Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Disappointing A level results at AS?

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

In our earlier post we took a quick look at the best course of action to take if your A level results and A2 grades weren’t as expected.

But what about if you’re in the same situation a year earlier – you’ve just completed Year 12 and your AS results are not as expected or not quite as good as you’d like? Of course, your situation isn’t quite as critical as those not getting the A2 grades needed, because you don’t have to deal with the potential upheaval of a missed University place. Also, if you’ve only underperformed in an AS that you’re not planning to take through to A2 (and which, therefore, won’t be the basis of a university application) you don’t have too much to worry about.

However, you could still have some problems that you need to deal with, especially if you’re planning to go to university.

First, a generally poor performance at AS level can be a sign that you’ve picked courses that don’t really suit you. If you think that’s the case, you could be better off in the long run starting again with new AS level courses in different subjects. Your school or college will be able to offer advice on this: it’ll take another year, but you’ll be a more mature and experienced student and should stand a greater chance of success.

If you decide to go forward with the grades you’ve got, you won’t be able to retake any of the modules you’ve messed up until after you’ve put in your UCAS application. Universities vary in how much notice they take of AS level results – many admissions tutors are aware that students often go through a process of rapid intellectual and emotional maturity during Year 13, and are inclined to give more weight to predicted grades than to AS results.

All the same, a set of disappointing results can cause application problems. They can also knock your confidence and the confidence that your teachers have in you – which could be a problem when it comes to securing good predicted grades.

So what’s the best course of action to take?

  • If possible, talk to your teachers about how and where things went wrong. They may recommend trying the appeals process. At any rate, it’s important to show them that you recognise you have underperformed and you want to take action to improve.
  • When the new term starts, really make sure you hit the ground running. As well as lots of work, you’re going to be thinking about university applications. Your school or college will give you advice on how to present yourself in the best light on your application – and it’s all the more important that you listen carefully and give the application process your best shot if you’re going into it with lower AS grades than you’d wish.
  • With disappointing AS level grades, a good UCAS Personal Statement could be more important than ever. Remember that if you get stuck writing your Statement, 121 Home Tutors can help.

If you’d like to talk  about A level results, AS results and AS grades try the Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000. Alternatively, if you think you might need a little extra help with your AS or A2 level studies in general, 121 Home Tutors has a wide selection of tutors experienced in coaching A Level students at both AS and A2. So if you live in the Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield, Wilmslow & Cheshire areas then  get in touch with us today for a no obligation chat about how our tutors can help boost your A Level chances!

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Dealing with university re-sits this summer

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

So you/your child worked incredibly hard at GCSE and then A level, to achieve the grades to get into University only to struggle to get through the course?  (As a parent you may not actually realise your child is struggling – I know I did at least once during my undergraduate degree and certainly didn’t admit it! There are no end of term reports so be prepared to probe deeper.) Going to University is a huge learning curve for students – as undergraduates they must learn to stand on their own two feet and take responsibility for themselves and also their learning. They must learn to organise their time effectively – which may mean time managing a part time job with studies. University is not regimented like school/college and it is all too easy to become distracted by University life itself and as a result, studies often suffer. Even the most academic and brightest students can struggle – a child used to being top of his/her class at school is not necessarily going to be top of the class at Uni and students can struggle for many reasons; course content may be tough to understand and or they have struggled with time management and/or organisation.

Unlike at school/college where poor end of year results translate to unfavourable reports, at University, failure to make the required standard means failing the year. Students must pass the year to graduate to the next.  Failing a year can have a devastating effect on students and can knock their confidence and/or  cause panic/stress or it can be a necessary wake up call if not enough study was done first time round! However, failing a year is not usually as final as it sounds and most courses offer opportunities to re-sit failed modules / courses.  Re-sits are usually in August or September. Course tutors and other University staff are there to help students – but again students must take responsibility for themselves and ask for help and for students that have a re-sit exam this summer we have a few tips…

  • First, don’t panic – panicking doesn’t lead to constructive study.   
  • Be honest about the problem – why did you fail the original exam/module? Was it lack of understanding, lack of knowledge and/or not enough commitment to study? Was it a personal/medical problem?
    • Lack of understanding: course tutors are often more than happy to explain things – we’d advise asking a course tutor, or maybe a postgraduate student, if they are willing to help and if you can book an appointment with them. It is best to book an appointment as, contrary to popular belief, academics are very busy and have plenty work to do outside of formal teaching time!
    • Lack of knowledge: if this was because not enough time was spent studying, take this as a useful wake up call! Timetable in more study time and get more organised! Again, if organising your time is a problem there are University support staff available – student counseling services, student unions and careers offices may be sources of help on this.
    • A personal/medical problem: don’t worry you are not alone. Many students find it difficult to cope with university life and study and for numerous reasons. Hopefully you have already discussed this with University staff and have been given some dispensation and/or a plan to move forward but if not, again Student Counseling services, Student Unions, Careers Service can point you in the direction as can course tutors. Get help
  • Get organised and get down to work! One of the transferable skills acquired at Uni is being organised, self motivated and able to work independently. If you need help with revision you may find our posts on revision tips and making the most of study leave helpful; though the posts address GCSE and A level students, the tips are applicable to students of all ages.
  • Ask for help if you need it and it’s advisable to be upfront with friends and family who will no doubt provide much needed support.

As a parent, there are several ways you can help:

  • Understand that your ‘child’ is a young adult learning to juggle life, work, play and study and this is not easy.
  • Remember your young adult ‘child’ is no longer bound by school rules and there are no teachers to report back on their progress so make them feel comfortable and encourage them to be upfront about their studies – many students will not want to admit they can’t cope. If they are struggling try to probe why and see if/how you can help.
  • Be supportive – even if you think they should be working harder or doing things differently!
  • Consider hiring a tutor.   

If you live in the Greater Manchester or East Cheshire area and you’d like to find out more about how tutoring can help with degree re-sit exams, dissertations and theses – don’t hesitate to get in touch with 121 Home Tutors. We’ll be very happy to advise you, and, if you wish, put you in touch with tutors relevant to the student’s needs.

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School reports – how to really find out how your child is doing

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Does this look familiar?

In English lessons this term 8ENGJH have worked on punctuation skills and the interpretation of excerpts from Romeo and Juliet. A series of challenging learning objectives was set for a combination of written and oral assessment within the KS3 learning framework for English.

Jimmy has demonstrated a good understanding of the topics covered, achieving Level 3 in each of the three Attainment Targets. He is generally on task, and, while he could contribute more in class plenary sessions, his attitude has generally been positive and appropriate.

If you have kids in school, you’ve probably noticed that many teachers’ reports are lifeless, opaque, and often don’t actually tell you anything useful.

Behaviour isn’t ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – it’s ‘appropriate’ or ‘inappropriate’. Kids don’t learn stuff – they meet Attainment Targets. Teenage boys aren’t lazy – they are ‘regularly off-task’.

Modern teachers are very, very careful about what they write in reports. In fact, they are encouraged to use an obscure, jargon-laden style that uses a lot of words without saying too much. To make things worse, wordprocessing applications and tight deadlines encourage the use of cutting and pasting – to the point where many teachers just have three basic reports (good, bad and average) and tweak them slightly to suit each student. Probably half a dozen of Jimmy’s classmates received a report identical to his.

From your point of view as parent, this sort of report is either of limited use (it doesn’t tell you much) or actively dangerous (it disguises a real problem). But what can you do about it? In this post we’re going to look at how most schools’ report writing systems have got into this state, and how, as a parent, you can find out how your child is really progressing.

How has this happened?
The modern decline in the art of meaningful report writing is, paradoxically, the result of the increase in parent and pupil power. Thirty years ago, when teachers were authority figures who were unlikely to have their professional judgment questioned by parents (and likely to escape any sort of penalty if it was), they could more or less say what they liked. Of course, in many ways the ‘good old days’ were actually quite bad old days, but teachers could at least speak their minds.

Today, they work in an environment where kids know their rights and parents know them even better. Many parents are inclined to blame schools and teachers for their kids’ failings, and happy to complain about, sue or generally cause trouble for teachers if they don’t deliver the results they want.

Teachers know this, schools know it, teacher trainers know it and the Government knows it. Over the past decade or teachers have been under pressure to make reports less direct and meaningful, lest they be used as evidence in meetings, hearings or court cases. This doesn’t just happen at the level of the pupil: you only have to try reading an Ofsted school report to notice that the infection of back-covering blandness has spread higher than the staffroom.

But this isn’t the only problem. Teachers are more loaded with admin that at any point in the past, and have little time to make a good job of writing reports. As a result, many write ‘cut and paste’ reports, and are even encouraged to do so by senior managers. Like the example above, these typically consist of a paragraph outlining the work covered during the term, followed by a generic paragraph about the student’s behaviour and achievement. They tend not to tell you much.

What can you do about it?
Read your child’s reports but – unless they are from a very traditional independent school – take them with a grain of salt. If it is obvious all is well and your child is happy and on course, you probably don’t need to find out more. But if you’re worried that something is amiss, you have a number of options. Here are some tips:

  • However you approach your kids’ teachers, be friendly and supportive. You’re much more likely to get the information you want if you stress to teachers that you’re not out to have a go at them. You should be aware that teachers meet many parents who automatically blame them for every problem. Prove you’re not one of those and you’ll get much straighter opinions.
  • In general you’re more likely to get straight talk from old stagers in their forties and fifties than from younger staff.
  • Parents’ evenings are slightly more useful than reports, because you can ask direct questions. Teachers will still be on their guard, but most genuinely want your kids to do well and will try to be straightforward within the boundaries of what they feel they can say. If a teacher hedges, evades or seems to be using very diplomatic language, dig deeper. Often, a pupil’s problems in a subject are more than simply his fault or the teacher’s fault – they are a mixture of the two, and the teacher may be aware of that, so tread carefully.
  • You might think that phonecalls are a better, less formal way of chatting to your kids’ teachers, but you wouldn’t necessarily be right. Nearly all schools insist that teachers write a reasonably detailed record of each parental phone conversation and store it centrally. As such, teachers will still be on their guard over the phone, as well as annoyed that they are going to have to waste ten minutes writing a report on what’s been said. That shouldn’t stop you calling if you feel it’s important, but teachers really dislike ‘phone pests’.
  • Ask for a meeting. If you have a serious problem, this can be an option – but often, like phonecalls and parents’ evenings, meetings generate more heat than light. If teachers feel a meeting is going to be hostile, they can ask their line managers to come in and help them. Again, everything has to be recorded and written up – taking up more teacher time that could be spent doing useful work with your kids.
  • Collar them. Teachers really, really hate this, but it can work – especially if you’re known as a reasonable, friendly parent (if you’re not reasonable and friendly the whole staffroom will know within 24 hours and your chances of finding out anything from anyone will be much reduced). Pull them aside at the end of the school day or at a school event and have the briefest of chats. If it looks serious, the teacher will probably request a call or meeting (see above), but you might learn something useful on the spot. Never ask teachers to talk about your child if you run into them in Tesco or the pub – say hello and be friendly by all means, but start talking shop and your photo will be on the staffroom dartboard for weeks.

121 Home Tutors is a Manchester-based tutoring agency, covering most major subjects and all ages from primary to GCSE, A-Level and beyond. If you’d like to hire a tutor for your child, or you’d just like some advice on teaching in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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Understanding GCSE Additional Science – Part 2

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

In the previous post, we took an overview of GCSE Additional Science – now it’s time to look at the subject in a bit more detail.

As with Core Science, the best starting point for helping your child with GCSE Additional Science is to understand precisely how it works and which examination board’s specification he or she is studying. For our students, in Manchester and Cheshire, AQA Science A or Science B, OCR Gateway or 21st Century Science and Edexcel Science are the most common choices. Summaries of each course are listed below:

AQA Additional Science
The AQA Additional Science course consists of 4 units, each worth 25% of the total mark.

• x3 written tests, 45mins each. One test in each of Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Tests can be sat in any order/combination (schools decide the order in which modules are studied and when the tests are sat). Tests are sat in either January or June. Tests can be re-sat to improve marks – maximum mark used to determine final grade.

• Practical element [ISA] worth 25% of the total marks.

• Student can choose between Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*), with a combination of tiers also permitted.

OCR Science
The OCR course follows one of 2 routes; either the 21st Century (Science A) or Gateway (Science B):

OCR 21st Century Additional Science – Science A (J631)
There are 9 teaching modules (x3 Biology, x3 Chemistry, x3 Physics) tested as 5 units. Students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*).

• Unit 1 – Biology B4, Chemistry C4 and Physics P4 – 16.7% of final marks. Almost always sat first in January.

• Unit 2 – Biology B5, Chemistry C5 and Physics P5 – 16.7% of final marks. Sittings in January and June.

• Unit 3 – Biology B6, Chemistry C6 and Physics P6 – 16.7% of final marks. Sittings in January and June.

• Unit 4 – ideas in context – 16.7% of final marks.

• Unit 5 – practical element – 33⅓% of final marks.

OCR Gateway Additional Science – Science B (J641)
There are 6 teaching modules (x2 Biology, x2 Chemistry, x2 Physics) tested in 2 units. Students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*).

• Unit 1 – Biology B3, Chemistry C3 and Physics P3 – almost always sat first in January.

• Unit 2 – Biology B4, Chemistry C5 and Physics P6 – sittings in January and June.

• Unit 3 – research study, practical skills and data task – no set date/exam for this, assessed/moderated at school.

Each unit contributes 33⅓% of total marks. Re-sits are possible for units 1 and 2, with best grades being used to determine final grade.

Edexcel Additional Science (2103)
There are several routes available in the Edexcel Additional Science syllabus, giving either greater or lesser emphasis on external assessment (exams). The maximum marks for exam based assessment is 60%, the minimum, 30%. The maximum mark for internal assessment is 70%, minimum, 40%:

Externally assessed route, maximum
60% of the marks are obtained through exam. Students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*) and must sit:

• 3 multi-choice unit tests (x1 Biology, x1 Chemistry, x1 Physics). Each test worth 10% of the final marks.

• 3 structured (non multi-choice) papers (x1 Biology, x1 Chemistry, x1 Physics). Each test worth 10% of the final marks.

Tests can be sat in any order/combination (schools decide the order in which modules are studied and when the tests are sat). Tests are at various times throughout the year – November, March, June. Tests can be re-sat to improve marks – maximum mark used to determine final grade.

• Practical assessment – practical skills (10%), Biology activity (10%), Chemistry activity (10%), Physics activity (10%).

Internally assessed route, maximum
70% of the marks are obtained through internal (school led) practical and subject based activities. 30% of the marks are through exam where students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*) and must sit either a multi-choice or structured paper in each of the three main subjects – Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

• 3 multi-choice unit tests (x1 Biology, x1 Chemistry, x1 Physics). Each worth 10% of the final marks.

• 3 structured (non multi-choice) papers (x1 Biology, x1 Chemistry, x1 Physics). Each worth 10% of the final marks.

Tests can be sat in any order/combination [schools decide the order in which modules are studied and when the tests are sat]. Tests are at various times throughout the year – November, March, June. Tests can be re-sat to improve marks – the maximum mark being used to determine final grades.

It is worth noting there is also an option for schools to vary the amount of internal and external assessments within the above limits but there must be at least one exam sat for each science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

Also bear in mind, as we said in the second of our posts on GCSE Core Science, the GCSE specifications will be changing in 2011.

If you live in Manchester or Cheshire, and you’d like to talk to us about tutoring support in Science for your child, please get in touch. We have a full range of qualified and experienced GCSE Science tutors.

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Understanding GCSE Additional Science – Part 1

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

In our previous two posts we discussed GCSE Core Science. In this post and the next one we’re going to discuss GCSE Additional Science.

Additional Science is a GCSE in its own right and, together with GCSE Core Science, makes what used to be known as double award science. It’s also worth noting that this approach is not like the old Dual Award that was in place prior to 2006. Under that system, students would receive two Science GCSEs with identical grades. Under the current system, students studying Core plus Additional will get a separate grade for each of the two Science GCSEs they are entered for.

Students that take Additional Science, in year 11, will have already completed the Core Science course in year 10 (though many students re-sit Core modules to improve grades). The Additional Science course also forms a part of the course for students taking ‘triple’ science – a common way of referring to individual GCSEs that pupils take in Biology and/or Chemistry and/or Physics.

Additional Science is more technical and ‘scientific’ than the core science modules and many students find the concepts much harder. We have found that students that achieved the lower grades in Core Science struggle much more with Additional Science than those that obtained higher grades (A*, A, B). This is often because the content is much more complicated and covered in a relatively short period of time.

GCSE Additional Science can be taken as a series of module tests – variations between exam boards exist so it is important to find and follow the correct syllabus. All syllabuses contain modules for Biology, Chemistry and Physics and can be taken at either Higher Tier (grades D-A*) of Foundation Tier (grades G-C). Most syllabuses allow a combination of tiers to be taken. A student may, for example, be struggling with Physics but be OK with Biology and Chemistry and so sit for Higher tier in Biology and Chemistry, but foundation tier for the Physics. Working out the marks is complicated – see our first post on GCSE Core Science for more information.

In our next post, we’ll look in more detail at some of the specifications for GCSE Additional Science.

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Understanding GCSE Core Science – Part 2

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

In our previous post we looked at the basic structure of GCSE Core Science. To give you child the best possible support during his or her Core Science studies, it’s worth understanding exactly how it all works in detail.

The most important thing is to establish the exact specification your child is following. Most of our students, based in Manchester and Cheshire, take one of the following: AQA Science A or Science B, OCR Gateway or 21st Century Science or Edexcel Science. Summaries of each course are listed below.

AQA Science
The AQA Core Science course can follow two separate routes – both cover identical content, but the objective test route splits the content and tests into smaller pieces.

• Science A – objective test route (multi-choice); 6 separate tests (x2 biology, x2 chemistry, x2 physics), each worth 12.5% of the total mark. Tests can be sat in any order/combination (schools decide the order in which modules are studied and when the tests are sat). Tests are at various times throughout the year – November, March, June. Tests can be re-sat to improve marks – the maximum mark is used to determine final grade.

• Science B – written test route; 3 separate written tests (x1 Biology, x1 Chemistry, x1 Physics) sat in either January or June, again in any order and can be re-sat. Each tests accounts for 25% of the total marks.

• Both routes also have a practical element (“ISA”) worth 25% of the total marks.

• Both routes allow the student to choose between higher and foundation tiers, with a combination of tiers also permitted.

OCR Science
The OCR course follows one of 2 routes; either the 21st Century (Science A) or Gateway (Science B):

OCR 21st Century Science – Science A (J630)
There are 9 teaching modules (x3 Biology, x3 Chemistry, x3 Physics) tested as 5 units. Students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*).

• Unit 1 – Biology B1, Chemistry C1 and Physics P1 – 16.7% of final marks. Almost always sat first in January.

• Unit 2 – Biology B2, Chemistry C2 and Physics P2 – 16.7% of final marks. Sittings in January and June.

• Unit 3 – Biology B3, Chemistry C3 and Physics P3 – 16.7% of final marks. Sittings in January and June.

• Unit 4 – ideas in context – 16.7% of final marks.

• Unit 5 – practical element – data analysis (13.3%) and case study (20%).

OCR Gateway Science – Science B (J640)
There are 6 teaching modules (x2 Biology, x2 Chemistry, x2 Physics) tested in 2 units. Students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*).

• Unit 1 – Biology B1, Chemistry C1 and Physics P1 – almost always sat first in January.

• Unit 2 – Biology B2, Chemistry C2 and Physics P2 – sittings in January and June.

• Unit 3 – ‘Can do’ tasks and report on science in the news – no set date/exam for this, assessed/moderated at school.

Each unit contributes 33⅓% of total marks. Re-sits are possible, with best grades being used to determine final grade.

Edexcel Science
There are 6 teaching modules (x2 Biology, x2 Chemistry, x2 Physics) tested in 6 units. Students sit either Foundation (grades G-C) or Higher tiers (grades D-A*).

• Students sit 6 multi-choice unit tests (x2 Biology, x2 Chemistry, x2 Physics). Each worth 10% of the final marks.

• Tests can be sat in any order/combination [schools decide the order in which modules are studied and when the tests are sat]. Tests are at various times throughout the year – November, March, June. Tests can be re-sat to improve marks – maximum mark used to determine final grade.

• Practical assessment – practical skills (10%), Biology activity (10%), Chemistry activity (10%), Physics activity (10%).

GCSE Science Changes for 2011
Note that GCSE sciences will change slightly in 2011. This will affect children currently in year 8. The changes to core science appear to be minimal; content seems unlikely to change much, though the number of re-sits allowed will be limited. The structure of the science suite of exams doesn’t appear to be changing much – Applied science will no longer be available, but none of our students have taken it so this doesn’t seem to affect many.

If you live in Manchester or Cheshire, and you’d like help understanding the GCSE Core Science specifications and possibly some expert tuition for your child, get in touch for a chat.

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Understanding GCSE Core Science – Part 1

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Understanding ‘How Science Works’ – as in how the combination of science GCSE specifications interlink – is almost worth a GCSE in itself!

The way Science is examined at GCSE level has become horrendously complicated with numerous choices of exam boards, variations of syllabuses within and between exam boards, and choices of when to take tests. In summary, students take Core and/or Additional Science (previously known as single or double awards respectively) or separate sciences (ie Biology, Chemistry, Physics – previously known as ‘triple’ award).

Courses do share common themes. In this post we’re going to discuss Core Science, but we’ll talk about GCSE Additional Science and separate GCSE sciences in later posts. Hopefully this guide will be useful for parents of students currently in Year 10 and for parents of secondary age children in Years 8 and 9 who about to decide on options. Please feel welcome to call us if you’d like further explanation and we will do our best to try to make everything clearer!

Understanding the structure of GCSE Core Science (a.k.a. “Science”) specifications

Core Science is a GCSE in its own right – it is also sometimes known by its older classification, single award science. The Core Science course also forms a part of the course for students taking ‘triple’ science Biology and/or Chemistry and/or Physics.

Most students study for the Core Science GCSE in Year 10, though less able students study the modules at a slower pace and over the 2-year period through Year 10 and Year 11. This is a very general GCSE that covers the key scientific ideas that students are required to learn at GCSE.

Core science can be taken as a series of module tests – variations between exam boards exist so it is important to find and follow the correct syllabus. All syllabuses contain modules for Biology, Chemistry and Physics and can be taken at either Higher Tier (grades D-A*) of Foundation Tier (grades G-C). Most syllabuses allow a combination of tiers to be taken. A student may, for example, be struggling with Chemistry but be OK with Biology and Physics and therefore sit for Higher tier in Biology and Physics, but foundation tier for the Chemistry.

Be warned, working out the marks is complicated – raw marks become “UMS” marks that get aggregated to give a final grade. Most students get an idea of the grade they are working towards, what they need to achieve and so on, so as parents let’s not worry too much for now; the main thing is to get to grips with when your child may be taking their ‘real’ GCSE exams (some, especially in yr 10, haven’t quite realised these are the ‘real’ things!). That way you can help them prepare, and if necessary get them extra tuition!

In the next post we’ll look at the most common specifications in more detail. In the meantime, if you’d like to give your child a little extra help navigating the maze of GCSE Science – whether he or she is studying Core Science, Triple Award Science or one of the intermediate options – get in touch and ask us about the Science tutors we have available in Manchester.

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