Need GCSE advice? I can help! (12 A*s/9s)
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Hello,
I am currently a Year 10 student and I'm mostly predicted grades 7/A to 9/A*. Recently, my grades have begun to drop horrendously fast in Maths; I was once predicted 7/A but now I'm predicted 5/B-C. I believe it is partly due to my Maths teacher, he has an awful teaching method and speaks way too fast for any of our class to comprehend. There have been multiple complaints about this and sadly, he does not change, despite the fact that he knows we have difficulty learning in his class. Please, what can I do to support myself because he cannot? Thank you!
I am currently a Year 10 student and I'm mostly predicted grades 7/A to 9/A*. Recently, my grades have begun to drop horrendously fast in Maths; I was once predicted 7/A but now I'm predicted 5/B-C. I believe it is partly due to my Maths teacher, he has an awful teaching method and speaks way too fast for any of our class to comprehend. There have been multiple complaints about this and sadly, he does not change, despite the fact that he knows we have difficulty learning in his class. Please, what can I do to support myself because he cannot? Thank you!
Original post by Tree Frog
Hello,
I am currently a Year 10 student and I'm mostly predicted grades 7/A to 9/A*. Recently, my grades have begun to drop horrendously fast in Maths; I was once predicted 7/A but now I'm predicted 5/B-C. I believe it is partly due to my Maths teacher, he has an awful teaching method and speaks way too fast for any of our class to comprehend. There have been multiple complaints about this and sadly, he does not change, despite the fact that he knows we have difficulty learning in his class. Please, what can I do to support myself because he cannot? Thank you!
I am currently a Year 10 student and I'm mostly predicted grades 7/A to 9/A*. Recently, my grades have begun to drop horrendously fast in Maths; I was once predicted 7/A but now I'm predicted 5/B-C. I believe it is partly due to my Maths teacher, he has an awful teaching method and speaks way too fast for any of our class to comprehend. There have been multiple complaints about this and sadly, he does not change, despite the fact that he knows we have difficulty learning in his class. Please, what can I do to support myself because he cannot? Thank you!
Hi there! I'm really sorry that you're in that situation. Just remember that you have the ability to get that higher predicted grade, no matter what stats they might be giving you right now. I believe I gave someone earlier on in this thread maths advice, so it would be worth checking that out as there is no point repeating all that. But if you are genuinely having to teach it all yourself then it's probably worth printing out a spec, buying yourself a textbook and just working through everything gradually, using videos to help you to learn and using past paper questions to test your understanding. Also is there any possibility of going to another teacher and asking if you could join their revision sessions or perhaps doing some work with you after school? That might give you a bit more support if you're really struggling at the moment.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Original post by Tree Frog
Thank you so much, you are truly a blessing! 
Aw thank you, haha. Just glad I could help!
Hey, I'm considering taking PE GCSE along with maths (higher paper), triple science, English lang&lit, music and geography. Do you have any advice (in any of the subjects really)? I've heard it's really hard to get a 8/9 in PE so I was wondering whether you had any advice? Thanks 
Original post by dreweloise
Hey, I'm considering taking PE GCSE along with maths (higher paper), triple science, English lang&lit, music and geography. Do you have any advice (in any of the subjects really)? I've heard it's really hard to get a 8/9 in PE so I was wondering whether you had any advice? Thanks
Hi! By some miracle I actually managed to get full UMS in my PE GCSE, and I'm not really sporty at all, so hopefully I can give you some advice. If you're talented enough at sport to get high marks on the practical element, then you probably won't need my advice, but if not, then the sports you pick can help. In the old GCSE you could ones like orienteering & life saving. I did a couple of these as the criteria for getting high marks was often for easier than in sports like cricket and football. For the theory I just revised like I would for my sciences - did past papers to death and made flashcards. Hope this helps and good luck with your exams!
Original post by LEuphoria
I'm aware that there are loads of these threads floating around at the moment, but I have some free time right now and I wanted to at least put it to some use!
In addition to English Lit & Lang and Maths I took triple science, Further Maths, History, French, RS, Citizenship and PE.
If you've got any questions about exams/revision/school life in general I'd be happy to help in any way I can!!
In addition to English Lit & Lang and Maths I took triple science, Further Maths, History, French, RS, Citizenship and PE.
If you've got any questions about exams/revision/school life in general I'd be happy to help in any way I can!!
Hi! I am really struggling with managing time to revise before mocks as i do french, german history and geography along with triple science and maths and eng.
the speaking components of languages are taking very long to learn, biology tests are very hard and history just seems endless. any tips on revising for these three things would be much appreciated, and feel free to add my sc:vv_2001 and ig @_vv49 as i dont use this very much
Original post by Tree Frog
Hello,
I am currently a Year 10 student and I'm mostly predicted grades 7/A to 9/A*. Recently, my grades have begun to drop horrendously fast in Maths; I was once predicted 7/A but now I'm predicted 5/B-C. I believe it is partly due to my Maths teacher, he has an awful teaching method and speaks way too fast for any of our class to comprehend. There have been multiple complaints about this and sadly, he does not change, despite the fact that he knows we have difficulty learning in his class. Please, what can I do to support myself because he cannot? Thank you!
I am currently a Year 10 student and I'm mostly predicted grades 7/A to 9/A*. Recently, my grades have begun to drop horrendously fast in Maths; I was once predicted 7/A but now I'm predicted 5/B-C. I believe it is partly due to my Maths teacher, he has an awful teaching method and speaks way too fast for any of our class to comprehend. There have been multiple complaints about this and sadly, he does not change, despite the fact that he knows we have difficulty learning in his class. Please, what can I do to support myself because he cannot? Thank you!
i had the same problem in yr 8 and 9 and i started tutoring privately, but i think with the right work ethic you should be fine by going on online sites like corbettmaths and revising from textbooks. set yourself tests and find out things you dont understand and revise them yourself. it will help you a lot!!
good luck
Original post by vvv123
Hi! I am really struggling with managing time to revise before mocks as i do french, german history and geography along with triple science and maths and eng.
the speaking components of languages are taking very long to learn, biology tests are very hard and history just seems endless. any tips on revising for these three things would be much appreciated, and feel free to add my sc:vv_2001 and ig @_vv49 as i dont use this very much
the speaking components of languages are taking very long to learn, biology tests are very hard and history just seems endless. any tips on revising for these three things would be much appreciated, and feel free to add my sc:vv_2001 and ig @_vv49 as i dont use this very much
Hi there. I must admit that managing time was something I struggled with too at GCSE( and even more so now!!). I would always make to do lists and basically live by them. If you break down everything into small manageable tasks that should take about half an hour each and then put them in a big to do list, then work out how many you need to do each day to finish them all in a set time, then this can make your work to do seem finite and thus perhaps a bit more manageable. With the speaking for languages the best thing is practice- try to speak it to a friend/ family member but if all else fails you can just speak to yourself! The key is just getting comfortable with using it- don't worry too much about the grammar initially. Biology all builds on learning the facts, so use flashcards or mindmaps or whatever you like until you couldn't possibly forget it. Then practice the application of your knowledge with past papers etc. With history I would suggest perhaps mind maps or flashcards again to learn all the content. Finally, remember that you have a while yet before your real exams!! Dont worry too much if you're not getting the grades you would like to yet or if the content still seems difficult; you have several months to wrap your head around it all.
Best of luck!
Can I have your revision notes please I recently been in a car accident and because of it I missed out on school and I was at hospital for ages and even on Christmas Day I haven’t had the chance to revise or make my notes so I please help as I want to pass and get the grades that I want also I want to thankyou for give useful tips
(edited 6 years ago)
Hi there. That sounds terrible, I am so sorry for you! I'm afraid I don't really have any revision notes to share as for my revision I would just use the textbook for the course- I would recommend getting it and looking through to fill in the gaps in your knowledge- and past papers. For English Lit I also used Mr Bruff videos to make mind maps on poetry, characters and themes etc. I'm sorry I can't offer and anything else and best of luck with your exams!
I'm currently doing the history gcse and I can never finish the paper. Is there a way for me to write faster as I am good at learning the information??
Hey, if you're still responding I'd like some feedback.
I've just finished my mocks, and I feel like i've gotten mainly Bs&As, but I really want to get a lot of A*s.
Is it too late to start revising / can I meet my target?
Also, my A-Level choices are Computing Business and Maths, will the fact that im taking two "weak" A levels (Business and comp sci) affect my ability to get into top unis?
I've just finished my mocks, and I feel like i've gotten mainly Bs&As, but I really want to get a lot of A*s.
Is it too late to start revising / can I meet my target?
Also, my A-Level choices are Computing Business and Maths, will the fact that im taking two "weak" A levels (Business and comp sci) affect my ability to get into top unis?
Original post by Jessie2002
I'm currently doing the history gcse and I can never finish the paper. Is there a way for me to write faster as I am good at learning the information??
Hello there! I'm having that same problem with my history essays at A Level, but hopefully can still give you some advice. It is difficult to know how to help specifically without seeing your work as different people will need to use different techniques to get their essays done in time. One question you could consider is are your answers concise? For example are you listing multiple examples and figures to illustrate a point when in reality one would be sufficient (we all want to show an in depth knowledge but there are occasions when it isn't actually helpful). Another thing to consider is how well you are planning your answer before you begin it. It can be difficult in an exam not to start writing straight away in order to finish on time but if you start writing a question without an idea of where you are going then your answer will take longer as you are thinking about its structure continually. However, if you thoroughly plan your answer first then all you will need to worry about once writing is getting as much content out as possible. The last piece of advice I would give is to make sure you know your subject inside out- when it comes to planning and writing an answer, it can happen far more quickly if you don't have any struggle recalling the relevant facts and figures.
I hope this is helpful and good luck with your exams!
Original post by abcDEFG667
Hey, if you're still responding I'd like some feedback.
I've just finished my mocks, and I feel like i've gotten mainly Bs&As, but I really want to get a lot of A*s.
Is it too late to start revising / can I meet my target?
Also, my A-Level choices are Computing Business and Maths, will the fact that im taking two "weak" A levels (Business and comp sci) affect my ability to get into top unis?
I've just finished my mocks, and I feel like i've gotten mainly Bs&As, but I really want to get a lot of A*s.
Is it too late to start revising / can I meet my target?
Also, my A-Level choices are Computing Business and Maths, will the fact that im taking two "weak" A levels (Business and comp sci) affect my ability to get into top unis?
Hi there! You have ages before your actual exams so do not stress- you have plenty of time to start revising. If you are committed to working hard you can achieve anything; it seems if you're not doing too much work at the moment and are likely to come out with Bs and As already then it is not a huge jump to get those grades to A*s. My recommendation would be perhaps going through your subjects topic by topic and listing them in order of which needs most attention, just so you can ensure that you are covering all of the stuff about which you are unsure. If you felt like it, you could make a revision timetable, but it is still kind of early for that; you don't want to burn yourself out with doing too much too soon.
It depends what subject you want to do, but most unis do recommend at least 2 facilitating subjects so it could perhaps be worth thinking about swapping Business Studies or Comp Sci depending on what you'd like to study in the future.
Best of luck with your revision and exams!
Hi 
I can never think of what to write for English lit or Lang, any suggestions on how to improve - is it just practice?
Also I write at a moderate speed to make my handwriting presentable, should I not worry about handwriting ( as long as it's readable ) and focus on writing quicker - I feel my brain works a lot quicker than my hand does so I can't write the 3 paragraphs in 10 minutes like our teacher wants us to - I get maybe 1 1/2 paragraphs done, if that!
Thank you in advance
I can never think of what to write for English lit or Lang, any suggestions on how to improve - is it just practice?
Also I write at a moderate speed to make my handwriting presentable, should I not worry about handwriting ( as long as it's readable ) and focus on writing quicker - I feel my brain works a lot quicker than my hand does so I can't write the 3 paragraphs in 10 minutes like our teacher wants us to - I get maybe 1 1/2 paragraphs done, if that!
Thank you in advance
Original post by LEuphoria
Hello there! I'm having that same problem with my history essays at A Level, but hopefully can still give you some advice. It is difficult to know how to help specifically without seeing your work as different people will need to use different techniques to get their essays done in time. One question you could consider is are your answers concise? For example are you listing multiple examples and figures to illustrate a point when in reality one would be sufficient (we all want to show an in depth knowledge but there are occasions when it isn't actually helpful). Another thing to consider is how well you are planning your answer before you begin it. It can be difficult in an exam not to start writing straight away in order to finish on time but if you start writing a question without an idea of where you are going then your answer will take longer as you are thinking about its structure continually. However, if you thoroughly plan your answer first then all you will need to worry about once writing is getting as much content out as possible. The last piece of advice I would give is to make sure you know your subject inside out- when it comes to planning and writing an answer, it can happen far more quickly if you don't have any struggle recalling the relevant facts and figures.
I hope this is helpful and good luck with your exams!
I hope this is helpful and good luck with your exams!
Thank you for the help !!
Also, I'm struggling a bit in French. Any advice to make major improvements???
Thanks xx
Original post by laurawatt
Hi
I can never think of what to write for English lit or Lang, any suggestions on how to improve - is it just practice?
Also I write at a moderate speed to make my handwriting presentable, should I not worry about handwriting ( as long as it's readable ) and focus on writing quicker - I feel my brain works a lot quicker than my hand does so I can't write the 3 paragraphs in 10 minutes like our teacher wants us to - I get maybe 1 1/2 paragraphs done, if that!
Thank you in advance
I can never think of what to write for English lit or Lang, any suggestions on how to improve - is it just practice?
Also I write at a moderate speed to make my handwriting presentable, should I not worry about handwriting ( as long as it's readable ) and focus on writing quicker - I feel my brain works a lot quicker than my hand does so I can't write the 3 paragraphs in 10 minutes like our teacher wants us to - I get maybe 1 1/2 paragraphs done, if that!
Thank you in advance
Hello! For me improving in English Language and Lit was a mixture of practice and watching YouTube videos (Mr Bruff does some fantastic ones for English!!) If you can never think if what to write, you sometimes have to sort of let your brain go a bit mad with it. I would come up with ideas that I would dismiss as I thought they were awful, but would be able to think of nothing else so would have to use it... As long as you back up your points with quotes and good language analysis then you can use any idea! You can make up a completely random point that doesn't necessarily resonate with you as a reader but as long as it's got a lot of analysis you could do with it, it doesn't really matter.
For handwriting, definitely abandon the neat stuff and just write as quickly as possible! Teachers are very good at deciphering bad handwriting.
Best of luck with your exams.
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