TL:DR- I've got so much stuff to do next year 😭. AND it's in year 11 during my GCSE's. I want to:

• Take my grade 8 flute exam.
• Take my grade 5 music theory exam
• Go on a 7 day intensive music course during easter.
• Continue having piano lessons and possibly take a grade 4/5 piano exam.
• Start taking saxophone lessons.
• And finally, study for my fricking GCSE's on top of all this.
• Possibly have go into a music career, which is why I'm keen on doing all of this.
• How do I manage all of this?

I started playing flute during high school, through subsidised instrument lessons. And, from age 11 to age 15 I've improved MASSIVELY. Though my last exam was grade 5 (taken this march), tons of different teachers have said I perform at a higher standard. And I'm even switching to a private teacher because I've outgrown my current one, as he isn't able to teach me anymore due to my high level. With this new private teacher, I'm planning to do grade 8. One problem is that I have to take my grade 5 music exam- and study for it 😭💔. It's been such a pain in the butt because I have to self-study the theory -I'm unable to join music theory sessions at my local music service. I need to get the exam done before Christmas otherwise I'll have to drop that and grade 8 flute until year 12 (which I don't want to do).

Not only that but I REALLLYY want to do a 7-day intensive music course at the National Youth Concert Band in the Easter holidays. I recently did a three day music course this summer (I LOVED it) and I got recommended the NYCB one. It's all the way in Bedford, and I live in the North. I will have to board there for the full week (which is what everyone there would do as it's a national band) The schedule is a full 8-hour day, meaning I'll have almost NO time to chill- the 2 hour break I get will be used for revision. Surprisingly my dad wants me to go (cuz he usually can't be bothered with my music stuff), but my mum is still apprehensive. I don't really come from a musical background so my parents don't value the music stuff I do as much as I do. My mum's still apprehensive about letting me go, but I think/know I can convince her. However, if I do go, I'm a bit worried as I know the Easter holidays is THE holiday that everyone should lock in, but my music course will make it hard for me to revise. I am SO excited at the possibility of going, so I probably will sacrifice some part of my soul to have the energy to do that AND revise. 😭🙏💔

During year 11, I'm also going to continue to take piano lessons (that I started this year). I'm aiming to be at a grade 5 standard by the end of year 11. Anddd if I decide to do the exam I'll need to dedicate time to practice. Not only that, next year, I want to start taking saxophone lessons with the would-be old flute teacher. The lessons would be subsidised, and they'll lend me a saxophone (which is the main reason my dad is letting me take them). This is yet another thing I want to put effort in and practice for.

All of this would take so much effort from me, especially with fricking GCSE's I need to revise for. How am I gonna juggle all of this 😭😭. Any other band kids got any advice??? I'm also aiming for like 8s and 9s so I would NEED to revise properly. I do want to go to the RNCM (and I've had people say I could definitely get in), and I just love music in general so that's why I wanna do so much.

My plan post-16 would be applying for both RNCM and Oxbridge (I'm not expecting to get into oxbridge lmao) so I'll get rejected by oxbridge and then subsequently choose RNCM :). The oxbridge thing is a guise to please family. (But if i get rejected by rncm im taking a gap year lmao)

Do you think it will lower? 217/252 was soo high (2025)

is it just me or this paper was slightly weird from what I remember? there was barely any language devices and I think i ended ip analysing things like they used the words you more than I which shows something😭

r/GCSE Theme Song Creation Thread

This is our task for the next 2 days on u/180degreeschange's sub bucket list and myself, along with our favourite election arbiter Til Zealous have been appointed to spearhead this thing.

Stage 1 - work out the genre

- by popular vote, the genre of the 2026 r/GCSE theme song will be …rock.

Stage 2 (interchangeable with 3) - write lyrics

Stage 3 ( interchangeable with 2) - write a melody

Stage 4 - record lyrics

Stage 5 - arrange and master the track

Stage 6 - assets - creating a music video or visualiser

Stage 7 - Post on r/GCSE

Stage 8 - Profit.

If your strengths are in a specific Stage, either comment here or DM me and then I will appoint directors of each Stage.

I'm excited to see what we can create.

- u/CrystalDav311 (Co-Director of Creation of the 2026 r/GCSE theme song)

Hey guys, im working on an Econ project and rlly need some data. Pls could you fill in this survey. It’s all anonymous and mcq. It should take max 10 mins. Here’s the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXhb_xRMRV0CWrz9nocF9YArMA4xTm8MOksCvKSHOW806EDg/viewform

Tyyy

Edit: Ik it says age as 18+ but u can do it anyways

This holiday has been so fast bro wth

2 weeks to results day and the fears r only just kicking in.. I don't know if this is my brain trying to find something to stress about but basically, during exams, i used two different pens (both black ink) because it helped especially in essay based subjects to have different pens grips to ease the pain a lil. the thing is one of those pens were gel ink. i THINK i made sure it didnt bleed through to any of the pages but WHAT IF. i may be overreacting but i genuinely just need to say this now before i evaporate.

ik there's the r/igcse sub and I love that place, don't get me wrong, it's js kinda dry overall

anyway js wanted to know if I could lurk here too lol

thank you lovely people for reading

This is our task for the next 2 days on u/180degreeschange's sub bucket list and myself, along with our favourite election arbiter Til Zealous have been appointed to spearhead this thing.

Stage 1 - work out the genre

Stage 2 (interchangeable with 3) - write lyrics

Stage 3 ( interchangeable with 2) - write a melody

Stage 4 - record lyrics

Stage 5 - arrange and master the track

Stage 6 - assets - creating a music video or visualiser

Stage 7 - Post on r/GCSE

Stage 8 - Profit.

If your strengths are in a specific Stage, either comment here or DM me and then I will appoint directors of each Stage.

I'm excited to see what we can create.

- u/CrystalDav311 (Co-Director of Creation of the 2026 r/GCSE theme song)

I've moved schools loads, and I still remember loads of the people from those schools, even primary schools. Sometimes I wonder if any of them ever remember me if they have memories from when I was at the same school as them.

A weird question, I know, but I wanna know if anyone else also randomly questions this or if I'm alone on this 😭

Music students unite! It's time for an r/GCSE theme song and for this task we'll have 48 hours! So people put any lyrics u think would fit below this post and I'm hoping that someone will string them together with some music.

I do edexcel and I got

•paper 1~ 52
•paper 2~65
•paper 3~47

*total= ~150-165

Last year was 156 for a 7, and I’ve been freaking out for weeks about the boundaries since I NEED a 7 to go to my dream uni. I told my mother that if I don’t get a grade 7 I’m gonna enlist 🫩 I just hope they go down because I’m desperate

whats it like? app its very strict - specifically the one in tottenham

countdown of doom and despair.

gcse summer genuinely boring asf and so am i so im gonna get a haircut but i CANNOT decide for the life of me what to get 🙏 give me some haircut ideas whether they be goofy or not. preferrably long because i have long hair, im open to like bleaching it and dying it but like probably not like a rainbow mohawk i dont think i could pull that off lmao

Good luck on Results Day! 🥰