How hard is it to achieve 6+ in GCSEs?

SO I start my exams soon, and I'm REALLY stressed out because my school has a policy where if you not only don't get 6+ in AT LEAST six subjects, prioritising Maths, English Lit, and English Language, and don't get 7+ in the subjects you're taking in A levels, you get kicked out the school ( which has to do with it being a grammar school - King Edward VI branch). I have so far low grades in my mock and since I want to take Further Maths for A level, I have to get an 8+ in maths. Nearly all the subjects I take I am poor at, scoring only around 50, 60% ( a grade 5 or bare grade 6), so do I have a chance of succeeding?

SO I start my exams soon, and I'm REALLY stressed out because my school has a policy where if you not only don't get 6+ in AT LEAST six subjects, prioritising Maths, English Lit, and English Language, and don't get 7+ in the subjects you're taking in A levels, you get kicked out the school ( which has to do with it being a grammar school - King Edward VI branch). I have so far low grades in my mock and since I want to take Further Maths for A level, I have to get an 8+ in maths. Nearly all the subjects I take I am poor at, scoring only around 50, 60% ( a grade 5 or bare grade 6), so do I have a chance of succeeding?

Hey! I think you def have every chance but you have to really want it and be prepared to start doing the work now! What subjects do you take? I'll give you a brief rundown of my revision technique tips for each subject but if you have something else let me know and I may be able to help. I took my GCSEs two years ago and although they weren't officially set by the government they were very similar and largely compiled of past questions so very comparable.

Maths:
- Practice questions, practice questions, practice questions! Try taking a couple of past papers and then marking them, and look in the contents of your textbook to figure out which topic the questions you struggled with came from. Then do as many practice questions in the text book as you can for each topic you lost marks on - it will honestly make such a difference!

Sciences:
- Again, practice questions make such a difference. Just like practising an instrument or sport, answering exam questions is a skill you have to hone ON TOP of learning the content itself. You'll notice the sciences' markschemes can be quite specific about what they want, particularly any biology qs, so watch out for that and if you haven't quite hit the criteria try to read model answers and learn key phrases the exam board likes
- I also really recommend Seneca and Educake for practice qs, Physics and Maths Tutor for past papers, and freesciencelessons for notes and clear explanations of anything you struggle with

Languages:
- Try and go over any vocab lists you may have and learn those thoroughly, at least from the chosen language into English, if not the other way around.
- Look at formation of any confusing tenses and refresh yourself on agreement if necessary!
- If you take Latin, try to make detailed notes on each grammar point you could be tested on, as you cannot always guess the meaning of a sentence from the vocab alone, as it is a language that mostly does not rely on word order

English Language:
- Practise picking up a book written sometime in the last two centuries, photocopying a random page, and then highlighting and annotating any features of the writing you could talk about. Look out for techniques you can name, and google any technical terms you don't know (e.g. anaphora, polysyndeton, tricolon, alliteration, metaphor etc.)
- Do the same for poetry! Notice different techniques you might see that wouldn't appear in prose (e.g. caesura, enjambment, etc.)

English Lit:
- Try to learn any poems you know you will need to know very thoroughly by printing out a blank copy and trying to write on everything you remember, then adding the things you missed in a different colour.
- Get a friend who is also studying the same texts to test you on quotes and encourage in-jokes and funny links because they will really help you remember things!
- Then make mindmaps of key themes where you write down all related moments, quotes and ideas, then add any you might have forgotten in a different colour

History:
- I found a combination of timelines and mindmaps really helpful, and again look at past questions or questions in your textbook and try to answer them.

I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it is helpful and let me know if you have any other subjects you're worried about.

My main tips are:
- Don't panic, but try and stay as focused as you can. If you get distracted or procrastinate, don't beat yourself up but try and recognise it happening and take regular breaks to limit it (I still haven't mastered this!).
- Practice questions are your best friend! Don't be afraid to dive into a past paper even if you know you don't know the content, as it will really help you identify what you need to work on. Also don't worry about "wasting" a past paper before you know the stuff. There are plenty out there, and if you don't do it now you probably never will anyway! Plus, re-attempting previously tricky questions is great for testing your progress
- Blurting is also a really great tip for seeing what you know. Just write down everything you can on a topic and then compare to the textbook to see what you forgot - that's what you need to look at!
- Above all, try not to stress. I absolutely believe that with enough drive and focus you can get yourself from a 5/6 to a 7/8 or even 9 in a very short space of time!

GOOD LUCK!