Let me give you a scenario - Your child seems to be doing well in school, their homework is done on time, their term grades are solid and the comments are all positive at parents’ evenings. Then, come mock exam time, unexpectedly your child doesn’t attain the desired grade. Does this sound familiar? Believe me, this is a very common situation that arises for many students at different stages of their education.
So what is the problem? The answer lies in our parental trust in mass school education. We believe that the schools are experts and do everything to prepare our kids to excel in exams. However, this is not always the case.
The syllabus is taught under time pressure and schools often struggle to cover this within an academic year. This hardly leaves any time to actually learn how to apply this knowledge in an exam setting. Attending lessons, reading a textbook and doing homework does not prepare a student to sit exams. This is why students commonly get lower grades in their mock exams than expected.
Parents then frantically rush around to find a tutor that may help their child improve their knowledge and exam techniques only a couple of months before the real exams. So why not start early to ensure that your child is on the right track, is confident in their knowledge and knows how to apply it to the exam questions alongside their school studies.
Now more than ever, with the unprecedented disruption to school education, it is important to set your child on the right track and know exactly what they need to do to achieve their desired grades.
1. What academic evidence do you have?
The most important question to ask yourself is what evidence do you have of your child’s academic progress. It is important to realise that homework is usually done using textbooks and notes under no time conditions. School tests are a good initial indication, but they normally test the pupil’s knowledge on one topic at a time. It is much easier to learn one topic for a test than being tested on the entire syllabus. In comparison, the exams contain questions on a range of topics in no particular order.
2. Start early
Quite commonly parents wait until school mock exam results to realise their child needs extra academic support. Why not get extra educational support starting in non-exam years, including Years 9, 10 or 12 or equivalent? This will give plenty of time to develop your child’s study skills and exam techniques well in advance of formal exams.
3. Get a private tutor who specialises in study skills and exam techniques
I always say that you might be an expert in your subject knowledge, but if you don’t know how to apply this knowledge and know the specific language of a particular exam board, then you won’t necessary get top marks. Therefore, make sure to hire a tutor that specialises in the relevant exam board and provides all the necessary resources.
Remember that every child’s educational journey is different and everyone always needs some form of academic support. A good tutor will teach a student how to learn independently and allow them to excel in their subjects.
Please do contact me for a free consultation. I would be very happy to provide any advice to support your child’s education.
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