In need of serious help gcse failed everything
I’ve just got my november mocks back for year 11 and i have failed everything. I am so upset as i did revise and failed everything especially my sciences i currently do separate higher but am considering switching to combined higher or even foundation. Can anyone tell me if that could improve my grades or if they are relatively the same and what my best option would be at this stage. Is anyone or was in the same situation as me. At this point i am not sure what i want to do or if i will even be able to pass anything. Any help would be appreciated thank you very much.
Reply 1
i'd imagine one of the worst parts of this is how overwhelming it is, so i'm gonna try and help you figure out where to start (i can only really help for maths and the sciences though)
GCSE sciences are very much "memorise enough stuff and you'll pass" kind of deal, you've still got plenty of time till your exams (i think, assuming they're in like july), i recommend that you find notes, turn them into flashcards using a spaced repetition app such as anki, then start doing questions and exam papers under timed conditions
some resources here:
https://isaacscience.org/physics/gcse/concepts (physics only, has notes and some interactive questions)
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/ (all three sciences, has notes, pre-made flashcards and exam questions, legendary resource)
For maths I recommend you find a channel covering the entire syllabus in a way that you understand (there's so many out there you can be really picky), then just go through all their videos, making flashcards as before, making sure you understand things and start doing questions:
some resources here:
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/ (has past exam questions and papers)
if you're not sure where to start looking to get a good grasp on the syllabus, try TLMaths, doctor frost, corbett maths, maths genie, (maybe even khanacademy)
if you need me to elaborate on anything lmk,
gl
•
have you got the papers back so you can see exactly what went wrong on each?
•
you said you revised but still failed, the best way to proceed is probably to see it as a learning opportunity that your current revision techniques aren't working and can them,
GCSE sciences are very much "memorise enough stuff and you'll pass" kind of deal, you've still got plenty of time till your exams (i think, assuming they're in like july), i recommend that you find notes, turn them into flashcards using a spaced repetition app such as anki, then start doing questions and exam papers under timed conditions
some resources here:
https://isaacscience.org/physics/gcse/concepts (physics only, has notes and some interactive questions)
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/ (all three sciences, has notes, pre-made flashcards and exam questions, legendary resource)
For maths I recommend you find a channel covering the entire syllabus in a way that you understand (there's so many out there you can be really picky), then just go through all their videos, making flashcards as before, making sure you understand things and start doing questions:
some resources here:
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/ (has past exam questions and papers)
if you're not sure where to start looking to get a good grasp on the syllabus, try TLMaths, doctor frost, corbett maths, maths genie, (maybe even khanacademy)
if you need me to elaborate on anything lmk,
gl
Reply 2
Original post
by chrissy123!I’ve just got my november mocks back for year 11 and i have failed everything. I am so upset as i did revise and failed everything especially my sciences i currently do separate higher but am considering switching to combined higher or even foundation. Can anyone tell me if that could improve my grades or if they are relatively the same and what my best option would be at this stage. Is anyone or was in the same situation as me. At this point i am not sure what i want to do or if i will even be able to pass anything. Any help would be appreciated thank you very much.
Hi,
I’m really sorry to hear you’re feeling this way. I’d recommend discussing options with your teachers, as they can advise you on whether switching tiers may help.
A few ways to improve include making active recall resources using flashcards or mindmaps, blurting, completing topic-by-topic questions on physics and maths tutor, and then doing full exam papers once you feel confident with all content.
You can use the specification to RAG (red, amber, green) how confident you are and to identify your weak areas. Taking it step by step and focusing on these strategies can really help you improve before your next exams. You still have time for focused study and revision, you can do this!
Wishing you all the best,
Tayba
Student Rep
Reply 3
Hi, , I’m sorry about this.
I also did separate higher but looking back I should had dropped it for combined higher. If you know that you don’t want to do separate anyone then I’d strongly advise dropping it for Combined higher or foundation.
Also, I would recommend using active recall to revise and you should do it by topic. For revision, I kept using past papers, so it meant that although I kind of understood what the mark scheme was looking for, I did not understand the question because I kept cramming the past papers rather than understanding the questions. So, if you use past papers to revise, there is absolutely no harm in that but if you realise you struggle with some topics then I would advise using active recall (blurting- writing everything down from memory) and you should also try watching videos or use notes from the websites to revise.
For English literature: Don’t try to memorise too many quotes, just know 3 quotes per paragraph that you can interlink and break down to talk about multiple things. Also, for example Eng literature, I’d recommend doing alternative interpretations of the quotes. For context, you can just search it up and you can interlink the context together.
For English Language: Do past papers, I honestly don’t have any other advice for this. Do past papers then give it to your teachers or anyone that you know that’s good in Eng (But I’d recommend giving it to your teacher first to mark). You don’t need to do the entire past papers at once, you can do it one question at a time, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. When you’ve started to understand it even more then you should then focus on the timings.
Something I remembered I did for English language and English literature in general was when we would write timed essays in class or I would do it in my time, I would write how long it took for me to write in down in the margin, and then if I gave myself any extra time to finish it I’ll also write it down.
For maths, this is not my strong suit, so I don’t have any strong advice for this. If you don’t understand the topic then speak to your teacher and you could revise it by topic. Also, I’d speak to people you know are good in maths because I think it’s somewhat easier to understand when someone your age is explaining it.
I did history: So, if you do History, please just don’t give up. It’s honestly God that helped me out because I got predicted either 4 or 5 for history and I remember I would get annoyed and frustrated when we got our mocks back because I loved the subject. I also remember, I would cry so much because I wanted to drop history, French, and separate science. But I got 8 in history for the actual GCSE. For history, do past papers. You don’t need to do it all at once but do it bits by bits. If you feel as though you are lacking evidence for a specific section, then REVISE FOR IT!
I did Drama: I don’t even know what to say for this because I loved the subject if you have good people in your group for the acting section then it’s calm. The only thing that I’ll say is make sure you don’t write THE SAME TEXT AS THE EXTRACT THAT THE EXAM BOARD GIVES YOU!!!! (Btw I did Eduqas for drama). That was the only I did that made my grades so ACAGSIHSGSUHWGWYWHIEISHWUIE (Sorry, I get annoyed when I think about it).
French: Do not give up, just trust in God.
For revision materials use YouTube videos, active recall, RAG, etc. If you don’t understand the YouTube videos then find another one, don’t stick to one video in hopes that you will eventually understand it. But you should also try to understand it.
For science, it might seem embarrassing to drop it but if it is giving you stress, PLEASE DROP SEPARATE SCIENCE (It was honestly next level trauma). When you have your actual GCSE, you would be so grateful to God that you have less stress for that. If you are thinking about not dropping it because of the sixth form/college that you wanna go it. Trust me when I say, during Summer you might not even want to go to the school anymore.
Do not stress yourself. Have fun. Byeeee, love you 😘
I also did separate higher but looking back I should had dropped it for combined higher. If you know that you don’t want to do separate anyone then I’d strongly advise dropping it for Combined higher or foundation.
Also, I would recommend using active recall to revise and you should do it by topic. For revision, I kept using past papers, so it meant that although I kind of understood what the mark scheme was looking for, I did not understand the question because I kept cramming the past papers rather than understanding the questions. So, if you use past papers to revise, there is absolutely no harm in that but if you realise you struggle with some topics then I would advise using active recall (blurting- writing everything down from memory) and you should also try watching videos or use notes from the websites to revise.
For English literature: Don’t try to memorise too many quotes, just know 3 quotes per paragraph that you can interlink and break down to talk about multiple things. Also, for example Eng literature, I’d recommend doing alternative interpretations of the quotes. For context, you can just search it up and you can interlink the context together.
For English Language: Do past papers, I honestly don’t have any other advice for this. Do past papers then give it to your teachers or anyone that you know that’s good in Eng (But I’d recommend giving it to your teacher first to mark). You don’t need to do the entire past papers at once, you can do it one question at a time, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. When you’ve started to understand it even more then you should then focus on the timings.
Something I remembered I did for English language and English literature in general was when we would write timed essays in class or I would do it in my time, I would write how long it took for me to write in down in the margin, and then if I gave myself any extra time to finish it I’ll also write it down.
For maths, this is not my strong suit, so I don’t have any strong advice for this. If you don’t understand the topic then speak to your teacher and you could revise it by topic. Also, I’d speak to people you know are good in maths because I think it’s somewhat easier to understand when someone your age is explaining it.
I did history: So, if you do History, please just don’t give up. It’s honestly God that helped me out because I got predicted either 4 or 5 for history and I remember I would get annoyed and frustrated when we got our mocks back because I loved the subject. I also remember, I would cry so much because I wanted to drop history, French, and separate science. But I got 8 in history for the actual GCSE. For history, do past papers. You don’t need to do it all at once but do it bits by bits. If you feel as though you are lacking evidence for a specific section, then REVISE FOR IT!
I did Drama: I don’t even know what to say for this because I loved the subject if you have good people in your group for the acting section then it’s calm. The only thing that I’ll say is make sure you don’t write THE SAME TEXT AS THE EXTRACT THAT THE EXAM BOARD GIVES YOU!!!! (Btw I did Eduqas for drama). That was the only I did that made my grades so ACAGSIHSGSUHWGWYWHIEISHWUIE (Sorry, I get annoyed when I think about it).
French: Do not give up, just trust in God.
For revision materials use YouTube videos, active recall, RAG, etc. If you don’t understand the YouTube videos then find another one, don’t stick to one video in hopes that you will eventually understand it. But you should also try to understand it.
For science, it might seem embarrassing to drop it but if it is giving you stress, PLEASE DROP SEPARATE SCIENCE (It was honestly next level trauma). When you have your actual GCSE, you would be so grateful to God that you have less stress for that. If you are thinking about not dropping it because of the sixth form/college that you wanna go it. Trust me when I say, during Summer you might not even want to go to the school anymore.
Do not stress yourself. Have fun. Byeeee, love you 😘
Reply 4
Original post
by chrissy123!I’ve just got my november mocks back for year 11 and i have failed everything. I am so upset as i did revise and failed everything especially my sciences i currently do separate higher but am considering switching to combined higher or even foundation. Can anyone tell me if that could improve my grades or if they are relatively the same and what my best option would be at this stage. Is anyone or was in the same situation as me. At this point i am not sure what i want to do or if i will even be able to pass anything. Any help would be appreciated thank you very much.
Hey first of all I'm really sorry you're feeling like this. Pleas try not to panic. With Science, separate higher is more content heavy than combined foundation. Switching would most likely help with managing amount you need to revise. At this stage the best thing to do is talk to your science teachers and ask what tier they would advise giving all the information you have said here.
There's alot of resources given in previous replies, I would also recommend freesciencelessons on youtube, he offers a range of videos in the tiers of science
Trenyce (Kingston Rep)
(edited 2 months ago)
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