Happy New Year!
Your Year 11 Mocks are important. They are a way for you to (a) get a feel for what the real exams may be like, (b) see what grade level you are currently working at, and (c) learn from your mistakes.
(a) For most people, this will be the first time you have sat an exam in a proper exam hall, and felt under pressure or scared about your exams. One of the reasons why mocks are so helpful is to ease your nerves. I remember feeling more scared for some of my mocks than I did for my actual GCSEs because it was the first time in a big exam hall, surrounded by over a hundred other, nervous students.
(b) It doesn't matter - I repeat, it does not matter - if you don't get the exact grade you wanted in your mocks. You have a few months to sort this out! I remember getting an 8 in my first History mock and I thought it was the end of the world at the time, however this encouraged me to keep working on it and spoke to my teacher. History ended up being one of my highest grade 9s. Similarly, if you get the grade you wanted, or above the grade you wanted, that is great! BUT you still need to work for GCSEs to stay at that level.
(c) The most important thing about mocks is to look over how you did and pinpoint areas you need to work on. For each paper, make a note of parts you found difficult and/or didn’t score that highly on in a notebook or an Excel spreadsheet. Then ensure you go over these topics- re-read over your notes from class or textbook chapter, or use some of our great recommended resources for each subject, and don't hesitate to ask a teacher to help you if you are stuck.
Keep on top of your work, whether you are at home, self-isolating, or in school. Make your GCSEs easier with gcsEase.
- The Astute Student