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GCSE results

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

The long wait is over, and GCSE results  are nearly out – but what should you do if GCSE grades aren’t as good as you’d hoped? Here are some tips…

Don’t panic!
Slightly disappointing results at GCSE aren’t the end of the world, especially if they are in subjects other than English, Maths or in the subjects not being taken to A Level. However, not doing as well as expected can be demoralising (especially if friends got straight A* grades!) and can be an indicator of an underlying problem that might cause greater difficulties at A Level.

As such, disappointments at GCSE and poor grades can be good indicators of problems that need fixing in the long term. Dropping a couple of grades in a subject that isn’t going to be continued at A Level is probably nothing much to worry about – unless that subject happens to be English or Maths.

Take action on Maths and English
The most immediate problems to face are if GCSE results in Maths or English (not English Literature) are poor. Colleges and Universities usually require at least ‘C’ in both subjects at GCSE for admission. Likewise, most employers want to see at least two Cs for anything except manual work. In practice, as a result of the grade inflation of the past few years, the cut off ‘respectable’ grade is a B – if a grade B  at GCSE in one of these subjects was narrowly missed you might seriously consider an appeal or a resit.

If either Maths or English have been ‘failed’ (strictly speaking, even an E or F is a ‘pass’ at GCSE, though nobody pretends that a grade below C is worth much, especially in English) they should be resat. School (and/or new sixth form college) will advise on this.

Check A Level eligibility
Dropping GCSE grades can have an effect on the subjects that can be taken to A Level (see here for tips on which A levels to choose). Many state schools and FE colleges ask for at least a C grade at GCSE in a particular subject before acceptance on to the A Level course (often higher for more traditional A Levels such as Maths and English). Grammar and independent schools will often require at least an A grade at GCSE before acceptance on to courses. However, it varies dramatically by school and by year.

If the grade has fallen below the notional standard for a particular subject but you/your child still wants to take it at A Level, the whole thing will have to be discussed with the relevant subject teachers. This might be easier if staying in the same school, as there will be existing relationships in place with staff who will know your personality and capabilities well – on the other hand, that could also work against you!

One way or another, an unexpected dip at GCSE indicates that not all is as it should be, and going into A Level you/your child could benefit from extra help. It could be that subject understanding wasn’t as it should be – or that the required effort and level of revision wasn’t put in but at 121 Home Tutors we have tutors that are used to working with A level students and with students who haven’t performed as well as they might – get in touch with us today for a no-obligation chat about how we can help with studies if you live in the Manchester, Stockport, Wilmslow, Macclefield, Cheshire areas.

*** Exam Results Helpline – 0808 100 8000 ***

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Summer holiday catch-up for GCSE and A-Level students

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Now that the exam season is all but finished, it might be time for your older children to think about how they can use the summer holiday break to get a head start, catch up and/or improve on areas where they haven’t performed as well as they might have wished. This is particularly important for students who have just completed Year 9 who will soon begin their GCSE courses, and for those in Years 10 or 12, who will be moving into the critical final phases of GCSE and A-Level next year.

That said, for students in this age group doing a bit of work and catching up over the summer holiday break isn’t just for those who have failed or underperformed in exams. It is also a great opportunity to get a head start and/or keep information fresher. The summer holiday break is quite long: six weeks or so for state schools, around eight weeks for many independent day schools and even more for many boarding schools. Even bright students often lose ground during this time, getting out of good habits, forgetting key information and neglecting skills that they had developed to a high level for the previous exam season.

Three subject areas most at risk from this ‘slippage’ are Maths, Science and modern languages. There are two reasons for this. First, they are among the most difficult subjects any student will be working on, especially at A-Level. Second, each one combines relatively difficult skills with a large amount of knowledge that needs to be learned.

Maths, Science and languages require the student both to develop skills (e.g., solving complex equations; designing, conducting and writing up experiments; forming grammatical sentences) and learn a great deal of information (formulae, physical laws, names of elements and compounds, long lists of vocabulary and tables of noun and verb forms).

It’s not necessary for students to spend their entire summer holiday revising all this stuff to stay on top of it – everyone needs a break, after all. The trick is to ensure that knowledge, skills and relevant thinking habits don’t just drop to the bottom of their minds for six, eight or ten weeks. As a parent, there are several ways you can help:

  • Travel can make an enormous difference. If your child is learning French and German, consider a visit to one country or the other for a holiday or short break.
  • Think about a visit to the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum in London. These aren’t just resources for younger kids – they contain a great deal of thought-provoking, inspirational material for older students, too.
  • Encourage reading – something we’ve blogged about recently.
  • More engaged students can be encouraged to actually pick up their school books during the holiday and have a quick refresher read. You could give them some sort of incentive to do this.
  • Switch on the telly! Keep an eye on the TV listings for programmes relevant to particular areas of study, and encourage them to watch. There’s also tons of good stuff on YouTube, iTunes U and the web in general.
  • Consider hiring a tutor, especially if your child underperformed in the end of year exams. Summer holiday tutoring doesn’t have to be intensive: a ‘slow burn’ approach to help students reinforce key ideas can work very well. It is a worthwhile summer holiday activity that keeps them occupied

If you live in the Greater Manchester or East Cheshire area and you’d like to find out more about how summer holiday tutoring can help your child – especially in tricky subjects like Maths, Science and modern languages – 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 your child’s needs.

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Posted in A level, English, GCSE, Languages, Learn a language, maths | No Comments »

Learning a language over the summer

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

If you or one of your kids would like to learn a language – or brush up one you already know – the summer months are a great time to take action. Many people have a little bit more spare time in July and August, and because of the school holidays there will be plenty of tutors available to help you with your studies.

Whether you’re visiting a foreign country on holiday or you’d just like a new challenge, learning a language can be a very rewarding experience. Below is an overview of the most popular options:

  • French is still the most popular modern language for Brits, probably because most of us acquired at least a smattering of it at school. As languages go, it is relatively easy, with quite a small vocabulary and a fairly regular grammar. The big challenge is mastering the accent and the pronunciation of words – for some reason, native English speakers find both difficult. One of the secrets of success is to physically move your mouth more than you do when you’re speaking English.

  • German is a bit trickier than French, because the grammar is more strict and the word order is often very different from what we’re used to in English. That said, modern German is similar to English in many ways (both are “Germanic” languages), and most English-speakers find German pronunciation relatively easy.

  • Spanish and Italian, like French, are Romance languages – basically, modern versions of Latin. The two are quite similar to each other, and are sometimes mutually intelligible if spoken slowly. Most people find them easier to learn than French, with Spanish probably the easiest European language if you want to develop conversational ability quickly. One word of warning: the Italians seem to have a real problem understanding foreigners who try to speak their language – it really pays to work on the accent! If you’re seeking to learn for business or employment reasons, Spanish can be a surprisingly good choice – along with English, Mandarin and Arabic it’s one of the world’s most widespread languages, used by half a billion native speakers globally.

  • Russian – now we’re getting more adventurous! Russian is a Slavic language, and very different from Romance (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian) and Germanic (English, German, Dutch) tongues. It has a complex grammar and a different alphabet from western European languages (Cyrillic rather than Roman). On the upside, it is very similar to other Slavic languages, so if you get on well with Russian you’ll find Roman-alphabet eastern European languages (e.g., Polish) pretty straightforward. Russian is also a good language to learn if you’re interested in beefing up your CV – many UK businesses work with Russia, and there is a shortage of speakers over here.

  • If you want a real challenge, Mandarin Chinese could be an interesting option – though don’t expect to grasp it right away! Mandarin is the most important Chinese dialect. It is written using a pictogram system that is completely unlike western alphabets, though when you’re learning you can use a system that converts Chinese sounds into western characters. Another interesting feature of Mandarin is the way tone is so important – a word’s meaning can change completely depending on how you say it. Again, Mandarin will look very impressive on your CV!

  • Welsh is a fun option if you want something a little closer to home, if you are making a move to Wales, or you holiday there regularly. The extent to which Welsh is spoken and used often surprises English visitors. This is especially true in North Wales, where there are plenty of people for whom English is very much a second language. The pronunciation is nowhere near as difficult as you might think, and it’s actually quite a straightforward language to learn. However, it’s worth knowing that Welsh dialects are quite different from one another: although it’s possible to learn a single, formal language (”International Welsh” is the tongue-in-cheek expression), you need to be aware of the differences between North Walian and South Walian versions of the language.

  • If you have an academic streak, it’s worth looking at Latin. You won’t get much chance to speak it (unless you go on holiday to the Vatican…), but learning to read Latin offers huge benefits. For a start, it opens up all of Latin literature – 2000 years’ worth of some of the greatest histories, biographies and poetry ever written. In more practical terms, learning Latin is the single best way of learning about language; it’ll help with learning French, Italian and Spanish (which are really just modern dialects of Latin), and if you have a good grasp of Latin, you’ll rarely write an ungrammatical English sentence. Moreover, it’s a ruthlessly logical language that teaches you to think in a clear, structured way. If you have an ambitious and intelligent child, a bit of Latin can make a big difference to his or her prospects – the subject is shamefully neglected in state schools, but recognised by universities, and even by many employers, as the mark of an academic high-flyer.

If live in the Manchester area and you want some help developing language skills, get in touch with 121 Home Tutors today. We can offer personal tuition in a range of languages, and we’ll be more than happy to help you out.

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Revision tips

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

GCSE’s or A levels looming? Here’s a few tips for revision we hope you find helpful.

1. Get organised!

Don’t leave it until last minute to revise; last minute cramming can lead to panic, lack of sleep and not so great results so be sure to plan ahead and get organised. Honest, it’s easier to do little bits more often and over a longer period of time than try to cram a lot of stuff into your head at once.

  • First, find out when your exams are – in the main summer exam season you may even have several exams on one day with little time in between
  • Second, try to organise a timetable for study – one idea is to follow your school timetable for either lesson or homework.
  • Allocate time for each subject and possibly more time for weaker areas or subjects you really need the best grades in

Be realistic with yourself – its great making a timetable that gives you 2-3 hours revision per night. But is it realistic? Does your revision timetable fit around school/homework; does it give you any free time? If it’s an unrealistic timetable, it may well look good on paper but it may give you added stress because you can’t stick to it!

  • Part of being realistic is planning for free time. Free time is important. Learning is far more effective when our brains are fresh and not worried/panicked about the huge tasks ahead.

 2. Know what stuff you need to learn.

This may sound obvious but it’s no use learning stuff that’s not going to be on the exam.

  • Check you know the exam board and syllabus you are taking for each subject – ask your teacher if unsure and ask for a syllabus. A syllabus is often a great revision guide itself. It lists all the stuff you’ll be tested on.
  • Find a revision guide that’s syllabus specific. Also, when looking for revision guides, look for one that appeals to your learning style and don’t necessarily go with the one all your friends have. For example I prefer the colourful, more picture based books than those full of mind maps and plain boring writing.

 3. Do you understand everything you need to learn?

Trying to learn something that makes no sense is very difficult – remembering facts about stuff you did understand is hard enough. If there’s a particular topic, or topics, you struggle to understand, ask your teacher to explain. Alternatively, ask if your friends know – maybe they understand topics you don’t and vice versa. Or, maybe your parents can help. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. If teachers, parents and/or friends are not helping you, that’s why many students find a tutor. Tutors can often help you find out your learning style, give you tips/hints to revise as well as knowing what you need to know and explaining the tricky topics.

 4. Work out how you learn best

Or try different methods to find learning techniques that’re right for you – a combination of methods and/or a different method for a different subject may work best for you. Try these….

  • Do mind maps work?
  • Does writing notes help? Care though, many students write notes and think that’s revision, but ask yourself. After writing loads of notes – have you learnt anything? Were/are they useful, or did your mind wander?
  • Do highlighters and colours help?
  • Do pictures help?
  • Do you prefer listening? Revision CD’s & many online revision sites have recordings of teachers talking through the topics.
  • Do discussion and/or question & answer sessions help? Some people learn best by being asked questions and/or discussing topics. If you can explain your answers or knowledge on a topic to someone else, it will show you how well you really understand the topic and also help keep the information in your head. A small study group of friends may be useful (but be careful here not to stray off the subject!).

 5. Split learning into smaller chunks

Try breaking subjects down into headings and learning a little bit at a time. Often, splitting learning into smaller chunks makes the whole task appear much less daunting. ‘Bite size’ revision can be very effective – check out the BBC bite size revision site.

 6. Test yourself & practice using past papers

Past exam papers are a very useful way of testing if you can apply what you learning – ideally you also need the mark scheme so you can check you get the right answers, see where marks are awarded and for what and the type of answers examiners are looking for.

Past papers also give you an idea of the type and style of questions asked and most subjects seem to have favourite/popular topics that are tested more often than others. They also let you see how much time you have and the format of the exams. Knowing what you’re about to face means fewer surprises on the day.

 7. Stay healthy

  • Eat right – ‘brain food’ such as Omega 3 foods are a essential for developing cell membranes and signal pathways. Fish, grass-fed meats, some nuts and blueberries are some good sources. If you are a snacker, try to snack on foods with natural sugars rather than sweets and chocolates.
  • Keep hydrated – drink enough water to keep your body working efficiently.
  • Sleep right – too much or too little sleep can affect learning.
  • Keep fit/healthy. Plan for ‘time out’ – its important not to overload yourself with work as it can be counterproductive. Reward yourself with breaks throughout the day, or even plan for whole/part days off. This will give your something to look forward to and work towards.
  •  Plan right – to avoid stress of last minute cramming and panic

 8. Exam day

Arrive in plenty of time, make sure you’ve got pens, pencils, sharpeners, rulers and other necessary stuff, like calculator for science and maths [best to get this ready night before so you don’t panic on the day]

Stay calm, read the question, don’t panic if you don’t know the answer – move on, answer all questions you can, then come back to the ones you found more difficult – for more on exam tips see our other post. And finally,  Good luck!

 If you need help with revision, exam technique, explanation of topics or just confidence we have private tutors across Manchester and Cheshire that can help you with your GCSE’s and A levels and many tutors will offer Easter revision tutorials. Contact us today

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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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Get to grips with English Literature GCSE

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

In our last post we looked at some tips and tricks for success at GCSE English. Today it’s the turn of GCSE English Literature.

It’s important to clear up the confusion that exists between the two subjects. GCSE English is a compulsory subject for school students. It covers a range of skills that are broadly divided into reading, writing, speaking and listening. It usually includes some study of literary texts (usually short poems), but mainly focuses on day-to-day English skills. As we saw in the last post, GCSE English is sometimes referred to as English Language or “straight” English to differentiate it from GCSE English Literature.

Unlike “straight” English, English Literature is not compulsory at GCSE, but because it is so closely related to GCSE English many schools teach the subjects side by side, and enter a substantial number of students for English Literature as a matter of course. Less able students will sometimes not take GCSE English Literature in order to focus on the basic skills needed for a pass at GCSE English.

To clear up a further point of confusion, when colleges, universities and employers stipulate that applicants should have “GCSE English and Maths”, they are referring to GCSE English, not GCSE English Literature.

Your child will almost certainly have the same teacher or teachers for both GCSE English and GCSE English Literature. Any qualified English teacher will be able to teach both. So if, for example, you approach 121 Home Tutors for English assistance, we’ll be able to put you in touch with a tutor who can help your child with both subjects.

What does GCSE English Literature involve?
GCSE English Literature is focussed entirely on the study of literary texts – poems, novels, short stories and plays. This may seem pretty distant from the demands of everyday life, but in fact the subject helps students to develop a range of very valuable skills, and reinforces some of those developed during the study of GCSE English. In particular, studying English Literature is useful for developing close reading skills – the ability to “read between the lines” of documents that will come in useful during a career in law or business.

Your child will study a range of literary texts, and will be tested by a combination of written exams, coursework and – possibly – coursework written under controlled conditions in the classroom. In the past, some exam boards made it possible to complete a GCSE in English Literature just by submitting coursework. These days, the balance has shifted back towards exams. Most boards award final marks based on written exams (usually around 70% of the total mark) and coursework (usually around 30%) combined.

One of the key areas of difficulty students face during GCSE English Literature is dealing with literary texts written prior to the twentieth century. All English Literature GCSE specifications include a pre-twentieth century component, and all require students to study at least some Shakespeare.

Quite a few students – the technically and scientifically minded as much as the less able – find Shakespeare and other pre-twentieth century authors mystifying and intimidating. If you’re helping your child approach GCSE English Literature, there are some strategies you can use to help him or her cope with older texts:

    • Remember that Shakespeare and co. weren’t writing in ‘Old English’ – people stopped speaking and writing genuine Old English half a millennium before Shakespeare was even born. Shakespeare’s plays are, in fact, written in early modern English, which uses some different vocabulary and constructions from the English we use today, but is basically the same language.

    • The secret to reading books and poems that were written a hundred or more years ago is to take it slowly. It’s only in the last couple of centuries that the majority of people have become ‘silent readers’, able to understand the written word without reading aloud. In the 1600s, the poet John Milton – author of Paradise Lost – was considered remarkable because he could read without moving his lips. Because of this, writers in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries expected their readers to go steadily – they certainly weren’t writing for people who use the silent, ‘scanning’ method of reading that’s common today. Slow down, and everything will begin to make sense.

    • A good dictionary is really useful. Go back a century or two, and most books were owned and read by wealthy, educated people. Writing for such an audience, authors didn’t feel the need to simplify the vocabulary they used. As such, some words are quite tough. If your child is struggling with a pre-twentieth century text, working through it slowly with a dictionary can be a big help.

If you and your child are really struggling with older texts – or with GCSE English Literature in general – feel free to get in touch with 121 Home Tutors. We’ll be happy to match you with a suitably qualified English tutor in the Manchester or Cheshire area.

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English GCSE: Improve Your Child’s Chances

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Getting a good result in GCSE English can be surprisingly difficult, even if your kids are very bright when it comes to other GCSE subjects like Maths and Science.

The main reason for this is that there isn’t much in the way of actual revision you can do. Unlike subjects like the sciences and History, there are few facts to be learned. Rather, GCSE English is almost entirely focussed on acquiring skills – principally reading and writing.

Don’t forget that English Literature is a separate subject from English at GCSE, although some of the skills your child learns for straight English will overlap with it (GCSE English is sometimes referred to as ‘English Language’ or ‘straight English’ to differentiate it from English Literature). We’ll cover English Lit. in detail in our next post.

With little obvious revision to do, how can you help your child if he or she is struggling with English? We chatted to GCSE English tutor and examiner Andrew Lackey for some suggestions. These are Andrew’s tips:

Reading
“Improving the broad range of your child’s English skills isn’t something you can do overnight. There are some quick fixes, but in the run-up to GCSE a long-term strategy is a good thing to have. At the heart of that strategy should be reading. Among the kids I teach, year on year, I see a consistent correlation between those who read a great deal and those who do well at GCSE English. Now, you could argue those who are ‘naturally’ good at the subject are likely to read a lot anyway, but I think it cuts both ways: get a child interested in books, and his or her English skills will improve, simply because he or she will unconsciously pick up a lot of good practices while reading.

“That said, reading isn’t the answer to everything – it won’t make your child a brilliant speller overnight, or necessarily teach good punctuation skills. It will, however, give him or her a more instinctive feel for written language.

“Remember that encouraging your child to read doesn’t mean you should only push fiction. Everyone likes a story, but many kids, especially boys, don’t really engage with novel-length fiction in their teenage years. Factual material is just as effective when it comes to promoting basic skills, so look out for books about sport, science and technology and so on. Newspapers are obviously good, and don’t knock your kids when they lounge around reading magazines – it’s all to the good. Remember, too, that your child will be expected to deal with factual material as part of GCSE English.”

“Quick fixes”
“If the exams are bearing down on you, there are still a few things you can do to improve your child’s English ability. Don’t forget that a strong ability when it comes to reading and writing has a cross-curricular benefit: better English skills can mean better performance across many other subjects at GCSE, especially in Arts and Humanities subjects such as History and Modern Languages.

“The best quick fixes are in the areas of spelling and punctuation. These are important areas in themselves in GCSE English exams, but the way an exam candidate spells and punctuates affects the examiner’s view of him or her. If an examiner sees a GCSE English paper or piece of coursework that is properly and consistently spelt and punctuated, that examiner will unconsciously assume that it’s from a strong candidate. Why? Because A and A* candidates tend to be good at that sort of thing, C and D candidates less so – it’s just a case of what the examiner is used to seeing.

“Spelling is quite difficult to sort out, because it is one of those areas where people have naturally varying levels of skill. English spelling is deeply illogical: some very bright kids really struggle with it, while some of average ability suffer few problems.

“Your best bet if GCSE is looming is to go through your child’s schoolwork and try to identify the top dozen or twenty misspellings. Some are common to nearly all weak spellers: ‘thier’ instead of ‘their’, ‘aswell’ instead of ‘as well’. Make a list and get your child to learn them off by heart – it shouldn’t take long, and it will help claw back some marks that might otherwise have been lost.

“Punctuation is easier, because there are rules to be learned, and lots of resources around to help. Many children (and adults!) have problems with punctuation simply because they have never been formally taught how to use it properly – which is ridiculous when you think about it, because most punctuation is so easy. I always tell my students that just knowing how to use apostrophes properly is worth half a grade at GCSE English.”

There’s some good material on punctuation – and a range of other topics – at the BBC Skillswise website.

If you feel your child needs some additional help, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us – English is one of those subjects where personal attention from a specialist tutor can make a huge difference to results.

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