
Disappointing GCSE Mock Results?
- Posted by Curtis Jones
- Categories Blog
- Date November 23, 2023
- Comments 0 comment
Although some students are delighted with their GCSE Mock results, there will be others who are less than happy. They, and their parents, might even be shocked at their marks. You would hope that both students and parents would have a fair idea of how they’re performing in school. However, exams can shine a light on all kinds of problems which weren’t recognised before.
So, what to do about it? Here are 5 tips:
- Face up to it. Some students can be knocked side-ways by poor results and their self-confidence might be at rock-bottom. There can be tears, tantrums and an inclination to curl up in a ball and hope it goes away. Other students may make excuses: ‘I didn’t really try hard’, ‘I wasn’t well that day’, ‘I was tired’. Either way, the student will have to face up to the issue sooner or later. The cold hard fact is that they got a disappointing result and will have to work out how to move on from there.
- Find out what went wrong. I get many students coming to an Educational Consultation who cannot explain why they got a lower grade than they hoped for. They might say they’re rubbish, or they can’t do it, but that doesn’t help them to move forward.
The first thing to do is to have a good look at the Mock papers. Ideally try and arrange a meeting with the teacher and ask them to go through what exactly went wrong. Generally, teachers do an analysis of Mock papers so that they know what’s missing and what needs to be taught next. Try to find out what their analysis has shown them.
There are many reasons why students get low marks in an exam:
- Timing- getting used to completing a paper in the given time
- Reading questions carefully – under pressure it is easy to misinterpret a question. This can be very costly. Significant time can be spent on answering a question in the wrong way, only to receive no mark.
- Calculations – in the maths exams students can get marks for writing down their working out. I am constantly having to tell my students to write their calculations down. Many of them attempt to do long calculations in their heads and are surprised when they get the wrong answer. With nothing written down, we can’t work out where they made a mistake.
- Providing enough evidence – choosing relevant evidence, and enough of it, is a skill that needs to be sharpened in order to gain enough marks.
- Subject knowledge – pure and simple. Find out what isn’t known or has been forgotten.
- Confidence – many students panic in exams and don’t believe they can do them.
- List what needs to be done. Once you know what went wrong, then you can compile a list of things that need to be studied or practised. Subjects like maths are fairly straightforward to compile a list for as there are various topics than can be studied. Don’t forget basic skills though. I’ve had students coming to me in their GCSE year who still don’t know their times tables. This lack of rapid recall slows their ability to answer more complex questions (and check them) and creates timing issues in an exam. There are plenty of online games which involve practising times tables. Five minutes a day can make a big difference in terms of knowledge and speed.
English Language can be a bit trickier to revise for, so there will be a separate blog for that. However, reading always helps. If you have read a good variety of material, then you can absorb how other writers use language to express themselves.
- Create a Timetable – this is fairly obvious, and common practice. However, try to make the timetable a bit more specific. Rather than allocating a subject for a given hour, try to specify what will be actually be studied for that subject. You should have a list of topics that need to be covered from step 3. Work out where these topics will fit into the timetable.
If the issue is to do with timing, download practice papers and try to complete them in the given time. Start this early and repeat on a regular basis.
If confidence is an issue, then practise papers can help, but the solution may need to be more personal to the individual involved. There are various suggestions out there to help with exam anxiety. These include breathing techniques, meditation and exercises. Students need to find out which of these works for them and start using the technique early.
- Create a Balance. It is important that space is made for other things, as well as revision, in the run-up to exams. If it’s all work, work, work, then the work becomes less effective as the brain tires. On the other hand, it must be remembered that after a break it can take 5-15 minutes for the brain to refocus on revision. The revision timetable will need to take into account the appropriate amount of time for rest breaks and focussed revision. This will vary according to the individual but keep an eye on whether all the topics are being covered in the time available. Balance in other things are just as important. The right kind of diet, exercise, drinking enough water and having enough sleep will all help with performance.
To all you students out there facing your GCSEs for the first time: Try talking to people who have already been through it. Ask them how they coped and what their tips are. Ignore those who say they didn’t bother revising. That isn’t going to help you. Don’t forget that the adults who care for you have probably been there before. They might be worth a listen too!
For information on how we can help with English and maths click the links.
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