gcses 2021 – Surobi Scribbles

Should You Attend An All-Girls School?

Surobi Mohammed — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 22:00:22 +0000

Just a few months ago, I graduated from secondary school, and it was a wonderful experience. However, some may not know that I actually attended not one but two secondary schools.

My first school was a coeducational secondary school (for both boys and girls), which I attended from the start of Year 7 to the middle of Year 8. My second secondary school was a single-sex all-girls comprehensive secondary school, which I started at the middle of Year 8 to the end of Year 11. I had to move schools simply because my first school was too far away from my new house.

Now, which one did I prefer? Do I recommend all-girls schools? Here’s the tea:

Disclaimer: Now, of course all of these experiences, similarities and differences are completely personal to me and they are my opinions. Please don’t solely rely on this article to decide which school you want to attend or to generalize pupils in each school. I’m just sharing my experiences and perspective here, and I’m trying to be as honest as possible.

My Experience At Mixed Secondary School:

My experience at my first school was okay. The teachers were quite good, the school building was really modern and there were quite a large number of pupils. This school was in a more deprived area so teenagers starting secondary school were quite immature, and there was drama going on, like every other school. I did not have the best experience in this school, but I do cherish the good memories and how I grew as a person.

My Experience At An All-Girls Secondary School:

The 3 and a half years at this school really taught me a lot. Girls can be quite dramatic so being in an all-girls school does teach you to stand up for yourself when needed. Overall, I have made some good friends who I still talk to today from this school. The teachers were mostly outstanding, but even though the school was in a slightly better area, there were financial issues in the school. Regardless, I think these years also made me grow as a person.

Similarities Between A Mixed School And An All-Girls School:

In both schools, girls know what boys are. In secondary school, every teenager is going through puberty, and every teenager does know their opposite sex. So, whichever school you go to, you will see girls talk about boys and some girls even get into drama.
In both schools, there is a pattern of girls hanging around the toilets. We all know that some girls spend ages in the toilets having a chat with their friends and touching up on their lipstick, and this probably happens even more in an all-girls school.
In both schools, there are still fights. Beef, as some may call it, is quite inevitable in secondary school and it definitely does happen in both schools.
In both schools, there is still this ‘class system’ whereby there are the ‘mean popular girls’, the ‘sidekicks’, the ‘gossip girls’ and even the ‘nerds’. This is even more distinguished in all-girls schools as girls love their little cliques of friends.

Differences Between Both Schools:

Mixed Schools	All-Girls Schools
They usually have fewer fights. Now, this may be slightly biased as I only did attend the school for 1 and half years but I didn’t witness that many fights in this school.	They have so many more fights. In my school, some girls could get very toxic and competitive so they would fight but obviously, it would not be an everyday thing so don’t get scared.
There is more drama related to boys. Now, this comes down to who you stay with and what type of person you are but because you have male peers, it is usually much easier for girls to talk about their male classmates.	There is drama related to boys but it is quite confined to social media or outside of school. So, again, as long as you stay with the right people, and you don’t get involved in boy drama on social media, it is much easier to avoid.
There is a smaller proportion of LGBT people. From what I saw, there were not many people from LGBT and this may or may not have been due to the school.	There was a larger proportion of LGBT people. My school would also raise awareness about it too. HOWEVER, this does not mean that all girls become lesbian or bisexual after attending all-girls schools. I, for example, am straight.
The changing rooms and toilets are separated. Of course, because there are toilets for boys and there are toilets for girls.	It doesn’t matter what changing room or toilets you go into, they are all for girls (wait, don’t go into the teachers’ ones).
In my mixed school, there were more GCSE options ranging from Media to Photography to Food. I think it may also be because of a slightly higher budget as there were more students.	In my all-girls school, there were less GCSE options but the main ones were there for example, Spanish and French, Triple Science and Art. This may have been good as you have less options, making it easier for you to choose.
In terms of GCSE results, my mixed school did get okay GCSE results every year. I think again, it may be because of the multiple distractions that both boys and girls might have.	In terms of GCSE results, my all-girls school had significantly better results. There was a certain group and perhaps even larger group of girls who were more focused on their work and desires to get good grades. This may be something you want to look into.
When I was in my mixed school, I did have a group of friends but I did not feel that sense of community, it felt like a full-time job.	If you make the right group of friends who are supportive and kind, you will feel this sense of community which I felt with my friends in my all-girls school.

So overall, would I recommend an all-girls secondary school? My answer is YES. For me, I think it was a good choice and I know that some people may have many stereotypes about all-girls schools but I genuinely think it was good for me to learn how to stand up for myself, have good memories, get decent grades and also build a community of female friends who would support me. However, I also do believe that it is important to know how to communicate with both males and females, which is why I think you should attend an all-girls secondary school, but maybe for sixth form, go to a mixed one just so you know how it feels in both situations. In sixth form, both boys and girls are also more mature so it is less likely you will get distracted.

I did learn a lot and had good memories and learning experiences from all schools.

Thank you so much for reading my article, and have a lovely day!

My GCSE Exam Diary / Three Amazing Weeks of Chaos And Celebration

Surobi Mohammed — Wed, 26 May 2021 22:08:18 +0000

GCSEs… the well-known acronym to all teenagers in the UK. For the past three weeks, I, Surobi Mohammed, as a 15-year-old, had to sit assessments rather than actual GCSE exams for the first time in decades. There were some slight differences than normal years which I will discuss today. So stick around to jump into my journey of how I overcame my GCSEs.

What Are The Differences Between Normal GCSE Exams and This Year’s One?

Firstly, don’t take my word for this because every school is cooperating differently. In my school, we have been having assessments throughout the school year and some of the tests contribute to our final grade. These May exams are especially important because they have been conducted in exam conditions and therefore have high efficacy and validity.

This is in comparison to normal years where in most subjects, 100% of your grade would depend on the final exams.

First Week of Exams:

I started my first week of exams while fasting during Ramadan so my sleep schedule was different than normal.

Monday 10th May

I had one exam: English Language Paper 2

During this exam, I learned that:

Wake up at least two hours before your exams (as I felt quite sleepy during the exam)
Every exam has a different seating plan (so prepare well)
Don’t discuss about the exam before and after (I know it’s tempting but don’t do it)

I revised throughout the rest of the day.

Tuesday 11th May

On this day, it was quite disastrous. I woke up at 8:07am which was just about 30 minutes before I was supposed to be in school. I got ready and ran to school (yes while fasting) so I did feel quite tired. However, I felt much more alert and focused so from my first exam that day: Maths Paper 1, I learned that:

Don’t run late to your exams.
Do some form of light exercise before your exam (don’t run, maybe walk around a bit) to wake yourself up as it helped me.

I then went to the computer room where I stayed until my drama exam. I talked to some friends, went to the toilet, went through some drama flashcards and played a game. I did not do too much last-minute revision for this exam. My second exam was the Component 3 Drama Exam. Obviously, remember to:

Go to the toilet before your exam.
Relax to calm yourself down.

Wednesday 12th May

My school was kind enough to leave this day off for study leave with no exams allocated as there was a possibility Eid would happen on this day. I stayed at home and revised on this day.

Thursday 13th May

My school also did not have any exams on this day. Therefore, I celebrated Eid on this day! I got ready, went out for a photoshoot with my sister and mother, and then went to Bread And Oregano to try the food there. It was delicious. After that, I did some revision in the evening (because I was still a GCSE student).

Friday 14th May

Ater the celebration of Eid, my schedule changed but my exams were there waiting for me. I went to school quite early because my school kindly offered breakfast. However, I ate breakfast at home and revised in the morning leading up to my exam. The first exam I had was the Science exam (composed of Chemistry and Physics). Two lessons I learned was that:

Don’t revise too last-minute.
Eat breakfast (I did that).

After that exam, I stayed in school in the computer rooms for about an hour where I chatted to some friends and went through some RE flashcards. I then attended a RE revision session kindly held by my RE teacher and after that, my friends and I ate lunch (it wasn’t Ramadan anymore). We then did the RE exam and it was pretty good.

Saturday 15th May and Sunday 16th May

I relaxed and also revised after my first week of exams.

Monday 17th May

I only had one exam on this day: Geography Paper. I did my geography paper and one thing i learned here was that:

Let yourself breathe before the exam.
Get rid of distractions.

For the rest of the day, I stayed at home and revised.

Tuesday 18th May

I did not have any exams on this day, so I stayed at home and revised.

Wednesday 19th May

I had two exams on this day. My first exam was the English Literature Paper 1. It was okay. One thing that I learned is that:

After the exam, forget about it and leave it up to God.

I then stayed in school and I again chatted to some friends, revised Spanish and ate my lunch. I then had my Spanish Paper as my second exam. I told my sister about my exam updates after school. The lesson to remember is that:

Talk to someone about exams and let out your feelings.

Thursday 20th May

I only had one exam on this day and that was Maths Paper 2. I did the exam and that was pretty much it. One thing I learned is that:

Ignore anyone’s comments on how the exam went after the exam. It will not add value to you and instead may end up making you feel stressed.

Friday 21st May

I only had one and my final ever written exam. That was my Biology Paper 2.

I attended a revision session for Biology in the morning and it really helped me. I then ate lunch, chatted to friends and then did my exam.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself during the exam.
Check your answers.
Attend revision sessions when they are offered to you.

Saturday 22nd May and Sunday 23rd May

I mostly relaxed and had a good time. I also did some GCSE Photography work.

Monday 24th May and Tuesday 25th May

I had no exams so I went to the library with my dad, printed out my GCSE Photography work and did work on GCSE Photography. I emailed my Photography teacher and learned the updates for the exams. I also relaxed.

Wednesday 26th May

That was today! Today was my last ever exam! I had my Photography Focus day. We were each assigned our own table and from 8:30am to 2:30pm, we worked in exam conditions (with break and lunch times included). I had quite a lot of fun, doing this creative subject as my last exam. After school I chatted to my friends, took photos with them and attended my dental appointment.

So… this was my GCSE exam experience. It was really a chaotic and celebratory two weeks filled with memories and lessons. I can use this article as a memoir of how my GCSE exams went. I hope this gave you an insight on how GCSEs were for me and also some exam tips you can use for your exams.

I am now on my holidays for the next 3 months!!!

Comment down below how your exam experiences have been.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

My Amazing Last Day of Secondary School As A Year 11 Student emotional

Surobi Mohammed — Fri, 07 May 2021 22:11:08 +0000

My school shirt signed by my teachers and peers

It has all come to an end. The 5 years that are known to be dramatic, developing or even dangerous – they have all come to an end. From waking up early in the morning for school to spending long hours in school to hanging out with friends to doing homework to revising to texting friends to bantering with teachers, secondary school can be chaotic. However, if you top that off with a pandemic, several lockdowns and numerous tests, it can get even harder. But we came out and realised that we can survive in the hardest of times, which gives hope for the future.

Today, which is Friday 7th May 2021, was my last day of formal education in secondary school which essentially means my last day having lessons with my whole year group in school. From next week, In Sha Allah, I will be starting my exams while on study leave.

In this article, I will write a somewhat unfiltered memoir of the last day of secondary school, some motivation for the exam season and some parting words.

My Last Day of Formal Education:

When I reached school, I hung out with my friends in form time. All of a sudden, I saw some individuals start to take out a seperate school shirt from the one they were wearing and pass it around to their friends for them to sign. As you can see from the photo above, I did the same and I started signing shirts.

My first lesson Geography consisted of doing some work and hearing the roaring excitement from girls around me (I do go to an all-girls school after all). The second lesson Spanish had the same effect – everyone ran around signing shirts until the assistant headteacher had to tell everyone to calm down.

After chatting on break with my friends, I tripsed to science where no one did any revision whatsoever and instead indulged in taking photos and signing shirts. It was an overwhelming experience to ask for signatures and to also write inside jokes on others’ shirts and yearbooks.

My last porper lesson of secondary school was actually PE. We played a game and then rushed out for lunch to do – you guessed it – more signing shirts.

At 1:30pm, we rushed to maths, grabbed some worksheets (we do have exams after all) and walked to the hall for our end of year assembly, with some parting words from the staff.

In the last 40 minutes, everyone spent time together with their shirts and I took some photos with my friends.

It was emotional, reflective and a learning experience.

Exams Next Week:

Next week is, In Sha Allah, exams. I have exams for about three weeks, all from multiple subjects.

This year has been detrimental to everyone’s grades, but I am proud that we have still reached here. All you could give was your best during a global pandemic so work hard but don’t beat yourself up about it. I want to prioritise my mental health, pray to God, revise and wish for the best.

Remember to talk to people if you require help.

Try to revise every day because little and often is better than nothing.

Journal – it helps to bring clarity to your thoughts.

Smile more often – be grateful you are still alive in this chaotic world.

Pray to God – He is the One who can make or break you.

And remember, work hard but these grades don’t define you

Thank you so much for reading today’s article. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it.

Thank you again for reading, and have a lovely day!

gcses 2021 – Surobi Scribbles

Should You Attend An All-Girls School?

My GCSE Exam Diary / Three Amazing Weeks of Chaos And Celebration

My Amazing Last Day of Secondary School As A Year 11 Student *emotional*

My Amazing Last Day of Secondary School As A Year 11 Student emotional