The Student Room Group

Struggling at all GCSE courses

Hi my name is Ben. I'm new here so sorry if I make a mistake or mess up anyhow.

So im currently really struggling with basically all of my core subjects which are below:
-Science
-English
-Maths < (this is a big one i'm horrible at it)

I try really hard in class but I just don't seem to be getting any better. I have terrible anxiety which limits my thinking power significantly whilst taking exams or even doing casual coursework. I struggle to revise and due to anxiety, forget everything almost all the time anyway.

This and much more has sent me into a pretty nasty "depression" which has unfortunately completely destroyed the little motivation I once had towards school. This has completely ruined my dreams to become a pilot because as i'm going on now, I find almost impossible to believe that one day I will actually be a pilot (or even have a good job)

I just don't know what to do or who to turn to anymore.

If anyone could give me some advice or just talk, I would really appreciate it. Once again sorry if I messed up with the forum thing, I find them rather daunting xD

-Ben ^-^
Original post by irrelevantbxn
Hi my name is Ben. I'm new here so sorry if I make a mistake or mess up anyhow.

So im currently really struggling with basically all of my core subjects which are below:
-Science
-English
-Maths < (this is a big one i'm horrible at it)

I try really hard in class but I just don't seem to be getting any better. I have terrible anxiety which limits my thinking power significantly whilst taking exams or even doing casual coursework. I struggle to revise and due to anxiety, forget everything almost all the time anyway.

This and much more has sent me into a pretty nasty "depression" which has unfortunately completely destroyed the little motivation I once had towards school. This has completely ruined my dreams to become a pilot because as i'm going on now, I find almost impossible to believe that one day I will actually be a pilot (or even have a good job)

I just don't know what to do or who to turn to anymore.

If anyone could give me some advice or just talk, I would really appreciate it. Once again sorry if I messed up with the forum thing, I find them rather daunting xD

-Ben ^-^

Hi Ben! :hi:
You put this thread in exactly the right place, don't worry! This has inadvertently turned into a 20 questions, sorry!

What exactly do you struggle with? Is it the understanding and comprehension or ability to write quick enough? (That's a biggie for me in English). How does your anxiety limit your thoughts processes? (Sorry for being nosy).
How do you revise currently and have you tried any othe methods or techniques (breaking down revision sessions into 25 minute chunks and then have a 5 min break etc. Colour coding notes / making mindmaps).

Never give up :smile: even when things are really tough, keep pushing to reach your goal - you're lucky, you know what you want to do, and so you can keep striving to reach it :yep:
Good luck, and sorry again for the multitude of questions :biggrin:
Original post by laurawatt
Hi Ben! :hi:
You put this thread in exactly the right place, don't worry! This has inadvertently turned into a 20 questions, sorry!

What exactly do you struggle with? Is it the understanding and comprehension or ability to write quick enough? (That's a biggie for me in English). How does your anxiety limit your thoughts processes? (Sorry for being nosy).
How do you revise currently and have you tried any othe methods or techniques (breaking down revision sessions into 25 minute chunks and then have a 5 min break etc. Colour coding notes / making mindmaps).

Never give up :smile: even when things are really tough, keep pushing to reach your goal - you're lucky, you know what you want to do, and so you can keep striving to reach it :yep:
Good luck, and sorry again for the multitude of questions :biggrin:


Hey!

well thats good! ^-^

I mostly struggle with the anxiety bit, I constantly think to myself that im going to fail or do badly which in reality happens. But im also generally terrible at maths and cant comprehend/figure out anything. I can write quick enough and all though. The anxiety/anxious thoughts flood my mind and completely destroy my thought processes when trying to figure out a math question for example. I have tried lots of different revision methods but none seem to work.
Hiya,
My older sister struggled with the same kind of problem at GCSE. Try and keep positive and confident about your work. It is easier said than done but ultimately it will help you in your final exam. Baby steps, organise the topics that you find most difficult and start by alternating between the hard topics and easier topics. It really boosts your confidence when you finally understand something.
I'd also start practicing with the exam questions. Honestly, when it comes to maths, practicing the questions is the thing that helps most because the concepts are repeated in like every test. If you find it it hard to understand, maybe find a tutor or ask your teacher to hep you out at maths. If it really comes down to it, memorising the concepts is also an option though it might get a bit complicated. Also go through your old tests and see what areas went wrong, idk about your school but mine tends to reuse questions from year 10 end of year/term tests so it would be a good idea to go through them.
With Science, the CGP books are good with the AQA syllabus (ns what your school is doing). It comes with test papers and questions which are super helpful and the explanations are wayyy better than the school textbook.
I don't know whether any of this helps but I genuinely hope that you gain confidence and do well. GCSEs aren't everything and your mental health is more important than your grades, take care :smile:
Original post by irrelevantbxn
Hi my name is Ben. I'm new here so sorry if I make a mistake or mess up anyhow.

So im currently really struggling with basically all of my core subjects which are below:
-Science
-English
-Maths < (this is a big one i'm horrible at it)

I try really hard in class but I just don't seem to be getting any better. I have terrible anxiety which limits my thinking power significantly whilst taking exams or even doing casual coursework. I struggle to revise and due to anxiety, forget everything almost all the time anyway.

This and much more has sent me into a pretty nasty "depression" which has unfortunately completely destroyed the little motivation I once had towards school. This has completely ruined my dreams to become a pilot because as i'm going on now, I find almost impossible to believe that one day I will actually be a pilot (or even have a good job)

I just don't know what to do or who to turn to anymore.

If anyone could give me some advice or just talk, I would really appreciate it. Once again sorry if I messed up with the forum thing, I find them rather daunting xD

-Ben ^-^


Hey Ben, I'm taking GCSE maths this year too and understand what you're going through. Do you have revision guides? I use the CGP ones and they help a lot. I also panic before exams (I got a nose bleed last time because I was that stressed :biggrin:) so I kind of know what you mean when you say you go into that "depression". I'm L8 atm and predicted L9 in maths so if you need help on something, I'll help!
:smile:
Hi! First of all, don't worry about it- the fact that you're trying to make a change shows something! For maths I would advise practice practice practise- and yeah i know it sounds really annoying and really stupid but the only way to get better is to keep going at it! For essay subjects such as English and subjects which require long thought out answers i would advise looking at model answers (maybe ask your teachers for some, I'm sure they'll be willing to help) or even just search online for them because its all about exam technique- if you read enough then try and incorporate certain things that you like about the way they answered into your answers then it tends to help quite a bit! For maths I really wouldn't advise anything other than doing past papers and questions repeatedly and if you get the answers wrong make sure you go over it and understand ( if you really don't understand something again ask your teachers about it).

If you're still struggling, I would watch some of Eve Bennett's Youtube Study Channel- I think its called Study with Eve - but basically her channel was an absolute lifesaver for gcses and mocks- she has separate videos about how to study each topic and I found them so so so helpful with my revision! ( She also got all A*s at gcse if you're not convinced... :tongue:)

Good luck!
Reply 6
Hey Ben - have you had a test for dyslexia? There could be a reason for your difficulties - and they sound very like my daughters - dyslexia is a learning difficulty way more complex than just a few letters mixed up. It affects memory, processing speed, spelling and in the end, confidence. Get a test and you might find you need more help and to learn in a different way.

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