The Student Room Group

Gcse

Im slightly sad

I feel stupid like im not intelligent enough and everyone else is. I find studying so hard and depressing…i struggle with my mental health.

I have mocks from nov 4 ..

My predicted grades that i was given…felt insulting but were also reasonable

Predicted grades

English language 5
Lit 6
Science 55
Spanish 5
Geography 6
German 5
Maths 5
Spanish 5
Art 3

And those are the same grades i got in the year 10 mock with minimal revision

How do you survive year 11 without being a failure when everything feels depressing

I want higher grades
Original post by Depressed686
Im slightly sad
I feel stupid like im not intelligent enough and everyone else is. I find studying so hard and depressing…i struggle with my mental health.
I have mocks from nov 4 ..
My predicted grades that i was given…felt insulting but were also reasonable
Predicted grades
English language 5
Lit 6
Science 55
Spanish 5
Geography 6
German 5
Maths 5
Spanish 5
Art 3
And those are the same grades i got in the year 10 mock with minimal revision
How do you survive year 11 without being a failure when everything feels depressing
I want higher grades

firstly fix your mindset, gcses are not about natural intelligence its about hard work and if you can work hard consistently everyday w a positive mindset by romanticising your love for learning im telling u that u can definitely open ur results next august and see all 9s and 8s
Original post by Depressed686
Im slightly sad
I feel stupid like im not intelligent enough and everyone else is. I find studying so hard and depressing…i struggle with my mental health.
I have mocks from nov 4 ..
My predicted grades that i was given…felt insulting but were also reasonable
Predicted grades
English language 5
Lit 6
Science 55
Spanish 5
Geography 6
German 5
Maths 5
Spanish 5
Art 3
And those are the same grades i got in the year 10 mock with minimal revision
How do you survive year 11 without being a failure when everything feels depressing
I want higher grades

I am currently in year 11, I have just sat my first lot of mocks (currently awaiting the grades).

In year 7 I always felt stupid, I think mainly because I surrounded myself with smart people, and although I was always hard working, my results never reflected it. The one think that I have learned through years 7-10 is that it doesn't matter what level you are currently working at, as long as you are working hard to get the grades you want.

Now for some more practical advice:

•

English language is a tricky subject, barely anyone's favourite, but I would say i'm not bad at it. The one thing you need to try and do is create a systematic approach that works for you. What I mean by this, is create a logical, step-by-step guide to answer each question. Depending what exam board you are, (i'm AQA) this will apply slightly differently, but, each paper should follow a similar format (for questions 1, 2, 3 etc.) Ask your teacher if you are unsure, try to make flashcards that have acronyms to help you approach each question (e.g PEEL, PETAZL, or DPCRN - for creative writing). I also recommend having a word bank on hand when answering questions, this way you are more likely to pick up marks for ambitious vocabulary!

•

English Lit: KNOW THE TEXTS! I know it sounds silly (and pointless) but teachers tell you to re-read the texts you learn for a reason, they want you to know the text like the back of your hand, so that when you are in that exam you feel confident about the given material. I would say english lit. is about finding the little things in a text that others don't. The way to do this? PRACTICE. highlight and annotate the copy you have of each text. This is so it becomes easier (and saves time in the exam) finding your quotes and analysing them.

•

Science: I take combined science gcse and the one thing I would say that has helped me is spotting patterns in the mark schemes. They don't expect you to write loads in science. Flashcards help to learn little bits, Seneca and other active recall helps if you want to try cover lots of content in shorter periods. But the game changer for me was reviewing mark schemes and seeing how the examiners want us to approach each question, this has really helped me (with the acception of a few horrible questions - examiners love to throw them in sometimes)

•

Maths: ever since primary I had always struggled more with maths than any other subject. But overtime it does become easier. There is no short cut to knowing the content - just practice questions. However, if you are stressed and running out of time before your next set of mocks, this is what I recommend: find your weakest areas and PRACTICE. Often when revising, we skip the topics we hate, but this is not beneficial in the long term. Instead, go through a past paper (or look at your exam spec.) and see which topics you struggle with the most. Then go through lots of questions similar to them for practice.

•

(I don't take art, spanish, german or geography - but some of the stuff I have previously mentioned will apply!)

Hope this helps!

Reply 3
tysm for this btw xx
Reply 4
Original post by Depressed686
Im slightly sad
I feel stupid like im not intelligent enough and everyone else is. I find studying so hard and depressing…i struggle with my mental health.
I have mocks from nov 4 ..
My predicted grades that i was given…felt insulting but were also reasonable
Predicted grades
English language 5
Lit 6
Science 55
Spanish 5
Geography 6
German 5
Maths 5
Spanish 5
Art 3
And those are the same grades i got in the year 10 mock with minimal revision
How do you survive year 11 without being a failure when everything feels depressing
I want higher grades

im in year 11, taking my maths gcse in 3 weeks and my mocks are in a month today. i cannot fully relate to your situation but i can in some sense. feel free to msg me anytime xx
Original post by Depressed686
Im slightly sad
I feel stupid like im not intelligent enough and everyone else is. I find studying so hard and depressing…i struggle with my mental health.
I have mocks from nov 4 ..
My predicted grades that i was given…felt insulting but were also reasonable
Predicted grades
English language 5
Lit 6
Science 55
Spanish 5
Geography 6
German 5
Maths 5
Spanish 5
Art 3
And those are the same grades i got in the year 10 mock with minimal revision
How do you survive year 11 without being a failure when everything feels depressing
I want higher grades

Someone's also alr said this but mindset is a huge part. Believing in yourself when things get tough is sooo hard and trust me i've been there. Take things step by step, because if you want to see big results that's the only way how. You probably won't go from a 5 to a 9 overnight but if you put in an extra 1% everyday then you're gonna see a big change over time. Be proud of yourself for what you've achieved so far and just keep working at what you're doing. Don't compare yourself to others (ik its rlly hard!!) bc that's only gonna get you down. i believe in you and u can do this! if u need any help feel free to msg me and i can give you some extra subject-specific advice.

Quick Reply