12 Feb Mock results not quite as expected?
Mock exam season has arrived and the results of these are more important than ever before. Not only are mock results relied on by some universities to offer places, but they give the students, their parents and teachers a clear indication of whether a child looks likely to achieve their predicted grades. Mock exams are also excellent practise runs ahead of the upcoming exam period.
It can be very stressful for children at the end of their mocks when they feel they are struggling to reach their predicted grades. For some the challenge comes in finding the time needed to focus solidly on their revision, for others they haven’t mastered their revision technique or are so worried about retaining knowledge that they aren’t focussing on their exam technique to score maximum points.
GCSE courses are now graded from 1-9 with 9 representing the new A** grade which is meant to stretch and differentiate the most able pupils whereas the old C grade (seen as a “pass” by many schools and universities) roughly equates to the new grade 5. A quick check on many of the Russell group university websites an (and indeed Oxford and Cambridge) reveals that they will be looking at grades 7, 8 and 9 as part of the selection process for their more popular courses. It is perhaps telling that they are being particularly vague in their advice to applicants by giving a spread of grades and will most probably use the new system as the discriminator given two equal candidates. Therefore, it may well be that getting the best possible grades at GCSE will be increasingly important in the hugely competitive UCAS process.
The Easter holidays are an essential time to prepare for the final grades. GCSE’s tend to start in earnest a few weeks after the start of the summer term and there is no longer the hiatus of study leave to make amends for inactivity at Easter. The very top grades will be achieved by those pupils who have been punctilious about their approach to revision whether this is self -directed or by attending a revision course. One such course is run by Harrow School Enterprises. Harrow School Easter Revision Courses are suitable for students taking GCSE, IGCSE and A Level exams during the 2020 Summer term. They are designed to improve candidates’ grades by increasing their knowledge, refining their examination technique and by boosting confidence.
Over 90% of their students felt more confident after attending Harrow’s courses last year. Many of the tutors teach at Harrow School all year round, and others teach at other reputable schools such as The John Lyon School (The same foundation as Harrow School), Radley College, Merchant Taylors’ School and Roedean School. All are selected by the same academic criteria as permanent Harrow School staff.
Courses on offer for 2020 include GCSE, IGCSE and A Level Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Computer Science, Design Technology, Economics, English, French, Geography, Government & Politics, History, Latin, Maths, Physics, Religious Studies and Spanish.
See what previous students and parents thought:
“My son thoroughly benefited from both the GCSE and A level course and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to all”
“Very thorough. Nice to have a teacher with lots of experience and someone who has been a chief examiner!”
“Perfect! Can’t think of any points of criticism. Great teacher. I wish he taught at my school”
“My son found the course really useful and achieved an A in chemistry A level”
“My son got an A in his A-Level Chemistry. The course helped compound his knowledge base”
“The Easter maths course was a huge help to our daughter and in my mind there is no doubt it made all the difference to her securing an A* at IGCSE. Not only did she come away having understood certain topics more clearly but it gave her a huge confidence boost because it made her appreciate what she could in fact achieve. Thereafter she was happy to tackle practice papers and just seek help if she got stuck on individual questions rather than being daunted by the prospect of doing a whole paper.”
“My son thoroughly benefited from both the GCSE and A level course and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to all”
“Our son received A* in Biology and Maths. We felt the revision courses were particularly useful”
These courses are easily accessible to anyone in Greater London or the Home Counties as the School is located approximately ten miles from the centre of London. Harrow on the Hill Station (Metropolitan and Chiltern Lines) is only a ten-minute walk away and offers easy connections to Central London as well as the Chilterns. South Harrow station (Piccadilly Line) is also close by. For students requiring accommodation during the stay, they will put you in contact with local hotels in the Harrow area.
Find out more
www.harrowschoolenterprises.com/education
CALL KIM: 020 8426 4638
TRAIN: Metropolitan line or Chiltern Line to Harrow-on-the-Hill and Piccadilly line to South Harrow
BUS: H17, 258
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