Enough time for a change?

10

I got 6 and 5s in my sciences and maths in my gcse mocks i had a week ago.

Is there still enough time to get 8 and above?

And I wanted to ask for people who got 8 and 9s in their gcses; when did u start locking in, would it be enough if you got 40 days left til the first exam?

Reply 1

arwen-mccarthy81

20

Original post

by Anonymous#4489

I got 6 and 5s in my sciences and maths in my gcse mocks i had a week ago.
Is there still enough time to get 8 and above?
And I wanted to ask for people who got 8 and 9s in their gcses; when did u start locking in, would it be enough if you got 40 days left til the first exam?

Yes definitely still achievable, if you start now and work really hard you can do it , 40 days is plenty if you put enough motivation in , my advice is focus on the subjects you want to do best in and do the most revision in those . In maths and sciences ,the best way to revise is past papers , you can find them on physics and maths tutor , just do as many as you can as it gets you used to the exam structure, you can use the markscheme to get an idea of what the examiners are looking for in your answer. On YouTube watch corbett maths for maths revision . For science watch free science lessons and before every science exam I watched scienceshorts on YouTube which gives a very good quick reminder of everything, I got straight 9s and you definitely can still improve , just start seriously locking in now .hope this helps , you have got this ,reach for that 8

Reply 2

Anonymous#4489

OP

10

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

Yes definitely still achievable, if you start now and work really hard you can do it , 40 days is plenty if you put enough motivation in , my advice is focus on the subjects you want to do best in and do the most revision in those . In maths and sciences ,the best way to revise is past papers , you can find them on physics and maths tutor , just do as many as you can as it gets you used to the exam structure, you can use the markscheme to get an idea of what the examiners are looking for in your answer. On YouTube watch corbett maths for maths revision . For science watch free science lessons and before every science exam I watched scienceshorts on YouTube which gives a very good quick reminder of everything, I got straight 9s and you definitely can still improve , just start seriously locking in now .hope this helps , you have got this ,reach for that 8

Thank you for your reply! Genuinely this gives me so much hope, i was so worried that time is running out and my grandad just recently passed away and i just struggle to keep it together

Reply 3

arwen-mccarthy81

20

Original post

by Anonymous#4489

Thank you for your reply! Genuinely this gives me so much hope, i was so worried that time is running out and my grandad just recently passed away and i just struggle to keep it together

Don't worry you still have time , i'm so sorry about your grandad .if you think his passing has affected your revision you can apply for special consideration in your exams , which may help. if i can help you with revision in any other way then just ask , i got straight 9s in my gcses and i have a load of tips and tricks for how to do well in the exams , just message me privately with any questions and i can help you get those 8s and 9s . any other ways i can help just let me know i can support you however you need , not just about exams , but if you just want to chat

Reply 4

Anonymous#4489

OP

10

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

Don't worry you still have time , i'm so sorry about your grandad .if you think his passing has affected your revision you can apply for special consideration in your exams , which may help. if i can help you with revision in any other way then just ask , i got straight 9s in my gcses and i have a load of tips and tricks for how to do well in the exams , just message me privately with any questions and i can help you get those 8s and 9s . any other ways i can help just let me know i can support you however you need , not just about exams , but if you just want to chat

U r genuinely the best!! My grandad left me at the start of this week, and I just lost interest in doing anything, now i am just piling up with guilt and anxiety coz time is running out, and ive seen so many people starting revising properly ever since start of year 11 and I am still stuck.

Reply 5

arwen-mccarthy81

20

Original post

by Anonymous#4489

U r genuinely the best!! My grandad left me at the start of this week, and I just lost interest in doing anything, now i am just piling up with guilt and anxiety coz time is running out, and ive seen so many people starting revising properly ever since start of year 11 and I am still stuck.

Honestly it is completely fine to feel that way , when you have had to experience something like the passing of a loved one it sometimes feels like nothing is interesting anymore. There is absolutely no need to feel guilty because there is nothing you could have done differently and whats important is how you keep going and use it to strengthen yourself . Also the anxiety can be useful as long as you don't let it overwhelm you , it can be a motivator to help you revise so when you come to the exams that anxiety wont be there anymore , there is still plenty of time , so don't worry about that to much , just focus on preparing yourself as best you can . i know lots of people say they started revising at the beginning of year 11 , and whilst a few might have , most of them are just saying that to show off and make themselves feel better , trust me i know what people are like . What GCSE subjects do you take ?, i can help you find some useful resources to start revising. once you've started revising it gets easier its just the getting there that's hard . i think creating a revision timetable is a very good starting point and then you can go from there. if you tell me your strengths and weaknesses e.g what subjects and areas you find hardest i can help you improve and find the best way to revise . Keep going i know its hard but just focus on putting one foot in front of the other for now

Reply 6

Anonymous#4489

OP

10

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

Honestly it is completely fine to feel that way , when you have had to experience something like the passing of a loved one it sometimes feels like nothing is interesting anymore. There is absolutely no need to feel guilty because there is nothing you could have done differently and whats important is how you keep going and use it to strengthen yourself . Also the anxiety can be useful as long as you don't let it overwhelm you , it can be a motivator to help you revise so when you come to the exams that anxiety wont be there anymore , there is still plenty of time , so don't worry about that to much , just focus on preparing yourself as best you can . i know lots of people say they started revising at the beginning of year 11 , and whilst a few might have , most of them are just saying that to show off and make themselves feel better , trust me i know what people are like . What GCSE subjects do you take ?, i can help you find some useful resources to start revising. once you've started revising it gets easier its just the getting there that's hard . i think creating a revision timetable is a very good starting point and then you can go from there. if you tell me your strengths and weaknesses e.g what subjects and areas you find hardest i can help you improve and find the best way to revise . Keep going i know its hard but just focus on putting one foot in front of the other for now

u r my savior,
I do maths, triple science, english lang and lit, cs, health and social (btec) , history and french. I got 7 and above in my subjects other than sciences and maths, (i got two 5s and two 6s) and ive struggled with chemistry the most tbf. But Idk i feel like i shouldnt worry myself this much coz i still got like 2 months and a half to go, but really thinking about it time goes by so fast, and me not making the most of it in this half term makes me more anxious.
U r genuinely the best person ive ever met, u r so patient and kind, im so glad ive found u under my post!

Reply 7

arwen-mccarthy81

20

Original post

by Anonymous#4489

u r my savior,
I do maths, triple science, english lang and lit, cs, health and social (btec) , history and french. I got 7 and above in my subjects other than sciences and maths, (i got two 5s and two 6s) and ive struggled with chemistry the most tbf. But Idk i feel like i shouldnt worry myself this much coz i still got like 2 months and a half to go, but really thinking about it time goes by so fast, and me not making the most of it in this half term makes me more anxious.
U r genuinely the best person ive ever met, u r so patient and kind, im so glad ive found u under my post!

ok firstly breathe , everything will be fine , theres still plenty of time. im so g;ad i can help you
i am definitly more of a humanities person so didnt do a lot of the subject you are doing but i can give you tips on a few of them (some of its written in present tense because i wrote it when i did my GCSES)

English lit-For English lit unseen poetry this video was really helpful , and any other videos on her page for English lit/lang generally https://youtu.be/7Bari-Ggx5w?si=ZDKz7pmiCPjJg1Mf for other English stuff , the light up hub on Instagram was really good , other than that i would just recommend doing loads of practice questions and getting your teachers to mark them ( you can find all past papers on Physics and Maths tutor) , make flashcards of quotes and colour code them by theme as the question is often on a specific theme and remember what character said what , in case the question is on character , but yeah basically the more practice you do the better your grade ( i know it sound obvious but its true ). to do well in English lit I think the best thing to do is know the texts really well by reading them and watching YouTube videos .For English lit I find it easiest to get a 9 if I have a good thesis statement at the beginning and I move away from a set structure. I research a few pieces of context to add to my points, and make flashcards on the most important bits. Analyse all of the quotes in depth, mentioning 2 or 3 things and the effect on the reader once in every paragraph. Mention the authors intention throughout the response in every paragraph l, mention it in the intro as well and make sure it’s never something like to "make the reader read on" you also need to know the book or play really well and I plan all the response questions you can think of. I make a document for each book and add impressive vocabulary that I want to remember and character profiles and learn like 5 quotes for most characters but for more important characters that shows character development throughout and I usually make sure that I mention foil characters to be able to write longer answers. But always mention tone characterisation, character development, exposition, climax and resolution if you can. For context I learn about how society at the time was and then for the quotes I use the most I might add a more specific piece of context But don’t put in things like the authors whole history and upbringing unless it’s relevant I always manage to make like a basic plan that’s usually adjustable to any other question . quotes wise You need to add lots of quotes into the paragraph i would recommend doing 1 long quote at the beginning of the paragraph then lots of short ones , you generally need about 5 per paragraph

English lang -For English language you need to understand structure and timings for each question and I would recommend planning the paper 1 question 5 but make sure it’s adaptable and get your teacher to mark it. For the other q5 it’s important that u know how to use all punctuation and know the different types of devices while making your opinion really clear. I used AFORESTPIE to make it more persuasive which stands for alliteration, flattery ,opinion, rhetorical question, exaggeration , statistics , triples,personal pronouns , imperatives and emotive language and I would also recommend using a personal story to add to your point which can tottaly be made up.When it comes to practising , it’s good to plan out past papers and time yourself making the plans (an intro, 3 or 4 paragraphs and conclusion) I tried to always plan in 5 minutes or less. And then also time yourself writing out the piece and get your teacher to mark some of them.Tips for the other questions:
Paper 1 question 2: use 3 paragraphs and annotate the devices you can see, analysing the effect they have on the reader while using some individual words as well as phrases
Question 3: learn the different types of structural features and don’t use vague reasons like it interests the reader, try and explain how it helps the reader to understand the writers intention
Question 4: I would always either fully agree or partly agree, use 3 or 4 paragraphs, annotate the source and analyse in chronological order, zooming into structural or language features and using phrases like , carries connotations of or creates a feeling

Sciences- just do so many past papers and then mark them yourself , use a red, amber , green system so you know what you most need to revise , before every exam i watched @ScienceShorts as just a last minute reminder and as always the free science lessons dude was a life saver. for sciences I would use cognito and go through a certain section of the spec and then use the Flashcards in physics and maths tutor to solidify the knowledge and keep redoing the Flashcards till I would get the majority correct. Then do the past questions on physics and maths tutor starting from the oldest ones until u get nearer to the exam and do whole past papers timed. But i think it’s also best to memorise the recquired practicals and practise all possible 6 markers but also learn what the key words in the questions mean like evaluate or suggest.I found writing science notes especially for bio very helpful to clarify topics and practice how to write things in the best way to get the marks i.e. hitting every keyword needed to get the mark. When you get to the spring holidays and closer to exams - just spending as much time doing Past papers as much as possible (and more importantly, looking at the mark schemes!). I managed to do all the science ones before the science exams and its amazing how often the same questions come up in slightly different ways

For maths I went through every topic on maths genie and watched the YouTube video if I didn’t understand it and then did practise questions and repeated them until I get them right. Then once you've done all of the topics do past papers and repeat the questions you get wrong using the mark scheme but practise is the best thing. I also used Corbett maths 5 a day.

For great revision tips , check out @SmileWithSola on youtube she has some really great advice

My general rule for revision as someone who did get all 9s is:
Learn-make sure you actually understand the content you don't want to be teaching yourself stuff instead of doing actual revision so if you are unsure about anything go ask your teacher and get them to explain it again until you are confident
Consolidate-do stuff like make mind-maps or flash cards essentially just get stuff down ( but never just rewrite notes as that is pointless) find out what works best for you
Practice- now you just do an extortionate amount of practice papers ,just get as many done as possible as it gets you used to answering those type of questions, this is the most valuable thing you can do

as to when i seriously started to revise I think seriously revising was about Easter time , because that is when teachers let off the homework so then i could revise everyday , but anything you can do from now onwards homework permitting will be good , you want to get as much of the learning and consolidation parts done now and then the practice bit comes in Easter time generally ,however only you can really know how long it will take before you are ready so just ask yourself how long you feel you need to be revising to feel confident when you walk into that exam hall. But also remember to take breaks as you don't want to burn out
sorry if this doesn't make a lot of sense , its stuff i was writing whilst i did my exams and includes advice that was given to me by lots of different people , so it might be quite repetitive , if you need further clarification on anything just ask

Anyway hope this helps, good luck with everything , i'm sure you'll do great.

Reply 8

arwen-mccarthy81

20

i did spanish instead of french , but i can give you my tips for spanish as some of it might be transferrable

the key to doing well with languages for GCSEs is to know as many words as possible-I would go through 1 or 2 modules a day , covering one side and trying to remember the word in Spanish or use pre made Flashcards on Quizlet-learn the 10/11 different tenses and be able to use them well-for writing and speaking try to use the acronym COMPASS which stands for comparatives, object pronoun, more interesting vocab (idioms and words that don’t directly translate) , perfect tense, acabo de +infinitive , superlatives and si clauses-for writing I would make a list of all the tenses and COMPASS and then tick them off as I used them-for listening is listen to many listening past papers or use bbc bite size exercises-and for reading again use past papers form all exam boards and practise questions u can find online-for speaking, use the tenses and COMPASS in your speech and regularly go over the list of questions your given-to answer the quetsions, first answer the question then add a different tense or 2 and another person and a superlative or comparison-go through past photo cards and plan your answers to them in 12 minutes and then practise speaking them

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 9

hehehehee

11

Original post

by Anonymous#4489

I got 6 and 5s in my sciences and maths in my gcse mocks i had a week ago.
Is there still enough time to get 8 and above?
And I wanted to ask for people who got 8 and 9s in their gcses; when did u start locking in, would it be enough if you got 40 days left til the first exam?

I got a 6 in my Maths mock, but a 9 in the real thing. You can do it!!

Reply 10

arwen-mccarthy81

20

hey @Anonymous#4489 hows revision going ? just checking in . i hope i was helpful , let me know if you need anything else x

Reply 11

Anonymous#4489

OP

10

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

hey @Anonymous#4489 hows revision going ? just checking in . i hope i was helpful , let me know if you need anything else x

U were very helpful yes! And yes haha i am still so aware of the time left and stressing myself out for no reason. But yeah doing practice questions on the ones im weak at (like u suggested) and yes omg ive actually making progress im so glad! Thank u! And yeah i think i need to deleted my countdown app for gcse exam date coz 50 days left sound crazy…

Reply 12

Anonymous#4489

OP

10

Original post

by hehehehee

I got a 6 in my Maths mock, but a 9 in the real thing. You can do it!!

Omg thats amazing how long did that took u!

Reply 13

Anonymous#4489

OP

10

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

hey @anonymous#4489 hows revision going ? Just checking in . I hope i was helpful , let me know if you need anything else x

and thank u thank u thank u so much for the language tips coz ive asked my teacher so see the progress and ive been gaining like 2-3 marks each paper

Enough time for a change?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated