How to support your child for their GCSEs

The importance of education in a child’s life cannot be undermined. A good education lays the foundation for your child’s entire future – their admission into a good college or University; their first job; their career prospects, all depend on their education and grades in the formative years. 

Of course, every stage of learning is important and teaches something essential. In UK, the SAT exams in Year 2 and then again in Year 6 test a child’s overall understanding of key subjects for Key Stages 1 and 2. The 11+ exams (should you choose to take) set the stage for a child’s secondary education, as well as train them for preparing for a regional competitive exam.

However, the GCSE examinations and the A-level examinations are crucial as the results of these exams set the foundation for your child’s entrance to University and/ work-based opportunities. With these examinations, they’re working towards actual qualifications. So, what can you, as a parent, do to make sure your child succeeds in these exams?

1. Make sure the basic concepts are in place

Like in everything in life, if your basics are in place from the beginning, it becomes easier to grasp the more difficult concepts later on. KS3 is the foundation for senior school years, where your child will learn new concepts and new skills. Hence, clarity on basic concepts in these formative years (KS3 – Year 7 and Year 8) helps to build the foundations for KS4 (GCSE).

2. The importance of Maths and Science

Maths and Science are important subjects, not just by themselves and for a career in STEM, but they also form the basis for other subjects in senior years/University. Therefore, focussing on them from the start and making sure the foundation in these subjects is strong, is imperative.

3. Help with revision techniques

Having a solid foundation is important; however, regular revision is just as essential. As GCSE is linear, with the final exams held only at the end of the course, there is a lot of syllabus to cover, so a knowledge of various revision techniques and putting these revision skills into practise helps with regular studying.

Some helpful tips for revision include:

• Help your child create an overview of what they need to revise, and break it down into manageable chunks. Not everything needs to be covered in one day!
• Set start and finish times for revision sessions, with a clear, achievable goal for each session.
• Make revision sessions different to learning. Rather than just re-reading notes, make it more active with things like flash cards and post-it notes. 

4. Taking the help of private tutors

Often, taking the help of private tutors can immensely help your child with their preparation for their GCSEs and A-levels. There are certain concepts we cannot help our children with, as the syllabus and method of learning is different to how we may have learned. Private tutors can better guide your child.

Private tuitions can help your child with revision as well. Tutors know what to expect with regards to past years question papers and can help your child with relevant practice questions. 

They also help your child get exam practice through mock papers and mock exams, which help your child gain confidence. A-Star Tuitions specialise in KS3 and KS4 tuitions, with the objective of providing target-driven guidance and support to students. Their passionate team of tutors from leading professional industries strive to bring out the best in your child, to not only meet, but exceed expectations and support students in their learning journey.

You can find their blogs and more about their tuition on their website. You can also send your queries via their website to discuss your child’s requirements.

5. Healthy lifestyle choices and essential life skills

A healthy and well-rounded lifestyle aids in better concentration for your child preparing for their GCSEs.  Make sure your child is eating right, getting enough exercise and sleep. This will aid in their overall concentration. Having a daily routine also helps. Through the process of revision and studies, your young adult also develops essentials life skills such as good time management and finding the right balance between work and play; dealing with stress and learning to deal with situations when things go wrong. These are also areas where we can guide our children, as we all have been there and have experience in these ‘life skills’.