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A parents’ guide to study

and revision skills

for GCSE

Parental support is 8 times more important in determining a child’s academic success

than social class. The Campaign for Learning found that parental involvement in a

child’s education can mean the difference between a star student and an ‘also-ran’ at

GCSE.

The good news is that you don’t need to be an expert in any of the subjects your child

chooses to make a real difference. You also don’t need to give up your life and other

responsibilities – you just need to know how best to spend the time you do have.

One of the hardest demands on students is that of understanding the long-term

importance of doing the best they can, and learning to shelve short-term fun at times in

the interest of long-term benefits (not easy even for adults).

Children will also differ in their levels of maturity, their ability to take responsibility for

their learning, organisational skills and levels of motivation.

This is where parents come in. Your support, encouragement and interest can

make a spectacular difference to your child’s motivation and ability to cope with the

academic and organisational demands of the exam period.

Be flexible – use the 80/20 rule. If your child is sticking to what

they are supposed to be doing 80% of the time, they will be doing

alright

If your child asks for your support, encourage them by helping

them to see the difficulties in perspective. Teenagers often take an all

or nothing ‘catastrophic’ approach to difficulties – “I’ve messed up this

essay, I might as well give up.”

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We all know exams are important but did you know?

Students with 5 GCSEs at grades 5-9 including English and Maths are likely

to earn £250,000 more in their career than students without the

qualifications.

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That’s a lot of money but it isn’t just about the money!

Examinations are the first step to

securing virtually any job nowadays

and having a job has lots of other

benefits including;

Developing self-confidence and competence

Having a sense of purpose in life

Living longer

Better general health

Less illness

Better mental health

Less stress

Greater enjoyment of work

More choice over work

So passing exams at the highest level they can at this time in their life will

help your child throughout the whole of his or her life.

Why do we need to revise?

Your child will be studying for 10/11 GCSE`s.

Each syllabus will cover a wide range of complex information, concepts and

skills and all of this needs to be mastered.

Regular revision is the key to success to build up a depth of knowledge,

conceptual understanding and skill that will last a lifetime.

The staff will have taught your child first time round but we don’t

remember everything.

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We actually remember;

So they (and it is your child who needs to do it) need to regularly revise to

make sure it is there forever.

The most effective revision technique is teaching something to someone else!

What can go wrong with revision?

Not doing any

Leaving it until the last minute

Not having a plan

So don’t just

read the text

book when

revising!

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Being too rigid about a plan

Not being sure what to revise

Being unrealistic about what can be achieved in the time available

Revising the right things but in the wrong order

Revising the right things but in the wrong ways

Being overwhelmed and so… o Not knowing where to start o Not

starting somewhere because you are overwhelmed o Not dealing with

stress and losing perspective

Not making the most of what teachers offer in terms of extra revision

sessions

Right mental attitude

Your child needs the right mental attitude to be successful at revision.

Some things to remember are;

• Your child needs to know you will still love them even if they fail……

…..so that they are not afraid of the risk of failure.

• They need to believe that revision will make a difference (it will).

• They need to believe they can be successful.

• They must start somewhere and actually get started.

• They need encouragement to keep going even if it seems hard.

• They need to know they are not alone in this task and can get help

from their teachers and friends and support from you.

Planning Revision – Revision for the Summer Term exams should have

started!

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Your child should produce a revision plan.

Lots of people find planning difficult. It is a

high level skill. However, sometimes the

planning process is misunderstood.

A plan is not a strait-jacket that you need

to slavishly follow. A revision plan is your

child’s way of organising his/her time over

a long period and coordinating this revision with other important events

e.g. revision classes and exams so that everything is done at the right

time.

Your child should expect to re-draft their plan every week and even every

day nearer an exam.

Here is a way to use a revision timetable template all Year 10 students

have an Elevate Template of a schedule

i. Plan when social times are first - clubs, evenings off, family

commitments etc

ii. Identify how many hour slots a week to revise

iii. Make sure you are realistic and try to stick to what you say you will

do

iv. Split each hour slot into two shorter slots with a break in between

v. Reward time spent actually revising - not just time spent organising

revision

vi. Don’t forget to put the actual exams on the timetable*

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Some tips to share with your child

Revision needs your child to …..

• Have a plan

• Be organised

• Revise a little but regularly e.g. each day

• Plan revision of the topics in the right order

When revising….

o Plan to revise specific topics in each subject, not everything at

once Break your material into chunks.

o Many students think revising is simply reading notes or a text

book see the pyramid diagram! I cannot stress this too much…

o Reading the text book is not good revision

o Reading the text book is not enough

o Reading the text book is not good

revision!

o Break the 40 – 45 minutes up into revision activity (30 minutes)

and testing what you have learned (10 – 15 minutes).

o Checking your work correctly gives you FEEDBACK and

feedback is another key factor for success.

o Revise for short periods e.g. 40 - 45 minutes with a 5-10 minute

break.

o Stay focused, hours can be easily wasted on social networks and

mobile phones.

o In the evenings plan to revise one or two subjects for one to two

hours.

o Leave some time for relaxation very evening.

• Don’t leave revision to the last minute

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Revision Activities

Ask your son/daughter about UPLOAD, PROCESS and DOWNLOAD…

• Do something with the notes from your book or text for each topic

e.g. Make your own brief notes for that topic

• Make a mind map to see how the ideas and knowledge fit together

• Use flash cards to help remember key information

• Put revision resources e.g. cards and sheets up on the walls at home

• Get someone else to test you

o Explain key ideas to someone who hasn’t studied the topic so

they understand it

o Make up memory aides e.g. mnemonics, acrostics Do short tests

Use exam papers

o Use the mark schemes from exam papers to give you feedback on

the detail of right answers.

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More tips for parents

Some basics

Ensure that your son/daughter

• attends school regularly and punctually

• completes all Homework

• Show an interest in what they are doing – you

don’t need to understand it!

• Support your child with revision

• Plan family time e.g. holidays and visits to

relatives around their revision not the other

way round

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Some specifics

• Ensure that your son/daughter

gets enough sleep, especially the

night before exams.

o is eating sensibly - especially

breakfast on exam days.

o has all the equipment required

e.g. pens and sharp pencils,

eraser, a ruler, a protractor, a calculator and a watch (mobile

phones are not allowed in the exams)

o has a suitable place to work at home (not in front of the TV).

o knows what day the exam is on and what time it starts o knows

how long the exam is

o knows what is being tested in each exam

• Encourage them to start revising now

• Help your child create a revision timetable from now

• Ask them to explain something they have just revised

How you approach the next few weeks/months can have a real impact on

your child’s future.

Studies show that high parental interest is linked with better exam results than for children whose parents show no interest.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

George Eliot.

{Incidentally was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans who died in 1880}

Subject Details

Subject Exam Board Exam Code Specification Details

Art Pearson 1FA0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/art-and-design-2016.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=category:Pearson-UK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample-assessments

Biology Pearson 1BI0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/GCSE_Biology_Spec.pdf

Business Pearson 1BSO https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/business-2017.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=category:Pearson-UK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample-assessments

Chemistry Pearson 1CH0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/GCSE_Chemistry_Spec.pdf

Combined Science (Double Award)

Pearson 1SC0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/GCSE_CombinedScience_Spec.pdf

Computer Science Pearson 1CP1 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/computer-science-2016.html

Design Technology Pearson 1DT0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/design-and-technology-2017.html

Drama Eduqas C690QS https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/drama-and-theatre/gcse/

English Language AQA 8700 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-8700

English Literature AQA 8702 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-literature-8702

Food Preparation & Nutrition

OCR J309 https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/food-preparation-and-nutrition-j309-from-2016/

French AQA 8658 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/french-8658

Geography OCR J384 https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/geography-b-geography-for-enquiring-minds-j384-from-2016/

German AQA 8668 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/german-8668

History Pearson 1HI0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/history-2016.html

Mandarin Pearson 1CN0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/chinese-2017.html

Maths AQA 8300 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/mathematics/gcse/mathematics-8300

Media Eduqas C680QS https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/media-studies/gcse/

Music Pearson 1MU0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/music-2016.html

Physical Education Pearson 1PE0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/physical-education-2016.html

Physics Pearson 1PH0 https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/GCSE_Physics_Spec.pdf

RE AQA 8062MA https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062

Spanish AQA 8698 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/spanish-8698