with xD
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Original post by SampleX
Our music class consists of four of us: me, two girls who I used to be friends with but had a massive and irreconcilable fall out with end of last year and a guy who I've just made friends with xD
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Only one boy in the class... Poor guy
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Original post by deansimpala
There used to be two guys, but one dropped out at the end of Year 10.
But me and this guy are tight, we have French and Maths together and were in a form together for three years.
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1) How was year 11 for you?
Year 11 was quite good actually, as I didn't mind exams too much if I felt I had prepared enough. The only problem was that I think I started revision too late, so I was a bit stressed at the start of the exam period, although I settled down soon after. The coursework, in my opinion, wasn't too bad if you put a lot of effort into it in lessons and I felt the extended holiday more than made up for the stress of the exams.
2) How many exams did you sit?
I think it was around 25, although I know for sure I did 13 subjects. In the exam period (there were three weeks), I generally had two exams on Monday; two on Tuesday; one on Thursday and two on Friday, so it was good to have some time in between exams to revise.
3) What advice will you like to give to the upcoming year 11s?
1. Make sure you start preparing early enough - I personally started too late, in my opinion, although my hard work throughout the year meant that I still somewhat got the grades I desired. However, I know if I had started revising earlier, I would've had a much better chance of getting better grades in one or two subjects.
2. Make sure you have something to look forward to after exams - if you have something exciting planned after exams, either with your family or friends, then the exam period will be easier to deal with as you'll have an incentive to get it over and done with.
3. Make sure you keep it all in perspective - GCSEs, as many people have said, don't matter as much as people think. You can still get into good universities with below-par GCSEs, as A-Levels are more important. Some universities also say they like it when students show signs of improvement in their grades, so bad GCSEs aren't the end of the world (although obviously you want to do as well as you can).
4. Make sure you keep up with work during the year - if you do homework, listen in class and make sure you understand most of what you're taught before it comes to revision, then you will have a better chance of doing well at your GCSEs. You can still do well even if you don't listen all the time, but it certainly does help massively.
5. Make sure you are revising productively - it's better to revise effectively for 30 minutes than to procrastinate for 3 hours. We all hate revising for certain subjects, but sometimes you just have to do it the hard way and revise properly (i.e. don't just stare at your textbook, or play Bitesize games).
6. Make sure you prepare everything the night before - ensure that everything is packed the night before the exam and then double-check it before you leave your house. You don't want to fail a maths exam because you forgot a calculator after two years of hard work, now, do you?
7. Make sure you relax - don't go overboard with breaks, but it's important to relax every so often and do something you enjoy in the exam period to keep your motivation levels up. However, try to stay away from gaming, social media and YouTube during the exam period, as they can all be pretty addictive and you could unintentionally end up on them for hours!
8. Make sure you find the best way you learn - people learn best in different ways, as teachers have probably told you, so it's important to try and find out which way you learn best: whether it's visual or kinesthetic; on your own or with friends (although be wary of revising with friends, if you know you're likely to end up chatting or doing something else). You can probably use Google to find an online test of this if you don't know how you learn best.
9. Make sure you do the best you can do - you only have one shot at these exams, so make sure you don't have any regrets. However, don't be disappointed with a bad result if you've tried your best, as you can't do more than that!
10. Make sure you actually know the content - test yourself, whether it's using flash cards or exam papers (remember to practise using exam papers, as exam technique is very important in GCSEs), rather than just reading from a textbook or your notes. This is because, often, when you think you know something by looking at it, you don't actually know it: you just recognise it and believe you know it. In exams, you won't get the same stimulus, so make sure you actually know it by testing yourself on it beforehand!
Good luck to everyone entering Year 11; it's not actually as bad as you think!
Year 11 was quite good actually, as I didn't mind exams too much if I felt I had prepared enough. The only problem was that I think I started revision too late, so I was a bit stressed at the start of the exam period, although I settled down soon after. The coursework, in my opinion, wasn't too bad if you put a lot of effort into it in lessons and I felt the extended holiday more than made up for the stress of the exams.
2) How many exams did you sit?
I think it was around 25, although I know for sure I did 13 subjects. In the exam period (there were three weeks), I generally had two exams on Monday; two on Tuesday; one on Thursday and two on Friday, so it was good to have some time in between exams to revise.
3) What advice will you like to give to the upcoming year 11s?
1. Make sure you start preparing early enough - I personally started too late, in my opinion, although my hard work throughout the year meant that I still somewhat got the grades I desired. However, I know if I had started revising earlier, I would've had a much better chance of getting better grades in one or two subjects.
2. Make sure you have something to look forward to after exams - if you have something exciting planned after exams, either with your family or friends, then the exam period will be easier to deal with as you'll have an incentive to get it over and done with.
3. Make sure you keep it all in perspective - GCSEs, as many people have said, don't matter as much as people think. You can still get into good universities with below-par GCSEs, as A-Levels are more important. Some universities also say they like it when students show signs of improvement in their grades, so bad GCSEs aren't the end of the world (although obviously you want to do as well as you can).
4. Make sure you keep up with work during the year - if you do homework, listen in class and make sure you understand most of what you're taught before it comes to revision, then you will have a better chance of doing well at your GCSEs. You can still do well even if you don't listen all the time, but it certainly does help massively.
5. Make sure you are revising productively - it's better to revise effectively for 30 minutes than to procrastinate for 3 hours. We all hate revising for certain subjects, but sometimes you just have to do it the hard way and revise properly (i.e. don't just stare at your textbook, or play Bitesize games).
6. Make sure you prepare everything the night before - ensure that everything is packed the night before the exam and then double-check it before you leave your house. You don't want to fail a maths exam because you forgot a calculator after two years of hard work, now, do you?
7. Make sure you relax - don't go overboard with breaks, but it's important to relax every so often and do something you enjoy in the exam period to keep your motivation levels up. However, try to stay away from gaming, social media and YouTube during the exam period, as they can all be pretty addictive and you could unintentionally end up on them for hours!
8. Make sure you find the best way you learn - people learn best in different ways, as teachers have probably told you, so it's important to try and find out which way you learn best: whether it's visual or kinesthetic; on your own or with friends (although be wary of revising with friends, if you know you're likely to end up chatting or doing something else). You can probably use Google to find an online test of this if you don't know how you learn best.
9. Make sure you do the best you can do - you only have one shot at these exams, so make sure you don't have any regrets. However, don't be disappointed with a bad result if you've tried your best, as you can't do more than that!
10. Make sure you actually know the content - test yourself, whether it's using flash cards or exam papers (remember to practise using exam papers, as exam technique is very important in GCSEs), rather than just reading from a textbook or your notes. This is because, often, when you think you know something by looking at it, you don't actually know it: you just recognise it and believe you know it. In exams, you won't get the same stimulus, so make sure you actually know it by testing yourself on it beforehand!
Good luck to everyone entering Year 11; it's not actually as bad as you think!
Original post by SampleX
There used to be two guys, but one dropped out at the end of Year 10.
But me and this guy are tight, we have French and Maths together and were in a form together for three years.
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But me and this guy are tight, we have French and Maths together and were in a form together for three years.
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Oh at least you have somebody to talk to...just ignore the other two girls
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Original post by deansimpala
Yeah, I got thrown out the friendship group, so I'm going into Year 11 wondering how I'm going to deal. I have all my out of school friends, but prom is going to be a nightmare.
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I'm an ancient Year 12 but I'll still answer these 
1) How was Year 11 for you?
Pretty good, the workload didn't kill me and exam leave was actually the best part. I would spend all my free days at school with my two best friends, and we'd revise, drink inhuman amounts of coffee and watch youtube videos.
2) How many exams?
25.
3) Any advice?
Don't freak out, and start light revision at Christmas. I'm not talking crazy revision, but a little at a time.
1) How was Year 11 for you?
Pretty good, the workload didn't kill me and exam leave was actually the best part. I would spend all my free days at school with my two best friends, and we'd revise, drink inhuman amounts of coffee and watch youtube videos.
2) How many exams?
25.
3) Any advice?
Don't freak out, and start light revision at Christmas. I'm not talking crazy revision, but a little at a time.
Original post by Procrastin8R
1) How was year 11 for you?
Year 11 was quite good actually, as I didn't mind exams too much if I felt I had prepared enough. The only problem was that I think I started revision too late, so I was a bit stressed at the start of the exam period, although I settled down soon after. The coursework, in my opinion, wasn't too bad if you put a lot of effort into it in lessons and I felt the extended holiday more than made up for the stress of the exams.
2) How many exams did you sit?
I think it was around 25, although I know for sure I did 13 subjects. In the exam period (there were three weeks), I generally had two exams on Monday; two on Tuesday; one on Thursday and two on Friday, so it was good to have some time in between exams to revise.
3) What advice will you like to give to the upcoming year 11s?
1. Make sure you start preparing early enough - I personally started too late, in my opinion, although my hard work throughout the year meant that I still somewhat got the grades I desired. However, I know if I had started revising earlier, I would've had a much better chance of getting better grades in one or two subjects.
2. Make sure you have something to look forward to after exams - if you have something exciting planned after exams, either with your family or friends, then the exam period will be easier to deal with as you'll have an incentive to get it over and done with.
3. Make sure you keep it all in perspective - GCSEs, as many people have said, don't matter as much as people think. You can still get into good universities with below-par GCSEs, as A-Levels are more important. Some universities also say they like it when students show signs of improvement in their grades, so bad GCSEs aren't the end of the world (although obviously you want to do as well as you can).
4. Make sure you keep up with work during the year - if you do homework, listen in class and make sure you understand most of what you're taught before it comes to revision, then you will have a better chance of doing well at your GCSEs. You can still do well even if you don't listen all the time, but it certainly does help massively.
5. Make sure you are revising productively - it's better to revise effectively for 30 minutes than to procrastinate for 3 hours. We all hate revising for certain subjects, but sometimes you just have to do it the hard way and revise properly (i.e. don't just stare at your textbook, or play Bitesize games).
6. Make sure you prepare everything the night before - ensure that everything is packed the night before the exam and then double-check it before you leave your house. You don't want to fail a maths exam because you forgot a calculator after two years of hard work, now, do you?
7. Make sure you relax - don't go overboard with breaks, but it's important to relax every so often and do something you enjoy in the exam period to keep your motivation levels up. However, try to stay away from gaming, social media and YouTube during the exam period, as they can all be pretty addictive and you could unintentionally end up on them for hours!
8. Make sure you find the best way you learn - people learn best in different ways, as teachers have probably told you, so it's important to try and find out which way you learn best: whether it's visual or kinesthetic; on your own or with friends (although be wary of revising with friends, if you know you're likely to end up chatting or doing something else). You can probably use Google to find an online test of this if you don't know how you learn best.
9. Make sure you do the best you can do - you only have one shot at these exams, so make sure you don't have any regrets. However, don't be disappointed with a bad result if you've tried your best, as you can't do more than that!
10. Make sure you actually know the content - test yourself, whether it's using flash cards or exam papers (remember to practise using exam papers, as exam technique is very important in GCSEs), rather than just reading from a textbook or your notes. This is because, often, when you think you know something by looking at it, you don't actually know it: you just recognise it and believe you know it. In exams, you won't get the same stimulus, so make sure you actually know it by testing yourself on it beforehand!
Good luck to everyone entering Year 11; it's not actually as bad as you think!
Year 11 was quite good actually, as I didn't mind exams too much if I felt I had prepared enough. The only problem was that I think I started revision too late, so I was a bit stressed at the start of the exam period, although I settled down soon after. The coursework, in my opinion, wasn't too bad if you put a lot of effort into it in lessons and I felt the extended holiday more than made up for the stress of the exams.
2) How many exams did you sit?
I think it was around 25, although I know for sure I did 13 subjects. In the exam period (there were three weeks), I generally had two exams on Monday; two on Tuesday; one on Thursday and two on Friday, so it was good to have some time in between exams to revise.
3) What advice will you like to give to the upcoming year 11s?
1. Make sure you start preparing early enough - I personally started too late, in my opinion, although my hard work throughout the year meant that I still somewhat got the grades I desired. However, I know if I had started revising earlier, I would've had a much better chance of getting better grades in one or two subjects.
2. Make sure you have something to look forward to after exams - if you have something exciting planned after exams, either with your family or friends, then the exam period will be easier to deal with as you'll have an incentive to get it over and done with.
3. Make sure you keep it all in perspective - GCSEs, as many people have said, don't matter as much as people think. You can still get into good universities with below-par GCSEs, as A-Levels are more important. Some universities also say they like it when students show signs of improvement in their grades, so bad GCSEs aren't the end of the world (although obviously you want to do as well as you can).
4. Make sure you keep up with work during the year - if you do homework, listen in class and make sure you understand most of what you're taught before it comes to revision, then you will have a better chance of doing well at your GCSEs. You can still do well even if you don't listen all the time, but it certainly does help massively.
5. Make sure you are revising productively - it's better to revise effectively for 30 minutes than to procrastinate for 3 hours. We all hate revising for certain subjects, but sometimes you just have to do it the hard way and revise properly (i.e. don't just stare at your textbook, or play Bitesize games).
6. Make sure you prepare everything the night before - ensure that everything is packed the night before the exam and then double-check it before you leave your house. You don't want to fail a maths exam because you forgot a calculator after two years of hard work, now, do you?
7. Make sure you relax - don't go overboard with breaks, but it's important to relax every so often and do something you enjoy in the exam period to keep your motivation levels up. However, try to stay away from gaming, social media and YouTube during the exam period, as they can all be pretty addictive and you could unintentionally end up on them for hours!
8. Make sure you find the best way you learn - people learn best in different ways, as teachers have probably told you, so it's important to try and find out which way you learn best: whether it's visual or kinesthetic; on your own or with friends (although be wary of revising with friends, if you know you're likely to end up chatting or doing something else). You can probably use Google to find an online test of this if you don't know how you learn best.
9. Make sure you do the best you can do - you only have one shot at these exams, so make sure you don't have any regrets. However, don't be disappointed with a bad result if you've tried your best, as you can't do more than that!
10. Make sure you actually know the content - test yourself, whether it's using flash cards or exam papers (remember to practise using exam papers, as exam technique is very important in GCSEs), rather than just reading from a textbook or your notes. This is because, often, when you think you know something by looking at it, you don't actually know it: you just recognise it and believe you know it. In exams, you won't get the same stimulus, so make sure you actually know it by testing yourself on it beforehand!
Good luck to everyone entering Year 11; it's not actually as bad as you think!
This is great advice! Thanks for posting
Original post by SampleX
Yeah, I got thrown out the friendship group, so I'm going into Year 11 wondering how I'm going to deal. I have all my out of school friends, but prom is going to be a nightmare.
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I didn't want to go to prom but went and absolutely loved it!!
I'm pretty much a tomboy like I don't wear dresses or makeup but for prom I had to. Hardly anybody could recognise me, and I actually won prom queen
It was a great night my friend and I sat with the Science teachers all night since we hardly spoke to anyone in our year and her favourite teacher is leaving to go on maternity for a year so she sat with her most the night. I was talking to my form/science teacher all night and got some great 'selfies' with him
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Original post by deansimpala
I didn't want to go to prom but went and absolutely loved it!!
I'm pretty much a tomboy like I don't wear dresses or makeup but for prom I had to. Hardly anybody could recognise me, and I actually won prom queen
It was a great night my friend and I sat with the Science teachers all night since we hardly spoke to anyone in our year and her favourite teacher is leaving to go on maternity for a year so she sat with her most the night. I was talking to my form/science teacher all night and got some great 'selfies' with him
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I'm pretty much a tomboy like I don't wear dresses or makeup but for prom I had to. Hardly anybody could recognise me, and I actually won prom queen
It was a great night my friend and I sat with the Science teachers all night since we hardly spoke to anyone in our year and her favourite teacher is leaving to go on maternity for a year so she sat with her most the night. I was talking to my form/science teacher all night and got some great 'selfies' with him
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I just have the issue that no one will go with me xD
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Original post by funkydee19
This is great advice! Thanks for posting
You're welcome!
This is so incredibly lame. Unless said people have an IQ below 50. In which case, there might be a slightly infinitesimal gap between year 10 and year 11.
Original post by SampleX
Surely you have at least one other friend whose thinking of going????
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Original post by deansimpala
Yeah, but she has her friendship group that I'm not really mates with
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Original post by SampleX
Ah that's awful, who knows you might make new friends this year
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Original post by deansimpala
Hopefully
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Is there anyone here who felt their year 10 'best friend' was kind of pulling them down/not making them a good person? Did you manage to kind of get through year 11 without them? I have other friends, but she's in my form...I just want to do my best and I've finally come to my senses that she's not a good influence on me.
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