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Secondary education

Is there anything like Conquer Maths for KS4 Science?

9 replies

HPparent · 19/07/2014 11:02

DD2 is doing triple science GCSEs next summer but seems to have little grasp of science at all.

Having used conquer maths in the past and found it really good, I wondered whether anyone had come across a similar interactive website for science.

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kscience · 20/07/2014 00:11

I do not have any experience of the maths website but as a science teacher know of a number of good KS3 revision websites depending on childs ability
What do you mean by "seems to have little grasp of science at all"? What level is DD currently working at? Has DD been selected for triple science?

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HPparent · 20/07/2014 08:30

I meant exactly what I said ie that she seems to know virtually nothing. Her school do not give levels but her target grade is A*'because she is in the top stream. Her test scores are average C to D. The tests consist of questions from past papers but the topics are studied in class before the test.

She will be doing triple science because she is in the top stream - they don't select as such. She has already started the ISAs this term.

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crazymum53 · 20/07/2014 16:48

Has your dd just completed Y10? Usually children improve by at least 2 grades from the end of Y10 to Y11.
The main difficulty about Science past paper questions is that there are only a small number available for the new GCSE specification. So if the school is using questions from the old syllabus, there will be parts that your dd hasn't done as the 2 specifications are slightly different and the style of questions has also changed. If your dds school haven't made any allowance for this, it could explain why her test results seem low.

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Tansie · 20/07/2014 22:57

Watching with interest.

My DC is also at the end of Y10, doing AQA fast track triple science (there is no 'normal track' at his school, thus they are 'selected' to do triple and the majority get A or A*) but appears to be 'not doing very well'. I am at a bit of a loss because he comes home telling of 'C' or even 'D' in a controlled assessment- then a worried enquiry to the school reveals that 'he's on track for a B overall' Hmm.

How does that work, then?

We have agreed that the school will set him some extra work over the summer but I am genuinely worried that he has 2 1/2 days to go and none's been forthcoming yet- and I doubt, with the best will in the world, that DC will be haranguing the teacher for homework!

DC knows now that 'he didn't revise well enough' for the end of year exams despite assuring me he had it all under control. I needed to know whether he genuinely felt he wasn't capable of the work (the school have moved 2 DC from triple to double) or if he just hadn't applied himself that well. He believes the latter but there's no doubt I don't really know how to help him study apart from the quiet room, regular breaks malarkey. I believe pages and pages of questions with worked answers would be ideal so he knows what's expected of him but I'm not sure that resource is available!

For the record I have looked around for private tutors but there's a dearth around here!

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Hakluyt · 21/07/2014 09:04

Could I do a little bit of a hijack? My ds has just finished year 8, and the science teaching at his school is (IMHO) pretty mediocre. Are there any interesting resources I can get for him to have a go at over the summer?

OP- my dd had the CGP revision books and just ploughed her way through them....they are very good for giving them the information they need in easy to digest chunks.

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HPparent · 21/07/2014 12:39

Thanks for your comments. I think I will just have to get the CGP books and text books and start from scratch. She seems to have learned nothing in 4 years!

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titchy · 21/07/2014 12:45

DD likes my-gcsescience.com

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HPparent · 21/07/2014 18:01

Thanks titchy. I was looking at that, I think DD might like the videos - she is dyslexic and finds scanning text a bit tricky sometimes.

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chococupcakes · 21/07/2014 23:00

oh gheez, hijacking thread too, sorry. Md dd has had a sudden science dip too. Are there any science summer schools?

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