One of my students is very ill in hospital at the moment with an illness partially triggered last year by the pressure of GCSEs.

It has made me think how much pressure our 16 year olds and older experience at this time of the year and I thought it might be a good idea to remind students that teachers are here to help them. If you don't understand anything, or want advice on preparing for exams ask your teachers about it instead of worrying. Remember your teachers have done exams too so they know what you are all going through. Above all you aren't alone - all your friends (and students in schools all over the country) are in exactly the same situation.

So good luck to all GCSE, AS and A level students. Do your best thats all anyone expects from you.

Noodle, in a serious and contemplative mood tonight.

It's already quite clear to me that im going to fail. might as well give up now, my life is a disaster

^that's a bit of a silly attitude... if you think you're going to do badly, then you're more likely to do badly- be positive!!

I'm kind of at the meh, don't really care stage!

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Apr 15 2005, 08:58 PM)

It's already quite clear to me that im going to fail. might as well give up now, my life is a disaster

No Nat, you aren't going to fail. You wouldn't have got this far if you weren't capable. You did so well in your recent practical exams so thats a good sign too. Please don't give up - you love music and thats what you want to do.

WEll, I failed all my A levels... am quite happy now.

Also most of my school reports tell of lack of confidence.... I am now the regular church organist, have 2 lovely, independant daughters, teach piano, sometimes lead the services in church (doubling up on the organ on occasion!) and am a volunteer reading helper.

It sounds, however, as though you work harder than I did....
try to use your energy in doing the best you can... and no one can ask more than that... rather than worrying about what might not be. There will always be other options open to you. But please be careful not to overdo it..

QUOTE (noodle @ Apr 15 2005, 09:39 PM)

One of my students is very ill at the moment with an illness partially triggered last year by the pressure of GCSEs. It has made me think how much pressure our 16 year olds and older experience at this time of the year and I thought it might be a good idea to remind students that teachers are here to help them. If you don't understand anything, or want advice on preparing for exams ask your teachers about it instead of worrying. Remember your teachers have done exams too so they know what you are all going through. Above all you aren't alone - all your friends (and students in schools all over the country) are in exactly the same situation. So good luck to all GCSE, AS and A level students. Do your best thats all anyone expects from you. Noodle, in a serious and contemplative mood tonight.

Yes... I think we're all feeling it right now...

Chronic student-itis. Symptoms: Disorganisation, insomnia, low confidence, randomly getting upset...

But hey, we regularly hear how "easy and dumbed-down" that GCSE's and A levels are. Confidence boosting or what. Made slightly worse by the fact my predicted grades are getting lower and lower...

Nat, you are not going to fail!!! Repeat after me: "I am not going to fail!!!"

I can relate to feeling stressed about exams. I'm only in year 10 so I'm not sitting my gcses till next year but I have some modular papers and loads of coursework to do this year! It doesn't exactly help that all my teachers, friends and family expect me to get loads of A*s and As (as if!). I'm feeling even worse than normal now because I've just had yr 10 exams this week and my perfectionistic self thinks that I could have done better, even though I don't have my results yet!

Thanks for your message Noodle. I think it raises some really important points!

You had your exams this week!!!! we dont have our for two months.
(not even that is long enough)



*its my birthday on the 17th everyone HINT HINT*

1) Nat you're not going to fail! If you tell yourself that, you'll stand more chance of failing! I know it's like a backup in case you don't do aswell as you could, but it really doesn't matter!

Seriously though, what noodle says is right. I wasn't very well for my GCSEs coz of exam stress and some form of ME, and it qas the hardest thing I had to do to sit in the exam the whole way through and manage to do it, never mind get aim for really high grades!

But POSITIVE THINKING (hint Nat!) really helped, as did talking to people!

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Apr 15 2005, 08:58 PM)

It's already quite clear to me that im going to fail. might as well give up now, my life is a disaster

Nat you've just scored a merit and a near-distinction in your grade exams so how can you say what you just said????!!!!????

You'll do fine in your A-level, I guarantee it. Just do your best and don't worry about the rest.

Violinia

I'm beginning to think the GCSE syllabus is ridiculous, especially in the amount of composition they're expecting 15-year-olds to do. One of my pupils told me the whole GCSE music class was in tears the other day, and my son has got himself so wound up about it he'll barely discuss it. He now says he hates his music teacher; this is someone who adores playing the sax, went straight in at grade 5 and got an honours, and practically hero-worships his sax teacher.

When pupils ask me if I think they should go for music GCSE I'm beginning to wonder if I should be encouraging them, because it seems almost guaranteed they're not going to enjoy it.

A Year 9 told me yesterday he's picked music as one of his options and I nearly said "oh no". However, the music teachers in that school are great and the kids do really well at GCSE, so perhaps in the end it's all down to the teachers, who can make the best of a somewhat (unintentionally) gruelling syllabus..

Violinia

Yes I definitely have to agree with violinia, the gcse syllabus is awful!!!
But on AQA it's getting slightly better as they have now dropped one of the compositions starting with the people in Yr10 now. You now only have to do Special Events and Integrated Assignment.
I'm currently very tense, snappy, tired, unable to concentrate in orchestra or choir because of gcse stress. I think it is partly due to the fact that we have so many subjects nd each teacher expects us to take their subject most seriously.
I have to say though, that some students get themselves more in a pickle than others, if they miss coursework deadlines set in Yr10, they are picking up the pieces at the moment and are having coursework to finish as well as exam revision to get in.
So my advice to anyone taking gcses - get as much coursework as you can out of the way in Yr10. If you have modular tests try and get your best marks to take a bit of pressure off your final exams. Use lunchtimes, any revsion sessions or any homework clubs as to do your work here is so much easier than getting home very tired.... then having to work!
For year 11 pupils - take your stresses out on your instruments (not too enthusiastically!!!) but unless you have an exam coming up perhaps leave off any scales or particularly challenging pieces for the next few weeks - you only have on shot at gcses, and you can make up for your practice for hours everyday after your exams are finished!
And advice specific to music - my biggest mistake was to try and write for instruments i didnt understand! Do genres/instruments that you have experience of.

Remember - exams are useful but arent everything. Work to live don't live to work. It's not worth it.

Don;t know how i managed to blab on for so long.....#
Charlotte x x xx

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Apr 16 2005, 04:58 AM)

It's already quite clear to me that im going to fail. might as well give up now, my life is a disaster

All you can do is your best and your best is to STAY CONFIDENT and don't give up!

5 weeks till my first exam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ug.

I fully understand the pressures of school, as last year I left school as a result of a number of things. Its very bad that that for most kids school is horrible place and that we get worked so hard. I have never been one to worry about exams that much (although I do for other reasons) Ok exams are important, but they arnt so important that people should get stresseed about them - its only a piece of paper you get at the end of the day. But for me my music is so much more inmportant to me. Its something I enjoy, so I work hard at it, and It means so much more that a piece of paper with a grade on it, it envolves everyoine who listens to me play etc etc.

I reterned to school in september and am not starting to see the consiquences of only hvaing 1 year to learn everyhting for the GCSE's I'm doing ok, before all this happened I was capeable of getting As and Bs. Now I'm looking at Cs in most subjects - which is ok, its still a pass. But my personal triumph of getting over alot of challenging issues and returning to school, which I find a very scarry situation, is worth so much more to me than any grade or exam could.

We can only try our best at our exams, and aslong as we do that we should be happy with what grades we get.

Good luck to all those taking exams this summer - its back to the revision guide for me now! (I'm already sick of revising! And its only been a week!)

Izzy

QUOTE (Subatomic_Star @ Apr 15 2005, 10:16 PM)

"Yes... I think we're all feeling it right now... Chronic student-itis. Symptoms: Disorganisation, insomnia, low confidence, randomly getting upset... "

Yes, that is me. Anyone who knows me knows how much I am going on about mine. I REALLY want to do well. I had a concert last night and my duet went horrible wrong (I missed a quaver beat and partner lost her place and didn't play for about 30 bars) and I emailed/texted a lot of people in dispair. As soon as I was out of the concert hall I cried, but it got to me more than usual.

I have Music Terminal Task in 10 days, and am very worried about that. I'll do a practice one at home I think today. Our teacher was off last week and we're behind anyway. Not good.

The OCR syllabus isn't great, but I can't compare to AQA.

QUOTE (noodle @ Apr 15 2005, 08:39 PM)

One of my students is very ill in hospital at the moment with an illness partially triggered last year by the pressure of GCSEs. It has made me think how much pressure our 16 year olds and older experience at this time of the year and I thought it might be a good idea to remind students that teachers are here to help them. If you don't understand anything, or want advice on preparing for exams ask your teachers about it instead of worrying. Remember your teachers have done exams too so they know what you are all going through. Above all you aren't alone - all your friends (and students in schools all over the country) are in exactly the same situation. So good luck to all GCSE, AS and A level students. Do your best thats all anyone expects from you. Noodle, in a serious and contemplative mood tonight.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I completely agree, I think we are under so much pressure to acheive so much. I'm doing my GCSEs this year, and all in all I'm doing 28 seperate exams in the space of 2 months. Everyone at school's getting really worked up and stressed out already, and we haven't got time to start revising as they're still piling on the coursework! And this week lots and lots of people have been sent home from school with mumps. It's probably not to do with stress or anything but it could be lol. There's an epidemic! These exams are such a scary prospect.

I really don't find the GCSE syllabus intensive at all, quite the opposite infact and to find that they were reducing the compositions from 3 to 2 shocked me. But hey, that's just me.

Social & Economic History is more strenuous in my opinion.

Thanks Noodle for the good advice. I'm only in the first year of my GCSEs but I am taking my music AS level in about 2 months time- in the same week as all my other school exams- so I am feeling the pressure a bit. Good luck to everyone taking exams.

OK, now I just feel really terrified, and I'm 'only' got 2 Maths exams this term. And IB mocks, but I'm refusing to think about the fact that our Predicted grades sent off to UCAS are based on these.

So apart from re. maths terror, I'm pretty ok, atm, but you don't want to catch me this time next year when I'm about to plunge into exams for 6 subjects, all at approximetly A-level, level. I'm betting it won't be pretty!

However, if there's anyone ot there doing GCSE's and feeling a bit down, I'm here for advise/help etc (got through with 9 A*'s, and didn;t have a nervous breakdown, so must have done something right) and if anyone happens to be an expert when it comes to maths... get in toutch too, I could do with someone to randomly pester relating to intergration, differentiation, trasformations of sin, cos and tan graphs, logs, or any other C2 topics!

all my modules would be fine...withe the exception of german....i'm soo nervous at the moment.....

hey

i am a 3rd student student curently watching all my 5th year freinds getiing more andmore stressed although one of my freinds who has done half an hour every week day since 4th year and more if needed isnt getting stressed at all i think considering i do lots of extra cirricular activites aswell this is the way i plan to do my gcses!

xoxo

hey tamsin

I've always quite liked my maths and been quite good at it so id would be happy to help you out if ud like me to! im doing AS atm and lots of people in my year are finding C2 a bit of a struggle too so i wouldnt worry too much about it - just do lots of practise questions!
let me know if u want a hand tho

catherine

I am just so petrified about my GCSEs

Thanks Catherine, I'll let you klnow if I get desperately stuck now I've started my revision.

And Nikki, petrification isn't good... speaking as someone who was locked in her porch up til 10 minutes before the start of her RE exam, not getting to the exam is a bad thing! Cheer up.

I remember being half an hour late for my physics GCSE. That wasn't good, but it was only a multi-choice paper, and still finished before the end. And I have no excuse at all - it was a nice warm sunny day and me and a friend were sitting at the bottom of the field making daisy chains. Oops!

Hmm, still worried lol!
Most of my exams are first thing, so I bet it'll be my luck the bus breaks down or something!

Firstly, GOOD LUCK, everyone! You are all going to be fine *hands out pats on the back*

As for me, I too am at the 'I'm too tired to care stage'! I have a chemistry exam tomorrow, a french exam on wednesday (not GCSE or A-Levels, it's the German system), three barbershop concerts where I'm singing in a quartet and have a solo (help!), a practical exam (flute, grade 6) and to top it all I just found out that I have to read 80 pages for English by tomorrow! Sorry to moan, but the workload is really getting me down...

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ Apr 17 2005, 05:53 PM)

Hmm, still worried lol! Most of my exams are first thing, so I bet it'll be my luck the bus breaks down or something!

There was a car accident which nearly caused be to be late for my A level English exam. It was a great distraction - I was so worried about being late I wasn't worrying about the actual exam.

Nicki try not to worry about your exams, I know its hard not to. Just do your best thats all anyone can do.

I don't want to be negative but its not the end of the world if you don't do as well as you want to. You can always repeat a subject if necessary.

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ Apr 17 2005, 06:53 PM)

Most of my exams are first thing, so I bet it'll be my luck the bus breaks down or something!

Walk. Don't you live 5 minutes away from your school??? Compared to me who has an hours journey on the bus?!?

QUOTE

and to top it all I just found out that I have to read 80 pages for English by tomorrow! Sorry to moan, but the workload is really getting me down...

Oh dear {}

I feel like that all the time at the moment... <mutters> revision.... coursework.... composition... formulae.... <twitch>

July - Oh I feel sorry for you. Good luck for the concerts, you'll be fab, and let me know how the flute exam goes . 80 pages of a book, get reading and get it over and done with.

Noodle - I don't want to repeat a subject if I do badly. I just have predicted some good grades which I know I can achieve, I am just scared of them!

Helen - I live a 10 minute bus journey away, which is at least 5 miles. I could always get the service bus/lift from parent though!!

Ugh, I hate reading German. The concentration required to guess all the words I don't know, and to understand what's going on just gives me a headache.

Still feeling bad about maths, but at least I'm now finished logs (which were far easier than I remember: but then, we have been using them a lot in chemsitry) and can move on to sequences and series! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Glad I'm not the only one who has nearly missed an exam!

QUOTE

Still feeling bad about maths, but at least I'm now finished logs

Oooh, thanks for reminding me... must go over those! (for some reason our teacher covered them with core 1?? *go figure that one out*)

Yes, I hate french reading, but not as much as the oral... and listening. Come to think of it, pretty much all of it.

I'm sure everyone will do fine in their exams. It isn't worth worrying over. Just enjoy ourselves !

I have now officially started revising properly!!!!! Wo ho! And Im actually understanding algebra for the first time ever! I sometimes think that teaching yourself is better, because you remember it much better if you have to work it out yourself. Its tricky doing GCSE's in a year. But I'm sure I'l manage!

Iz

All the best to everyone who has exams this term.

Try not to panic - I don't think it helps!

Maggie

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ Apr 17 2005, 08:10 PM)

Noodle - I don't want to repeat a subject if I do badly. I just have predicted some good grades which I know I can achieve, I am just scared of them!

Sorry Nicki. I didn't mean it like that. What I was trying to say was the worst thing that can happen would be to have to repeat something. I had to repeat A level French!

Just do your best and good luck with all the exams.

Don't worry, I didn't take offence. In my eyes though that would be bad (repeating something), as I know I am capable in all subjects.

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Apr 19 2005, 09:25 AM)

Try not to panic - I don't think it helps!

TRY NOT TO PANIC???!!?!?!

HOW?!!!!

its impossible

I thought I was "capable" in German, got a D first time round. Resat in January and got a B, which would've been more than I was likely to get if I'd worked hard enough first time round!

It really isn't then end of the world, and GCSEs don't count for any points, so it's not like one grade, say A instead of A* will make that much difference! Yeah you have to put them on your UCAS form, but they're not really used unless you go through clearing. Unless that's changing as well this year?!

Don't stress yourself out with GCSEs Niki, they're really not as bad as you think when they get there! (yeah easy for me to say now but.....)

good luck!

How come everybody knows each other on this topic???

I'm sitting my as levels this year, but am feeling a little less stressed now that I've decided to duck out and join the marines bands a year earlier than planned, so it doesn't matter right now what I get as I'll be doing a degree there whatever happens.

I understand though exams are so tough with learning new stuff up until mere days before the exams, and also my parents and teachers are expecting A's and nothing less from me, and you guys i'm sure. They creep up on you so fast and you've no yime for revision before you know it. From having done my GCSE's last year (and also experiencing related health problems) i know that you just have to plough through the two months and make the most of your long long summer because you sure ain't gonna get one next year!

We either know each other offline or through just getting to know each other on the forums.

I am quite worried now, GCSEs are imminant. I suppose, when I have had a couple of exams I will be ok....hopefully!

I can't wait until my summer holidays, I have so much good stuff planned, I am going on tour, going on another flute course. I really can't wait!

im doing my gcse's this year - we had a mock test and i got a D - yes a big fat stinking D - but i didn't mind to much - at least i didn't say "orchestras have grown Larger" - Oddball!

I've got all my exam dates now , and I am so worried! I've never really reivsed, only for music and I know i will fail if I dont do something now! argh, im so nervous!!

QUOTE (elmo @ Apr 16 2005, 08:36 AM)

Seriously though, what noodle says is right. I wasn't very well for my GCSEs coz of exam stress and some form of ME, and it qas the hardest thing I had to do to sit in the exam the whole way through and manage to do it, never mind get aim for really high grades!

I had the same problem - ME - from last year of junior school into 6th form... and I survived (just about!) so you guys can too.

I know GCSEs seem like the biggest thing ever now, but really they're a stepping stone to allow you to do a levels for most of you, and once you have that sorted you'll rarely ever again be asked what you got. (some of you may be going into the world of work, but even then after your first job prospective employers will be lookign at references, not whether you got an A in woodwork - the same goes for A Levels and even your degree eventually) it's nice to do well, yes, but it REALLY isn't worth making yourself ill over. & I know it's easier said than done to say "don't stress" - I used to sit outside exam rooms at uni doing last minute cramming and shaking (literally!) like a leaf - but try to remember that even if the worst came to the worst it won't be the end of the world, and chances are you'll all do fine... there's only so much you can learn now that you didn't know already, so don't beat yourself over the head... you'll do yourselves many more favours during study leave by GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP and figuring in some time to relax and do enjoyable things, so that you actually have the energy to do your exams when they come round.

GOOD LUCK to all of you!

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ May 7 2005, 10:26 PM)

you'll do yourselves many more favours during study leave by GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP and figuring in some time to relax and do enjoyable things

there is no time to sleep!!!

If you don't find time to sleep your exam results will suffer far more than is compensated for by staying up all night revising. Nat, I was predicted D/E, E/N, B/C and I think another D/E or E/N for music, and I came out with a B (after an insanely hard history paper which I may as well have written "I am a fish" 300 times for the essay section of - and that was the section they predicted me the B/C in...I rather think I failed at least half of that paper by not understanding the question for one essay, and actually knowing nothing at all about duets in Verdi operas besides Aida - not even knowing the names of any - which was what the whole essay was about. Heaven only knows what the examiner marking that made of an essay which basically tried to answer that question without actually knowing any Verdi duets, which must have been painfully obvious!).

So there's every reason to believe that you will do just fine and probably get great marks, and I'm certain you won't fail. And the way things work now, you have your AS levels already, so you have half an A Level - you're only fighting for the second half, not the whole shebang.

Ditto other subjects: you've spent two years studying them, revision is only really about reminding yourself of stuff you know. Staying up till 4am doing that will do you no favours at all.

Everyone says that teachers are there to help but what about unsupportive teachers who really don't like you because they've taken a severe personal dislike to you and are being totally unprofessional in taking out their feelings on your work?? I have the pleasure of having a teacher like that!! But i don't even know what i've done to upset him!! It really doesn't help when you're told right before your exams that you are rubbish at something despite the fact that you've worked really hard to get to where you are for many years!! I mean all i'm asking for is support in something that is really important to me but it doesn't look like i'm likely to get it!! That teacher's targetted me for an A* at GCSE and i've got 174/180 for my composition/performing/appraisals and stuff but he still doesn't feel that i can do well at A-Level!! He knows how much music matters to me but he has blatently refused to support my decission. I don't know maybe he is saying this because he genuenly thinks that taking music will be a mistake for me but all i'm asking for is his support in doing something that matters to me so much!! Anyway, rant over lol, i'll shut up now lol

Trisha, you have my sympathy: you just described my GCSE and A Level music teachers to a tee, especially the Head of Music who hated me for some reason. If you have the opportunity to do music A Level outside school it might be worth it: but you can do it if you try, I speak from experience! Try not to let a horrible teacher make you hate the subject - I'm only getting back my confidence in my music 8 years later - your marks speak for themselves, so don't let them put you down.

QUOTE

Trisha, you have my sympathy: you just described my GCSE and A Level music teachers to a tee, especially the Head of Music who hated me for some reason. If you have the opportunity to do music A Level outside school it might be worth it: but you can do it if you try, I speak from experience! Try not to let a horrible teacher make you hate the subject - I'm only getting back my confidence in my music 8 years later  - your marks speak for themselves, so don't let them put you down.

Why is it always the music teachers that are like that though?? Because my teacher, i mean he can be a great teacher when he wants to be, but if he decides he doesn't like you then that's a different story!! lol

I don't know... my best guess is that some at least (not all, I hasten to add!) are frustrated musicians who basically resent their pupils. In at least one teacher's case that I know of I'm almost certain that is true. The old adage "those who can, do, those who can't, teach" is terribly unfair in most cases... but sadly there are a few who become music teachers as a second best to being musicians instead of because they actually want to teach music, and their pupils suffer as a consequence.