Are you currently in the midst of your child’s mock exams?
It seems particularly cruel that, in the whirlwind that is the lead up to Christmas, that you and your Year 10 or Year 11 year old child have revision to contend with as well. Not to mention all the anxiety – yours and theirs – that inevitably accompanies the lead up to their first GCSE Exam experience.
It’s natural to worry. Your child – if they are the conscientious type – may worry about ‘knowing enough’ and whether they are on track for their predicted grades. You might worry about their anxiety, or conversely, fret about their lack of revision.
Although the timing of the mocks is unfortunate, and the worry is horrible, mocks are, unfortunately, a necessary evil.
They are an important dry run. Your child needs to know what to expect when they get to their exams ‘for real’. They also provide a vital benchmark. Although reality can sometimes be painful to face, it’s really important that your child knows where they are performing right now.
It is absolutely possible for your year 11 child to improve significantly on their grade between now and June/July, but they need to know where the gaps are in their English knowledge, and have strategies to fill them.
Which brings me to my next point..
In order to improve on their English, your child needs a detailed knowledge of how they performed in their mocks.
This is not as easy as it seems.
When your child gets their GCSE mock exam papers back, it is highly unlikely that they will be allowed to take them home. There are a number of reasons for this. Schools like to keep the question papers they use confidential so that they can re-use them sometime in the future. Also, should Ofsted come knocking, they will want to see marked and moderated mocks. Not unreasonably, teachers also worry about mock exam papers being lost under your child’s bed, and therefore not having a written record of their achievement.
So, there is a danger of your child just bringing a grade home. Which doesn’t give either of you much to go on. When your child receives their marked English GCSE papers back, try to make sure they do the following:
- Ask to take a picture of the marked paper (so you can both peruse and discuss it at home)
- Copy the teacher’s comments down.
- Write their main target for improvement from the mocks. Generally, teachers will identify at least one area to work on. Students will sometimes write this in a book, but there it stays, in a box.
Your child needs this target written IN HUGE LETTERS somewhere noticeable. So, given that planners are anathema to anyone older than 11, please send your child into school with a brightly coloured notebook. Ask them to transfer their targets into that. Even better if they can write examples. (I’m assuming they don’t have phones in school)
Once they bring the above home, it will be possible for you to read through the comments and results and discuss next steps with your child. You will also have something concrete to discuss with your child’s English teacher, if you have concerns. Ultimately, you will have more information to help your child to progress in English.
Of course, the results may also alert you to the need for a GCSE English tutor, and the notes your child brings home will give you something to discuss with any prospective tutor. In my free customized learning call, I always explore a child’s perceived areas of strength in English, as well as the areas they need to work on. Even if you decide not to sign up for one of my courses, the information you provide will enable me to give you some useful next steps, which will set your child on the path to GCSE English success.
If you’d like some help post-mocks and can tell me what your child most needs help with in English, I would love to hear from you. Why not book a free customized learning plan today?
