Success at GCSE EveningWhile you wait:

Discuss what you could do as a family to ensure success at GCSE

Success at GCSE Evening

9-5 66What do these numbers refer to?

The Challenge

9-1 GCSEs• Deliberately made more challenging• Terminal examinations, not modular• No coursework or controlled assessment for academic subjects• Larger emphasis on examination in practical subjects

May November April May

2017 2018

Year 10 Mock Examinations

Year 11 Mock Examinations

Controlled assessment

deadline

June

Work Experience

GCSEs Begin!

GCSE Timeline

How we can succeed…

Attendance

Sleep and food

A survey of GCSE students in England found that 29% of the young people stay up until after 1 a.m. and half

said they went to school without eating breakfast.

Devices and Blue Light

Communication with School

Understand the Courses

Success at GCSE Mathematics

To learn, you must want to be taught.

Why is Maths important?•Many courses and jobs require GCSE Maths• It improves your problem solving skills• It gives you the skills to manage your personal finances•Research shows that people who are good at Maths, on average, earn more

Pencil, protractor and calculator –weapons of Maths destruction.

• The final score in a football match was 3 – 2.• How many different

possible half-time scores are there?

• The answer is 36.• What was the

question?

Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, weighs

‘600kg plus half her weight’.

How much does Nessie weigh?

In an enclosure at the zoo there are ostriches and giraffes.

If there are 16 heads and 52 legs, how many of each animal are there?

Course Overview

• The GCSE course started in Year 9.• It takes 3 years.• The exams are in May or June 2018.•AQA Mathematics – 3 exams at the end of the course.• There is no coursework.

5 out of 4 people have difficulty with fractions

Course Content• Number 4 operations Surds

Negative numbers Standard formFactors, multiples, primes IndicesFractions Rational NumbersDecimals Limits of AccuracyPercentagesRatio and ProportionBIDMAS

0.3333… = 1/3 0.6666… = 2/30.9999… = 3/3 = 1

Course Content• Algebra Substitution Quadratic equations

Equations Algebraic FractionsGraphs Transforming GraphsSequences IterationBrackets Pre-CalculusRearranging FormulaeTrial and ImprovementSimple quadratics

Decimals Have a Point

Course Content• Shape and Space 2D shapes Trigonometry

3D shapes VectorsArea & Volume Circle GeometryPythagoras Similar ShapesTransformations Spheres and PyramidsAnglesMeasuresConstructionsSimple trigonometry

Why is the number 6 scared? Because 7 8 9.

Course Content

• Statistics and Averages Histogram Probability Charts Cumulative Frequency

Scatter Graph Box PlotProbability Tree DiagramsSurveys Conditional Probability

If you think dogs can’t count, try putting 3 biscuits in your pocketand only giving Fido 2 of them.

ExpectationsBehaviour for learning Complete homework

Do your best Complete practice papersShow your working Keep your book neat and accurateAttendance Be prepared for each lesson

If there is a 50 – 50 chance that something will go wrong,

then 9 times out 10 it will.

EquipmentCalculator – have your own to become familiar with itPen & Pencil SharpenerRuler ProtractorRubber Compasses

It is not how many times you fall that is important,it is how many times you get back up again.

Homework• Set twice per week• Year 10 consolidation tasks, learning,

puzzles• Year 11 revision and practice papers• Should take between 30 – 40 minutes

Failure is the opportunity to begin again,more intelligently.

The Maths Exam AQA Mathematics (8300)

HigherOld

Grade A* A* A B B/C CNew

Grade 9 8 7 6 5 4

Foundation

OldGrade B/C C D E F/GNew

Grade 5 4 3 2 1

The Maths Exam

•AQA Mathematics (8300)• The higher the number, the higher the grade.• Set 1 and Set 2 follow the Higher course.• Set 3, Set 4 and Set 5 follow the Foundation

course.

Maths, the only place where you can buy 80 watermelonswithout anyone thinking you’re weird.

The Papers• Foundation Higher

• Paper 1 non-calculator 80 marks 1h 30m 1h 30m• Paper 2 calculator 80 marks

1h 30m 1h 30m• Paper 3 calculator 80 marks

1h 30m 1h 30m•Any topic can appear on any paperParallel lines have so much in common, it’s a

shame they’ll never meet.

What do the students do?• Individual work and Paired work• Basic skills and applied skills• Familiar and unfamiliar situations• Multi-stage problems• Regular assessments to track progress• Targets set to enhance progress• Complete practice papers (Year 11)

Maths is like true love, a simple idea but it can get complicated.

What can parents do?• Provide an appropriate place to work free from distraction• Be supportive and encouraging• Ask your child to explain what they have been doing• Get a revision guide• Check that homework and practice papers are completed• Do not say ‘well I was never any good at maths’.• If you are positive then your child will be positive.• If you have a concern contact the school.

The will to succeed is not nearly so important asthe will to prepare to succeed.

Websites•Mymaths•Mr Barton maths•bbc bitesize•Khan Academy•AQA for past papers

The only way to learn Maths is to do Maths.

GCSE EnglishTwo GCSEs with separate grades awarded:

English LanguageEnglish LiteratureSpoken Language

Course Structure

Language Literature

Paper 1 (1hr 45)

•Exploration in creative reading and writing.

Paper 2 (1hr 45)

Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives.

Paper 1 (1hr 45)

•Shakespeare

•19th Century Literature Text

Paper 2 (2hr 15)

•Modern Text/Play

•Relationship Poetry

•Unseen poetry.

What does the GCSE look like?

• All exam

• There are no tiers for the papers (Foundation or Higher)

• Closed text exams

• Grades will now be awarded in 9-1, with 9 being the highest (A*-G)

How can you help?

Five ways parents can help and support students in GCSE English.1. Encourage reading- e.g. a range of fiction (various

centuries)/ newspapers/ autobiographies.2. Encourage proof reading i.e. checking for errors

(spelling/punctuation/ change of tense) and finding opportunities for improvement.

3. Get to know the exams. aqa.org.uk4. Read set texts (a handout is available), talking about

the texts is invaluable. 5. Encourage organisation of work/resources

And some practical ideas…• Ask your son/daughter to write you a letter arguing for something

they believe in/want to do/ think should change. • Read a novel/article/play/essay/auto-biography text together and

discuss what you liked about it, how it made you both feel, etc.• Give your son/daughter a list of five words to learn how to spell and

to use.

BBC bitesize GCSEhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zr9d7ty

AQA:http://www.aqa.org.uk/

Learning Quiz

1.

Will listening to classical music whilst studying help you learn?

2. Is it better to spend 90 minutes revising one subject?

OR

30 minutes revising three different subjects?

3. Which of these approaches do you think would lead to biggest learning gains?

1. Study- test - study - test2. Study - study - study - test3. Study - test - test - test

In lessons…•Make good decisions• Put your hand up• Focus• Persevere• Be curious• Smile

At home…

Success at GCSE EveningAs a result of this evening:

Discuss what you could do as a family to ensure success at GCSE