Gradebusters: The SEQUEL! (A Year 11 GyG: 2021-2022)

Wow, I love this 😄 I do hope you find strong sources of motivation, I am always here :smile:

My GCSEs got cancelled last year (phew) so I am not one to ask for advice on exam stress haha. Please do tag me, I think it’s important that you have others cheering you on so you stay determined on your goals, because you have told us all you are going to reach for it. Good luck!

Reply 2

username5794123

19

Minus the maths, everything you said in the second spoiler encapsulates me perfectly. I can tell that this would be a good blog.

Reply 3

OP

Original post by 3ggfriedrice

Wow, I love this 😄 I do hope you find strong sources of motivation, I am always here :smile:

My GCSEs got cancelled last year (phew) so I am not one to ask for advice on exam stress haha. Please do tag me, I think it’s important that you have others cheering you on so you stay determined on your goals, because you have told us all you are going to reach for it. Good luck!

thank you so much - I really appreciate it! <3 I too am hoping I can find some great motivation in the next few months of my life as I really need it haha! you're so lucky in that your GCSEs were cancelled, even though it was because of a pandemic (which obviously isn't that great :s-smilie:

). I do also consider myself to be quite lucky this year also though, as for most subjects, it seems we'll be getting reduced content to learn, making my GCSEs a lot more attainable if I work hard enough! Anyways, I'll be sure to tag you (and btw, thank you so much for asking for me to do so - your support means a lot!). See you around! :h:

Reply 4

OP

Original post by 0ptics

Minus the maths, everything you said in the second spoiler encapsulates me perfectly. I can tell that this would be a good blog.

"Minus the maths" lucky you haha - I'm quite jealous and wish I was even a fractionally skilled in maths (pun intended lol :wink:

)! Anyways, I'm glad to know there are people in the same boat as me and that I have your support of this blog already :smile:

At least it means I'm not alone, or some strange anomaly just floating about whilst everybody has their stuff together. Let me know if you'd like me to tag you in subsequent posts of mine! <3

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 5

OP

Get to Know Me!

Hello everyone! This is the first post of my blog, excluding the commencing one, meaning I've already progressed further than I did with The OG Gradebusters 2 years ago (which as we found in my introduction post, failed tragically) - a huge milestone as it is! :biggrin:

I'm kind of being sarcastic here, but kind of not, which is slightly disappointing as I shouldn't be patting myself on the back and doing celebratory cartwheels over the fact I've been able to commit to writing two blog posts in this almost-year-long event, but nevertheless, it shows growth from who I was in 2019, and that's what my GyG is all about!
Anyways, this is just a little something I'm writing in hopes that it will help you get to know me better! I will talk about myself as an individual, but also as a school student so that by the end of this entry, you feel slightly closer to me and have a stronger sense of who I am, something that is pivotal since we're embarking on this journey together! So let's go!

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General facts:

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Hobbies and Interests:

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My (Chosen) GCSE Subjects:

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My Favourite GCSE Subjects:

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My Currently Working At Grades:

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My Predicted GCSE Grades:

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Okay, well that's all I can think of for now, but please let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know! :smile:

I will see you in my next entry! Thanks for reading!

___________________________________________________________________________

If you'd like to be sent a notification every time I create another post, let me know, and I'll tag you below!

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(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 6

Icosagon

21

I'd love to be tagged!
I'm in Year 11 too and oh my god I am so not ready. Unlike you, I really regret taking textiles :cry:

Reply 7

Original post by yemisi.ogun

Get to Know Me!

Hello everyone! This is the first post of my blog, excluding the commencing one, meaning I've already progressed further than I did with The OG Gradebusters 2 years ago (which as we found in my introduction post, failed tragically) - a huge milestone as it is! :biggrin:

I'm kind of being sarcastic here, but kind of not, which is slightly disappointing as I shouldn't be patting myself on the back and doing celebratory cartwheels over the fact I've been able to commit to writing two blog posts in this almost-year-long event, but nevertheless, it shows growth from who I was in 2019, and that's what my GyG is all about!
Anyways, this is just a little something I'm writing in hopes that it will help you get to know me better! I will talk about myself as an individual, but also as a school student so that by the end of this entry, you feel slightly closer to me and have a stronger sense of who I am, something that is pivotal since we're embarking on this journey together! So let's go!

___________________________________________________________________________

General facts:

Spoiler

Hobbies and Interests:

Spoiler

My (Chosen) GCSE Subjects:

Spoiler

My Favourite GCSE Subjects:

Spoiler

My Currently Working At Grades:

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My Predicted GCSE Grades:

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Okay, well that's all I can think of for now, but please let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know! :smile:

I will see you in my next entry! Thanks for reading!

___________________________________________________________________________

If you'd like to be sent a notification every time I create another post, let me know, and I'll tag you below!

Spoiler

If you are stuck on maths I could try help when I’m online. I’m doing A level Maths

Reply 8

OP

Original post by Icosagon

I'd love to be tagged!
I'm in Year 11 too and oh my god I am so not ready. Unlike you, I really regret taking textiles :cry:

omg yes ofc i’ll tag you! i’d love to even and appreciate you taking interest in my blog☺️☺️ but no i totally get how you’re feeling! it seems so surreal that in literally a few months, i have to sit these really important exams, and i don’t feel like i’m capable of that yet. mentally, i’m still in year 9, where my “normal” secondary life stopped (with covid and everything). but please try not to feel overwhelmed :smile:

if you take it slow and steady, you’ll definitely be able to achieve the grades you want! i can elaborate in a different post if you’d like, as i’m currently working on ways i can revise and stuff without feeling burnt out and overwhelmed? and also, if you need any help with textiles in any way, please let me know and i’ll see if i can help! i’m sure there are subjects you’re better at than me, so maybe you can help me out too? a mutual exchange haha! anyways, sending love and always here to help because i know 1st hand how stressful year 11 is </3

Reply 9

OP

Original post by 3ggfriedrice

If you are stuck on maths I could try help when I’m online. I’m doing A level Maths

oh my goodness - yes please! that would mean a lot😭 i know i’ll never be a maths prodigy, but i at least want to get okay grades in the subject haha. i think my problem is mostly applying knowledge to questions and figuring out how to answer questions that are less straight-forward. i find that, for some reason, the content is so much more attainable in class than in exams, in that i feel like i understand a topic, and then won’t know how to approach it when it becomes higher-level. i’m not sure if that made any sense, but anyways, i will definitely be taking you up on that offer, so thank you so much :smile:

) i need all the help i can get!

good luck!! :grin:

Original post by yemisi.ogun

oh my goodness - yes please! that would mean a lot😭 i know i’ll never be a maths prodigy, but i at least want to get okay grades in the subject haha. i think my problem is mostly applying knowledge to questions and figuring out how to answer questions that are less straight-forward. i find that, for some reason, the content is so much more attainable in class than in exams, in that i feel like i understand a topic, and then won’t know how to approach it when it becomes higher-level. i’m not sure if that made any sense, but anyways, i will definitely be taking you up on that offer, so thank you so much :smile:

) i need all the help i can get!

Yes I get you, same thing happens at any level tbh. Corbett maths is always a good help though, as well as the GCSE Maths Tutor on YouTube. It’s all about opening your mind to problem-solving and trying not just use knowledge from a certain topic area but from across the entire course, because bigger problems aim to incorporate more than one maths skill, hence why they are worth more marks. Always do question after question until you get better bc maths is just a load of practise. What maths topics do you feel you are worse at?

Reply 12

Icosagon

21

Original post by yemisi.ogun

omg yes ofc i’ll tag you! i’d love to even and appreciate you taking interest in my blog☺️☺️ but no i totally get how you’re feeling! it seems so surreal that in literally a few months, i have to sit these really important exams, and i don’t feel like i’m capable of that yet. mentally, i’m still in year 9, where my “normal” secondary life stopped (with covid and everything). but please try not to feel overwhelmed :smile:

if you take it slow and steady, you’ll definitely be able to achieve the grades you want! i can elaborate in a different post if you’d like, as i’m currently working on ways i can revise and stuff without feeling burnt out and overwhelmed? and also, if you need any help with textiles in any way, please let me know and i’ll see if i can help! i’m sure there are subjects you’re better at than me, so maybe you can help me out too? a mutual exchange haha! anyways, sending love and always here to help because i know 1st hand how stressful year 11 is </3

I totally agree with you on the year 9 thing - it’s crazy how quickly the time flew by and I feel like I haven’t changed at all!
Thank you so much - that sounds absolutely great! Lots of love :love:

Reply 13

OP

Original post by flaurie

good luck!! :grin:

thank you so much! :hugs:

I really appreciate it! <3

Reply 14

OP

Original post by 3ggfriedrice

Yes I get you, same thing happens at any level tbh. Corbett maths is always a good help though, as well as the GCSE Maths Tutor on YouTube. It’s all about opening your mind to problem-solving and trying not just use knowledge from a certain topic area but from across the entire course, because bigger problems aim to incorporate more than one maths skill, hence why they are worth more marks. Always do question after question until you get better bc maths is just a load of practise. What maths topics do you feel you are worse at?

that makes a lot of sense, thank you! being able to apply more than one topic to a question and problem solve better is something I'm definitely working on :smile:

I have heard of Corbett maths and GCSE Maths Tutor, and have used them occasionally, but never consistently, which is something I'll start doing! In terms of the topics I struggle the most with, I'd say Graphs, Trig and Shape stuff are definitely up there. I think with the topic of shapes, I mostly fall short with equations and when it connects with things like trigonometry. Inequalities and direct and indirect proportion also confuse me quite a bit also. I think that may be partly due to learning those topics solely in lockdown and never completely wrapping my head around them. But nothing else really comes to mind here! I'm also trying to brush up on my general maths skills so I make fewer silly mistakes haha!

Reply 15

Original post by yemisi.ogun

that makes a lot of sense, thank you! being able to apply more than one topic to a question and problem solve better is something I'm definitely working on :smile:

I have heard of Corbett maths and GCSE Maths Tutor, and have used them occasionally, but never consistently, which is something I'll start doing! In terms of the topics I struggle the most with, I'd say Graphs, Trig and Shape stuff are definitely up there. I think with the topic of shapes, I mostly fall short with equations and when it connects with things like trigonometry. Inequalities and direct and indirect proportion also confuse me quite a bit also. I think that may be partly due to learning those topics solely in lockdown and never completely wrapping my head around them. But nothing else really comes to mind here! I'm also trying to brush up on my general maths skills so I make fewer silly mistakes haha!

UGHHH I HATE SILLY MISTAKES!!

anyways yes I hate trig graphs and transformations oml -_-

Remember the formulae for direct proportion (y = kx , where k is a constant) and indirect (y = k/x)

Trig is a case of remembering the values - you can also work these out but I can’t remember how the teacher explained. You could search this up to gain a more in depth explanation into the trig values. The sin and cos values are reverse of each other, which helped me remember them.

The equations are just a load of practise. Can you remember the sine and cosine rule? There is also the A = 1/2absinC for a triangle area.

Something which may be useful is try do most questions without a calculator, unless it states otherwise. This will help with basic maths skills.

I just had a lesson on inequalities and they are funnnn 😂 you treat them like normal equations but keep the < or > symbol throughout. Always be careful if you have to flip the sign. In GCSE Corbettmaths was a good help with quadratic inequalities (if that’s the name for it).

If you get stuck on any maths hw or questions do send them and I will try reply soon as I can :smile:

Reply 16

OP

Original post by 3ggfriedrice

UGHHH I HATE SILLY MISTAKES!!

anyways yes I hate trig graphs and transformations oml -_-

Remember the formulae for direct proportion (y = kx , where k is a constant) and indirect (y = k/x)

Trig is a case of remembering the values - you can also work these out but I can’t remember how the teacher explained. You could search this up to gain a more in depth explanation into the trig values. The sin and cos values are reverse of each other, which helped me remember them.

The equations are just a load of practise. Can you remember the sine and cosine rule? There is also the A = 1/2absinC for a triangle area.

Something which may be useful is try do most questions without a calculator, unless it states otherwise. This will help with basic maths skills.

I just had a lesson on inequalities and they are funnnn 😂 you treat them like normal equations but keep the < or > symbol throughout. Always be careful if you have to flip the sign. In GCSE Corbettmaths was a good help with quadratic inequalities (if that’s the name for it).

If you get stuck on any maths hw or questions do send them and I will try reply soon as I can :smile:

thanks so much for this! it’s super helpful <3

I can’t lie, the formulae for direct and indirection proportion really really confuse me😭 i don’t know what goes where, what k is, and what is meant by “where k is a constant” T_T I can figure out direct and indirect proportion questions using logic and basic maths skills sometimes, but obviously, that doesn’t always work.

Yes! I’m trying to remember the values for trig! there’s a hand method that I was taught by one teacher, but my other teacher says it sucks and is too fiddly, so I think I will just try to have them committed to memory lol! (I have two maths teachers in case you’re wondering!) I get basic trig for the most part, I just start to struggle more with the really precise, number-y, equation-y stuff.

I most definitely cannot cannot remember the sine and cosine rule, but that’s just my memory skills being impaired, so I should hope I can get that memorised soon enough 😅

And the “don’t use a calculator when not necessary” thing is SO HELPFUL! I am so reliant on my calculator when there’s no need for me to be, which may be hindering my general mathematic skills, so I’ll deffo take that on board! thank you so much! <3

And yeah, equalities are okay - i just started to get fumbled when the graph stuff comes up😭 But what do you mean by “if you have to flip the sign”? Under what circumstances would I have to, if you don’t mind explaining?

Thank you so so much once again! You’re a lifesaver😇

Reply 17

OP

Weekly Big Update! (Every Sunday)

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating much throughout the week! This one was quite hectic! However, welcome to my very first big update on this blog! If you're unaware, throughout the week, I will be giving mini-updates on micro-events and other bits and bobs that happen throughout, and on Sundays, I will give a larger, more holistic reflection on the week, whilst looking forward to the one ahead and also covering any study activities! from that weekend!

Before I start, there are some things I forgot to update you on during the week so I will quickly catch you up now!

Last Week
I had an English Language Practice Test two Thursdays ago, which I considered went quite well! Usually, my time management is terrible and I don't distribute my time accordingly to how many marks the question is actually worth, meaning that sometimes I spend more time on the 8-mark question than on the 16-marker. This time I was actually able to get a good body of writing for the 16-mark question however and felt pretty confident. My English teacher came in the following Thursday though (the one a few days ago) and told us we'd have to all re-sit the test the following day (Friday) as some of the scores weren't good enough to put on the system and to be used in our sixth form applications. I got 29/40, which is a grade 8, so not bad, but it's not an astonishing score either for someone who prides themselves on being a top English student (I usually get top marks of the class) and my Q4, the 16-mark one, still fell kinda flat. I will let you know what my improved score is though!

Further, last week, my drama teacher told me and my group, who I'm working on a devised piece of theatre with to be performed and graded as part of our GCSE next month, that we have to completely restart as we didn't do the task correctly, meaning we have a month to create a performance from scratch, and completely discard of the one we've been working on since May. Yes. May. And we're only now being told we have to get rid of our work and start over both the physical performance, but the extremely important, mark-heavy portfolio also. I'm honestly terrified, I feel extremely overwhelmed and I'm angry we had been left unsupervised, delving further and further into our piece with the wrong foundation, and not being told this until a month before we get examined!!

<---- How I'm feeling right now.

Granted, our teacher was absent for many weeks towards the end of the previous academic year due to personal issues and therefore couldn't start this body of work with us, but I do feel like more effort could have been put in to offer us support. Like, the cover teachers we were supplied during that period never had a clue what they were doing, and since they weren't drama teachers/professionals, couldn't offer us much meaningful advice. What is even more annoying is that there's only one drama teacher in our school. And that one teacher had to take such a long break in one of the most pivotal stages of my academic life (for no fault of her own obviously, though it's still annoying). Anyways, rant over. I will keep on updated on this process along the way.

Now that's done we can move on!

I don't really have much else to say at the moment, so I guess I'll move straight onto my goals for the coming week:

Next Week's Goals

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That's all I can think of at the moment! I'll be back next week to tick off everything I managed to complete (which hopefully is everything :h:

!)

So with that, I think I'm done with this Sunday blog! I hope as time goes on, I'll have more to talk about (especially regarding things like revision techniques, organisation, what's working for me and what isn't etc.), but for now, I'll leave it here. Thanks so much for reading - see you soon! <3

___________________________________________________________________________

If you'd like to be sent a notification every time I create another post, let me know, and I'll tag you below!

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(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 18

OP

Mid-week Update: Monday 27th September 2021!

I barely got 5 hours of sleep last night, so today was a struggle to say the absolute least! I typed a huge (okay, not that huge, but huge to me!) blog post for my GyG, tried to post it, lost the internet and hence “lost” everything I wrote when the page wouldn’t refresh, sobbed for like 30 minutes, got yelled at by my mother because I was so loud, I woke her up (yes, I was genuinely that distraught. In my defence though, I spent around 40 minutes writing it), was able to retrieve my writing (very easily, actually. It’s something I have thought of from the very beginning), meaning I worked myself up for zero reasons, posted it, and finally went to bed looking and feeling like an absolute fool :dontknow:

My eyelids were heavy the entirety of the day and every second, I felt myself getting seduced further into hitting snooze haha! :bored:

It doesn’t help that I had relatively boring subjects also - Geography, Maths, English (less boring), Chemistry and Science. They’re okay individually but in that combination? Deadly for one’s attention span (or at least mine because I can’t completely say that everyone struggles in the manner that I do lol).

Regardless, I survived! :aetsch:

And I get to live another day, so today, I aim to get enough sleep to sustain the day. Sleep at 10, wake up at 6, giving me 8 beautiful, beautiful hours of rest and sweet dreams, which I think should be enough? I do really want to fix my sleep routine, as I don’t want lack of sleep to negatively affect my education. How much sleep do you guys get per day roughly?

Moving on: I did a geography "end of topic" test on (UK) Coastlines a week or so ago, and got the results back today! The results are…………. *drum roll*

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It was a very short test because, in the actual exam, it’s worth very few marks and holds little weight, so my geography teacher had to combine as many questions on the topic as she could find.

I’ve also got a chemistry test coming next Monday, so revision starts for that as soon as I get caught up-to-date with my Textiles Portfolio (I’ll insert a few pages of it in a spoiler down below as I really am quite proud of how it’s progressing) and begin my drama portfolio again from scratch (I still can’t believe I’ve got less than a month to complete everything :bawling:

</3 See my last post if you're wondering what I mean (My Sunday update!))

Textiles Portfolio Highlights:

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Today was also the first day I used my new day folder!

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A really cool friend of mine that is now off at uni made the label for me! :heart:

their insta handle is @yellowlemonstudy in case you’re curious! they make a bunch of study content! Anyways, I’m not really sure what to put it in - I only know as far as that I’ll do work and revision in here, and file it in the designated subject folder later on - but it’s the first step to me becoming more organised, so I’ll figure it out! Let me know what kind of stuff you think I should put in there or how I should organise myself, as that’d be incredibly helpful! Thank you!

Lastly, I was able to complete my daily Tassomai exercises in Maths, Science and English today, so I’m already off to a great start in doing them daily for greater information retention and understanding :smile:

Okay well, that’s it for today’s update (which turned out longer than I expected haha). I will see you in my next update!

___________________________________________________________________________

If you'd like to be sent a notification every time I create another post, let me know, and I'll tag you below!

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(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 19