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How can I get 7s/8s/9s in GCSEs with my Jan Mocks

I'm panicking because there are only a couple of months left and I'm aiming for 7s and above! I really struggle with STEM subjects (I take triple science), I've never done well in them and I just don't know how to improve. I've started making flashcards with the specification and once I've finished those I'll move onto past papers. However, when I try exam questions I don't understand the questions (especially in Chemistry and Physics) and can never pick up the marks. How can I improve?

Here are what I got in my January mocks:

EDEXCEL IGCSE Biology: 5


EDEXCEL IGCSE Chemistry: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Physics: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Maths: 5


AQA Drama: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lit: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lang: 9


EDEXCEL IGCSE History: 7


AQA German: 7


AQA Spanish: 5


How should I revise to improve my STEM subjects and Spanish and is it possible to move up to 7s in them? How many hours should I be doing after school and on the weekends? Thank you!!
(edited 11 months ago)
Original post by toothless-luxury
I'm panicking because there are only a couple of months left and I'm aiming for 7s and above! I really struggle with STEM subjects (I take triple science), I've never done well in them and I just don't know how to improve. I've started making flashcards with the specification and once I've finished those I'll move onto past papers. However, when I try exam questions I don't understand the questions (especially in Chemistry and Physics) and can never pick up the marks. How can I improve?

Here are what I got in my January mocks:

EDEXCEL IGCSE Biology: 5


EDEXCEL IGCSE Chemistry: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Physics: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Maths: 5


AQA Drama: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lit: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lang: 9


EDEXCEL IGCSE History: 7


AQA German: 7


AQA Spanish: 5


How should I revise to improve my STEM subjects and Spanish and is it possible to move up to 7s in them? How many hours should I be doing after school and on the weekends? Thank you!!

For STEM i would tackle past paper/questions. Before any of that make sure you understand your course content otherwise it would be pointless. You could watch videos etc

Also make sure your maths is good - especially for physics and chemistry e.g rearranging formula.
I would recommend when marking to find out why you got specific questions wrong (got this idea from someone else online). See if the errors are because lack of knowledge, maths, answered it wrong etc. In the mark scheme there are keywords/vocab they are looking for, make sure to learn them as they get you marks if used correctly. Also try make your answers straight to the point to avoid writing too much and potentially wasting time or even accidently not even answering the question.

I would recommend seneca and revisely 🙂
(edited 11 months ago)
spanish:

memrise

quizlet

practice speaking with friends

grammar

translation

listen to spanish music


biology/maths/chemistry/physics:

cognito

seneca learning

past papers

save my exams

physics and maths tutor

maths genie

Oh really
How will 2025 chemistry exams
Reply 5
Original post by toothless-luxury
I'm panicking because there are only a couple of months left and I'm aiming for 7s and above! I really struggle with STEM subjects (I take triple science), I've never done well in them and I just don't know how to improve. I've started making flashcards with the specification and once I've finished those I'll move onto past papers. However, when I try exam questions I don't understand the questions (especially in Chemistry and Physics) and can never pick up the marks. How can I improve?
Here are what I got in my January mocks:

EDEXCEL IGCSE Biology: 5


EDEXCEL IGCSE Chemistry: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Physics: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Maths: 5


AQA Drama: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lit: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lang: 9


EDEXCEL IGCSE History: 7


AQA German: 7


AQA Spanish: 5


How should I revise to improve my STEM subjects and Spanish and is it possible to move up to 7s in them? How many hours should I be doing after school and on the weekends? Thank you!!

for maths go to pmt and i would watch the walkthrough of the papers whilst doing the question. if you get the question wrong revise the topic until you get 10 of those topics question right that are of reasonable level.
cognito is my holy grail for sciences - if i have a week or longer to revise, i go through every cognito video + the questions on the website, blurt everything i remember, memorise practicals with brute force, then do questions and past papers.

for any topic i don’t understand i repeat the cognito topic and do more questions, specifically on that topic
Original post by toothless-luxury
I'm panicking because there are only a couple of months left and I'm aiming for 7s and above! I really struggle with STEM subjects (I take triple science), I've never done well in them and I just don't know how to improve. I've started making flashcards with the specification and once I've finished those I'll move onto past papers. However, when I try exam questions I don't understand the questions (especially in Chemistry and Physics) and can never pick up the marks. How can I improve?
Here are what I got in my January mocks:

EDEXCEL IGCSE Biology: 5


EDEXCEL IGCSE Chemistry: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Physics: 4


EDEXCEL IGCSE Maths: 5


AQA Drama: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lit: 7


EDEXCEL IGCSE English Lang: 9


EDEXCEL IGCSE History: 7


AQA German: 7


AQA Spanish: 5


How should I revise to improve my STEM subjects and Spanish and is it possible to move up to 7s in them? How many hours should I be doing after school and on the weekends? Thank you!!

Hey @toothless-luxury,

If you have mock exams in January, I'd recommend roughly two to three hours a revision of night with breaks over the Christmas period.

In terms of understanding past paper questions, the more past papers you complete, the easier the questions are to understand. Have a mark scheme beside you and work your way through the mark scheme after you complete each paper: whatever questions you got wrong initially, re-try each one working backwards with the answer. Eventually you'll pick up what the wording of each question is asking you to do and you'll need to re-try less and less questions.

For any topics you're struggling with in your STEM subjects, there should be online teaching resources available through YouTube/other sites recommended by users above. Sometimes teachers can explain topics in a way that makes it difficult for students to understand what's happening, but another source might be able to explain it in a completely different and maybe more cohesive way - I always found this to be the case with some of the GCSE Maths content.

Best of luck with your upcoming mocks!
Eve (Kingston Rep).

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