my experience at a grammar sixth form: help

well almost done w one half term of y12. i got all 9s in gcses and coming to a grammar school from a *****y state school for sixth form has surely been nothing short of a shock. everyone is so smart everyone knows everything and i feel like i didnt deserve getting all 9s at all😭. we've had some mini exams in bio and maths and i didn't perform as well as i wanted (18/25 on a logs and modelling exam and 18/23 on a bio exam) but i was reassured they werent too important since theyre just to see where/how well we are doing and wont be used for predicteds or anything. also im being HEAVILY humbled in lessons to the point i barely put my hand up- so many sweats its actually terrifying me😭. i feel like im falling behind or not keeping up to speed w most my classmates, and i honestly dont know what to do😭 how can i cope with this?

Reply 1

Muttley79

20

Original post by magic-monument

well almost done w one half term of y12. i got all 9s in gcses and coming to a grammar school from a *****y state school for sixth form has surely been nothing short of a shock. everyone is so smart everyone knows everything and i feel like i didnt deserve getting all 9s at all😭. we've had some mini exams in bio and maths and i didn't perform as well as i wanted (18/25 on a logs and modelling exam and 18/23 on a bio exam) but i was reassured they werent too important since theyre just to see where/how well we are doing and wont be used for predicteds or anything. also im being HEAVILY humbled in lessons to the point i barely put my hand up- so many sweats its actually terrifying me😭. i feel like im falling behind or not keeping up to speed w most my classmates, and i honestly dont know what to do😭 how can i cope with this?

Grammar schools vary enormously - better to feel challenged than think you are doing well at A level and end up with Cs.

Give it time.

Reply 2

username7315759

0

10

Original post by magic-monument

well almost done w one half term of y12. i got all 9s in gcses and coming to a grammar school from a *****y state school for sixth form has surely been nothing short of a shock. everyone is so smart everyone knows everything and i feel like i didnt deserve getting all 9s at all😭. we've had some mini exams in bio and maths and i didn't perform as well as i wanted (18/25 on a logs and modelling exam and 18/23 on a bio exam) but i was reassured they werent too important since theyre just to see where/how well we are doing and wont be used for predicteds or anything. also im being HEAVILY humbled in lessons to the point i barely put my hand up- so many sweats its actually terrifying me😭. i feel like im falling behind or not keeping up to speed w most my classmates, and i honestly dont know what to do😭 how can i cope with this?

Hello, I am sorry to hear that, but the thing you can do is utilise the upcoming half term break by catching up with contents in maths and biology and going over topics you find struggling. For instance, for Maths you can use Dr frost maths to go over PowerPoints (Mainly Pearson Edexcel) for each topics you need help with. You can also watch youtubers like Zeeshan Zamurred, Bicen maths or Haberdashers if you don't understand things from the topic. They go through questions by providing step by step examples. Also try to make use of the Pearson Edexcel textbook. That is the most essential tool to revise. There are questions within it that are marked exam style and they are the likely style questions to come up in Exam papers, topic tests etc. There are additional tools like PMT, MADASMATHS and EXAMSOLUTIONS you can use for extra practice. Try to remember to work at your own pace and don't wait for your teachers to teach you stuff, just go ahead with the chapters.

Although I don't study Biology, you can try watching FreeScienceLessons on YouTube. He explains things pretty well. Its always better to have a textbook to guide you with the subject, and remember to get one from the Exam board themselves as their key points in the book are more likely to resemble the ones in the Mark scheme. You can also try consider getting CGP instead. That book is also good and acceptable. Make notes and flashcards for topics which you find tough and do the questions that are found at the end of the textbook until you mastered them. I also suggest you go through the topics you find easy and attempt questions from there to give extra practice. Also try to use online resources like PMT , e.t.c. for extra revision.

Hope that helps,
Good luck !

(edited 1 month ago)

Original post by magic-monument

well almost done w one half term of y12. i got all 9s in gcses and coming to a grammar school from a *****y state school for sixth form has surely been nothing short of a shock. everyone is so smart everyone knows everything and i feel like i didnt deserve getting all 9s at all😭. we've had some mini exams in bio and maths and i didn't perform as well as i wanted (18/25 on a logs and modelling exam and 18/23 on a bio exam) but i was reassured they werent too important since theyre just to see where/how well we are doing and wont be used for predicteds or anything. also im being HEAVILY humbled in lessons to the point i barely put my hand up- so many sweats its actually terrifying me😭. i feel like im falling behind or not keeping up to speed w most my classmates, and i honestly dont know what to do😭 how can i cope with this?

Those marks are by no means "bad"! Are you not putting your hand up because you don't know the answer or because you fear judgement from your peers?

I went to a grammar school from yrs 7-13, so although my experience is not the same as yours, I have some experience of what the culture can be like there. It is very competitive and I definitely used to compare myself to others, but it does nothing except make you feel rubbish about yourself. The main piece of advice I would give would to just focus on yourself, that's how you will improve the most.

Reply 4

Wired_1800

20

Original post by Muttley79

Grammar schools vary enormously - better to feel challenged than think you are doing well at A level and end up with Cs.
Give it time.

Best to know that state Grammar schools vary enormously.

Reply 5

Wired_1800

20

Original post by magic-monument

well almost done w one half term of y12. i got all 9s in gcses and coming to a grammar school from a *****y state school for sixth form has surely been nothing short of a shock. everyone is so smart everyone knows everything and i feel like i didnt deserve getting all 9s at all😭. we've had some mini exams in bio and maths and i didn't perform as well as i wanted (18/25 on a logs and modelling exam and 18/23 on a bio exam) but i was reassured they werent too important since theyre just to see where/how well we are doing and wont be used for predicteds or anything. also im being HEAVILY humbled in lessons to the point i barely put my hand up- so many sweats its actually terrifying me😭. i feel like im falling behind or not keeping up to speed w most my classmates, and i honestly dont know what to do😭 how can i cope with this?

Dont worry about it. It’s important to be challenged and stretched to compete against the very best.

Reply 6

Muttley79

20

Original post by Wired_1800

Best to know that state Grammar schools vary enormously.

Yes - some select on score, some don't. Some counties like Bucks and Kent still have the selective system, others like Essex and Gloucs have a few and the test is opt-in.

Some Grammars have great pastoral care and they are the ones to aim for - academic excellence and effective support.

Reply 7

Wired_1800

20

Original post by Muttley79

Yes - some select on score, some don't. Some counties like Bucks and Kent still have the selective system, others like Essex and Gloucs have a few and the test is opt-in.
Some Grammars have great pastoral care and they are the ones to aim for - academic excellence and effective support.

I agree.

Reply 8

snowblob

8

Hey there! Please do not compare yourself to others at your sixth form! You should instead try to get the best out of this environment and benefit from the good work ethic. I can say that the 'sweats' are probably just all talk - a lot of people will try to intimidate others into thinking they're unbeatably smart but that's simply just not true. Everyone's in the same boat and A Levels are difficult for everyone - it's just that some people are better at hiding this than others. Remember, you got into this sixth form because you deserved to. Best of luck!

Reply 9

LightHades

8

I've been in a grammar school since yr7 (I'm in year 13 now) and I assure you, you are no less intelligent than the people around you. I know that because you got all 9s at GCSE which is incredibly difficult, and not something many people in your school will be able to boast. Grammar schools are competitive and it can definitely lead to feeling out of place, but everyone's in the same boat - when you've been at one for 5-6 years you get very good at hiding how difficult you're finding things, so don't worry about it! You deserve to be there as much as anyone else. And don't worry over those test results, for starters they're not even bad, but I get that you may've expected more from yourself. It's the start of year 12 and you're in a completely new environment - you're going to hit a couple of bumps, but you'll settle in soon enough!

Reply 10

Muttley79

20

Original post by LightHades

I've been in a grammar school since yr7 (I'm in year 13 now) and I assure you, you are no less intelligent than the people around you. I know that because you got all 9s at GCSE which is incredibly difficult, and not something many people in your school will be able to boast. Grammar schools are competitive and it can definitely lead to feeling out of place, but everyone's in the same boat - when you've been at one for 5-6 years you get very good at hiding how difficult you're finding things, so don't worry about it! You deserve to be there as much as anyone else. And don't worry over those test results, for starters they're not even bad, but I get that you may've expected more from yourself. It's the start of year 12 and you're in a completely new environment - you're going to hit a couple of bumps, but you'll settle in soon enough!

Not all Grammars are competitive ...

Reply 11

KWad

11

Overused, but remember the quote "If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room". Is being surrounded by generally intelligent and motivated people a bit intimidating? Yes. Is it good for you? Almost certainly yes. Being around others like you pushes you to achieve the best you can achieve and teaches you a lot.

If you want to get rid of imposter syndrome, then the best thing you can do is work as hard as you can towards all of your subjects and realise that only the top few hundred students in the country achieve all 9s at GCSE. It did not happen by chance, it was not some kind of coin flip, you just worked very hard at all of your subjects and achieved 9s. You may not believe that you worked that hard, but the grades say otherwise (and you should trust the grades).

Reply 12

magic-monument

OP

2

omg thank u everyoneee i acc had a few more mini maths test and got 23/25 and 17/20 in them so this was probably jsut a very panicked post i made thank u guys

my experience at a grammar sixth form: help

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